Author Topic: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics  (Read 16910 times)

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Offline The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2012, 10:16:31 pm »
The Gish Gallop. Creationists love to throw out so many falsehoods you are unable to adequately address all of them. It is an excellent debate tactic (if dishonest), but horrible for finding out the truth.

Ah, yes. Particularly when they throw out the straw man versions of the big bang, the formation of various bodies in the universe, abiogenesis, etc.
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Offline Vene

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2012, 10:38:36 pm »
That reminds me of another one. If a creationist is talking to a biology, they will ask a physics question. If it's to a physicist, a geology question. And who knows what they'll ask a geologist. They rarely focus on their field of expertise.

Offline Ranger_Joe

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #17 on: January 08, 2012, 10:40:51 pm »
I really don't understand how people can maintain this level of thinking. Even the idea that the earth is only 6000 years old is just....hilarious. I can't even consider the idea..There have been so many reports, so much evidence..everything showing that our earth is billions of years old. Our universe is MASSIVE.

It's just intellectually dishonest to even pursue the idea. The fact that there are so many people who truly do believe this way makes me just stare in disbelief. It honestly makes me a bit sad and disappointed of my species as a whole.

They use so many different tactics, and all of them are equally hilarious. When you laugh and shrug it off, they just get smug and self righteous. So many people put so much effort into refuting these idiots...it just feeds their desire to continue the research. They don't deserve to be acknowledged in the scientific community because they don't have scientific information.

If there is one thing I absolutely cannot stand, it's willful ignorance and stupidity. YECs take the idea of the God of the Bible and then find information to support their ideas. True researchers will examine the data and then compile it and show exactly what it said, as opposed to filling the gaps in their backward ass theories. :P
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Offline StallChaser

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2012, 04:58:16 am »
They think that if they can point out one flaw with evolution, it's automatically false and the Bible is automatically correct.  I remember VenomfangX doing this when he was on youtube.

Ah, I remember him.

Appearantly he's back to his old tricks

He's still around?  I thought he was gone (from youtube, at least) after making all those false DMCA claims.

Offline Star Cluster

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2012, 09:08:58 am »
Arguing with these people is useless.  You'll never convince them they are wrong since they have the Buybull on their side.

I found out recently that one of my best friends, who I knew was Christian, was also a YEC.  We were discussing the new lineup of TV shows from last fall and I mentioned Terra Nova.  He was unfamiliar with it so I was giving him a quick synopsis.  When I finished, he looked at me and asked "You don't believe that shit do you?"  I asked, "Believe what?"  He replied, "That the earth is that old."  When I said I did he said, "Well, I sure don't.  I don't think it's but 6000 years old, like it says in the Bible."

I was stunned and quite surprised he believed this way because here's the kicker;  this man is president of a company in an oil related business.  I just left it alone because I knew there was no sense in arguing about it.  But then, I've often wondered about the depth of his real faith.  In case you haven't noticed, the first quote above is verbatim. While he doesn't "curse like a sailor,' he doesn't mind throwing a few around from time to time.  He also likes to drink (he and I have tied some on together more than a few times,) and he loves making references to sex and how sexy some women are (he is married to a gorgeous woman.)  And while I know to which church he is a member, I don't know if he goes on a regular basis.  I really get the feeling he doesn't.

It is behavior like his that really makes me question a lot of people's commitment to religion.  While they talk a good faith, they sure don't put it into a noticeable practice.
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Offline The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #20 on: January 09, 2012, 10:36:44 am »
That reminds me of another one. If a creationist is talking to a biology, they will ask a physics question. If it's to a physicist, a geology question. And who knows what they'll ask a geologist. They rarely focus on their field of expertise.

Or when they demand that every atheist be an expert in physics, biology, theology, and everything else under the sun, declaring evolution (which is, of course, synonymous with atheism in YEC-land) null and void if one single atheist is unable to answer a particular question dealing with a highly esoteric element of any of these fields.
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Offline Lithp

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2012, 03:15:56 pm »
You're also wrong if you have any deficiency of knowledge about religion.

They get to decide what counts for that.

Offline Old Viking

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #22 on: January 09, 2012, 04:26:45 pm »
Just smile and say, "You may be right."  Then turn the conversation to something a Young Earther can understand.  Coloring books is a good place to start.
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Offline TheL

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #23 on: January 09, 2012, 09:30:23 pm »
I really don't understand how people can maintain this level of thinking. Even the idea that the earth is only 6000 years old is just....hilarious. I can't even consider the idea..There have been so many reports, so much evidence..everything showing that our earth is billions of years old. Our universe is MASSIVE.

It's just intellectually dishonest to even pursue the idea. The fact that there are so many people who truly do believe this way makes me just stare in disbelief. It honestly makes me a bit sad and disappointed of my species as a whole.

I bought into it when I was 10.  See, Dad figured I wouldn't just automatically believe everything my teachers told me (despite there being no reason as yet for me to ever think teachers were wrong about things they mentioned in school), so he heard me talking about how sad it was that I couldn't like dinosaurs anymore because the earth was 6000 years old and therefore my dinosaur books had to be lying.  He asked me about the fossils.  I thought for a minute and said they must be fakes.  (Remember, the concept of fictional books was familiar to me, but the concept of teachers misinforming students was not.)  Dad then tried to talk to me about how I should be more openminded, but I was too young to really understand what he was trying to get at.

As a college freshman, I finally realized creationism was bunk.  If you've never read any of AiG's materials, I recommend that you do, just to see how slick they are.  Basically, if you have a high school education and no exposure to actual scientific evidence, it all sounds perfectly reasonable.

I am still very angry at that elementary school.
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Offline Auri-El

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #24 on: January 09, 2012, 09:52:30 pm »
Encountered a new one today.

I'm in my last semester of college and I'm taking a course called "geology and dinosaurs." I've been looking forward to it, I love rocks and fossils and things. Except the first class was today, and I looked at the book (which Dr C wrote) that's supposedly about dinosaurs, and the book says things like "Your teachers told you evolution was a fact. That's wishful thinking. "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools..."," and, concerning the "change" in the age of the Earth as it went from religious leaders' guesses to scientific theories, "This rapid upgrade of the Earth's age makes you wonder if it got caught in some strange time-warp." What's more, in the preface he claims that he "tried to cover subjects such as evolution fairly and objectively."
I have to admit, this is an entirely new experience for me. I knew there were plenty of fundies in my area, but to find one teaching science at the best junior college in the state was something I never expected. And the thing is, most people don't know enough about science to realize that he's being an ass.

Sadly, I have no way out of the class. I need a science course to graduate, and my only other option would be to go another semester which is not really an option.

*quietly seethes in the back of the classroom for 15 weeks*

Offline Lithp

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #25 on: January 09, 2012, 10:15:36 pm »
If it's "the best junior college in the state," can't you just point out to the administration that he's teaching total bullshit?

Offline Auri-El

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #26 on: January 09, 2012, 10:23:43 pm »
Well, I'm not really going to keep quiet. We've only had one period, and he didn't say anything definitely wrong. But since I'm stuck with him, I'm going to speak up as much as I can without affecting my grade. And there's always teacher evaluations at the end. But as for making a formal complaint with the higher-ups, I'm not sure how it works or if it would be worth the bother, and I'm generally shy and don't like making a fuss. I just can't abide idiots.

Offline TenfoldMaquette

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #27 on: January 09, 2012, 10:58:48 pm »
Well, I'm not really going to keep quiet. We've only had one period, and he didn't say anything definitely wrong. But since I'm stuck with him, I'm going to speak up as much as I can without affecting my grade. And there's always teacher evaluations at the end. But as for making a formal complaint with the higher-ups, I'm not sure how it works or if it would be worth the bother, and I'm generally shy and don't like making a fuss. I just can't abide idiots.

If you don't like to abide idiots, then don't. Talk to someone in the administration about his bullshit; if they have academic standards they'll put the kibosh on him pretty quick. And if they don't, well then at least you know where they stand and you can have as much fun as you can wring out of that class.

Offline Vene

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #28 on: January 09, 2012, 11:46:17 pm »
Well, I'm not really going to keep quiet. We've only had one period, and he didn't say anything definitely wrong. But since I'm stuck with him, I'm going to speak up as much as I can without affecting my grade. And there's always teacher evaluations at the end. But as for making a formal complaint with the higher-ups, I'm not sure how it works or if it would be worth the bother, and I'm generally shy and don't like making a fuss. I just can't abide idiots.

If you don't like to abide idiots, then don't. Talk to someone in the administration about his bullshit; if they have academic standards they'll put the kibosh on him pretty quick. And if they don't, well then at least you know where they stand and you can have as much fun as you can wring out of that class.
Pretty much this. That professor is doing a disservice to you and everybody else taking the class. Also, evaluations go to the professor, not the department chair* so it wouldn't really accomplish much. It shouldn't take more than an email for a phone call to get a complaint process started. It could help to state it as you being concerned rather than an outright attack on him (which could be seen as a student bitching for a better grade).

Also, it cannot have any impact on your grade as long as you do the material your professor assigns. If it does affect your grade, document it and present it to the department chair.

*At the least, this is how the colleges and universities I've been to have handled it

Offline Random Gal

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Re: YEC (Young Earth Creationist) tactics
« Reply #29 on: January 09, 2012, 11:49:27 pm »
If all else fails, contact the local chapter of the ACLU or a similar organization.