Bill Nye "The Science Guy" Upset some Wacky Fundies in Waco

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/04/06/04062006wacbillnye.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=11

<snip>

The Emmy-winning scientist angered a few audience members when he criticized literal interpretation of the biblical verse Genesis 1:16, which reads: “God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.”

He pointed out that the sun, the “greater light,” is but one of countless stars and that the “lesser light” is the moon, which really is not a light at all, rather a reflector of light.

A number of audience members left the room at that point, visibly angered by what some perceived as irreverence.

“We believe in a God!” exclaimed one woman as she left the room with three young children.

[YOY]

1. The fact that she managed to breed is why I have a tough time myself

with belief in a higher power.

[SammyWinstonJack]

43. !

:spray:

[colorado_ufo]

51. Please don't blame the Higher Power.

These pages were written by humans who lived many centuries ago and who did their best to explain the general concepts that they held to the masses, most of whom came from an agrarian society.

[baby_mouse]

77. If not the Higher Power...

... then whom?

It is long past time the Higher Power... Interceded.

[GOPFighter]

79. Bingo

Why would a god expect his followers to deal with such a contradictory, inscrutable, ambiguous holy book. Is this the best he can do? If humans wrote it poorly, or if it's now sadly out of date, why hasn't there been an update since?

[hobbit709]

83. Itinerant sheep herders

don't know much about science, astronomy or mathematics. They only reason they could count past ten is that they wore sandals.

[dorktv]

2. Remind me to smack these people with the Misquoted Jesus.

[KittyWampus]

44. 'Misquoted Jesus'? My Understanding is that book's shoddy scholarship

and the name is totally misleading. At not point does the author cover any actual quotes attributed to Jesus.

[dorktv]

55. You mean this one:

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Misquoting%20Jesus%3A%20The%20Story%20Behind%20Who%20Changed%20the%20New%20Testament%20and%20Why:3004386299;_ylt=AkmGHLcEDfaSCJz26yaBKSkbFt0A;_ylu=X3oDMTBic2hxMGNhBGx0AzQEc2VjA3Ny?clink=dmps/misquoted_jesus/ctx=mid:1,pid:3004386299,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20060409,srch:kw,x:

I meant Misquoting Jesus...the one about how the Bible has been messed up over the centuries.

[AllieB]

74. I thought it was a good read, and his scholarship is impeccable

many believers doubt his credibility because he has lost his faith, so therefore they believe that his scholarship is tainted by his agnosticism.

[Proud_Democratt]

63. Jesus wasn't around

for creation....was he??????

[Proud_Democratt]

64. Why wasn't Jesus created in the same manner as Adam

and Eve??????

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Nye was interviewed on "Countdown", and was predictably rational and cool.

He made very little of the disturbance and said it was a very minor event and that the media were making more of it than it really was.
The lecture went on undisturbed and he got a standing ovation when it was done.
He seemed to want the interview to concentrate more on the problem of global warming than the minor disturbance in Waco, where it seems, a lot of whackos live.

[etherealtruth]

31. Saw the interview as well ...

He is one "cool" and focused guy.
I was dumbfounded that someone/anyone would heckle Bill Nye the Science Guy.

[4morewars]

4. Later on her head exploded...

right after I told her the earth was ROUND !

:bounce:

[Deja Q]

5. Which god, to the exclaiming bonkers woman with 3 offsprings attached?

And God made us Hollywood?! :wow:

[TomInTib]

6. He was talking about that on Countdown Friday.

We have a farm northwest of Waco and I can actually hear that woman's voice in my head.

[aden_nak]

7. I will never understand why people are so smallminded about religion.

Is it so hard to imagine that god's thoughts literally HAD to be presented in the language and the concepts of the people through whom he spoke? I mean, could any of the original authors of the bible have been able to explain the process of nuclear fusion? Of course not. Now, personally, I'm an aetheist. But I wasn't born and raised that way. It seemed OBVIOUS to me as a child that the bible didn't mention the scientific explainations for things because the people back then wouldn't have understood them and couldn't write about them. I could never conceptualize a god that sat around just makin' stuff. Of course, I also took a long walk on religion, so maybe I'm not the best example. On the other hand, part of the reason I left was that the faithful had attitudes like. . . well. . . like that.

[Lisa]

12. they pick on small details of dogma, but forget the big picture ...

In my opinion (and I'm an agnostic, so they would probably deride it) ... I think they are "throwing the Christ child out with the bathwater" so to speak. Jesus never commented on how old the Earth is supposed to be, or on the existence of fossils ... but rather, there are multiple witnesses who clearly state that Jesus kept talking about poverty, feeding people, healing people, and treating others with respect and generosity, no matter what their origins or beliefs. One would hope that all self-proclaimed "born again" Christians would be more concerned with those issues which occupied their religion's founder -- but I guess not.

[wryter2000]

24. Another agnostic here

It's a crying shame that agnostics have to stand up for the teachings of Jesus in the face of such ignorance from "the faithful."

[Ian David]

85. Republican christians are All Cross, No Christ. n/t

[fishwax]

28. there is a problem with that line of thinking

well, I don't think it's a problem--I agree wtih you completely--but it's a huge problem for the people that we're talking about. Many of those attracted to religion (particularly conservative religious traditions) don't see religion as something comforting or thoughtful, but rather a way of ordering and enforcing order in the universe. Religion is not a way of explaining the world, but a way of directing their own actions. They crave authority because they can't or won't control their own actions/thoughts/beliefs. Once they open up the possibility of religion/faith as an intellectual exercise, it undermines the authority of "god's word/directives." They can't handle that. They don't know what to do with themselves. They can't trust themselves (or others) with the act of interpretation.

[MrSlayer]

8. It's so hard not to mock these people.

I hate to sound like an "elitist" as Biden put it on Bill Maher the other night but when people are this ignorant it's hard not to hold them in contempt. Being a person of faith or whatever is fine but when literal bible translation takes precedence over reason and fact I have no choice but to think you're an idiot.

[PublicWrath]

19. If we had done a little more "mocking" .........

Perhaps things wouldn't have gotten to this point. Faith is too often used as a device by which a painfully uneducated person can feel himself competent to argue with the paleontologist, physicist, biologist.

[Boomer]

25. There's a solution for that

It's called education. This country needs a LOT more of it, but is getting less and less instead.

[Rocket Surgeon]

29. Education doesn't seem to be working...

The best solution is just to stay out of rural areas and certain cities in the Bible Belt. These people cannot be reasoned with.

I'm lucky enough to live in the middle of Houston where the Bible Beaters have little sway. I have received zero harassment in the town for being an agnostic heathen.

[newyawker99]

33. Hi Rocket Surgeon!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[flygal]

65. Welcome!

You give me hope - there's a chance we may move there in the future and I'm scared to death about the fundies. I survived Suburban New Orleans by just being evasive on church invites.

[BadgerKid]

41. I guess religion is all that some people need? n/t

[Elidor]

72. They use it as a shield

"Don't subject my irrational world view to reason or analysis. It hurts my feelings and it's not fair."

[renate]

52. exactly--

--especially since this whole new Gospel of Judas thing would seem to poke a gigantic hole in their "Bible as absolute truth" theory.

I'm guessing that most of these folks are putting their fingers in their ears and going "la la la I can't hear you" about that, though.

[Ladyhawk]

53. I know many of these folks personally and I have a hard time with it,

too. In reflective moments, I look at my voice teacher and think, "He's in his mid-fifties and he still has an invisible friend and believes the earth is 6,000 years old." I shake my head in pity, wondering how I could have ever thought I could be friends with a fundy after ridding myself of that particular affliction. I usually try to think of something a little more positive, but it's hard after realizing a sizable chunk of the folks in my classes share the same invisible friend and also believe the world is 6,000 years old.

I'm worried about our future. A lot of the kids in this county have been homeschooled to ensure the passage of the "faith" virus to the next generation.

[mwb970]

61. It's ignorance and lack of intelligence, isn't it?

There must be a reason why so many right-wing screeds, especially those from hyper-religious people, are chock full of spelling and grammatical errors (in addition to the many CAPITAL LETTERS and exclamation points!!!!1!).

How often do you see a literate, witty, well-written item about how evolution is false or how stem-cell research is a sin? I'll tell you - never.

[DaveJ]

9. No wonder they hate Bill Nye

Just went to his homepage and the first thing you see is an ape evolving into a human while the flash animation loads. It fascinates me that evolution is so offensive to people, actually.

[Proud_Democratt]

62. I guess making Adam

from dirt...and then breathing into it, would be appealling??? They just can't stand the fact that ID was disproven.

[FormerDittoHead]

10. I really feel sorry for Bill Nye...

No sarcasm!

I mean, here's a guy who studied hard to learn what he knows about science, then have not just the talent but the will to put forth the effort that was needed to compete with what are probably other "Mr. Sciences" to get where he is today.

He probably has this sincere dream of teaching and inspiring kids to become scientists in the future...

All of this only to have to come to the point where he has to defend the most basic precepts of science to a bunch of people who mentally resemble cave dwellers with sticks and stones. Only cave dwellers were WILLING to learn...

Don't get this wrong, either. If it weren't for Republicans willing to sell out HUMAN principles to these idiots, they wouldn't be given a respected voice in our national dialog.

[hfojvt]

11. this is an example though

Is it not possible for him to talk about science without feeling the need to disparage God and the Bible at the same time?

He might also have pointed out that the light "which governs the night" is not always visible all night.

[DaveJ]

14. I had a similar reaction.

For instance, I have been annoyed when people seem to mock Beatles music by singing it out loud. It does no justice to the music and shows lack of understanding behind the meaning. So I agree he should have shown some sensitivity. Concurrently I can’t help but believing that these people are the one’s ought to fill the jobs that Americans don’t want to do if the undocumented immigrants are ever forced the leave the U.S. I mean it’s hard to believe these people are too sophisticated.

[1monster]

20. How is it disparaging to God or the Bible to point out the inconsistancies

in the words and acts that are attributed to God?

I believe in God/S/ess/The Force/The White Light/what have you. But I do not personify the entity(ies) that we refer to as God.

The human mind is such a puny thing that we cannot comprehend the vastness of the known Universe, let alone the unknown Universe. How could we ever even begin to understand what/who created it?

I believe that the personification of The Creator/s/ion is the root of most of the incredible horrors that man has visited on man and the planet since the beginning of all religions and dogmas.

Whatever/whoever created the Universe simply is.

Science seeks to unravel the mysteries of the known and unknown world. When the answers they discover disagree with religious dogma they are accused of heresy and disparagement of God, Jesus, the Bible, Mohammed, Allah, the Koran, etc. ad nauseum.

[IChing]

21. "Disparage god and the bible at the same time"? I agree

We should burn him at the stake, bring on the inquisition, for his scientific fact that he said is an attack on Christmas, easter, god and the bible.

[hfojvt]

26. I bet I could talk for a couple hours

about the solar system, the galaxy, etc. without ever mentioning Genesis 1:16. Presumably the people there went to hear a guy talk about science, not to talk about his opinion of the book of Genesis or even a scientific study of the claims or inferences of the book of Genesis. So he did, in fact, go out of his way to attack the Bible when giving a talk to children (and their parents).

[Liberal Veteran]

36. Perhaps he was making the case that the bible is not a science book....

And that it shouldn't be used as a science book as so many fundamentalists try to use it for.

If facts and truth "disparage" the bible, then it is silly to attack someone for pointing that out.



As I recall, the church had a similar problem with Galileo using that evil science to "attack" dogma.

[IChing]

50. If god and the bible can not stand the heat of truth then

they need to stay out of the kitchen of science.

[mondo joe]

45. How did he disparage god?

[obreaslan]

60. You're right! How dare he disparage God...

By claiming that the moon only reflects light and doesn't emit it's own light!!!

If God wanted the facts told, He would have put it in the Bible.
People need to be tolerant of other people's intolerance. :grr:

[kestrel91316]

76. So he's supposed to PRAISE biblical literalism???????

Science and biblical literalism are COMPLETELY INCOMPATIBLE. He is not a preacher of religious dogma, but a teacher of scientific fact and theory.

I certainly HOPE he would make the sort of statements that some consider "disparaging God and the Bible". THAT'S HIS RESPONSIBILITY.

[demosincebirth]

13. self delete

[Charlie Brown]

15. If they don't want to hear info that contradicts their religious beliefs

then why did they attend a science lecture?

I'm not aware of any biology profs or TOE-supporters who make scenes in churches.

Dim-wits

[DaveJ]

17. Who knows who attends these things?

Maybe they were plants, or the real life equivalent of trolls? Anyway if they were courteous, and had a problem with his lecture they could have left quietly without making a scene.

[Lisa]

16. my vision -- Judgement Day will be like a great big thesis defense ...

I'm writing this mainly from a monotheist perspective, so apologies to the other faiths.

We're the student being examined -- Jesus, Mohammed, Moses, and other religious figures are our faculty advisors -- and God is the external examiner.

The committee is mostly on our side, but the external, as usual, is the one whose final word counts the most. So God launches into us with "why didn't you resolve these crucial issues" (poverty, global warming, species extinctions, etc.)

And then S/He demands to know why we didn't complete our investigations, seeing that we have a cerebellum and opposable thumbs ... we got as far as learning what DNA is, and decoding a few genomes, but got sidetracked into selling it and forgot to pursue our research. And we totally neglected the cosmology/astronomy side of our work ... instead of trying to decipher the heavens, we yanked all the funding from those projects and put it into ballistic missile defense. Then there's the geology/paleontology part, which is a total shambles, because instead of looking at the fossils which would have given us valuable clues, we ground them up and burned them!


And when our fellow grad students -- like Bill Nye or James Hansen (the global warming guy), or Darwin and Galileo, for that matter -- when they tried to offer some suggestions about what areas of research to pursue, we rudely rebuffed them.

By then, the student (us) is a quivering mess on the floor, and unable to make any sensible response.

[Olney Blue]

30. Lisa, that is an interesting and thought-provoking post.

I don't believe in God or a judgment day, but I believe each person should
have the freedom and privacy to seek their own way. If I am wrong, then the
way you describe judgement day sounds entirely plausible.

[Lisa]

32. being an agnostic, I would be totally shocked if this did happen ...

Guess the joke would be on me then, huh?


By the way, I just finished sitting in on one PhD defense ... and the external was "there" via teleconferencing from Australia. It was kind of unsettling, hearing this disembodied voice filling the room like an otherworldly presence -- maybe that's where I got the idea from! The candidate did pass, but not after some nervewracking moments when her Powerpoint presentation crashed. (Could it be .... Satan?!!!)

[Olney Blue]

34. Well, maybe we can have some "hot" chocolate together

in the "other" place because I will be there too!

[Lisa]

35. we'd have a lot of company ...

Have you ever seen Rowan Atkinson's skit about the afterlife?


p.s. Here's a transcript -- though it doesn't really do the piece justice!

http://www.epicure.demon.co.uk/devilswelcome.html

[Olney Blue]

39. No, I haven't. I love his humor.

[renate]

58. hey there, Olney Blue!

(what does your name mean, BTW?)

I believe in God (although I can see why some would call God an "invisible friend"--pretty funny, really), and totally do not believe in a judgment day (because God is nice! and forgiving! like Christians say! right?!), and I totally agree with you that people should have the freedom to seek their own way, otherwise their actions are meaningless.

Interesting how much common ground many (liberal) Christians have with non-religious folks, when you get right down to it.

My real religion is the Golden Rule. Everything else is just commentary, IMHO.

[glitch]

48. And God says Do Over, and there we are, amoebas. Again.

And that's if we're lucky.

[long_green]

18. I'd like to hear the context of his "critcism" of Genesis

I'm inclined to believe that the woman with kids who stalked out came there with every intention of doing so.

[greekspeak]

22. Trying to reassure herself in light of what Nye said possibly being true?

"We beleive in a God." So do a lot of people who don't take every word of the King James version of the Hebrew Scriptures. Wait...isn't she is guilty of Bibliolatry--apparently her response to criticism of the Bible was to call it a God which was being discredited.

[wryter2000]

23. Ye fucking gods

If you believe in God, why do you think He gave you a brain? God doesn't want you to be ignert.

[cynatnite]

27. I could understand some getting upset if he said 'there was no god'

but geez, :eyes:

Bill Nye rocks!

[ldf]

37. We believe in a God, exclaimed one woman

he should have replied, "maybe its time you started believing in the TRUTH, and not some fairytale created to promote an agenda of male domination".

[Starbucks Anarchist]

66. Or "Most people do. You're not special."

[stepnw1f]

38. LOL

Those who are upset, do not believe in God for they need proof when they challenge science. Belief never requires science's approval or dissaproval.

[Olney Blue]

40. Good point.

[Miss Chybil]

42. Oh the shame! A scientist speaking scientific fact. Blasphemy!

And to think, Galileo had to go through the same bullshit.

[redwitch]

46. Bill Nye, The Science Guy Bill! Bill! Bill!

We LOVES Bill Nye the Science Guy! He is one smart dude, me and my guys (when they were tiny) always watched Bill Nye the Science Guy. We always laughed, we always learned something too. Unlike fundies who have shut down their tiny brains and never learn nuthin'.

[glitch]

47. Sounds orchestrated. Perhaps they're hoping for a tour, like that nasty

high schooler who taped his teacher.

[northofdenali]

49. From an anonymous letter to the editor:

"The foundation of superstition is ignorance, the superstructure is faith and the dome is a vain hope. Superstition is the child of ignorance and the mother of misery."

WHAT IS SUPERSTITION?

To believe in spite of evidence or without evidence.

To account for one mystery by another.

To believe that the world is governed by chance or caprice.

To disregard the true relation between cause and effect.

To put thought, intention and design back of nature.

To believe that mind created and controls matter.

To believe in force apart from substance, or in substance
apart from force.

To believe in miracles, spells and charms, in dreams and
prophecies.

To believe in the supernatural.

Bill Nye is mega-cool (according to my daughter, who started watching his show when she was about 5). Religious whackos (according to the same source) are totally not cool.

[Canuckistanian]

54. Waco. Of course it was Waco.

It seems whenever I hear about some some outrageous ignorant fundie, they come from Waco.

Is there something in the water that destroys half your brain there?

[NMMNG]

56. Fundies are staunchly anti-science

If science disputes their mythology in any way they oppose it hands down. If they had their way schools would still be teaching that the world has ends and corners, considering that's what the Bible says.

[sakabatou]

57. “We believe in a God," said an audience member

"We believe in rational thought," retorted another audience member.

[renate]

59. I could not love Bill Nye more

How cool is it that a smart guy like him has dedicated himself to teaching kids in a fun way so they'll really learn?

I could watch his shows 24/7 and never get bored, and I'm so not even a kid! His humor is so smart and engaging--he rocks!

[Tsiyu]

67. It's a good thing he didn't tell them the world is round

Isn't that a felony now?

[graywarrior]

68. Religious Addicts.

I'm so fucking sick of them.

[AllieB]

75. My brother-in-law is one of those 'religious-addicts'

sad to say, he was nicer and more lucid when he was an alcoholic. I'm happy that he is no longer destroying himself with alcohol, but now he's destroying himself and his family with his judgemental, born-again BS.

[graywarrior]

80. That seems like a natural progression for ex alkies

[Bassic]

69. God is no excuse for ingorance lady.

As Hugh Moran would say: Get a Brain!

[Dragonbreathp9d]

70. And these people reproduce! Argh!

[RB TexLa]

71. "'We believe in a God!' exclaimed one woman as she left the room"

but apparently she does not beleive that God gave her the wisdom to understand things about his creation as we learn about it.

[400Years]

73. the sun and moon were around long before god was invented

[malmapus]

78. He's dorksided!!!

Oiy, these people just give so much ammunition.

[spanone]

81. These morans choose to follow their inept leader over the cliff.

There will always be those that choose the fantasy over reality.

I guess God invented scientists just to confuse the masses.

[IChing]

82. kick

[Ian David]

84. 32. Take the Bible Science Quiz

Objective: Using the Holy Bible as your guide, correctly answer each of the following scientific questions. After you are finished, check your answers by by clicking here

Why are there clouds in the sky?

A. Heat causes water on the Earth to condense and rise into the atmosphere where it forms clouds.
B. Clouds are God's footprints in Heaven and are made up of the dust from his feet.

Why are some people blind, deaf, dumb or handicapped in some other way?

A. These deficiencies are deliberately inflicted on some people by God.
B. Most of these problems are caused by defects in the genetic make-up of an individual which are random and presently inexplicable.


3. What causes thunder and lightning?

A. God's will. Thunder is the sound of his bellowing voice. Lightning is a deadly force He deliberately hurls at various places.
B. They are the product of clouds colliding. Thunder is the sound the make and lightning is the electrical current produced.


4. Why do we sometimes see rainbows?

A. The colors are caused by the refraction of light which is inherent in the aftermath of a large downfall of rain.
B. God has them occur periodically to remind Him that He has promised not to brutally kill all the men, women, children and unborn children of the Earth again.

More (Take the quiz!):
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news0101/sciencequiz.html