O’Donnell On Creationism: ‘Too Many People Are Blindly Accepting Evolution As Fact’

[jefferson_dem]

O’Donnell On Creationism: ‘Too Many People Are Blindly Accepting Evolution As Fact’



The Tea Party’s victorious upstart Christine O’Donnell has paraded some “biblical” viewpoints in her pursuit of public office, equating a lack of school prayer with weekly school shootings and masturbation with adultery. Her extreme stances, along with her bizarre and unfounded attacks against the GOP’s mainstream candidate Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), have alienated traditional GOP operatives and conservative activists and pundits alike.

Today, New York Magazine dug up another of O’Donnell’s right-wing positions. Back on March 30, 1996 in her role as spokeswoman for the conservative Christian policy organization Concerned Women of America, O’Donnell “squared off” on CNN against a University professor to advocate for teaching creationism in the classroom. In trying to debunk “every legitimate scientist in the world,” O’Donnell insisted “hard evidence” proves evolution is “merely a theory” and God’s creation of the world in “six 24-hour periods” is fact:

O’DONNELL: Well, as the senator from Tennessee mentioned, evolution is a theory and it’s exactly that. There is not enough evidence, consistent evidence to make it as fact, and I say that because for theory to become a fact, it needs to consistently have the same results after it goes through a series of tests. The tests that they put — that they use to support evolution do not have consistent results. Now too many people are blindly accepting evolution as fact. But when you get down to the hard evidence, it’s merely a theory. <...>

Now, he said that it’s based on fact. I just want to point out a couple things. First of all, they use carbon dating, as an example, to prove that something was millions of years old. Well, we have the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens and the carbon dating test that they used then would have to then prove that these were hundreds of millions of years younger, when what happened was they had the exact same results on the fossils and canyons that they did the tests on that were supposedly 100 millions of years old. And it’s the kind of inconsistent tests like this that they’re basing their ‘facts’ on. <...>

Well, creationism, in essence, is believing that the world began as the Bible in Genesis says, that God created the Earth in six days, six 24-hour periods. And there is just as much, if not more, evidence supporting that.

As New York Magazine points out, her “scientific takedown” of carbon dating is solely based on tests run by one “young earth creationist” at the Institute for Creation Research. The “biblically-inspired” young earth creationists are “at the hard core end of the creationist spectrum” who believe that “humans coexisted with dinosaurs.”

<SNIP>

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/15/odonnell-evolution/

[tavalon]

1. Have fun with those fifteen minutes of yours, Ms. O'Donnell

I know we will.

[baldguy]

2. Why is it that all the articles I read about O'Donnell's beliefs seem to come from The Onion?

[DirkGently]

8. Because she kinda blurs the line between fact and satire? 8)

[Ian David]

14. See also: Poe's Law

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Poe%27s_Law

[mrs_p]

3. i can't stand it when these non-scientist

types try to sound scientific. she just sounds idiotic!

and as an aside, there is no policy against evolution in the RCC, of which i thought she was a member-apologist??

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. Well, the Pope DID say that evolution was accepted by the Church

as fact, and that it didn't conflict with Catholic dogma.

But of course, that was THAT Pope, the 'liberal' one. Not the new guy.

[Arkana]

4. You have about ten seconds to stop me from sending all my life savings

to Chris Coons in the form of a cashier's check.

If this loon beats him the Senate will cease to function.

[Sinistrous]

5. Unfortunately, that statement will resonate with

a majority of the populace.

[MattyGroves]

20. Unfortunately, she's going to be able to shrug these comments off by saying the economy is the issue

And she's likely right.

If the economy was at least on a visible uptick that the public could feel she wouldn't even be a blip on the radar.

However, every crackpot thing she said over 14 years ago is going to be "that was the past and we need to focus on the now."

If it's a tight race then perhaps these comments will become relevant at the finish line but I don't think the public as a whole cares right now (sadly).

[Sinistrous]

22. Shrug them off? Her base of ignoramuses will

lap up that kink of dreck.

[mike_c]

7. ignorant dolt....

Words fail me.

[grilled onions]

9. Picture The Older MAD Magazine

There is a pic of her with thumbs up and that well known toothy mad grin and doo with the caption What? YOU Worry???

[chelsea0011]

10. "not enough evidence"??? LOL

[ProSense]

11. She makes the other kook,

Sharron Angle, seem medicated.

[Yavin4]

13. Heck, The Barter Health Care with Chickens Lady

is starting to look appealing.

[sakabatou]

12. What a dumbass.

[damntexdem]

15. That's true -- more should understand the science that supports evolution.

After all, those who accept evolution purely on faith may be susceptible to Creationist idiocy from the likes of O'Donnell.

[DCBob]

25. "accept evolution purely on faith" -- huh??

Is accepting the earth is round also based on faith?

[AtomicKitten]

16. Oh boy. This is gonna be fun!!! Weeeeeeeeeeee! nt

[Mojambo]

17. She is SPECTACULAR.

I don't think people around here realize what an incredible gift this woman is to the political entertainment scene.

Her debate with Coons is going to set the internet on fire.

[catgirl]

18. Bump

[smoochpooch]

19. "Ms ODonnell, how can a student taught creationism go on to college and tell the profs the earth is ...

This is the question that needs to be asked at every debate against a creationism believer.

"Oh no Professor! You are mistaken! Didn't you know the earth was created 6,000 years ago by a loving but vengeful omniscient deity? Dinosaur fossils are just God's way of testing our faith! How could you not know that Professor?"

[saltpoint]

21. Christine. Darling. By all means keep yapping.

[old mark]

23. O'Donnell's views are pretty much standard conservative catholic church doctrine.

Most of what she says on mastubration, sex, abortion, etc. is right out of the Pope's playbook.

mark

[DCBob]

24. Exposing creationist beliefs of many conservatives may be the Republican's worst fears.

Ask most any elected Rethug to discuss this and they do a serious pretzel dance. They know the vast majority of voters think evolution is obvious but they also know they cant denounce creationism for fear of pissing off religious conservatives.

[Permanut]

26. So I'm sure she's gonna disavow David H Koch,

who funded the (what else?) David H Koch Hall of Human Origins at the Smithsonian - along with funding the Teabaggers, global warming denial, and all that other hateful stuff he's doing.

:sarcasm:

[Arugula Latte]

27. My (non-existent) god, she's out-Palinin' Palin.

*facepalm*