Deep thinkers, they aren’t

In case you missed it yesterday, we had a visit from Eric Hovind and his small troop of Junior Woodchucks. They first visited this edition of Thunderdome, babbling incoherently, and then when I opened a new Thunderdome thread, many of them seem to have gotten lost and confused, although I also think they were losing steam already. These kooks never have much stamina, and are unused to confronting people who actually ask them to think (for another example of that kind of foolishness, Ed Brayton links to a creationist trying to answer questions — they’re terrible at it.)

But if you’re still interested, one of them, calling himself Proof of God, is still lingering, like a bloated rotting corpse left after the tide recedes for the crabs to pick over. He’s not answering questions, either, just dumbly reciting “facts” that he’s clearly never thought about it very deeply. For example…

The proof that God exists is that without God you could not know anything for certain. Without God truth would be relative and meaningless.

But why must this “god” who forms the logical foundation of the universe be an anthropomorphic, intelligent agent who cares personally about one thin layer of spontaneously interacting chemicals wrapped around one among the immense numbers of rocks bouncing about in the cosmos? Why couldn’t the fixed truth of the universe be a reflection of the Planck constant, rather than Jesus?

But I don’t think there’s much point to arguing with a fool who thinks he has found a proof of god in a banality. The only informative bit of this interaction is in seeing just how inane Hovind and his merry band are.

Edwin Kagin is dead

The founder of Camp Quest, crusader against the Creation “Museum”, former blogger at FtB, invigoratingly ferocious lawyer defending atheism, Edwin Kagin, has died. He was one of those fellows with an amazing force of personality, and strong views that he’d gleefully argue over.

There was a news segment on him a few years ago. The snide tone trolls who are interviewing him are a good example of what he fought against.

I’ve been officially de-baptized by Kagin himself; I also stayed at his home the night before my visit to the Creation “Museum”. He was a wonderful guy, and will be missed.

Not by Answers in Genesis, though.

Another review of Noah

Ken Ham went to see the movie. I think he’s giving it a thumbs down.

I am disgusted. I am going to come right out and say it–it is disgusting and evil–paganism! Do you really want your family to see a pagan movie the has Noah as some psychopath who says if his daughter-in-law’s baby is a girl, he will kill it as soon as it’s born. And then when two girls are born, bloodstained Noah (the man the Bible calls righteous Noah–Genesis 7:1), brings a knife down to one of the baby’s heads to kill it and at the last minute doesn’t do it–and then a bit later says he failed because he didn’t kill the babies. How can we recommend this movie and then speak against abortion! Psychopathic Noah sees humans as a blight on the planet and wants to rid the world of people.

While in the true Biblical worldview, it’s psychopathic God who sees humans as a blight on the planet and wants to rid the world of people. How dare a mere man act as if he were created in God’s image?

Me, I’m kinda warming to the movie now.

Activism! On campus!

It’s been so long since my heart has been warmed by furious students and faculty fighting for what is right, and now it’s happening: UMTC is getting some pushback over an invited speaker. It’s Condoleeza Rice. Why did we invite a war criminal to speak on campus in the first place? She is a person who should be shunned by all civilized company everywhere.

Another sticking point is her lecture fee. She’s going to give a 50 minute talk and get paid $150,000. That’s right, someone is going to give a lecture at the university, and get paid for one talk at a price that is almost 3 years salary for me. Is that what a class is worth? I’m going to have to demand a raise, I guess.

I’ll settle for a mere $100,000 per class hour, since, after all, I’m not as famous as Rice. On the plus side, though, I’m also not responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of people, or the destruction of the American economy, so it all evens out.

Oh, all right, I’ll bargain. I’ll go back to my usual middle class salary if, in return, the campus police slap handcuffs on her the instant Rice sets foot on campus, and then banishes her from the country on charges of committing crimes against humanity.

I’m being fair here, people!