Extremism leads to more extremism


Answers in Genesis isn’t just that annoying collection of stupid people and con artists anymore — they’re embracing hate and bigotry as fervently as they have ignorance, and it’s getting worse. Dan makes an interesting discovery while trying to track down the source of some recent hateful articles on the AiG website.

What’s curious is that AiG is trying to hide the source — there are these articles that are currently anonymous, but the Wayback Machine reveals that they were initially posted under the byline “Harry F. Sanders, III”. Why is AiG actively trying to conceal the authorship? And further, “Harry F. Sanders, III” is itself a pseudonym for someone named “Emory Moynagh” (probably also a pseudonym) who had a YouTube channel (now deleted) called “In His Image”, where he was an extremist antisemitic conspiracy theorists. And now AiG is trying to launder his history while giving him a bigger platform to peddle that extremism. Also interesting: AiG is taking a very hard line on their version of creationism, letting all those other creationist organizations know they are heretics and blasphemers. Ken Ham’s ego is totally in charge, I imagine he considers himself a modern-day patriarch who must chastise all those who deviate from his dogma.

This is a common problem in authoritarian worldviews, you know. We’re witnessing a predictable acceleration as AiG fully embraces its cult nature. It’s only going to get more feverish and vicious.

If you’d rather not listen to a 14 minute video, here’s the conclusion:

Ken Ham is going all-in on the culture war
And he’s decided to go all-in against other YECs
He’s enlisted Harry F. Sanders, III/Emory Moynagh as the primary author of this series
Harry/Emory has a history of articulating extreme positions, including borderline incitements of violence, antisemitism, and conspiracies
This is dangerous and irresponsible, especially considering Ham and AiG’s recent aggression towards the LGBT+ community and the trend of right-wing violence

Comments

  1. wzrd1 says

    I leave the antisemetic pseudochristians with smoke pouring from their heads.
    After one of their more spittle imbued tirades against Jews, which tend to leave one’s mind numb and ears ringing, I quietly comment, “Jesus was a Jew. Why do you hate Jesus so?”, then turn and walk away before the idiot can blather further.

    Whenever such idiots want to go with the “It’s a war” drivel, my response is, “Oh, good! Courtesy of the US taxpayer, I’m real good at war”. Leaves them sputtering every time.
    Only one thought it wise to double down and try to target me. Once I let him down again, he scurried off to try to find someone in law enforcement that gave a flying fuck – to no great avail. I simply went along with my regular business with my peace no longer impeded.

    And remember: The juice will not replace itself!
    So, let me know if I’m running low, so I can replace it before I run out.
    And also, the most unkind thing one can do to a fool is to allow them to speak their mind unhampered. One can then typically expose their idiocy for all to wonder at with only a sentence or two.
    So, after an anti-LGBTQ+ diatribe, a query exposes an objection from Leviticus and a comment about how Jesus must be disappointed in losing their following the New Covenant. The few that argue do the buffet Christianity, claiming Leviticus is still binding. I then comment on their mixed thread cloth that they’re wearing and their decidedly unkosher diet and that Leviticus was Old Covenant, with ten commandments and Leviticus, made to keep a large standing army in order at that time, replaced by the commandments of Jesus, which are fewer and encompass the ground of all such laws.
    AKA, beat them at their own game, using their own methods and sources.
    Laughably, most can’t even identify what part of Leviticus that they’re using as an objection and need it pointed out to them, along with the prohibitions I mentioned. The few that can, I comment about Peter’s fever dream illuminating the New Covenant and again, hammer on their rejection of it.
    Did I mention my habit of converting Jehovah Witnesses?

  2. chrislawson says

    AiG was always a hateful authoritarian absolutist wannabe-cult. The only thing that has changed is that there is now a clear model for exploiting ever-worsening bigotry in the public sphere and Ham has recognised the opportunity.

  3. Samuel Vimes says

    …OR, I just could have read the comments before commenting myself.

    I wish I drank coffee so I could blame my scatter-brainness on a lack of it.

  4. says

    Also, this exactly explains why there was a schism in 2006 that cause some creationists to break away from Dumb Idiot Ham to form a creationist organization of their own. His attitude and narcissism must be unbearable to all those close him. Heck! Too be honest, Dumb Idiot Ham is entirely no different than that Stupid Idiot Trump whos about to be indicted perhaps likely today.

  5. birgerjohansson says

    Ken Ham would be more entertaining if he embraced the “jewish space lizard” theory of David Icke.

  6. wzrd1 says

    Apostasy in Christianity was punished by death by fire, per canonical law. So, not so lawless, save by modern standards.
    It’s one of the reasons that I laugh in the face of Christians who go off about Islam and apostasy penalties and I explain in depth as to why I’m laughing at them.
    God, in his mighty and infinite mercy sure loves to incinerate those who are loved. Sounds suspiciously like the spouse who shows love by punching the living shit out of their spouse, loving them straight into the ICU.
    Odd, as I’ve only felt inclined to do that to those seeking to harm me and hence, I decidedly dislike intensely… The incineration accomplished by adiabatic heating from their passage through the atmosphere.

  7. snarkhuntr says

    One of the beautiful things about regressive philosophies is that they are – by their very nature, aggressively hierarchical and absolutist. It is not possible for them to agree to disagree about any issue of substance, nor can they tolerate the ambiguity required to admit “I don’t know”. So they must be certain about everything, and everything must be ranked. Since they all believe themselves to be the ultimate moral authority (When they speak about ‘god’, they almost always mean ‘I’), then anyone who disagrees with them is not only an intellectual inferior (definitionally, since they don’t agree), but also morally inferior as well (for going against god).

    This makes their movements even more prone to splitting and infighting than leftist political movements – and it is very fun to watch.

  8. wzrd1 says

    This makes their movements even more prone to splitting and infighting than leftist political movements – and it is very fun to watch.

    Just the epitome of authoritarian movements. Infamous for eating their own in a feeding frenzy.

  9. birgerjohansson says

    Extremists and their followers:

    The fucking eejit aka Boris Johnson was grilled by a parliamentary committee wednesday about misleading the parliament about the illegal gathering (when ministers had wine and cheese while non-work-related gatherings were illegal).
    It was a very… bojo event.
    Normally he would get away with murder as the tories have a majority, but he is past his sell by date, and he has few allies left.
    It is not so much about “truth” as about “is he an asset for the upcoming election?”. If the answer is “no” the tories will no longer pretend he is innocent. The public is tired of him so he might – for the first time in his life- face real consequences for his actions.

  10. birgerjohansson says

    Did I remember to mention he criminally mismanaged the COVID response?
    When he read a document about mortality for a group he interpreted 0,20 as 0,2% . And he had elderly sent straight from hospitals to elder care homes without covid testing spreading the virus among the most vulnerable.
    -And the tory MPs just continued applauding him in parliament, like circus seals.

  11. Kagehi says

    Despite the author’s atrocious nature, I can’t help but ask, “Is it time for a, ‘I am Voldamort” joke?”

  12. brightmoon says

    Annoying collection of stupid people and con artists. They’re more frightening lately than just annoying. Fundie arrogance and stupidity has long been dangerous to women and BIPOCs

  13. DanDare says

    “Why do intellectual dishonesty and bigotry always seem to go together?”

    I think bigotry is an instinct. Part of normalising. So “like me = safe” and “not like me = dangerous”.
    Intellectual dishonesty leaves people with epistemology problems. So instead of reflecting and studying to see what is really going on they fall back on emotions, primarilly fear, that brings forward the bigotry and other control instincts.

  14. birgerjohansson says

    And speaking of bigotry… a Florida school has fired a principal for showing schoolchildren the nude statue “David” by Michelangelo.
    This is what happens when you give power to idiots.