Leave God Out of My Science Lectures, and I Won't Think In Your Church
Add one more scientist to the list of enemies of the Religious Right.
This time, the target of their wrath isn’t NASA scientist James Hansen or his crazy facts that nearly the entire global community of experts agrees with. It’s Bill NYE, who as a scientist has been educating kids (and adults) for years.
Bill NYE, whose list of enemies is probably shorter than Kermit the Frog’s, made the mistake of trying to teach excitable fundamentalist Christians something as unholy as how the moon gets its beautiful glow.
And these are the kinds of people you want to vote into your boards of education? They hate knowledge so much they’re like little kids who don’t want to go to school.
And speaking of little kids...you can rehash this story with the women's poor kids who were "removed" from the lecture when they're pumping your gas at a Sunoco outside of Ft. Worth in another 20 years.
This time, the target of their wrath isn’t NASA scientist James Hansen or his crazy facts that nearly the entire global community of experts agrees with. It’s Bill NYE, who as a scientist has been educating kids (and adults) for years.
Bill NYE, whose list of enemies is probably shorter than Kermit the Frog’s, made the mistake of trying to teach excitable fundamentalist Christians something as unholy as how the moon gets its beautiful glow.
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.
And these are the kinds of people you want to vote into your boards of education? They hate knowledge so much they’re like little kids who don’t want to go to school.
And speaking of little kids...you can rehash this story with the women's poor kids who were "removed" from the lecture when they're pumping your gas at a Sunoco outside of Ft. Worth in another 20 years.
posted by Jeremy at 3:24 PM
12 Comments:
Damn Glenda I need to consult you the next time I'm trying to come up with a witty headline...I should have done something with green cheese...
I actually asked you the other day but can't remember which post...what the FUCK is up with Texas?
I try try try not to stereotype the south...when I read stories like this it makes it very difficult.
But I have family in the south and they're wonderful, and I realize 40% of you are doing everything you can...but please tell your neighbors the world is laughing at them, PLEASE.
What were people like that doing at a scientific lecture in the first place? It seems like they'd be more at home at a lecture describing how the fossil record was planted by Satan to make it appear the earth was more than a few thousand years old.
These people go to science lectures so that they can storm out in anger when any body mentions something factual. Makes for great press.
Can we give Texas back? We could still import the residents for day jobs. Wow. . that was scary. For one brief tiny little second there, I was caught in a conservative mind meld of some sort. (shudder)
I'm going to partake of some tequila and turn in for the night.
Schwarzmann - totally good point, I have no idea. Basically since he's a kids icon, I think it was more like "take the kids to see Barney" than a real science lecture.
I'm trying to figure out why believing that the moon reflects the sun's light would negate her god belief. WTF?
If her kids wanted to see Nye, that would probably mean they had seen him on tv. Hopefully when the kids are older they will break away from their mom's freak show.
Nothing like raising kids to have a slammed damned closed mind, huh? Children may be our future, but our future what?
Give Texas back to whom? To GIVE means that it was taken to begin with. Texas was asked to join when we were our own country that was formed by convicts and debtors that rightfully stole, I mean won, it from Mexico.
BTW, until about the early 90's, Texas was a strong Democratic state, that is until W became governor, which he won the election from the incumbent who was a Democrat woman. I'm sorry I didn't vote in that election, I was a gutter punk at the time, but if I would have known it would have let to this......
The whole Texas government was based on distrust in politians and the idea of leave us alone.
Waco is one of the worst cities in this state. I hate it there, that is where Baylor is, a very large Baptist college. Not only that, but it's dirty and doesn't smell very nice. Their lake sucks.
If I lived there I would apologize to Bill Nye, then kill myself.
On another note:
Gun racks are still legal here and the only state with it's own secret service.
At least cock fighting is only legal in Oklahoma. Now there is a fucked up state.
Cheers,
Jessifu
Good point Jessi…
I miss the days of Ann Richards, but describing a Southern state as “Democrat” hardly indicates what the politics are. Southern and Midwestern Dems are a very different breed, which is really why I don’t consider myself a Democrat. I’m a progressive liberal and often times find myself embarrassed or incredibly outraged by things the Democratic party members do (*cough* Lieberman). But alas, I did love Ann Richards.
Just to give you an example of this – many people cited the fact that heavily Democratically registered Florida precincts voted overwhelmingly for Bush in the ’04 election, and used that to justify the argument that the election was fixed. Now, don’t get me wrong, we have every right to be suspicious about anything concerning this administration, especially considering all the indictments, cheating and lying. However, those registered Democrats in Florida registered as such many years ago when conservative (even racist) Dixicrats and Democrats ran the show down there. They’ve simply never changed their party affiliation.
That is just one of many examples of why I’m careful now to label people as conservative or liberal, versus Democrat or Republican. The Democratic party frankly has a shameful past, moreso than the Republicans. The change basically occurred during the Civil Rights act, where racist Southern Democrats decided they’d vote for the party that was trying to block a lot of Civil Rights legislation, and still blocks it today – the Republicans.
Ahh that damn science is always getting in the way of the wrapture!! ;)
When "the science guy" offends you, you've got pretty thin skin. Scratch Waco off his future stops. Sheesh.
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Not all Christians are fundamentalists. Please keep that in mind. (And when watching Waterboy, please remember that we don't go to school in overalls and barefeet, we don't have pet alligators, and we don't travel to town in pirogues. Well, most of us, anyway.)
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