Irony 101, Lesson 7: Creationists co-opt Scopes
John Thomas Scopes was a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged on May 5, 1925 for violating Tennessee’s Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools. He was tried in a famous case known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. He later said of the trial, “I furnished the body that was [...]
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Why evolution should be taught in church
Aryan Jesus loves himself a little velociraptor. Image source: Monty Propps at b3ta.com This article first appeared at Religion Dispatches These are busy times for those who fight the teaching of creationism in public schools. It’s like playing a giant game of Whack-a-Mole: In January alone, anti-evolution forces first raised their heads in North Carolina. [...]
On peanut butter and the origin of life
Some weeks ago, Alert Reader Ron Taylor brought this gem to our attention. At the time we could think of nothing but snark in the way of response. However, in revisiting the video we’ve found there’s a really interesting — and vital — point to be made about it. Before we get to that, though, [...]
Science envy is alive and well in old Kentucky
A trilobite, Ceraurus milleranus, found in Maysville, Kentucky. Whence this delight? There are two options here: (1) Ceraurus milleranus lived during the Ordovician, a period that lasted from about 488 to 444 million years ago and all its trilobyie cousins went extinct by the end of the Permian (250 million years ago); or (2) Ceraurus [...]
Two by two came the epidexipteryxes and vulcanodons
Noah and his family loading up the menagerie as their neighbors stare in disbelief. I don’t know who created the original image or who doctored it up so nicely with velociraptors, tyrannosaurs, pterodactyls, and whatever that weird black-and-white thing is on the left. If you do know, please advise. I try pretty hard to get [...]
Too late for today, maybe, but still. Next time you vote, please don’t vote intelligent design
One intelligent orangutan. Image source: latrola.net Just a moment ago it struck us that there are no posts on intelligent design (ID) here at psnt.net. There is a manuscript of a presentation that addresses ID, but no posts. Therefore we said to ourselves, “Ourselves, this must be remedied.” So here we are, 2 Novemvber 2010, [...]
Christine O’Donnell: what is truth?
Hieronymus Bosch, Christ Before Pilate, c. 1520. Jesus talked about the truth, but Pilate wouldn’t have it. Instead, he washed his hands of the affair, asked What is truth? and promptly subjugated truth to politics. We sigh: There is nothing new under the sun. Source: Wikimedia Commons Politics does not make a big splash at [...]
