"Intelligent Design" Makes Me Think of Mies van der Rohe

Michael at AMERICAblog, countering the fundies’ demands that Intelligent Design (see: Creationism) be taught in science classes, writes:

Here's one thought: the next time someone tries to shove their religious beliefs into your local public school's science class, make a counter proposal. Demand that the school teach that the pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens. You could quickly print out lists of hundreds -- if not thousands -- of books, movies and TV specials that bolster this claim and prove it's a valid "scientific theory" that your kids should not be denied hearing in the interest of fairness.

Also propose that your kids be taught humans were put on earth by aliens, the truth about UFO abductions, time travel, how we didn't really travel to the moon (it was faked, you know) and you name it. There are plenty of quack "scientists" with actual degrees who will argue for this bunk. Once your school board has to deal with a whole bunch of junk "science," they might be more willing to dismiss it ALL in favor of accepted scientific fact. Point out that not ONE public university teaches Creationism as a valid scientific fact and ask why you want to teach your children something that every reputable college in the country will tell them is idiotic and wrong.

Next week: how to defend your geography class from fundamentalists who insist the world is flat.

Ha. Buried in the amusingly expressed contempt is a fair point, but it’s getting more and more apparent by the day that these people (and those who are cowed by them) cannot be reasoned with. In a belief system that depends on the willful ignorance of its adherents, rational discourse on any given topic is unlikely.

On the origins of this phenomenon, Frank Zappa once said:

The essence of Christianity is told us in the Garden of Eden history. The fruit that was forbidden was on the tree of KNOWLEDGE. The subtext is, all the suffering you have is because you wanted to find out what was going on. You could be in the Garden of Eden if you had just keep your fucking mouth shut and hadn't asked any questions.

This is why so many fundamentalist Christians (Biblical literalists) refuse to even engage those who present ideas that are contrary to their own. Their beliefs are a delicate house of cards, and anything that undermines its tenuous foundation petrifies them. It seems to me that a faith that cannot be challenged is not much of a faith at all, but that is a contention, I have found, that is met with little enthusiasm by the people to whom it has been directed.