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DomKen -> RE: Obama and Clinton making history (2/6/2008 12:00:28 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Shawn1066
Actually, Huckabee has said he doesn't know if God created the world in six days. Which is a true statement. He doesn't know. Nobody does know what happened, scientfically or spiritually, beyond a shadow of a doubt. He has faith that his God created the world in six days, but he doesn't know if that's literal or not. He believes the only thing that's really important is that God created the world, in his view...
He's also said that whether he believes in evolution or not doesn't really have any bearing on how he'd be president. This is also true. It doesn't one bit.
I don't see anything wrong with this. I admire his religious convictions, and he's perfectly allowed to have them and still be president.
Huckabee is a creationist. He is not opposed to the teaching of evolution or similar theories. He merely believes alternative theories should be taught as well. In theory, I've always maintained that's not such a bad idea.
I think we live in a sad world where people are supposed to be shunned from office because of their religous beliefs.
Just my two cents,
DV's Fox
Yes, he said that but he also said:
"I think schools also ought to be fair to all views. Because, frankly, Darwinism is not an established scientific fact. It is a theory of evolution, that’s why it’s called the theory of evolution. And I think that what I’d be concerned with is that it should be taught as one of the views that’s held by people. But it’s not the only view that’s held. And any time you teach one thing as that it’s the only thing, then I think that has a real problem to it."
http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/rncse_content/vol25/8118_is_evolution_arkansas39s_h_12_30_1899.asp
Which is at best ignorant and at worst a knowing lie.
There is no scientific evidence for any form of creationism and everything brought forward by its proponents is either an outright hoax or intentionally misinterpreted. Anyone who carries water for liars of this sort has no business holding any public office but I'll settle for keeping him out of the white house. As to how would it affect his doing his job, The POTUS is a major driving force behind what sorts of research programs receive federal funds. We've basically lost the stem cell race and if some fool is in the white house who can't understand or care about the next emergent new industry we're all in for a very bleak future. Also the POTUS appoints federal judges which is the first line of defence against religious extremists inserting psuedoscience and religion into classrooms. The next Kitzmiller v Dover must not be heard by a federal judiciary filled with sympathetic ears.
As to whether or not we can know scientifically when the earth was created and how long it took, you're quite mistaken. Science deals in observations, facts, and theories, frameworks that explain facts. We have multi billion year old rocks formed initially by sedimentation, we know this, we have the rocks and can measure their age by a multitude of different tests. Therefore this line of evidence indicates the Earth is much older than 6000 years. There are many many other observations that show the age of the Earth. The exact age is unknown and our best theory is of course subject to further refinement but 6000 years is conclusively ruled out. We know that different species of organisms used to inhabit the Earth. We have found their remains. We have observed the gradual changes that occured over time to change those ancient organisms into those alive today. That is a fact, the fact of evolution. The theory of evolution is the explanatory framework we have developed to explain the observed facts. That theory is of course subject to refinement and change however it is conclusively ruled out that all living types of organisms were poofed into existence 6000 years ago. Those major advances in biochemistry that folks like GWB and Huckabee don't want to hear about have shown that all life on this planet shares a common basic chemistry but with clear signs of a random iterative process of change. That is a fact, it is utterly inescapable. We explain it with the theory of common descent which is of course as all science subject to further refinement but the sudden poofing into existence of all life on earth with no underlying relationship is only a possible competing theory by the most ludicrous of "God is testing your faith" BS.
The biological sciences are poised to be the new industry of the first half of this century. We already benefit greatly from the early advances of this biological revolution and the possibilities are virtually limitless unless we are turned into a backward nation because our elected leaders think teaching genesis in biology class is a good idea.
I don't favor shunning anyone based on any belief. I do however look closely at any candidate for POTUS and one that believes that all of modern biology is incorrect based solely on religious belief is someone I think has no place in office.
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