I love museums, and I would actually go to this:

http://studentweb.eku.edu/zachary_lynn/museum/index.html

 Then there's this.

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

WTF!!!!!

Thats it, beam me up Scotty, I've seen everything.

These pathetic sheep have to be that same assholes that think Bush is doing a great job.

I am sad

Should they really be called assholes for perpetuating a belief that has been around a lot longer than evolution?

(That was a rhetorical question.)  I dunno.  I'd definitely go to a museum devoted to my favorite book or tv show.

Raymond,

      I have great respect for the ancient civilizations. The term "asshole" was intended for the 29% of Bible thumbing Americans that believe that T-Rex and the Garden of Eden co-existed with Adam and Eve. Many among this flock believe that life on Earth began only 6000 years old.  If people want to be this uneducated then there is little I can do. However, please dont confuse our nations young boys and girls with this fictional voodoo science. Those who do are "assholes". I am just so disgusted with the far right religious wing in our country. Now they have there own museum so they can brain wash the masses even more.

The entire purpose of this article and the accompanying news coverage was meant to invoke the outrage expressed by Rob.

In fact I wonder how many of us regularly encounter these mythical Christians. Oh sure, I know we each have a wacky personal tale of something along these lines. But these news stories would have us believing there's a scary and growing movement and I for one am just not buying it.

The Creation Museum is as relevant to American Christianity as the gay Dutch, HIV-positive, internet-prowling, gang-banging rapists are to homosexuality. In the old days before Google the obscure mostly remained obscure. Some backwoods types, such as those who practice religion via poisonous snake bites, wouldn't have merited much attention from the rest of the nation. Mild curiosity. Monde cane. But now with stories and videos going viral one can come to a mistaken conclusion that these stories are relevant. That these few are a burgeoning scary group. If someone had that intent, it wouldn't be so hard to convey that message. If others were gullible they might swallow such nonsense.

I really wish the religion thread were less of a place to express hostility for the 85+% of the nation who believe in God. Sometimes I have laughed as I've read the threads and thought it would more accurately be called the anti-religion thread.

I really wish tolerance would extend to cover even these few marginal folks in Kentucky, who ordinarily would not even make a blip on anyone's radar screen were it not for the media's constant treasure hunting of obscure religious nuts. The search is only meant to reinforce stereotypes and rally the troops to the dangers of impending (hahaha) theocracy.

If wishes were fishes...

It just seems like the people who proclaim themselves to be atheists or even merely "spiritual" are more preoccupied by other people's religion than the other way around. And how ironic is the missionary zeal with which the subject is addressed...

Onward atheist soldiers!

Love,

The broken record, Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I confess I didn't read the Museum link. I had never heard of a monotheistic museum. I am guessing that Jews and Christians and Moslems don't really go in for such things. I do know that I think well of Moses, King Solomon, David and some of the New Testament people with their idea of loving thy neighbor. Now , it looks like a splinter group has revised the ancients and entered some unorthodox science into the program. That is what got to Rob.

But as Susan points out any thirty people with a $10,000 budget can construct their own " museum" and it can easily go viral.

We had discussions with Booth and CCC and we remained civil. In fact I told them if a movement against aetheists ever sprang up I would defend them. ( I know, big deal Raymond would aid us )

Peace, love and understanding my friends. I could be wrong but I don't recall seeing any get those atheists posts here.

You know, people make fun of Rodney King the brutality victim from the early nineties in L A. If Rodney had a head full of Coke and was in the midst of an armed robbery -you- an innocent bystander -could of wound up dead. But, to me Rodney was not a bad man. When he made that heartfelt plea " Can't we all just get along " it seemed sincere and hit the nail on the head in it's simplicity. It touched me more than Jesse Jackson's verbage or any of the other leaders/politicians.

"Can't we all just get along ? "  

Hagia Sofia is a magnificent building.  Isn't it nice how you and get along so brilliantly when it comes to architecture, Booth?  There must be something to that. Plus we're both polite drivers.

There is also the Vatican Museum which houses my favorite all time sculpture, Laocoon and His Sons.  However, I think the Kentucky Creation Museum, which is likely to languish in deserved obscurity once this news cycle is complete, is not in the same category.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Chenquieh.

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I wasn't calling them nutty. I actually think it's pretty smart (and relevant) not scary to make the bible appeal to the modern world by employing a modern tool (museums) and promoting it with another (the internet.) Why do you think the Kentuckians are crazy, Susan? Should they try to conduct their business in shameful secrecy or something? The latter would seem counter intuitive to the positive spread of religion. I know it's hard to tell because I'm typing and not talking, but there's no irony from me on this thread. IMO, there's nothing wrong with this museum.

As for other threads, I think it's unrealistic to bring up a religion and expect everyone to just give eachother hugs. We challenge one another to question what we believe, and participating in this forum means we're willing to defend it. (Even if it means playing dirty.) Maybe the atheists (I wonder what percentage of the Gazette we make up?) should go away and let everyone else sing Kumbaya together? *sigh*

x-ray
if your back's against the wall, turn around and write on it...

Let's take it a step further. If a creation museum is given lots of publicity -- way out of proportion to its real world impact -- then maybe a back-handed seal of approval will have an additional perk. TV/News coverage of this museum might reach the religiously unformed, uninformed or those wavering in their beliefs -- those with an ounce of good sense, anyway -- and maybe discourage their search to find any meaning within Christianity. Something along the lines of a documentary film like "Jesus Camp" whose director professes an unbiased view toward her subjects, but with an only slightly veiled hardy-har-har along the way.

That's sort of the way I take your comments if I read them irony-free. If I'm misinterpretting anything, do tell. I'll realign my thinking if you can detail how I missed your reasoning.

---

Here's the dealio from my perspective as a non-Christian. Maybe I'm just a simple deist. I don't know. I have no trouble believing that millions of people can collectively misinterpret reality. It's possible. In matters of faith and what makes the world go 'round, there's room for error, since proof is ultimately elusive.

What is so vexing to me is not disagreement. Truth be told, I find myself in disagreement with Christianity which explains why I'm not a Christian.  For me, it is the shrill mockery of the world's largest religion -- one that has survived for a couple millenia to date -- that renders the glib mocker the more simplistic than the production designers at the Creation Museum. If you directed yourself toward a different challenge apart from locating funny Christians who believe the world is 6000 years old you might reach a different conclusion. But it would involve a higher degree of intellectuall honesy. How about a travel through time, picking and choosing the most brilliant thinkers who were Christians -- some of whom you no doubt admire. You might level the playing field of internal debate. Pretending (or actually believing) that this musuem is an accurate representation of a knowledgable Christian thinking being is facile.

By the way, I never inferred that I see something "wrong" with the existence of a Creation Museum. It feels as innocuous as one of those roadside croc farms or Indian burial grounds we used to frequent when I was a child taking a family road trip. What I find wrong is building up a fantasy that this place represents a mainstream Christian philosophy shared nationwide. Need I remind my fellow Americans that you likely voted for a Christian for every major political office, if you voted at all. Or that most of your neighbors and co-workers are likely Christians. You probably like and respect some of them. Most likely your family contains a good share of Christians too, maybe some of whom you also admire and respect. And I have no doubt that multitudes of those same people would also get a chuckle out of the Creation Museum.

I don't think it's necessary for me to refute your assertion that I think Kentuckians are crazy, is it? Nor is there any real need to comment about any inference I didn't make about Kentucky Christians conducting "their business in shameful secrecy."

Now give me a big hug, Angel! You know I love you just the same.



Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Yes! I'm a Darrowman! Darrow is my leader!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Darrow