It's NOT About 'Faith' Mr. Asper - It's About 'Stupidity'!
Canadian media tycoon, David Asper has an op-ed today that defends the right of a senior elected official, with huge government responsibilities to believe in the utter nonsense of 'creationism' and other assorted fundamentalist myth.
"It's also worth noting that the Charter of Rights -- created under a Liberal government --begins with an acknowledgement of the supremacy of God. Our national anthem also calls on God to keep our land glorious and free. So please, enough with the facade of outing people who believe in a higher power. This stuff has to stop. It debases politics generally, and constitutes a reason why good people often stay away from elected office. I have absolutely no problem with vigorous criticism of government policy, which is of course essential to our democracy. But what happened this week is part of a larger and more insidious political strategy designed to make voters fear Conservatives on the basis of individual religious choices. There's just no other way to view it."
David Asper
Mr. Asper misses the entire point of the recent outrage at the prospect of Canada's Science and Technology Minister believing in nonsensical notions of a 6000 year old universe. It is NOT about denying someone the right to believe in a 'higher power'. No! It is about replacing scientific fact with fundamentalist myth and calling it SCIENCE!
Fundamentalist belief holds that every single land dwelling land creature on Planet Earth, was gathered together from every continent on an Ark, and survived 40 days of torrential rain that flooded the entire world. The logistics of this animal 'round up' reveals the entire notion as ridiculous. No proof of a completely flooded 'Earth' exists anywhere in science. Fundamentalist mythology holds as science, that humans walked with dinosaurs. By the way, if the story of Noah's Ark was historical 'truth' why did the dinosaurs not make it onto the Ark?
Fundamentalist belief holds that a single male of the human species was created and then later, a rib was taken from the male and a woman of the human species was created. Creationist belief completely ignores the vast fossil record of the Neanderthals, the Cromagnon and Australopiticus on the planet.
If Canada has a Science Minister who believes such nonsense, then we are in serious trouble.
Asper is smoke screening the real issue here. Believe in any religion or higher power that you want .. but if you are going to be responsible for science in Canada's government, you should not believe that myth or fairy tale is scientific fact.
Amen!
"It's also worth noting that the Charter of Rights -- created under a Liberal government --begins with an acknowledgement of the supremacy of God. Our national anthem also calls on God to keep our land glorious and free. So please, enough with the facade of outing people who believe in a higher power. This stuff has to stop. It debases politics generally, and constitutes a reason why good people often stay away from elected office. I have absolutely no problem with vigorous criticism of government policy, which is of course essential to our democracy. But what happened this week is part of a larger and more insidious political strategy designed to make voters fear Conservatives on the basis of individual religious choices. There's just no other way to view it."
David Asper
Mr. Asper misses the entire point of the recent outrage at the prospect of Canada's Science and Technology Minister believing in nonsensical notions of a 6000 year old universe. It is NOT about denying someone the right to believe in a 'higher power'. No! It is about replacing scientific fact with fundamentalist myth and calling it SCIENCE!
Fundamentalist belief holds that every single land dwelling land creature on Planet Earth, was gathered together from every continent on an Ark, and survived 40 days of torrential rain that flooded the entire world. The logistics of this animal 'round up' reveals the entire notion as ridiculous. No proof of a completely flooded 'Earth' exists anywhere in science. Fundamentalist mythology holds as science, that humans walked with dinosaurs. By the way, if the story of Noah's Ark was historical 'truth' why did the dinosaurs not make it onto the Ark?
Fundamentalist belief holds that a single male of the human species was created and then later, a rib was taken from the male and a woman of the human species was created. Creationist belief completely ignores the vast fossil record of the Neanderthals, the Cromagnon and Australopiticus on the planet.
If Canada has a Science Minister who believes such nonsense, then we are in serious trouble.
Asper is smoke screening the real issue here. Believe in any religion or higher power that you want .. but if you are going to be responsible for science in Canada's government, you should not believe that myth or fairy tale is scientific fact.
Amen!
I think the issue is more about not playing the religion card every time you're asked a question you don't want to answer. It was Goodyear who associated his religious beliefs to a question about his view of the theory of evolution.
Posted by
Chrystal Ocean |
10:46 am, March 19, 2009
It wasn't a religious question until Goodyear made it one. If Asper has a problem with religion and politics, he should be directing his criticism in Goodyear's direction.
Posted by
Geekwad |
10:47 am, March 19, 2009
Despite very clear direction from the party brass, you guys insist in antagonising the religeous voters.
Good luck with that.
Posted by
Tom |
11:34 am, March 19, 2009
I think the broader point is that while we have freedom of religion it is not a get out of facts free card. Where there are gaps in our knowledge it is fine that politicians fill it with myths. But once the politician prefers myths that contradict scientific knowledge their beliefs conflict with my right to reason based government.
Posted by
KC |
12:04 pm, March 19, 2009
Tom ... I am not sure which 'party brass' you are talking about. It doesn't matter. By remaining silent on questions of idiotic religious pseudo-science, we silently allow it to continue. No way! Anyone who believes that the Universe is only 6000 years old is too stupid to be a federal cabinet minister or Prime Minister (wink wink).
Not ALL 'religious voters' that you refer to, believe this fundamentalist nonsense! Creationism, 6000 year old universe, humans with dinosarus, Noah's Ark, Adams rib ... it is ALL completely ignorant and worthy of massive public mockery!
Posted by
leftdog |
12:10 pm, March 19, 2009
Goodyear played the religion card himself.
More importantly, anyone who doesn't believe in evolution -- and Goodyear's "clarification" yesterday makes it clear that he doesn't -- doesn't understand the scientific method, and isn't fit to be running a portfolio which requires such an understanding.
I can only imagine the noise the Conservatives would make if another party forming government appointed a pacifist as defense minister, or a socialist to handle finance.
And its not as if Conservative theists don't attack secular humanists in Parliament and government as a scourge.
Hypocrites. The whole lot of them.
Posted by
Mark Richard Francis |
12:33 pm, March 19, 2009
Could the whole stupidity thing be because Asper reads his own newspapers?
Jus' askin' yanno.
Posted by
Anonymous |
2:27 pm, March 19, 2009
Of course Asper's trying to run up a smokescreen. He's still trying to get PMSH to buy up CanWest so the HarperCon$ can have their very own taxpayer-funded propaganda machine.
Posted by
MgS |
5:17 pm, March 19, 2009
I think you are dead wrong. The question was intended to catch Goodyear out. It was completely irrelevant in the context of the discussion. Asper makes an important point. This type of "gotcha" journalism trivializes political discourse. Why was the reporter not focussing on science policy? -- Moreover, Asper's point goes beyond this particular incident. The left relishes making fun of religious beliefs, particularly Conservative and particularly Christian beliefs.
Posted by
Rose21 |
10:40 pm, March 19, 2009
Rose21 you are either being devious in your arguments or just plain stupid! You wrote, "This type of "gotcha" journalism trivializes political discourse."
Rose! this is NOT about politics! It is about COMPETENCE! A SCIENCE MINISTER CANNOT BE COMPETENT IF THEY BELIEVE THE UNIVERSE IS 6000 YEARS OLD!
Smarten up!
You also wrote, "The left relishes making fun of religious beliefs, particularly Conservative and particularly Christian beliefs." ROSE, We aren't making 'fun' of religious beliefs! We are pointing out IDIOCY!
Do you believe that the entire universe and everything on this Earth is 6000 years old? If you do, then you ARE an idiot!
Do you believe that humans and dinosarus lived simultaneously in history? If you do, then you ARE an idiot!
Do you believe that some fellow named Noah, gathered together two of EVERY living species on the planet (including kangaroos from Australia - sloths from South America) and put them on a boat in the Middle East? If you do, then you ARE an idiot!
We are not making fun of you, you are making idiots of yourselves!
Posted by
leftdog |
9:19 am, March 20, 2009