Creationism – the ideology – has hidden consequences that belie it’s metaphysical / intellectual you say tomato type syllogism. Is creationism really just a harmless intellectual exercise?
By: Vanessa Uy
Ever since I started listening to my 78 RPM shellac of the Billie Holiday song Strange Fruit on a regular basis back in 2005, I started to wonder if we, as a society, has really advanced since 1939 the year Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit was released. Sadly, it seems like we are constantly reassured that racism is alive and well. And the proof of this is the Jena High School incident in Jena, Louisiana where the white high school pranksters still think that lynching is fun – in 2007! Scarier still is that this “American Bible-Belt Racism” is based on “their” fundamentalist interpretation of the Holy Christian Scripture.
Ever since proponents of the literal interpretation of the Holy Bible justified Archbishop James Ussher of Armagh, Ireland, in 1650 to conclude that “God” began creating our universe in 9 a.m. on the 23rd of October in 4004 BC. This declaration of dogma –more or less- made Organized Christianity a relatively racist religion that brought us the anti-miscegenation statute of the state of Virginia, the famous Scopes Monkey Trial, to the “Children of Ham” debates between Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Christopher Hitchens. Although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints / Mormon faith’s “racists” stance has since been reformed. This happened back in 1978 when Spencer W. Kimball, the Mormon Church’s 12th president, proclaimed that the “long-promised day” had arrived, in which every worthy man, black or white, could take up priesthood in the Latter Day Saints.
Despite reforms and the “toning down” of the racist / separatist stance of the Religious Doctrine of various Christian sects, there are some who are still sticking by their “racist” interpretation of Holy Scripture. Like the US Aryan Nation, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ Christian whose battle cry of “ Serve the Lord of Glory and His Holy Race” makes Al-Qaeda look like a bunch of drunken college frat boys in comparison. Plus a host of other racist Christian sects that had almost made it to the mainstream American political process, like the 6th Day Creationists and the Ku Klux Klan.
Despite of the devastating social impact of creationism in present- day pluralistic-Politically-Correct America, President George W. Bush approved the teaching of creationism / intelligent design in public schools a few years ago. Maybe, we still need constant reassurance on the dangers of extreme fundamentalist Christian beliefs like creationism. Even a couple centuries before Archbishop Ussher toyed with the idea, Tomàs de Torquemada ordered during his heyday in the Spanish Inquisition for 2,000 Jews to be burned alive. This incident should have served as a “red flag” on the dangers of fundamentalist beliefs. Yet, the present Bush administration would blame the news about the burning alive of 2,000 Jews by Torquemada on the “Liberal Media”.
To me, the degree of harm that a belief in creationism can inflict upon you probably rests on where your genetic make up lies on the wrong – or – the right side of the Caucasus Mountain Range. In short, Anglo-Saxons never had it so good in George W. Bush’ America. Thank God for Barack Obama for finally talking about that proverbial “Elephant in the Room”.
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Like what I have learned from the famed evolutionist Prof. Richard Dawkins, the alternatives to the scientific view on the origin of the universe - especially the Creationists' "Alternative View" to Darwinian Evolution - does more harm to all of humanity than good. Darwinian evolution in my view - though still needs some more "fine tuning" - has been proven to be more than 90% accuracy under current scientific research results. To me, Creationists have provided us with an idealogical option to Darwin's Theory of Evolution that's open to abuse like racism and the Divinely Ordained Genocide of previous centuries.
Did you also know that Nina Simone also has her own rendition of Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit. When I read this particular blog, I never knew that protest songs can also be "tear jerkers". I hope that this (racism) ugly part of humanity's history will die out soon. But the "Jena 6 " news events only serve as a constant reminder that religiously ordained racism is still alive and well in President George W. Bush's America.
Ever since President George "DUBYA" Bush took helm at the Whitehouse, Creationism / Intelligent Design has been promoted in US schools without studying first the sociopolitical fallout that would result. President Bush's and the Republican's / GOP's / Moral Majority's agenda of promoting the "Christian Centered" view of Intelligent Design / Creationism to replaced the scientific views of Darwinian Evolution is doomed to failure because this fails to address the other "Creation Myths" of other faiths like Hindu and the Native American / First Nations version of "Creation". Schools should stick to Darwin's view because it doesn't promote racism - I mean the Biblical "Children of Ham" in my view is nothing more than a racial epithet against people of Black African descent. Besides, current scientific evidence suggest that all of us came from Continental Africa anyway. The other views I can learn from Church / Sunday School or some obscure Greduate School Elective academic courses.
Despite a plethora of Graduate School Courses on offer that ranges from the obscure to the sublime plus the wealth of scientific advances in store... Isn't it ironic that when it comes to race and gender issues, the present George "Dubya" Bush ruled American Society is 200 - or more years behind? Had the American People been duped into electing public officials who are active members of the Michigan Militia or those responsible for the April 19 , 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City? I just hope that if either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama gets elected as "Leader of the Free World" there's still an "America" left to be saved as opposed to an Evangelical version of Taliban or al Qaeda.
Hasn't the US Supreme Court decided on the unconstitutionality of Intelligent Design - the relabelled version of creationism - being foecibly taught in US public schools? Is this the foreshasowing of the "Palin Administration"?
Thank goodnes that Barack Obama won the 2008 US Presidential race. Imagine what would have happened if Gov. Saah Palin won? Neo-NAZI ideology whould become the norm, rather than an abhorrent exception in today's American society.
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