This is great, because it gives me a chance to talk about a show I love, while also ranting about an apologist I utterly can't stand.
Last week the show, The Atheist Experience had a very special guest. The name is linked. For the episode I'm about about to talk about, it's Here. Seriously, check them out. The hosts of the show are always making very valid arguments. Sure, debating with an angry theist via the telephone is like chipping away at a brick wall with a toothpick, but they do it anyway, and their pretty damn good at it too. Anyway, the special guest was famous apologist and all around thickheaded intellectual train wreck, Ray Comfort.
Or maybe they were talking to the chimp, I couldn't tell you. If you watch one episode of their show, make it this one.
The hosts where patient, but only as patient as one can be when someone says “I don't believe in evolution because it requires too much faith.” He said that, and I wish I could make it up. When they challenged him on the faith required to be a christian, he said he didn't have faith, he knew that god existed, and he knows god. Matt Dillahunty, the show's main host, very patiently worked with him to deconstruct this, and hopefully get Ray to admit that while his faith is strong due to personal experience, that experience is not a valid reason for others to believe, since it is simply unable to be shared.
Unfortunately, Ray had constructed a safe little corner for himself where he couldn't lose. He said all they have to do is go to church, have their sins absolved and they too would experience knowledge of god. Basically, if you didn't have a personal experience, it was because you didn't want it bad enough. You didn't believe hard enough, you where never a true Scottsman-er... Christian... (Fallacy humor, *Sigh) and you should feel bad. This however neglects Ray's above statement. Christianity doesn't require as much faith as science, except for the faith requiring you to utterly change your lifestyle and absolve your sins. Saying faith is not required and then explaining exactly how it is, is pure and utter intellectual dishonesty. Ray seems to have a fundamental misunderstanding of faith. He doesn't see the difference between believing a thousands-of-years-old-mistranslated-bronze-age script, and believing a cross-referenced science journal published in the last five years.
I promised myself I wouldn't get into Evolution due to this post reaching the “TLDR” length, but I have to. This is an area in which Ray is so patently wrong, you'd think he be TROLLIN. After he said he didn't believe in evolution, they got him to admit that he believes in modern medicine. THERE! DONE DEAL, RIGHT? Nope, not for Ray. Apparently Ray has the unbelievable ability to have his evolution based flu-shot, AND deny its existence. Who knew? The rest of the conversation went like this.
Ray: WHERE'S THE EVIDENCE! GRRBLGRRBLGRRRBL
Show: Here's the evidence.
Ray: WHERE'S THE EVIDENCE!?!?!?
Show: Here's the evidence.
Ray: THAT'S NOT EVIDENCE!!
Show: yes it is, Ray.
Ray: YOUR MOTHER!
Okay, maybe not that last part, but you get the idea. It was also a brick wall to say that everything is a transitional form. Ray wouldn't have it. He won't rest until he has his crocaduck. Want a BANANA Ray? Oh, bad dig but I had to take it. In short, while Ray's mind refuses to evolve to a state of openness, his mouth sure as hell hasn't.
~Zach
No comments:
Post a Comment