Bill Nye the Science Guy is well known to many because of his bow-tied explanations of science from a number of different platforms including television series' and books for children. Ya gotta like Bill for his work popularizing science.
Nye was involved in a much ballyhooed debate recently with Ken Ham whose name may not be so familiar, but is a big cheese when it comes to "young earth" creationism and has developed a Creation Museum in Kentucky. http://creationmuseum.org/
Ham believes that our planet is only a few thousand years old and evolution can't be true because the bible tells him so, and because God made it. Nye was, not surprisingly, the science guy in this debate and from all accounts made an omelette of Ham's arguments. Sorry, I just can't stop myself. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/bill-nye-debates-creation-museum-s-ken-ham-on-evolution-earth-s-origin-1.2523756#video
Now, I am a creation guy myself, as many of you know. I worship God the Creator, without reservation. But along with the Roman Catholic church, the Orthodox church, and much of Protestantism, I don't see evolution as a scientific theory and creation as a conviction of faith to be contradictory. Nye was actually quite respectful of religions in the debate, he's just convinced that the bible isn't, nor was ever intended to be a science text book:
"I just want to remind us all there are billions of people in the world who are deeply religious, who get enriched by the wonderful sense of community by their religion," said Nye, who wore his trademark bow tie. "But these same people do not embrace the extraordinary view that the Earth is somehow only 6,000 years old."
To that I say "Amen."
You might think that this matters to a handful of religious right-wingers in the States. Some have suggested that Nye lost the debate whatever he actually said by dignifying the event with his presence. Yet polls show that an incredible percentage of people in the US don't subscribe to the evolutionary theory because of their religious convictions. I know that in my former ministerial I was outnumbered amongst colleagues in terms of reconciling evolution and creation.
Were you aware of this debate? Are you intrigued by it? How have you worked through the challenges of creation and evolution as a person of faith? Have you ever worn a bowtie?
It was a so-so debate. In my mind there was only one person who had the smarts to even debate. Bill Nye was very respectful to Ham. Can't say the same of Ham. There are lots of other debates that have been more interesting to listen to. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Rowan Williams was good to listen to.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about all that, but I'm really hungry now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on the debate between Dawkins and Williams Laurie. Here is the link
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVxciEFyBT0
Hmmm ... we still need work on respecting scripture as myth (and not denying the power of myth) in order to reconcile the faith and the science... you have to read scripture through the eyes of faith, and try to decipher what God was saying to the people in those stories (and figure out if God is still saying the same thing to us today... that is the hard art!) but recognize that it is NOT science, as you say, David.
ReplyDeleteEvolution looks like God creating to me, and I don't think He's done.
ReplyDelete