Spring Break
Darwin vs. Design conference
A perspective from one group of students
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: The Mix
So, armed with these quotes and with some posters which displayed questions regarding the fact that if ID is true, why are there so many unintelligent "designs" present, we entered McFarlin Auditorium.
We began handing out fliers and were receiving mixed reviews - until a tall, lanky, and toothy man jittered his way over to us and demanded to know who was handing out these fliers. We all took responsibility, and he began ripping the flyers out of our hands, saying that we could not distribute anything of the sort. I told him we paid to go to school here and that we were students who could walk anywhere on our campus, and that it just so happened that we walked into McFarlin, and it also just so happened that we had fliers to distribute.
He didn't take too kindly to that, and in two minutes' time, we had two police officers who all of a sudden had a real job to do watching us instead of sleeping the night away in the back. I'm sure if we had been distributing thank-you notes expressing our gratitude for the institute coming to our campus, he would've given us a warmer reception.
Then a hall manager spoke to us about being respectful to those who paid to use the auditorium. I replied that the next time I want to buy some personal freedoms, such as freedom of speech and freedom to protest, I would just rent out McFarlin and start making up rules.
Anyway, the event got underway and the six of us felt as though we were in church. The first speaker was a journalist (who happened to be oh-so-qualified on the topic at hand) who told us that he used to be an atheist (I think he meant "a theist," judging from his fervor) because of biology class. But then when he started trying to understand science (which happens so often in the halls of journalism school), he realized that science had come to its limit in being able to explain the world around us and that it was a lesser leap of faith to believe in God than to believe in Darwin.
He also decided to preach about how he believed the world's creator and designer was the "God of the Bible," as he said. That's interesting, seeing as how he said nothing of the God of the Jews, Muslims and other religions; apparently Christianity's God is the only one we have to believe in. And his entire speech dealt with differentiating atheists from Christians, where he seemed to use the word atheist as a synonym for "Darwinist" or "evolutionist."
We began handing out fliers and were receiving mixed reviews - until a tall, lanky, and toothy man jittered his way over to us and demanded to know who was handing out these fliers. We all took responsibility, and he began ripping the flyers out of our hands, saying that we could not distribute anything of the sort. I told him we paid to go to school here and that we were students who could walk anywhere on our campus, and that it just so happened that we walked into McFarlin, and it also just so happened that we had fliers to distribute.
He didn't take too kindly to that, and in two minutes' time, we had two police officers who all of a sudden had a real job to do watching us instead of sleeping the night away in the back. I'm sure if we had been distributing thank-you notes expressing our gratitude for the institute coming to our campus, he would've given us a warmer reception.
Then a hall manager spoke to us about being respectful to those who paid to use the auditorium. I replied that the next time I want to buy some personal freedoms, such as freedom of speech and freedom to protest, I would just rent out McFarlin and start making up rules.
Anyway, the event got underway and the six of us felt as though we were in church. The first speaker was a journalist (who happened to be oh-so-qualified on the topic at hand) who told us that he used to be an atheist (I think he meant "a theist," judging from his fervor) because of biology class. But then when he started trying to understand science (which happens so often in the halls of journalism school), he realized that science had come to its limit in being able to explain the world around us and that it was a lesser leap of faith to believe in God than to believe in Darwin.
He also decided to preach about how he believed the world's creator and designer was the "God of the Bible," as he said. That's interesting, seeing as how he said nothing of the God of the Jews, Muslims and other religions; apparently Christianity's God is the only one we have to believe in. And his entire speech dealt with differentiating atheists from Christians, where he seemed to use the word atheist as a synonym for "Darwinist" or "evolutionist."
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 36
Dana Schriver
posted 4/17/07 @ 1:04 PM EST
Wow... I had to read the article again... I was like, "I know the article was written from a pro-Darwinist perspective, but it didn't seem like there was anyone presenting the Darwinist viewpoint on the panel of this 'Darwin vs. (Continued…)
B-Rad
posted 4/17/07 @ 4:16 PM EST
Hoisted them on their own petard! Good for you guys (and I see gals). These DI guys piss me off because the lie so easily and often, while at the same time espousing "Christian ideals". (Continued…)
Dr. Gary Hurd
posted 4/17/07 @ 7:55 PM EST
Well done!
You see now how the Discovery Institute and religious fanatics will deal with dissent if they are ever alowed to take over our campuses or our nation. (Continued…)
Simon Harding
posted 4/17/07 @ 8:13 PM EST
Congratulations to the students who did this!
Over at Internet Infidels we are discussing this story:
http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=204059
I would like to invite the students involved to come and elaborate on their story - and get a pat on the back. (Continued…)
Kelvin L. Kean
posted 4/17/07 @ 9:26 PM EST
SMU just rose in my esteem. If it nurtures students like these six, the future is promising and the antics of the DI will become a very minor historical footnote a most. (Continued…)
Court
posted 4/17/07 @ 10:27 PM EST
remind me again of the significance of the Miller-Urey experiments? Was there a trap designed to sequester the amino acids away from the destructive force of the electricity? It was a nicely designed experiment. (Continued…)
Beth Newman
posted 4/17/07 @ 10:29 PM EST
Thank you, all six, for exposing this charade of indoctrination masquerading as free speech and as science. You have done us all a great service.
Ritchie Annand
posted 4/17/07 @ 10:30 PM EST
Just like Jason Rosenhouse braved the Darwin and Design in Knoxville conference to bring us the goods, I applaud you lot for braving the inside of the event to bring us news from the inside. (Continued…)
J-Dog
posted 4/18/07 @ 9:01 AM EST
You guys are my heros! I would proabably projectile vomited during the first speaker, so kudos to you for sticking it out. Excellent report.
Please continue the good fight in the future - you won this skirmish, but ID and the Forces Of Evil have a long-term plan, as you noted, and they are not afraid to use it!
Forthekids
posted 4/18/07 @ 11:26 AM EST
Not much of a review, IMHO. It merely sounds like some rebel rousers looking for a fight.
And, evidently, the M in SMU should be replaced with another letter. (Continued…)
Post a Comment