Monday, March 24, 2014

Ray "The banana man" Comfort explains why Neil deGrasse Tyson is wrong that the Bible is not a reliable source of science. Uh huh.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

Creationist Ray Comfort complained that Neil deGrasse Tyson had misrepresented the Bible. 

The astrophysicist and host of Fox’s “Cosmos” said recently that using the Bible as a scientific source was problematic, because no one had ever scientifically proven a theory based on scripture. 

Comfort said last week on his online “Comfort Zone” program that Tyson wasn’t qualified to make that determination because he’s not a theologian. 

“You know, the word ‘science,’ it’s kind of a magical word,” Comfort said. “‘I believe in science.’ It just means knowledge, that’s all it means. There’s different areas of science, different areas of knowledge. When you say the Bible is not a science book, you’re saying it’s not a knowledge book? It tells us how God created the Earth!” 

Knowledge, of course, is not quite all that defines science, which is characterized by systematic methods of observation in pursuit of new understanding. 

But Comfort insisted the Bible was a science book because it described the origins of the universe. 

“It gives us the basis for all creation, and it passes the scientific method,” he said. “It’s observable – Genesis – and testable. Evolution is not. You can’t observe something 60 million years old, but you can observe what Genesis says.”

So to be clear, this idiot is saying that Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, cannot judge the scientific merit of the Bible because he is not a theologian, that science itself is a "magical" word, and that the Bible does indeed describe the origins of the universe.

Here let us examine this incredibly detailed description of the beginning of our universe, as explained in the Bible, shall we?

From the book of Genesis:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 

6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. 

Wow, that really does describe exactly how the universe came to be, how it functions, what it is made up of, it's dimensions, it's age, and everything right? Um, not exactly.

So according to this there was an earth BEFORE there was the light of the sun? But are we not trapped in the orbit of the sun?

And the sky is made up of water? Water?

What about the stars?

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

So the stars are trapped in the "vault of the sky," which is made up of water, and are there simply to "mark sacred times?"

And the moon is a "lesser light to govern the night," and NOT simply a satellite trapped in earth's orbit which reflects the light of the sun back to earth?

Really?

But what about dark matter, gravity, super novas, black holes, the Big Bang?

The Bible addresses none of that. In fact, and I hate to be a skeptic here, it is as if the people who wrote the Bible only had a fundamental, and perhaps illogical, understanding of the world around them.

Do you know what might help to clear up any questions that might remain, AFTER reading the Bible?

Science.

In fact it does not appear that there are really any actual factual explanations about the world, its people, and the universe in which we live, that cannot be answered WITHOUT the Bible.

I'm just saying.

And I would assume that as science moves forward and continues to answer heretofore unanswerable questions, the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran, will be looked to less and less for answers that can now be factually explained, with evidence provided to back them up.

And that's really the problem that Ray Comfort has with this Cosmos program isn't it?

He knows in his dark little heart that the more people turn to education and science to find answers, the faster charlatans like himself, and Ken Ham, Kent Hovind, and William Lane Craig will be out of a job.

P.S. For those who may wonder why I call Comfort the "Banana Man" take a moment to learn why NOBODY should take this guy seriously about anything.

32 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:51 PM

    I'm teaching general physics this spring and I can tell you that even the simplest exercise- like dropping a ball- is accompanied by mathematical models allowing predictions that can be checked by measurement. I just can't seem to find that in those biblical passages.

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    1. Anonymous6:19 PM

      They were going to add another book to the bible to cover all that science-y and math-y stuff but then they decided to just add "Because God said so"

      Saved a lot of paper that way.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:20 PM

      Gryphen (& others interested)

      If you have streaming Netflix, be sure to check out the film The Revisionaries. It came out a couple of years ago, but it gives an excellent look behind the scenes with the highly politicized process of approving and amending "the facts" in Texas high school textbooks especially in Science and Social Studies.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous4:54 PM

    Science is based on being able to prove the theory over and over by repeating the experiment and getting the same results. In peer reviewed literature, most other scientists will agree with the findings, or add information. How many different versions of the Bible are there, and where exactly is the proof of any of it? People are free to read the Bible and believe everything that they read, but belief is different from actual proof.

    There are some people out there who don't want you to think about things. They want you to take what they say on faith. They depend on dumbing down education, by teaching creationism, by keeping people ignorant. That is how people like Sarah Palin are able to become a governor or be nominated to run as Vice President.

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    1. Bingo!

      You my friend summed up quite well the exact reason why I criticize religion so often and spend so much time trying to point out its detrimental effects on education, politics, and human relations.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:58 PM

      The first waning sign that religion has infected someone is the tendency to say things like "you must believe this" and ALL the other religions are wrong. Whenever someone tells me what "god" wants me to do, I know right off that they are dangerous. How the heck did "god" give them the info, but somehow fail to give me the info? Maybe their "god" is not entirely on my side!!!! Ditch their "god" ASAP.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous8:22 PM

      @Gryphen; Please continue posts like this one, and please encourage discussion. The only way to combat ignorance is with education.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous5:03 PM

    Debunking the Top 10 Most Egregious Republican Lies

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/most-egregious-republican-lies_b_5022857.html

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  4. Anonymous5:11 PM

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/23/1286866/-Nathan-Phelps-issues-statement-on-the-death-of-his-father?detail=email#

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  5. Anonymous5:13 PM

    I am a believer in God and this is my thoughts on science. Science explains how God made the universe. I know a lot of people will beg to differ and that's fine. God gave us each a brain to figure things out. That's what doctors and scientists are for.

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    1. Anonymous5:31 PM

      Nope, nice try but no, God didn't give us our brains, our brains developed over a very long period of time and have progressively become more complicated as we evolved from a single celled organism to modern humans, in fact, not just our brains, but our entire species will continue to evolve through time until millions of years from now we may no longer be a species recognizable as the current Homo Erectus, we will have evolved into an entirely different species or a Homo Erectus much different than modern humans.

      How is the Bible going to explain that? What happens when humans no longer resemble the painting of God and Adam in the Sistine Chapel? The Bible was written by, for and pertaining only to modern humans, humans born within the last 10,000 years. We will eventually evolve beyond Human 1.0, then what? New Bible, new stories for Human 2.0? The Bible can't stand the test of time, but science can and will.

      You can believe in God if you wish, that is your freedom here in America, however you can't state things that are categorically false and scientifically debunked such as "God gave us each a brain to figure things out". Not true, never was never will be. You would do well to preface such statements with "I believe" rather than stating untrue things as fact.

      I also find it a little hard to believe that you self identify as Christian, being that you have a blog whose sole purpose is to lob stones and pass judgement on others.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:51 PM

      Say you are wrong in your beliefs No heaven, no hell, no after life... What if death on earth is final just like turning off a computer with no hard drive. No memory of life, family etc. That scares the crap out of religious persons the most and is why they cling to their religious beliefs,

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    3. Boscoe6:22 PM

      @sphash: I'm not a believer in any of the man-made religions, but if you feel compelled to believe in one, at least you have a healthy point of view concerning science. I can totally respect that.

      You'll notice that the ONLY way people like Comfort and Ham have any basis at all to pretend there is anything "debate" is to ignore all the facts and ignore the entire basis of how science functions, and reduce it to a collection of ideas that one chooses to "believe". Once they do that then it's easy for them to say "I have a belief too, therefore they are totally equal, in fact mine is superior because it was written by God" -And then expect us all to ignore the fact that they cannot prove the core basis of their "argument".

      Ham will actually use the fossil record as "proof" of Noah's flood, but the only way that works is if he purposely ignores EVERY shred of factual information those records give us.

      Somehow these people believe that being "right" is simply a matter of constructing a gotcha one-liner snarky enough to convince some ignorant people. (who does that remind us of?)

      They posit their own complete lack of understanding about how science works as proof that it doesn't.

      Like you say, if there IS a God, then he/she/it created it based on rules that we are capable of figuring out. The universe isn't magical, nothing is random, everything is based on rules and properties and cycles. Why would that be, unless God was a scientist? Unless the intention was for us to figure it out?

      Isn't that what every father should want? Children who are curious and want to understand what he's built for them? And then to go out into the world and do better than HE did?

      Unfortunately, the God of the bible isn't that father, He is the abusive step-dad with a split personality. Even if I thought it were real, I couldn't bend my knee to something like that.

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    4. Anonymous6:50 PM

      You are a Christian? Lol! You could've fooled me. I've read your blog.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous8:19 PM

      That's a pretty big job that God has, making and managing the entire universe. It extends beyond anything that we can imagine or measure. There are black holes and super novas going on, stars created and destroyed, quite a job for God. Which God would that be, the God of the Old Testament, God who is part of the Holy Trinity? Allah? Another divine being or the combination of all of them?

      Maybe it's not the entire universe, but just Earth. That would put God in charge of every birth and death, of over 6 billion people, not to mention all of the other living things-- and overseeing the gradual change over millions of years-- the change and adaption that we call evolution.

      The problem is accepting that God is both good and evil, creating the beautiful landscapes and the wonder of mankind. At the same time, God can be brutal, killing thousands of people with hurricanes, land slides, the missing airplane, tornadoes, Hurricane Sandy-- would God cause such suffering? Which prayers are the ones to be answered? Is God responsible for the Russian invasion of Crimea, for the hatred of the LGBT community, for taking away the voting rights of minorities? It is either all or nothing.

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    6. Anonymous9:41 AM

      Sarah Palin has a serpent's heart5:13 PM

      ---------------------------------------------------------------------
      I asked you this question on another thread but didn't get an answer:-

      Does the God you believe in bare any resemblance to the one that is portrayed in the Christian Bible?

      Delete
  6. Anonymous5:52 PM

    Science facts are always open to question and test. The science of 100 years ago is in many areas obsolete. Every "bible" ever written is not science because a "bible" can not change. A "bible" by definition is immutable.

    Some people want to use taxpayer money to foist their bible on science classes in public schools. These people aren't even tolerant enough to allow multiple bibles from a variety of religions. They want THEIR bible in a class that is supposed to teach science. That is an evil that our constitution specifically forbids. And that same constitution protects their precious adherents from having to learn about science IF they want to fund their own schools.

    I could care less if a person believes in some god. I do think they are little nuts to be bleating about it constantly like toddlers chatting up their imaginary friend. it's so infantile but it's their choice.

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  7. Anonymous6:08 PM

    The man would have a point if a jumbo jet could be built from information found only in the bible.

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    1. Anonymous6:32 AM

      But they do think a jumbo BOAT could be built from information found only in the Bible! And they made a replica, 'n a museum, 'n all kinds of such fact-y stuff !

      That makes it science, don't it?

      Delete
  8. Anonymous6:28 PM

    “It’s observable – Genesis – and testable. Evolution is not. You can’t observe something 60 million years old, but you can observe what Genesis says.”

    How the hell do you 'observe' or 'test' Genesis???

    I can observe and test the fossil record, carbon date materials from the earth, compare body structure and DNA from related and unrelated species, cause mutations in cells, and breed hybrids of plants and animals.

    The only 'observation' I can do of Genesis is looking at the words in a copy of the bible that some printing company produced 6 months ago. By those standards, I can claim that "Horton Hears a Who" is every bit as factual as the bible!

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    1. Anonymous6:44 AM

      I responded to a guy who was spouting the standard "you can't know that evolution is true because no one was there to observe it," line.

      I said yes, I was there to observe it. At first he laughed, but I persisted and he ended up getting really annoyed and yelling "You were NOT there!" I asked him, since he wasn't there to observe my absence, how did HE know I wasn't there?

      He stomped off. Ha.

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  9. Ailsa7:05 PM

    I understand and share Gryph's concern about our children being "educated" to be anti-science. It doesn't bode well for the future of the country.

    As to evolution, given the things I hear people say in private and public life, I am not optimistic that evolution is being well taught or understood. In fact, many of the standard dictionary definitions are confused, misleading and sometimes plain wrong.

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  10. Anonymous7:07 PM

    the banana man video is a classic. especially since bananas are basically man-made creations. i can't see how he survives that nonsense -- but his fans eat it up. ridiculous.

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    1. Anita Winecooler7:53 PM

      Mr Comfort came to that conclusion after years and years of scientific research. Kirk watches carefully to get the technique right and practice on his own, but it'll take him years to catch up.

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    2. Anonymous8:27 PM

      the two of them are the oddest pair of con men.

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  11. hedgewytch7:17 PM

    There is only one appropriate, mature and reasoned response to someone who makes such a statement. And that is: "Bwwaahahahahahaaaaa!"

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  12. Anonymous7:37 PM

    How funny is it that the believers need a show called "the comfort zone" to make them feel better about their beliefs?

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  13. Anonymous8:07 PM

    His audience aren't intelligent enough to understand how silly he is. Some of them probably adore Palin. It is the nature of things. Some folks are just simple minded idiots.

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  14. Anita Winecooler8:08 PM

    "You know the word science is kind of magical word" WTF? Yeah, I can scientifically prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Bible is a book, the different kind of magical stuff that happens in it, not so much.
    I all but forgot the banana video! What a classic.

    Kirks sister, Candice Cameron - Burre was on a magical show called "Rachel" where everything she cooks looks like canned dog food, but I digress. Candice explained something in her book that got women upset, so it behooved her to explain what she meant.

    The man is the boss. Marriage is like a car, and a car only has one steering wheel...... Rachel got this "WTF" look on her face, and candice cameron-BURRE said "I meant it in the biblical sense. A marriage is like a car, and it only has one steering wheel and I trust my husband because if I can't trust him, who can I trust?"
    There was a loud gasp from the audience, the cook changed the subject. But she had to sneak Kirk, the banana whisperer, in and his gig as a minister. into the conversation.
    Epic fail.

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  15. LisaB25954:24 AM

    I took an astronomy class called "Extraterrestrial Life" back at UT. Part of the curriculum was understanding how the universe and planets were formed. Genesis, IMO, is like children's story version. You're not going to talk to children about gravity and primordial soup, and 3 billion years to get an oxygen
    atmosphere. They'd fall asleep. No, you give them a very simple version and make sure to name the characters so they don't get sidetracked asking what their names were. :D

    These people miss the entire point when they get into these fights. It has nothing to do with belief, but making yourself a victim.

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  16. Randall7:58 AM

    Is The Lesson to be learned from the Bible how God created the universe?

    ...or is it:
    "Love Thy Neighbor"
    ...don't lie
    don't cheat
    don't steal
    don't kill
    Help your fellow human when your fellow human needs help

    ...nahhhhhhhh!

    It's:
    WE ARE GOD'S CHOSEN -
    SO WATCH OUT, MOTHERFUCKERS!

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  17. Anonymous9:37 PM

    Im baffled by how uncomfortable stupid someone has to be to believe that the earth is less than 6000 years old. I don't care what you believe in but accepting an obvious lie as the truth, or the written word of God is so glaringly wrong in all aspects of our human life. Ive come to understand that we just have this one, precious life to do whatever good we can for ourselves and for our future generations and it is just sad that these men are wasting their lives believing in something that is irrefutably untrue.

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