Why is there so much opposition to evolution?

[DarkSun]

 

[Krok]

Some people honestly cannot tell the difference.
to them it is all one and the same.

I have a brother who is the same way.
He does not know the difference between opinion and fact.
Though in his mind he does and everyone who disagrees with him is wrong.

Yeah, I know. Why some people can't see the difference used to be puzzling to me, until I did some voluntary work at an asylum for the mentally disturbed (we call that type of work community service here, different from what is called community service in the US).

Then it became obvious why some people find it impossible to distinguish between fact and fiction.

 

[DarkSun]

Yeah, I know. Why some people can't see the difference used to be puzzling to me, until I did some voluntary work at an asylum for the mentally disturbed (we call that type of work community service here, different from what is called community service in the US).

Then it became obvious why some people find it impossible to distinguish between fact and fiction.

Calling people insane is probably a bit harsh. If you tell a man for long enough that the sky is green, he will believe it to be fact. I wouldn't call it insanity. People are a product of their environment, very few people are capable of seeing outside of their cultural norms and applying critical thought to why they feel the way they do. It's not insanity, just human nature. Although the two things might not be mutually exclusive.

 

[Krok]

Calling people insane is probably a bit harsh. If you tell a man for long enough that the sky is green, he will believe it to be fact. I wouldn't call it insanity. People are a product of their environment, very few people are capable of seeing outside of their cultural norms and applying critical thought to why they feel the way they do. It's not insanity, just human nature. Although the two things might not be mutually exclusive.

Err, normally I would agree with you and did till some while back.

Having dealt with a lot of YEC creationists on the interwebs, I changed my mind. I think they all are barking mad (refer to quite a few examples on this forum).

Don't get me wrong, I think that the vast majority of theists (and to emphasise the point, I think the overwhelming majority of people, be they atheists, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.) are not as mentally disfunctional as the creationists we meet on forums such as these. But then again, I've never met a real life YEC. Only on the "interwebs!" And they really all are barking mad!

I've told the story before about the "Ph.D.", coming to our church, pretending to be a geologist (with no geological training at all), and all he could do was lie. He actually started my deconversion to atheism. I didn't even meet him because I was not allowed to talk to him; all I did was listening to his lies. He actually did it for the money involved; not because he was barking mad. But, normal creationists we meet here? Crazy.

 

[DarkSun]

Err, normally I would agree with you and did till some while back.

Having dealt with a lot of YEC creationists on the interwebs, I changed my mind. I think they all are barking mad (refer to quite a few examples on this forum).

Don't get me wrong, I think that the vast majority of theists (and to emphasise the point, I think the overwhelming majority of people, be they atheists, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.) are not as mentally disfunctional as the creationists we meet on forums such as these. But then again, I've never met a real life YEC. Only on the "interwebs!" And they really all are barking mad!

I've told the story before about the "Ph.D.", coming to our church, pretending to be a geologist (with no geological training at all), and all he could do was lie. He actually started my deconversion to atheism. I didn't even meet him because I was not allowed to talk to him; all I did was listening to his lies. He actually did it for the money involved; not because he was barking mad. But, normal creationsist we meet here? Crazy.

In my experience, believing the world around you is crazy with you being the one source of reason... isn't an entirely healthy way to live. If you set your expectations of people too high, less and less people will meet them. It gets very lonely at the top. I think the main thing Christianity got right in the end, is that all people are inherently flawed. There isn't one exception. Expecting perfection will only isolate you from many people. I agree with you, on all of your points. At the same time, calling people insane for being willfully ignorant is a little harsh. Just take comfort that you're right and they're wrong. People are many-faceted, try to look for good in people and be easy on them when you see the bad. Just saying.

 

[Krok]

In my experience, believing the world around you is crazy with you being the one source of reason... isn't an entirely healthy way to live.

I don't think the world is crazy at all. The world is wonderful. Look, for example, what's been figured out about humanity. Wonderful. And the beautiful summer I experience where I live, wonderful. The plants in my garden growing after the rain...fantastic. My wife and grown kids around me...breathtaking. Nothing crazy about the world I live in.

If you set your expectations of people too high, less and less people will meet them. It gets very lonely at the top..

I don't set expectations at all. I just agree with the vast majority of humanity.. try and figure things out rationally. Because it works. That's the way of improving humankind. That's actually a very low benchmark.

I think the main thing Christianity got right in the end, is that all people are inherently flawed. There isn't one exception. Expecting perfection will only isolate you from many people.

Making mistakes is not the same as "being inherently flawed". All people make mistakes. That's how we learn. We certainly are not all flawed. Creationists are flawed. Not all of us are creationists.

It's not just Christianity stating that "all people are flawed". All the other major religions do it, too. it's the big religious selling point. Sell people the "problem" as well as the "solution". All religions do it. Without that they won't exist.

I agree with you, on all of your points. At the same time, calling people insane for being willfully ignorant is a little harsh.

I disagree. When a person is wilfully arrogant, is told exactly where and how he or she is wilfully ignorant, but keeps on repeating it, it always is wrong and a sign of being insane, deluded, etc. When they pretend that their ignorence is the truth and is convinced about it, it is a sure sign of insanity.

Just take comfort that you're right and they're wrong.

I'm very often wrong. Just look at my exam results. I do try to learn from my mistakes, though.

People are many-faceted, try to look for good in people and be easy on them when you see the bad. Just saying.

There's absolutely nothing good about a person keeping on lying, even after they've been pointed exactly where they lie. Just sayin' :sorry1: :slap:

 

[DarkSun]

Haha, good to know. I agree that there's nothing good about people continuing to lie to themselves despite the evidence. I guess all I'm saying is that a lot of the time, it's not their fault they are willfully ignorant; they are the way they are because of their nature and their environment. Plus people are multifaceted, so even if one part of them isn't good, that doesn't make them crazy/stupid/bad as a whole.