Darwin, religion and choice

[matgb]

Today is one of those birthday things. I knew it was coming up, because the BHA invited me to their annual event but a) I'd have had to pay and b) it was in London, so have fun all that do go, I'm sure it'll be good. Fortunately, bagrec reminded me this morning, so I half inched this image from him . Evolution was, I used to think, something that we generally all just accepted, sure, there were a few minority extremists that thought otherwise, but anyone with a decent education, including the entire Catholic Church, just know it to be real, right? Unfortunately the internet reveals this to be untrue, and that someone who is an avowed Creationist has a good chance at the Republican nomination (although no chance at the actual Presidency) is something that really does bother me. Fortunately, there are voices of reason out there, including my better half, and we all know what Theory means, etc, right? Ah well, if you need a bit more explanation, ask a skientist, I recommend Debi the evolutionary morphologist if you don't have another one handy. I'm sure her hangover will allow her to answer questions in her comments ;-)

In other news, Anonymous vs Scientology had a good weekend of protests it seems, deathboy went to the London protest and has a good report, and the Phoenix protest got /.ed. There's a little bit of me that dislikes the thing as a whole bunch of people, including people that have their own personal different brand of sky fairy, are ganging up on the Scientologists—I'm all for mocking all religions, but a dog pile seems a bit off when your allies are also batshit. Then I remember that they're Scientologists and that it's therefore OK anyway, right?

Last up, I've been promising various people for ages a post on markets, economics, and why I like them despite being a lot of a lefty, but while that's still on the planned list with a bunch of other stuff, Tim Harford continues his climb up my "top people" list by writing a post about why markets can at times fail, and how analysis of these "externalities" can help them get back on track and do a lot of good; "Green taxes" and similar are a method of dealing with externalities, and are generally much better than simply banning stuff.

Right, that's it for now, I have a fiancée to go snuggle for a bit before shrublette gets home...

Comments

[waka-laka.livejournal.com]

I read about the Scientology thing the other day, there was one in Plymouth. I don't get what the big hurrah surrounding it is though, I mean Scientology's apparently batshit insane but it's still an opinion... why have Anonymous taken such offense to it? :S

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

better half

* blush *

[ginasketch.livejournal.com]

I disagree with the scientology thing- this is a whole other brand of batshit altogether. Of course i'm not excluding fundies from other religions in that equation, but regular old followers of some faith? Nah...not the same thing.

Scientologists will cut you off from your family unless they also convert, sap your bank account dry, have been responsible for a number of deaths of the members of their church, and attempt to censor anyone by means of a powerful legal team. Of course, I'm not saying other religions don't do this: but again I'm not excluding fundies from this equation. You can't pile regular people into the same box as scientologists.


Of course, there's the whole other sentence I can throw out at you: It's not a religion, it's a cult.

[thapunkprincess.livejournal.com]

I hate this double-standard about Scientology. It's a crazy religion/cult (which is a meaningless distinction anyway - a religion is just a more accepted, mass cult), but no more or less valid than any other religion. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Scientology. Brainwashing? Check. Indoctrination? Check. Dubious fund-raising? Check.

Scientology seems preferable because it contains cool stuff about aliens, it's far more tolerant on social issues, and ultimately the beliefs seem more sensible (relatively!) than the shit the major religions teach. But when it comes down to it I don't see much difference between a crazed fundamentalist Scientologist and a mild-mannered Christian in terms of their beliefs. They're all fucking morons.

If people are going to protest, they should stop picking on one specific religion. In the case of Scientologists it's just because it's not generally accepted as a world religion. In the case of Islam there's all the tricky connotations of colonialism and racism. Just protest religion itself!

[paulgregory.livejournal.com]

I do fail to be convinced that evolution is the exclusive and only backstory for every single living thing on earth, but is one of only two with any evidence and it seems a fair assumption for most things.

The leaflets I saw around Manchester's branch of Scientology were pretty clearly saying Scientology is a rip-off compared to other leading brands of religion, that unlike the Big 3 they don't give you any truths until your cheque's cleared. I'm not sure the argument would have worked the same if it read "Christians will tell you a load of bollocks for free, ditto Jews and Muslims, but Scientology will only tell you a load of bollocks after you've forked out some moolah", or even if it highlighted incompatibilities in the various truths. It's a Go Compare Money Confusamarket approach which assumes that whichever you pick your soul's equally insured. That said, more potential-Scientologists will be influenced by an argument based on the relative prices of placebos than by a "none of them are necessary" argument, and those already of no faith may be deterred by drawing a comparison with other religions.

[frightened.livejournal.com]

I'm all for mocking all religions, but a dog pile seems a bit off when your allies are also batshit. Then I remember that they're Scientologists and that it's therefore OK anyway, right?

I think so, yes, to be honest. Passing the collection plate's one thing, but demanding that much money from people they've told to stop taking their psychiatric meds seems a new and interesting level of exploitation.

[tyrell.livejournal.com]

Then I remember that they're Scientologists and that it's therefore OK anyway, right?

They're not just batshit, and it's not that they believe in a Sky fairy. They bug phones, brainwash, extort money, intimidate and isolate. (Also, Xenu volcanoes and body thetans).

You'd think people would stop arguing about evolution.

"Of course, like every other man of education and intelligence I do believe in organic Evolution. It surpises me that at this late date such questions should be raised." - Woodrow Wilson 1922.