D. James Kennedy #fundie

D. James Kennedy #fundie google.com.au

A famous British evolutionist, Sir Arthur Keith, is just as frank in his admission. He says, "Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it because the only alternative is special creation which is unthinkable."

What would happen if I were to stand up before my congregation and say, "My friends, Christianity is unproved and unprovable, but you still ought to believe it"? They would get up and walk out, and rightly so. But that is the way men accept evolution.

25 comments

old comment by Doubting Thomas

There's no evidence he ever said such a thing, and no scientist would EVER say that there's only one alternative to a scientific theory or idea. The idea that creationism is the ONLY alternative to evolution is a creationist's wet dream, which leads me to believe this quote is entirely fake.

So I don't understand why Christians like yourself continue to misunderstand atheism. Because we atheists see Christianity as unproved and unprovable, yet Christians still want everyone to believe it.

old comment by Nicholas Krizov

"What would happen if I were to stand up before my congregation and say, 'My friends, Christianity is unproved and unprovable, but you still ought to believe it'? They would get up and walk out, and rightly so."

I don't see why they would. Faith, by definition, is believing things without proof or evidence. Faith doesn't require a brain, just a gut.

In any case, Sir Arthur Keith spoke at a time when evolution didn't have as much evidence as it does today. Now we have a much more extensive fossil record (including hundreds of those transitional fossils creationists still insist are impossible), DNA evidence, and, more recently, we've done actual experiments that prove the concept off paper (like the Lenski E. Coli experiments or the recent experiments with west African dragon fish [which helped demonstrated how fish first moved onto land)).

Besides, Keith is right to say that "special creation" is unthinkable. It is. It makes no sense, and sounds like something a child or an idiot made up. And it's something only a child, an idiot, or an un-curious dipshit like D. James Kennedy, could honestly believe and still be forgiven for their ignorance.

old comment by Anon-e-moose

Yes, well he'd never heard of one Richard Lenski, who has proved Evolution.

'What would happen if I were to stand up before my congregation and say, "My friends, Christianity is unproved and unprovable, but you still ought to believe it"? They would get up and walk out, and rightly so.', you say? I refer you to Richard Lenski above. What's stopping you from doing so?

When Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" was first published, it sold more than the Bible. The Church of England even then embraced this Paradigm Shifting & potentially faith-destroying new discoveries with open arms. And when they buried & memorialised Darwin in their central place of worship, Westminster Abbey...:

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...that's exactly what they said to their parishoners. And from his discoveries to his death, Darwin was an Agnostic, yet in his early years, he was in training to join the C-of-E's clergy.

Yet then, as today, the Church of England is still here. And do you know why Kenny? Because then - when Darwin made his discoveries - right to today, the C-of-E openly admit that much of the Bible, including Genesis, is purely fable and metaphor: as in not to be taken literally.

Moral: Bible Literalism. It's why - or not - the C-of-E still exists. It's exactly why it'll be the death of you fundies one of these days.

@anothga, #1715988, Sangfroid

Hearsay, quote mining, and memes. And in that order. Like I say: Literalism will be the death of fundie Christainity one of these days.

You'd have thought that Dr. Buzz Aldrin would have had his Christian faith destroyed that day in 1969, when they blasted off in that Saturn V rocket, and in a few short minutes obliterated Bible literalism:

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[/"The Truman Show"]

Therefore a question, Kenny & co.: Why is he still a Presbyterian Christian (and a Conservative one, at that) to this day? Even then in 1969, once he'd piloted himself & fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong in the LEM 'Eagle' safely onto the Sea of Tranquility, he performed the first religious ceremony on another world.

Even he would have no compunction in getting up to that lectern of yours - or that 'preacher' - pushing you/him aside and saying "My friends, Christianity is unproved and unprovable, but you still ought to believe it". From his unique perspective, I kinda doubt anyone in the congregation would dare so much as think of questioning him about what he did on that day in 1969.

Because the last person who did, was justifiably decked by Dr. Aldrin.

old comment by Swede

One man who has been dead over 50 years has little or no bearing on the ToE today, silly boy.

When rational people say to fundies that their faith is unproved and unprovable and yet they believe it, the fundies usually become very angry and attack the speaker, rather than walk out.

From Wikipedia:
"In light of the fact that the documentation provided by Creationist publications is specious, one is still left with trying to explain the source of this citation. It is enough to say, however, that since this “quote” lacks valid documentation, it should not be regarded as one that originates with Arthur Keith himself until it can be properly documented."

D. James Kennedy #fundie google.com.au

25 comments

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