Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA06227 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 10 Apr 2002 17:59:22 +0100 From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>, "Skeptic List" <skeptic@listproc.hcf.jhu.edu> Subject: RE: 'Creationist' school has evolution debate Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 12:53:44 -0400 Message-ID: <NEBBKOADILIOKGDJLPMAKEBOCOAA.debivort@umd5.umd.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 In-Reply-To: <39FD5956-4C9F-11D6-9C64-003065A0F24C@harvard.edu> Importance: Normal Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
I fell into conversation with a UK professor (Cambridge, I think) in St
Catherine's Monastery (Sinai) last year; he told me that he could
scientifially "prove" creationism. I bit and even offered the professor a
cup of tea. It was the same old clap-trap -- the beauty of nature proved
that God had created the universe. He was educated, in other ways: knew a
bunch of archaic middle eastern langauges, was working with some very old
manusrcipts, doing translations. Maybe Vardy should meet him.
Lawrence
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
> Of Wade Smith
> Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 12:23 PM
> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk; Skeptic List
> Subject: Fwd: 'Creationist' school has evolution debate
>
>
> 'Creationist' school has evolution debate
>
> Tania Branigan
> Tuesday April 9, 2002
> The Guardian
>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,681133,00.html
>
> The school at the centre of the row over creationism in
> education is inviting one of its chief critics to speak to its
> students about evolution, it has emerged.
>
> Sir Peter Vardy, the multimillionaire entrepreneur who donated
> £2m to found Emmanuel city technology college in Gateshead, and
> who remains director of its board, wants Richard Dawkins to take
> part in a debate.
>
> Emmanuel has been criticised since the Guardian revealed last
> month that lectures given by its staff, suggested evolution was
> a "faith position" and urged teachers to "counter [its] false
> doctrines".
>
> At the time, Professor Dawkins, an authority on evolution,
> wrote: "Any science teacher who denies the world is billions (or
> even millions) of years old is teaching children a preposterous,
> mind-shrinking falsehood. These men disgrace the honourable
> profession of teacher."
>
> But the two men have been corresponding privately since the
> dispute broke out and are now planning to meet. Sir Peter said:
> "We are quite open to talking to anybody. I would like to have a
> debate at Emmanuel college for the students to hear and I'll be
> asking him to take part."
>
> He added: "I am not a creationist and neither is Emmanuel
> college. We have guys who do believe in young earth [theories],
> but we also have atheists and agnostics and folks that believe
> in the old earth _ What we seek to do is present all the views
> of both creation and evolution."
>
> But in a lecture, the school's head of science, Steven Layfield,
> urged Christian teachers to "show the superiority" of
> creationist theories.
>
> He added that they should "note every occasion when an
> evolutionary/old-earth paradigm [millions or billions of years]
> is explicitly mentioned or implied and courteously point out the
> fallibility of the statement". Most scientists agree that life
> on earth is around four billion years old.
>
> "I'm keen to meet Sir Peter and no doubt the idea of a debate
> will be one of many things we discuss when we meet up," Prof
> Dawkins said.
>
>
> This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
> Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
> For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
> see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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