MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

May the Maker of Heaven and Earth light your way this Christmas.

Attn: Rich Hughes

Rich, why don't you send me an email - we'll talk privately before I start posting your comments. Thanks.

The shopping is complete!!

Yeah! I just made my last trip to the store, and all the packages are wrapped and under the tree. Now I can sit back, relax, and appreciate the real reason for the season...the birth of Christ and His gift of salvation for us.

Road Trip?

Bill Dembski has just offered an interesting proposition for Barbara Forest.

Perhaps we can settle the matter of cowardice directly: let Forrest and me debate the matter at a symposium spanning a day with each of us delivering two hour-long lectures and then going toe-to-toe in a final debate.

Um....could that take place in Topeka, KS or am I going to have a lengthy road trip to plan ...cuz, there is no way that I’d miss that little rendezvous.

What led up to this little invite?

It seems Barbara Forrest has written an article for the Skeptical Inquirer Magazine regarding the Dover trial and why she thinks Dembski did not appear as a witness.

Hello??

Come on Barbara, this issue has been addressed time and time again. What’s up with this latest article in which you’re beating a dead horse? I can only come up with a few reasons...

1. You don’t read articles put out by the Discovery Institute.
2. You do read them, but think they “aren’t good enough” (to quote the incorrect phrase attributed to Behe in the trial).
3. You read them, but figure no one else will, so you relay your incorrect version time and time again.

Well, we know #1 is out because it is your job to weed out the “paranormal” and “religious” nonsense in society, and as ~you~ deem Intelligent Design to be in that category, you would certainly keep a watchful eye on anything put out by the Discovery Institute. I hate to think that you'd actually believe that #3 is a possibility. So, I’m guessing you honestly believe that the very reasonable and logical reasons why Dembski didn’t testify in the Dover trial are just “not good enough”.

Well, Dembski has addressed your claims again, and this time he’s made an offer you simply can’t refuse ... unless you’re frightened of his scary vise, because that vise does look pretty darn frightening (and weird for that matter).

Now, if Barbara takes him up on his offer and Dembski backs out, well then we have something to go after him about. But, I have a sneaking suspicion that he would love to get it on with Barb. So, I’m just waiting for a date, time, and place so that I can plan my road trip to observe this meeting of the minds.

The Problem with Secularism

Here is a very thought provoking article from the International Herald Tribune.

From the article:

Although the cultured despisers of religion are once again making strident appeal to secular values and unmediated reason, they do not realize that the religious absolutism they denounce is but a variant of their own fundamentalism returned in a different guise.

Richard Dawkins's barely literate polemic "The God Delusion" declares that religion is irrational without ever explaining the foundations of reason itself. Sam Harris's diatribe "The End of Faith" has to falsify history by claiming that Hitler and Stalin were religious in order to make its case for the malign influence of faith. The attacks on religion are becoming ever more shrill and desperate — a clear sign of atheist anxiety about the status of their own first principles and explanatory frameworks.

This atheist apprehension is well founded, as the latest developments in biology, physics and philosophy all open the door to a revivified theology and a religious metaphysics.

Interesting...

They still haven't posted the Behe lecture at the KU Hall Center for the Humanities website. They have the link for the panel discussion posted, but Behe's lecture isn't available.

I'm sure it will show up soon....I hope.

Edit: 12/21 11:30am

I emailed them, and they fixed the link. Technical difficulty, I guess.

The Nativity Story - the movie

Don't forget to see the movie The Nativity Story in theatres everywhere this holiday season.

A virgin birth

Far out...

An article you MUST READ

Don’t miss this article by John West of the Discovery Institute.

West gives an excellent summary of how the “scientific debate over Darwin is as vigorous as ever”.

From the article:

It is becoming sharply evident just how much Darwinism functions like a religion for many of its leading champions, and how the blind allegiance to atheism or agnosticism of leading Darwinists skews their evaluation of the debate over evolution. Ironically, Darwinists routinely criticize defenders of intelligent design because many of them happen to be traditional theists (just like the vast majority of Americans), but these same Darwinists see nothing wrong with the fact that leading evolutionists are largely anti-religious. Indeed, according to a 1998 survey of members of the elite National Academy of Sciences (NAS), nearly 95% of the NAS biologists identify themselves as either atheists or agnostics. As I’ve said repeatedly before, the debate over Darwin’s theory should be decided on the evidence, not on motives. But if Darwinists insist on stigmatizing the motives of anyone who criticizes Darwin’s theory who happens to believe in God, then the Darwinists' own motives surely should be open to scrutiny. Either motives are irrelevant for everyone, or they are relevant for everyone. As public knowledge of the metaphysical baggage of leading Darwinists increases, the ability of Darwinists to maintain their double-standard about motives in the public debate should diminish. [my emphasis]

A year ago, I had no idea how very true this statement is. After being involved in this debate for some time now, it is abundantly clear that Darwinism is a supporting factor for atheist and humanist groups (which in my mind are no different than religious groups), and you’ll find that many of the leading Darwinists are associated with these organizations.

It’s amazing that we have been told for years that ID advocates and creation scientists are primarily motivated by religious factors, yet all the while the leading advocates for Darwinism are motivated by religious (or anti-religious if you prefer) reasons as well.

The intelligent design movement is the perfect solution to this unbalanced, dogmatically one-sided theorizing we have going on in the world of science.

Christmas Carols for the Disturbed

As the Christmas insanity mounts, I found these little carols rather amusing...

1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?

2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are

3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas

4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

5. Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and....

6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me

7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?

10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells , Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells ...

Blasphemy Challenge

I’m sure the proselytizing atheist crowd love this provocative link, but I find it simply beyond pathetic. By merely “damning yourself to Hell”, you can get a free video!!

From the link:

It's simple. You record a short message damning yourself to Hell, you upload it to YouTube, and then the Rational Response Squad will send you a free The God Who Wasn't There DVD. It's that easy.

This little stunt has Brian Flemming’s name written all over it. I heard him speak a bit at a Kansas City premier of his film The God Who Wasn’t There. He was part of the panel discussion which took place after his film was shown. I attended the film because I was curious as to what he was promoting, and I also knew someone who was going to be involved in the panel discussion.

Here is a link giving more information about the film, and here is my review.

My biggest concern about this film is that our youth may be conned into believing some of the bogus information he puts forth. Fleming, himself, admitted that in the film he quote mined from the Bible. He spoke about this during the panel discussion (talk about intellectual dishonesty!).

As far as his suggestion that perhaps Christ didn‘t even exist, any ancient historian will tell you that a fellow named Jesus actually walked the earth. Even ancient secular writers refer to the historical Jesus.

The film was immature, dishonest, and merely aimed at provoking Christians. If Fleming thinks Christianity is such a horrible thing, directing a film like this is certainly not going to convince anyone that atheism is morally the better choice.

Tight on cash this Christmas?

Dear all,

Somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below:

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:

You need four maxi pads to make a pair.

Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part. The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top. Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part. Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are:

* Soft and Hygienic
* Non-slip grip strips on the soles
* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
* No more bending over to mop up spills
* Disposable and biodegradable
* Environmentally safe
* Three convenient sizes: Regular, Light and Get out the Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself.... Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you.

[Thanks DW for this funny email!]

Is Christmas over yet?

As much as I want to enjoy Christmas each year, it seems the last two weeks leading up to D-day turn me into a complete lunatic. The parking lot of the mall this weekend was a dangerous place to be, and I almost lost myself to road rage at one point. My two boys starting laughing at me because apparently I'm funny when I'm on the brink of insanity. Thank God we all have a decent sense of humor or the holidays could very easily turn into a nightmare. I'm still trying to get my Christmas cards sent out as well. Ugh...

Anyway, I need to laugh my way through the holiday, so I'm going to pass on as many funny emails as possible in case there are others of you out there who are close to losing it as well.

The Discovery Institute hammers the Darwinists

Um...just when you thought it couldn‘t get any worse for the Darwinists... Whoomp there it is!

The staff investigation has uncovered compelling evidence that Dr. Sternberg’s civil and constitutional rights were violated by [Darwinist]Smithsonian officials.

[Thanks go to Salvador Cordova for pointing to this article in a forum I frequent. Sal is one of my VERY FAVORITE intelligent design advocates. He heads up the IDEA (Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness) club at George Mason University. GO SAL!!]

Judge Jones continues to ~borrow~

Per Evolution News & Views, Jones evidently makes a habit of using other people's material.

Judge Jones' Commencement Address at Dickinson College (2006):

"...our Founding Fathers... possessed a great confidence in an individual's ability to understand the world and its most fundamental laws through the exercise of his or her reason... The Founders believed that true religion was not something handed down by a church or contained in a Bible, but was to be found through free, rational inquiry... this core set of beliefs led the Founders... to secure their idea of religious freedom by barring any alliance between church and state." (http://www.dickinson.edu/commencement/2006/address.html)


Compare that to Frank Lambert's, The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America (Princeton University Press, 2003):

"The Founding Fathers... had great confidence in the individual's ability to understand the world and its most fundamental laws through the exercise of his or her reason. To them, true religion was not something handed down by a church or contained in the Bible but rather was to be found through free rational inquiry...the framers sought to secure their idea of religious freedom by barring any alliance between church and state."

(Frank Lambert, The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in
America, pg. 3 (2003). You can also find this material online at http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/i7500.html)

Holy buckets...

Now, let's stop and think for a moment as to what the Darwinists would have to say about this whole saga if the tables were turned and Jones had ruled that intelligent design is science. If they had discovered all this ~borrowing~, they'd have lost their freaking minds. As it is, they are falling all over themselves trying to make excuses for it.

This debate is simply fascinating...

Holiday eating tips

A friend of mine emailed me some great eating tips for the holiday season:

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine chocolate covered cherries, you can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, diet coke in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a great holiday season!

The best part of the holiday season is the spiked eggnog! Enjoy the gluttony, because the new year is right around the corner and it will be time again to start the weight reduction resolutions and head back to the gym!!

Freaky mutations going on

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Rick Lisko hunts deer with a bow but got his most unusual one driving his truck down his mile-long driveway. The young buck had nub antlers — and seven legs. Lisko said it also had both male and female reproductive organs. "It was definitely a freak of nature," Lisko said. "I guess it's a real rarity."
... When he looked at the animal, he noticed three- to four-inch appendages growing from the rear legs. Later, he found a smaller appendage growing from one of the front legs.

KU lecture series links

Links to the “Difficult Dialogues in the Commons” lecture series at KU are now available here. I highly recommend that everyone listen to all of them. Behe’s lecture is not available yet, but I’m sure it will be soon.

To be honest, the one I enjoyed the most was Os Guinness. He was so insightful in regard to the culture war we find ourselves in, and he offered some very good advise as to how we should respond to those whose views we oppose. In fact, when I start getting mouthy with people I disagree with I'm going to go back and listen to his lecture again. It was very inspiring.

Of course, Behe’s lecture was awesome as well. I’m glad he was able to lay to rest so much of the misleading information that has been relayed to us by his opposition and the media.

Hope you enjoy the series as much as I did.

Judge Jones offers no comment

More Judge Jones fallout....

Christmas Greetings

Oh, my gosh, I just received this Christmas greeting from a friend. It’s hilarious...

For My Democrat Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere, and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

For My Republican Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Man, I’m gonna have to go with the second greeting on the cards I'm sending out because there is just not enough room on those little Christmas cards to do it up properly!! LOL

[Disclaimer: this post is not meant to poke fun of anyone, it's just all in good fun. I also think it's kind of funny how some people get so overly irate about people not using the term Merry Christmas. Everyone needs to chill about this issue and let everyone use the term they are comfortable with.]