A theory about Creationism leaders

[Lucanus]

Hi there people of AF!

Recently, I have been asking myself: what is the point of Creationism?

Apart from being an obvious con that lets people like Ken Ham or Ray Comfort live on other people's ignorance, that is.

The thought of deluded people still believing that what was told by a tribe of goat herders 4000 years ago and trying to push this shit on their peers does really make me sad and makes me want to punch Ken Hams and Ray Comforts in the nuts.

Of course, it's quite likely they might actually be greedy, deep-undercover atheist conmen.
But what if the reason why they try to push creationism and ignorance was that they are "atheists gone wrong"? By that, I mean they were originally brought up in a strict religious environment but eventually grew out of their beliefs; still, they didn't find a positive outcome for their atheism and started to advocate their old beliefs in order to keep themselves sane and to prevent other people in their cult from following their steps. Essentially, I'm saying that they are people who tried to think with their own heads, but who failed to face the consequences.

I know this might sound a lot like a conspiracy theory but I believe that something interesting could spark from this... What do you guys think? :-)

[Anomalocaris]

Recently, I have been asking myself: what is the point of Creationism?

It enable fools of the meanest understanding to indulge in the complacency of make belief knowledge.

---

But what if the reason why they try to push creationism and ignorance was that they are "atheists gone wrong"? By that, I mean they were originally brought up in a strict religious environment but eventually grew out of their beliefs; still, they didn't find a positive outcome for their atheism and started to advocate their old beliefs in order to keep themselves sane and to prevent other people in their cult from following their steps. Essentially, I'm saying that they are people who tried to think with their own heads, but who failed to face the consequences.

They want to fool the most people using the least effort. Those susceptible to creationism are on the whole the most easily fooled segment of the demographics.

So they tailor their lies to most readily fool those who are the most easily fooled.

[JesusHChrist]

Well, the whole sweater starts to unravel if you pull out the creationist thread from the mix.

No Adam and Eve = no Original Sin = no need for Jeebus. /Christianity

Sure, there are those who try to shove evolution into a creationist context, but but it doesn't fit very well.

So they either have to keep believing the most ridiculous, literal nonsense, or go through many hoops to fit science into the theistic framework. For example, without A&E, just when did Original Sin enter the genome? I vote for Homo Ergaster. That species was filled with sinners! Harlots of the forest they was!

Or maybe much earlier; perhaps during the time of the crocoduck.

As for the motivations of creationist "leaders", who knows? Doesn't seem like it pays all that well.

[Lucanus]

Well seeing the amount of shit posted on FSTDT on a daily basis I wouldn't really say it does not pay well... They have had enough money to build a bloody museum!

The real issue, I think, is the underlying ignorance behind Creationism and every other kind of fundamentalism/pseudoscience. What makes people so incredibly solid in their beliefs is that they have a way of feeling wiser and more learned than educated people. The more I read about creationism the more I think we need to find a way to make science and rationality understandable even by the most ignorant.

It's a pity that you can't really teach people how to use their brains

[Ryantology]

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Yah but they don't have enough faith to be an atheist.

[Lucanus]

U wot m8?

[Fidel_Castronaut]

A response to Ryan's post

[sven]

I know this might sound a lot like a conspiracy theory but I believe that something interesting could spark from this... What do you guys think? :-)

I don't think that's completely far fetched.
When it comes to the religious right in the US in general: I recently saw the film 'Jesus Camp' again, and as I watched it carefully I saw signs that the real motives of the 'higher ups' as it were seem to be echo-political rather than religious.
It reminded me of the book 'Dune' where the nobility are aware that the religious beliefs of the people are false, but they still use religion to control and manipulate them.
One way of asserting power is to be right, or to appear to be right. I have often heard christians say things like 10000 people can't be wrong, and so on. If you are a famous creationist and many, many people believe in you, that makes you powerful. One of the greatest powers you can have is to make people believe in un-truths.
Russia's Putin is a prime example of this. He controls the media in his country and it is shock full of half-truths and outright lies.

[Godisgood]

Hi there people of AF!

Recently, I have been asking myself: what is the point of Creationism?

Apart from being an obvious con that lets people like Ken Ham or Ray Comfort live on other people's ignorance, that is.

The thought of deluded people still believing that what was told by a tribe of goat herders 4000 years ago and trying to push this shit on their peers does really make me sad and makes me want to punch Ken Hams and Ray Comforts in the nuts.

Of course, it's quite likely they might actually be greedy, deep-undercover atheist conmen.
But what if the reason why they try to push creationism and ignorance was that they are "atheists gone wrong"? By that, I mean they were originally brought up in a strict religious environment but eventually grew out of their beliefs; still, they didn't find a positive outcome for their atheism and started to advocate their old beliefs in order to keep themselves sane and to prevent other people in their cult from following their steps. Essentially, I'm saying that they are people who tried to think with their own heads, but who failed to face the consequences.

I know this might sound a lot like a conspiracy theory but I believe that something interesting could spark from this... What do you guys think? :-)

Recently, I have been asking myself: what is the point of Creationism?

Ill tell you. Its not something that says that everything came from nothing and that the universe just popped into existence from nothing, a scientific impossiblity. Or that the universe is eternal, also something that is scientifically impossible.