If you enjoy nonsensical rants, brewery reviews, and/or random facts about everyday things, this is the page for you.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Ooyaht
Thursday, October 13, 2016
That Ain't Wright
During the 1400s, Leonardo da Vinci dissected birds to
figure out how they flew.
Based on this information, he came up with an idea
commonly referred to as a flying machine.
The design would not have succeeded as he sketched it but the groundwork for
what would arguably be mankind's greatest invention was there.
He then drew a small portrait of a homely woman and
everybody freaked out and that's what he is best known for. Kinda sad.
Skip ahead a few hundred years later in North Carolina
to a pair of brothers named Orville and Wilbur who tinkered with that very idea
and performed the first controlled human flight. It is debated if the Wrights
actually invented the prototype for modern airplanes, but they will forever be
remembered as the guys who led us in that direction.
…
The focus of this article is how annoying the flying
process is to the average frustrated traveler, but let’s begin with an
unnecessary examination of aviation’s history and the basic mechanics of how an
airplane works:
The first human-made flying machine, the kite, was
invented in China during the 400s. Some were even able to lift people for brief
periods of time, although that was implemented more for punishment than
aviation.
Four centuries later, an Andalusian man named Abbas
ibn Firnas attempted to fly by constructing wings out of bird feathers,
attaching them to his body, and jumping out of a tower. His attempt failed
overall but worked well enough to allow his survival.
You already know about Leonardo in the 1400s.
(Side note: ‘da Vinci’ was not his last name. He was
from a region of Italy called Vinci and ‘da’ simply means ‘of’.)
In France of the 17- and 1800s, the first hot-air
balloons and airships (blimps) were flown.
Orville and Wilbur Wright are popularly credited with
the first controlled flight of a heavier-than-air craft in North Carolina in
1903.
The first commercial flights happened in Florida in
1914.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made the first solo flight
across the Atlantic Ocean.
Though she is mostly known for disappearing, Amelia
Earhart was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic (1932). While
attempting to fly around the world, she (along with navigator Fred Noonan) vanished
over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.
Also of note- there is a conspiracy theory that Harry
Houdini, who died in 1926, had something to do with their unfortunate
expedition.
From then until now- the Hindenburg crashed, ending
the era of airships; Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier; electronic
instruments such as GPS have replaced human flight navigators; drones are used
for all sorts of things; Snakes On A Plane came out;
and now flying as a means of travel is more popular than ever.
…
But how does an airplane work? How does a metal vessel
loaded with people and other things get into the air and remain there for
hours? And why do the seats have such little leg-room?
The answer to the first two questions is quite
complicated (I’ll get to the third), but here are the basics:
Airplanes accelerate the same way cars do but go much
faster. (Well, maybe not *much* in the cases of some drivers.) They even have
foot pedals for braking but use hand devices to control speed. Typically, airplanes
go between 150-185 miles per hour before lifting off the ground.
The speed of sound (a.k.a. Mach One) is 760 miles per
hour. Most commercial jets move below this speed in the air to compete with
DRAG, which is the opposing force created by all parts of an aircraft while it flies.
An airplane’s wings are designed to make air flow
faster above them than below, thus creating the effect known as LIFT.
PITCH is the term used for making an airplane climb or
descend. Adjusting the pitch, the pilot points the nose of the craft in the
desired direction. ROLL is when the craft’s front and back move and cause it to
go in a different direction. YAW is when the wings are tilted, resulting in a
turn.
There is such a small amount of leg-room on airplanes for
two reasons: 1) simply to maximize profits, and 2) because there are no
regulations regarding seats for airlines to follow. Changing the second part
has been suggested to the FAA by Congress without a positive result so far.
And for the first cause, the bare minimum amount of room
is generally allotted so the most people possible can get in flights. However, for
your convenience, extra space can be provided to those willing to spend
even more on the flight, assuming the charges for checking luggage and
selecting seats hasn’t bankrupted them already.
…
Now that we’re all experts in aviation mechanics,
let’s break down that dreadful endeavor known as the flying experience:
Getting to the airport two hours early
The general rule across the aviation industry is to
arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three prior to international.
There are many factors that could make you late for
your flight, including traffic on the way to the airport and/or a long line at
security. Therefore, arriving early gives you extra time in case something (or
many somethings) happens.
However, if you are a frequent flyer leaving from a
familiar airport with no bags to check, getting there hours early would be
foolish. Unless, of course, your flight is near a holiday.
This might seem awful and confusing because that’s
exactly what it is.
To make things worse, consider that the airport is a
business that really wants people to wander its halls and over-pay for
everything.
In fact, airports are specifically designed to maximize
profits from the passengers leaving it. Exorbitant parking fees, vending
machines selling electronics, and common-but-way-more-expensive-than-usual
stores all provide no shortage of ways for bored people awaiting flights to
spend a lot of money.
Does security equal safety?
By now, we’re all used to removing our belts and shoes
and taking electronics out of their cases before getting close to our flight’s
gate.
But are these things necessary?
Largely and simply- no.
Hard to believe? Consider TSA PreCheck, Clear, and
whatever other such entities may exist.
Travelers with these can go through security while
leaving belts, shoes, and electronics where they are.
And why? Because those people are safer?
Well, yes. Their backgrounds have been carefully examined
by… whoever does such things.
Also, no. These are the same caliber of people but they
have the means to pay for a faster security process. That’s it.
Then why doesn’t the TSA run background checks on
everybody? Again, the answer is financial.
Additionally (and back on regular security lines) young
and old people do not have to endure the same measures as everyone else. Are they
less likely to be terrorists? Probably. But are they more likely to be used
negatively because of their age? There ya go…
Speaking of terrorists, it’s not possible to write
something like this without mentioning the hi-jackings and attacks of September
11, 2001.
Since then, the United States government has spent over
one *trillion* dollars on defense. The public doesn’t know how much of that
went to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA, now part of the
Department Of Homeland Security), but many analysts have determined that
whatever the amount- it’s too much.
The whole process is mostly theatrical, in that it
shows the illusion of safety without actually accomplishing anything. Customers
feel like it’s all necessary while TSA agents get paid the same amount whether
they rush you through or take their time.
(Not sure about you but I’ve never seen one move above
a tortoise’s pace.)
Would you trust the average TSA agent to baby-sit your
kids?
TSA agents are often under-paid and poorly-trained but
they have the power to absolutely ruin your day.
By a gigantic majority, most people do not wish to
cause harm on an airplane. They just want to get to the destination and
proceed.
But if somebody *does* want to, that person could
pretty easily figure out how while probably using the TSA’s own regulations
against it.
(When did this article turn into a conspiracy theory!?)
Dogs
Isn’t it unfair that we’re not allowed to pet security
dogs? It makes sense, though. I guess.
But did you know small pets in carriers are allowed on
most flights?
I found that out when sitting next to a smelly couple with
dogs named Jerry and Marley. (Seriously.) The humans were much more annoying
than the caged beasts.
Boarding
Before even getting on the airplane, we must endure
the “pre”-boarding of first class, business class, business-casual class, disabled
travelers, current military, past military, future military, parents with small
children, parents with large children, Gold members, Silver members, Orange
members, Magenta members, people in the Zoom Zoom Club, people in the Super
Zoom Zoom Club, people in the Mega Super Zoom Zoom Club, and guys named Ralph.
Then and only then can the remaining 98% of travelers scan their own passes and
proceed slower-than-anything to their seats.
But, at least boarding itself is done in the most
efficient way possible.
Or…
Scientists and mathematicians have devised several
ways to board planes involving front-to-back, alternating rows, random but
controlled entry, and other methods. These techniques have been tested and the
results were generally positive, cutting boarding time by at least half.
Then why haven't these faster ways been adopted?
It is simple to teach an individual new behavior but
almost impossible to teach the same to a group. People en masse are not capable of following simple plans that
would relieve a problem everybody shares.
I probably ripped him off in some way while writing
this part, so here is George Carlin’s bit about the whole thing.
Why does the pilot always tell us the
cruising altitude?
This is done to let passengers and crew know the
aircraft will stop ascending once a certain height is reached. Doing so can
explain any turbulence along the way.
It is important for pilots to consider altitude
because the chosen paths have been deemed the safest in which to fly, with air
movement and distance from other airplanes among the main factors.
Regardless, few people care how high the craft will be
flying and I think a promise to not crash would be much more comforting.
What is that loud, seemingly random BING
BONG sound?
Though it may appear that this noise was designed to
jolt people from sleep, it’s actually communication from the cockpit to the
flight attendants to indicate various things, such as certain altitudes being
reached and the ‘fasten seat belts’ sign turning off.
Why was it called a ‘cockpit’ but isn’t
anymore?
There are several theories to the term’s origin but
the most popular one points at ‘cock’ being an Old English word meaning ‘boat’.
The person in charge of steering the craft was called a ‘cockswain’ (spelled coxswain
today and pronounced ‘kak-sun’), meaning ‘boat servant’. As aviation became a
more common thing, the name went along with it.
It may not be called that any longer because of
cockfighting, also known as roosters being forced to battle each other. There
also could be a more juvenile explanation but this is a classy blog so such
things will not be discussed.
Why does the flight attendant always offer
ice cubes in orange juice?
Apparently, some people prefer that disgusting filth.
Why was I given a full box of tissues to vomit
in that one time?
Because there were no bags available. After what they
had to clean up, they were probably obtainable on every flight from then on.
…
To close, when asked how a flight was, I respond with
something like this:
The plane took off and landed where I wanted to go,
which was great. Everything before and during was horrible.
Thanks to these websites for making this
article possible:
Google.com, History.com, NASA.gov, elevate-aviation.com, Wikipedia.org, How Things Fly, Mental Floss, CabinCrew Chit Chat, Does Airport Security Really Make Us Safer?
Thursday, August 04, 2016
Worse Than Hitler
Shit stinks.
I mean ‘shit’ in the fecal sense of the word. Actual shit.
This is not a metaphor nor euphemism, though I do not
see how it could be a euphemism.
When something reeks, people tend to say, 'Good
gullivers, that smells like shit'. In our minds, shit is the
worst-smelling of all things, so we immediately liken a horrible scent to shit.
Gym socks, dumpsters, weird uncles. Shit, shit, shit.
…
“But what does shit have to do with Hitler?”
Great question. Thanks for asking.
Comedian Bill Burr did a stand-up bit about how bad people
are immediately compared to (Adolf) Hitler.
For instance, 'That loud orange guy is so crazy and
dangerous, he could be the next Hitler.'
However, as Burr also pointed out, Hitler was not the
worst guy ever. Nor is shit the worst-smelling substance ever. ([Have you
encountered a durian fruit or a Lesser Anteater?])
https://www.sciencealert.com/what-are-the-worst-smells-in-the-world-according-to-science
…
*For your convenience*, I have compiled a list of people
who were worse than or at least as evil as Hitler.
Some of these baddies may not be statistically worse than him, but they were downright awful so feel
free to call people these names sometimes just to mix things up.
(I will return to ‘the S word’ later and it will probably
make even less sense.)
Pope
Urban II (c. 1042 - 1099)
Yes, a pope.
This guy is credited with initiating the Crusades- eight “holy wars” covering
almost 200 years.
Instead of kindly asking Muslims in Europe to vacate
the continent, Urby gave an order to redecorate everything with their blood.
His direct campaign killed about 200,000 people, which
pales in comparison to Adolf, but think about the seven subsequent Crusades and
everything similar that followed.
The Spanish Inquisition comes to mind.
(Did you expect that?)
So yes, at least one Roman Catholic pope was as bad as
Hitler.
Vlad
The Impaler (1431 - 1476)
When an opposing army showed up to overtake Vlad's
territory, they would find their own soldiers (from a previous raid) rotting on
stakes shoved through their bodies.
This much is factual about Prince Vlad but he has been
accused of other things such as boiling people, skinning them alive, and dining
among his (still living) impaled victims. It has even been said he washed his
hands with and/or dipped his food in their blood, possibly feeding it to them
as well.
Imagine eating food which was dipped in
your own blood while a piece of wood is through your body.
If even half of these things are true, Vlad deserves a
spot near Hitler out of sheer brutality.
Also, he was Bram Stoker's inspiration for his
blood-sucking character Count Dracula.
To give him some undeserved credit, we may never have eaten Count Chocula cereal without Vlad The Impaler.
(Worth it?)
Mary
Tudor (1516 - 1558)
Though the breakfast cocktail was named for her
and not the other way around, Bloody Mary was the only surviving child of King
Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine Of Aragon.
After a long struggle to attain the English throne,
which included plenty of violence and proving she was not a child of incest,
Mary married a Spanish guy and declared all Protestants to be heretics.
She then ordered the burning of over 300 of them because whatever Protestants believe
did not jive with whatever she believed.
Her untimely death from influenza and/or cancer left
the throne to her half-sister, Elizabeth I, who was much less violent.
Ivan
The Terrible (1530 - 1584)
Unlike his grandfather, Ivan The Great, who was great,
Ivan The Terrible was terrible.
Russia's first tsar
was paranoid and prone to such things as killing his own son and beating his pregnant
wife.
Not just terrible by personal actions, Ivan led Russia
into a downward spiral which lasted 100 years until Peter The Great (greater
than Ivan The Great?) came to power.
Maybe this guy was not so bad but he will forever be known as 'The Terrible' so he had to
be included here.
Josef
Stalin (1878 - 1953)
Have you heard of the KGB? How about Gulags? Both symbols
of Russian brutality are credited to Stalin.
Hitler's partner-in-moustache changed his original surname
to the Russian word meaning man of steel.
Unlike Superman, however, Joe decided to kill his country’s residents via massive
starvation and execute people who disagreed with him, which led to tens of millions of deaths.
He enjoyed rewriting History and even changed the date
and year of his birth, presumably for some kind of personal gain.
His inter- and intra-country wars also did a lot of
damage to Russia financially and geographically.
Some people you would probably not want to have over
for dinner herald Stalin as a hero but most do not really care for his methods
and massacres. Even all the places he had named after himself have been retitled
as part of de-Stalinization.
Mao
Tse-tung (1893 - 1976)
A close ally of Stalin, Chairman Mao turned a
struggling China into a hefty world power.
Unfortunately, he also oversaw tens of millions of deaths along the way.
Torture and murder were nothing to Mao, who killed 30-40
million people by starvation. Millions of others perished in the harsh
conditions of his labor camps.
In addition to these atrocities, Mao did horrible
things to his vilest enemies- educators. He had his soldiers round up teachers en masse to beat, kill, and sometimes even
eat them.
Dude was bad news but is still generally honored
within the Chinese Communist Party.
Pol
Pot (1925 - 1998)
A big fan of the previous guy, this Cambodian dictator
and I share a similar philosophy- that money should be outlawed and modern
things are evil and should be destroyed.
One topic on which Potty and I would disagree is respecting
differing opinions and ways of life. I tend to not interfere when folks want to
do as they please.
Pol Pot, on the other hand, ordered anyone who refused
to leave the cities for farm life to be tortured and/or killed. Many of those who
did leave the cities were forcibly worked to death.
Oh yeah, and his troops put landmines all over the
country, which still get stepped on to this day.
[Look up the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge regime
for more.]
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/cambodia/articles/a-guide-to-cambodias-killing-fields/
Albert
Fish (1870 - 1936)
This guy admitted to raping/torturing/murdering over
100 children, though only a few were actually linked to him.
One certain victim was named Grace Budd.
Alby earned the trust of Grace’s family then tricked
them into letting her accompany him to a non-existent birthday party. Instead
of a fun time, Fish took Grace to an empty house, got naked for some reason, strangled
the girl, then cut her up and cooked her in various ways.
As if that was not gruesome enough, he wrote a detailed
letter to Grace's family describing what he had done.
He did, however, assure them ‘She died a virgin’, which
the family must have been comforted by even though there is no way its minimal
amount of relief could have possibly comforted them.
…
The next time someone is awful, call that person a
Fish or a Pot. It may not make them less-horrible but it will confuse them and
that in itself is always a victory.
…
This complete lack of a segue brings me back to shit.
Did you know that not everyone wipes their asses the
way you do?
Years back, a friend walked in on another friend in
the bathroom, who was wiping his rear while purposely standing up. The first
friend ran to report the news to the rest of us.
Half, including myself, were appalled. In no way had we ever thought of a butt-wiping technique
other than leaning slightly.
But the other half was just as appalled at us, having
never considered a method that did not involve performing a squat.
And maybe there are other ways out there which are
just waiting to be discovered.
The point is that some people commit mass genocide and
others wipe their asses while standing. If there is a correlation, I have not
found it. Somebody do a study.
Before you criticize these freaks of Nature, consider
that they actually believe their inexcusable acts are good. Try not to
jump to judgement.
In closing, rising off the toilet to wipe or rising in
power to kill everyone is basically the same shit.
Once more, shit.
Wednesday, June 01, 2016
Pizzanalysis
Sunday, May 15, 2016
A Visit To The Creation Museum
In March of 2016, I was fortunate enough to find myself
in the exotic land of northern Kentucky, where I happened upon the Creation
Museum in Petersburg.
Run by the Answers In Genesis Ministry, this place promotes
the idea that everything in the Bible's first book truly and actually and genuinely
happened.
An Australian named Ken Ham is the president of AiG, a
group of Young Earth Christian Creationist Apologists. (I had to look it up, too.) He founded the Creation Museum because "AiG's main thrust is on Biblical
authority. Believing in a relatively young Earth is a consequence of accepting
the word of God as an infallible revelation from our Creator." He also wants
to “proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ effectively”, which is curious since
Jesus does not appear until well-after the book of Genesis.
The museum itself is very well-done: big, clean, and thorough.
It is on a large plot of land with statues of dinosaurs everywhere, because this
place loves dinosaurs. A focal point
of the museum is how the Bible mentions dinosaurs and humans co-existing even
though it does not really mention that and the two animals were separated by
tens of millions of years.
Skepticism aside, I went into this visit with an open
mind to find out how another culture experiences world.
This, for me, was certainly unfamiliar territory.
…
Before entering, make sure you really want to see the museum because the entrance fee is $40 for
an adult younger than 60.
Included with admission are a self-guided walk-through
of the museum, two short films, some of their presentations, a visit to the insectorium,
and access to the petting zoo and botanical garden. You will also get the
privilege of taking their survey afterwards.
(If these things seem flashy and
unnecessary for a place dedicated to Biblical teaching, they are.)
Not included with admission but for nominal fees, you can enjoy short films
at the planetarium, the other presentations, camel rides at the petting zoo,
mining for gemstones, zip-lining, a free-fall ride, grub at Noah's Café,
goodies at the extensive multi-level gift shop, and/or a souvenir picture taken
as you enter (which was not offered to me).
Also, since God would want you to pay for parking,
that is another $10.
…
Upon entry, I was treated to two immediate gifts of goodness.
While paying my entrance fee, the man next to me was
asked for his zip code. Apparently from Outing, Minnesota, he said,
"5-6……..6……..6-2."
56662.
The zip code of the beast.
He was so hesitant to say the middle of his zip code I
thought he was going to faint.
My second brush with luck came when the cashier told
me a presentation called Dinosaurs And The Bible was beginning in five minutes.
No way was I going to miss that!
Hosted by 'former public school teacher' Bryan
Osborne, this hour-long production taught all about two dino-topics: 1) That
dinosaurs lived peacefully with early humans, and 2) That dinosaurs did not
evolve into birds or anything else because the theory of Evolution is evil and must be destroyed.
(For those interested, here is an article describing the difference between a common theory and a scientific theory.)
Within itself, his argument was surprisingly sound.
The ideas flowed together nicely and his PowerPoint images were spot-on.
The main message of his presentation and the Creation
Museum in general was to just accept what the Bible says without questioning
anything.
Should you dare to be inquisitive, you might look as
dumb as the star of this anecdote featured in the presentation:
'A farmer was on the side of the road when he saw a
cow giving birth. While watching, a city
guy stopped and watched with him. The calf was halfway out. The city guy
asked the farmer how fast the calf must have been running to get stuck in the
cow like that.'
You see, the city guy was foolish because he assumed the calf had run directly into
the cow’s backside-- something that, according to Osborne, lots of people would
think. I have no idea what the point of that story was but again, best to not
ask questions.
Also, the host called anyone who has ever enjoyed
Jurassic Park a heathen.
…
Littered with auditory gems, this presentation had me
skipping down the hallway thirsty for more.
The first thing I saw was a sign displaying The 7 C's
In God's Eternal Plan- Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ,
Cross, Consummation. The first four were elaborately shown and described during
the walk-through while the last three were detailed in a short video at the end
of the journey.
If space and/or money had run out, it would seem Ken
Ham was not as good of a planner as God. (Or maybe that was the point!)
…
My adventure continued with two mannequin
archaeologists arguing over the age of an uncovered fossil.
One said millions of years while the other argued just
thousands, dating the dinosaur (I told you this place loves dinosaurs)
back to the time of the Great Flood. A video playing next to this diorama showed
an actor portraying the first guy recanting his initial idea and accepting the
finding of the actor playing the other guy. (I was confused too.)
A series of signs pitting Creationism against Science
eventually led to a horrifying display of our current world, which is in ruins.
Through pictures, videos, and loud noises, I saw that sin is everywhere.
Graffiti covered the walls, pictures showed mostly non-white people holding
guns, and all sorts of abortions were happening. Homosexuals in love were
getting married and people in terminal pain were ending their lives with dignity.
Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria!!!
The mannequin of a teen-aged boy even smoked a
marijuana cigarette while playing video games and searching the internet for
pornography. I can barely do one of those things at a time so this kid clearly
must have sold his soul for some evil, magical power.
This Corridor Of Despair (actual name) ended with a
walk through the Time Tunnel, a small hallway which was completely dark except
for some faint lights in the ceiling.
Again, the idea of not asking questions was the only
thing that came to mind.
…
The Garden Of Eden diorama was quite vast. There were
several depictions of Adam and Eve doing everyday tasks like picking berries
and hanging out with dinosaurs. Everything was peaceful in an awkwardly perfect
way. It reminded me of Toon Town, only not the greatest thing ever.
The dinosaurs were mostly raptor-like, which was odd since
seeing Jurassic Park had already been condemned.
Other animals in the garden included giraffes, bears,
and penguins. Yes, together. Just as it is now, climate change was imaginary in
the Garden Of Eden, so all these animals could easily live together in one
ecosystem.
…
The biggest surprise of my visit was not how often Darwin’s
scientific theory of Evolution was “discredited”, but how something called
“quick evolution” was very real. According to that non-scientific theory, God
created one "kind" of each animal, which led to diversity such as domesticated
dogs, wolves, coyotes, and hyenas.
What was odd about the diorama was that the “ancient” animals
looked strikingly similar to their current forms, except the wooly mammoth,
whose current form is less-wooly and more-skeletal.
…
When this visit happened, I was not very well-versed
in the Bible. I did not know that the Garden Of Eden was intended to be a
perfect Paradise, free from death and disease and gay marriage, with all living
things being vegetarians because plants are not living things.
This utopia was shattered when a talking reptile
convinced Adam and Eve to eat fruit from the one forbidden tree in the entire garden, which led to all the
horrible things I listed earlier. Plus, this is apparently why childbirth can
be so excruciating.
(For a fun exercise, ponder why God was able
to create Adam without any base tools but needed one of his bones to make Eve.)
The exhibit about Noah and the Great Flood was the
most in-depth. It even featured an animatronic Noah who answered all my
questions that the museum had already programmed for me. There was also a
really-real-life-sized part of the Ark and a piece stating that Noah and his
small family could certainly have built the multi-level city-sized Ark by
themselves, though they were wealthy so they may have convinced others to help
them.
That version of Noah was kind of a dick, huh?
'Hey, a huge flood will soon eliminate all life except
for what I bring on an enormous boat. If you help us build it, I will not let
you on the ship but I will give you a bunch of money which will be worth
nothing because the planet will be covered in water. So yeah, want to help?'
Trickery and bribery seem sinful to me, but I would
accept this idea over Darren Aronofsky's weird rock monsters.
For those of you thirsty for as much Noah as possible,
The Ark Encounter was completed using taxpayer money in Williamstown,
conveniently located 45 minutes from the Creation Museum. The building is a
full replica of the Ark as Noah built it, complete with cubits and
everything.
Each museum costs $40 to enter (excluding tax and
parking) but a combination a ticket to both is a steal at $80 (excluding tax
and parking).
…
If my words have not been descriptive enough for you,
here is a string of images from the Creation Museum. I realize I did not take
nearly enough pictures but you can see more for yourself if you visit…
What troubled me most about the Creation Museum was not
its message or beliefs but how it contrasted specifically against Science at
every opportunity.
Other similar museums about a culture's history
present their beliefs without contrast. 'Our ancestors believed the Sun was a
god and all animals were born from trees.'
Great! Thanks for sharing!
But Answers In Genesis has made such effort to
discredit Evolutionary thinking that I thought they were really grasping at
straws out of insecurity. I have no problem with anyone's belief system but to baselessly
present those beliefs as facts while attacking just one other method seems
wrong.
And why only attack Science? The Vikings believed a
massive collision of fire and ice created the world. Hindus believe their three
gods have always created, maintained, and destroyed the Universe in repetitive
cycles. The Hopi believe one Creator made nine Universes and a Spider Woman
created all life with her saliva.
I assume AiG would have problems with these beliefs as
well but they were not explicitly attacked in the Creation Museum.
(One could argue that these belief systems are not
commonly taught in American schools (which is a shame) but Evolution is.)
The critical truth is nobody knows how something came from nothing. I have (mostly) stopped trying to figure it out but I enjoy learning about what different groups of people think happened. Believe what you want but do not try to force it on others. If you do, as people have been doing for a very long time, it can only lead to the ultimate C…