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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 01/01/2007 : 19:26:03
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Preachers decry "Natural Creation" as a Trojan Horse to sneak science into church
San Diego, California, January 1, 2007 (Exclusive by Larry Histard for Moonscape News) -- "There's really no religion to it at all," said fundamentalist preacher Jerry Falwell. "Churchly Nerds are constantly talking about religion, but they haven't yet performed a single act of prayer, or published even one church-reviewed doctrinal statement. Okay, they can talk the talk, now let's see if they can walk the walk. Every one of them has stated privately that they are motivated by science, yet when they get together, they pretend to be religious. It's blasphemous!"
Churchly Nerds is a controversial foundation set up to promote a doctrine that all religion has forces of nature behind it. Critics like Falwell say what they are really doing is science, with religion put on the back Bunsen burner.
Churchly Nerds President, Dr. Anna Bananarama.
Says Dr. Anna Bananarama, President of the foundation, "CN believes that there is a self-evident reducible simplicity underlying all religious beliefs. This simplicity implies and requires the preexistence and agency of what we refer to as 'material principles.' Now, I want to make this clear, we do not say that these material principles are 'natural laws,' or 'forces of nature.' That would be a scientific statement, and we strictly steer clear of science at CN. Natural Creation and the doctrine of material principles are purely, and soundly, religious."
Bananarama holds a PhD in Biology, not Theology. But she points out that CN Fellow George Slipstick holds a brand-new Doctorate in Theology in addition to his original Astronomy PhD. And she mentioned a few other Fellows who at least dabble in aspects of religion, including an elderly retired minister.
Asked the source of the millions CN receives to fund its widespread operations, to bankroll renegade preachers, to publish books critical of Creationism, and to host anti-creationist conferences, Dr. Bananarama became coy. "We don't discuss our funding. We don't want to expose our contributors to harassment from the Creationists." When this reporter specifically asked if there was any truth to the rumor that billionaire Stephen Hawking had contributed millions to CN, she responded with a curt, "No comment."
When asked about criticism that CN doesn't do any real praying or publish church-reviewed doctrine, Bananarama replied, "As with our sponsors, our worshippers face harassment as well. We do actually pray and write tracts, but the hostility of the fascistic, immaterialist Creationist religious establishment forces us to do so in secret. But the time will come when our prayers and doctrine will be fully revealed."
We spoke with Dr. Bananarama in the lobby of CN's "Cathedral of Critical Thinking" building in San Diego. Even as Dr. Bananarama and this reporter spoke, men and women in priestly garb were bustling about the lobby, many carrying beakers (one was labeled 'holy water'), test tubes, and microscopes. When one of them opened a door labeled "Sanctuary: Change into Class B 'meditation' clothing," this reporter glimpsed a huge chamber filled with busy, white-smocked people and laboratory equipment. A strong chemical odor wafted from the briefly open door.
"For too long," said Bananarama, "the opposition has had a monopoly for their sectarian immaterialism in churches. The doctrine of Divine Creation is not a fact, it is only a doctrine. All we want is to be able to introduce Natural Creation and our 'material principles' idea as legitimate alternative religious doctrine. We demand that ministers begin at last to preach the controversy."
A few years ago, as the Churchly Nerds were just organizing, an anonymous strategy paper was written by someone in the organization. Later revealed on an Internet site, the so-called "Spike Paper" called for the Churchly Nerds to "Drive the stainless steel spike of hard science through the thick cranium of religion and then twist it around a bit in its brain, to counter the overwhelming influence of supernatural, immaterialist thinking in contemporary churches. And that's not meant just metaphorically."
Critics suggest that the Spike Paper demonstrates that science, not religion, is the real agenda of the Churchly Nerds. When this reporter asked Dr. Bananarama about the Spike Paper, she would only comment, "That was an internal document which was stolen from our premises. Stolen. That implies thieves, and that's just the kind of people who make up our whole opposition."
When questioned about the recent Rover Decision, in which the Southern Baptist Convention soundly rejected the inclusion of the Natural Creation concept of "material principles" in sermons while calling it science in disguise, Bananarama surprised this reporter by claiming that Rover was actually a "moral victory" for the NC movement and for CN. "Now that the iron fist of fundamentalism has been exposed from where it had been hidden under the velvet glove of free Christian inquiry, we can now focus upon the real issues."
But another fundamentalist, Pat Robertson, is having none of it. "Let's do a little 'mind experiment.' Imagine for a moment that the shoe were on the other foot," said Robertson.
"What if a bunch of religious Creationists were to set themselves up with their own tax-exempt foundation, and pretend to be doing science, while really just promoting their religious agendas. What if they tried to get their fake science introduced into public schools? I'll bet these CN people would cry foul if something as sneaky and dishonest as that ever happened!"
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 01/02/2007 20:41:17
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McQ
Skeptic Friend
USA
258 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2007 : 21:06:35 [Permalink]
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| Excellent topic! But what I really want to know is, who is Dr. Bananarama's beautician? Christopher Pike? |
Elvis didn't do no drugs!
--Penn Gillette |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2007 : 21:09:01 [Permalink]
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| BEEEEEEEEEP |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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McQ
Skeptic Friend
USA
258 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2007 : 21:15:07 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by pleco
BEEEEEEEEEP
I thought so! |
Elvis didn't do no drugs!
--Penn Gillette |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2007 : 21:31:06 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by McQ
Excellent topic! But what I really want to know is, who is Dr. Bananarama's beautician? Christopher Pike?
LOL! I actually made her face up by superimposing about three different faces, one on the other, young and very old women, all with the same basic facial structure and same pose.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 01/02/2007 21:32:31 |
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