Darwin the Praised, Darwin the Cursed

Praise Darwin
Originally uploaded by dc53711

This is a sample of the thousands of billboards that have gone up from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

On Feb 12th, there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth, cursing and lamentations that a man was born who used the scientific methods of reasoning and deduction, thereby questioning their myths and twice-told tales about the manner in which they came to be.

Yes, they will curse the day Charles Darwin was born and will counter the celebrations of science with dire warnings that since man sinned against God, all humanity will be destroyed in a cataclysm of immense proportions. They will probably light votive candles at the costly Creation Museum, which stands as a temple to creationists and Young-Earthers everywhere.

It's very easy to ridicule these people for their beliefs because they discount the realm of science so completely. We should not ridicule them because of their beliefs, however, but rather the WAYS in which they believe them and their insufferable self-righteousness. More accurately, it is their arrogant righteousness that insults our attempt at reason and science. Take their ubiquitous phrase, "It's the Christian thing to do," for example, stating it as if they alone had the ability to do good things.

Many men have done good things to humanity under the banners of Christendom. Many have done good things without Christianity. Then there are those who have done good things in spite of Christianity.

Charles Darwin was one of those men.

His scientific findings made us question life.

Thank you, Mr. Darwin!