Nessie and Evolution

In case you didn’t know it, the Loch Ness Monster disproves evolution.

At least that appears to be the argument from the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) “science” textbook that is being used at the Eternity Christian Academy in Westlake Louisiana. A school that will be receiving government tax dollars under the voucher program established by Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.

Carl Sagan used to say that while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, people are not entitled to their own facts. This no longer seems to be the case among conservatives in general and fundamentalist Christians in particular.

Here’s what the ACE text has to say about Nessie, with commentary.

“Are dinosaurs alive today? Scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence.”

Really? What scientists? Please cite any article in any peer reviewed science journal that makes such a claim.

“Have you heard of the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ in Scotland? ‘Nessie,’ for short has been recorded on sonar from a small submarine, described by eyewitnesses, and photographed by others. Nessie appears to be a plesiosaur.”

Actually, Nessie appears to be a figment of the imagination. There is no viable evidence that Nessie even exists.

“Could a fish have developed into a dinosaur? As astonishing as it may seem, many evolutionists theorize that fish evolved into amphibians and amphibians into reptiles.”

Probably because that’s where the genetic, morphological and fossil evidence appears to point. Notice the implication that this idea is an unsubstantiated “theory” rather than a conclusion based upon evidence. Notice also the misuse of the term “theory” implying a guess or unfounded speculation.

“This gradual change from fish to reptiles has no scientific basis.”

Real scientists apparently disagree with you. Allow me to introduce you to Tiktaalik, a creature halfway between a primitive fish and a tetrapod. The mixture led one of Tiktaalik’s discoverers to label it a “fishapod.”

“No transitional fossils have been or ever will be discovered because God created each type of fish, amphibian, and reptile as separate, unique animals. Any similarities that exist among them are due to the fact that one Master Craftsmen fashioned them all.”

See “Tiktaalik” reference above. The simple fact is that hundreds of transitional fossils exist especially above the species level. To say that no transitional fossils have ever been discovered is a flat out lie. Yes I said lie because this claim has been debunked so many times I find it impossible to accept that none of the editors of the text were aware of that.

Here are some other “highlights” from the ACE science text.

- Science Proves Homosexuality is a Learned Behavior
- The Second Law of Thermodynamics Disproves Evolution
- Humans and Dinosaurs Co-Existed
- Evolution Has Been Disproved
- A Japanese Whaling Boat Found a Dinosaur
- Solar Fusion is a Myth

What the f**k is wrong with these people?

The competitors of ACE are A Beka and Bob Jones University press textbooks. They also tout Youth Earth Creationism and reject evolution. Here are some other doozies reportedly in A Beka and Bob Jones texts.

- Only ten percent of Africans can read or write, because Christian mission schools have been shut down by communists.

- “the [Ku Klux] Klan in some areas of the country the country tried to be a means of reform, fighting the decline in morality and using the symbol of the cross… In some communities it achieved a certain respectability as it worked with politicians.”

- “God used the ‘Trail of Tears’ to bring many Indians to Christ.”

- It “cannot be shown scientifically that that man-made pollutants will one day drastically reduce the depth of the atmosphere’s ozone layer.”

- “God has provided certain ‘checks and balances’ in creation to prevent many of the global upsets that have been predicted by environmentalists.”

- the Great Depression was exaggerated by propagandists, including John Steinbeck, to advance a socialist agenda.

- “Unions have always been plagued by socialists and anarchists who use laborers to destroy the free-enterprise system that hardworking Americans have created.”

- Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential win was due to an imaginary economic crisis created by the media.

- “The greatest struggle of all time, the Battle of Armageddon, will occur in the Middle East when Christ returns to set up his kingdom on earth.”

They can't even get what the Bible says right. Revelations 16:16 - Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Armageddon is a transliteration of the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew "Har Meghid·dohn" which means the Mountain of Meggido. It's where the anti-Christ's army is assembled and not where the battle is fought.

These are also typically the texts used by Christian home schoolers. Hundreds of thousands of children are essentially being taught utter rubbish and we’re going to have deal with them as voters down the road. If we don’t do something about this, this country is going to be screwed.