Huckabee and Evolution Posted: 10 months ago by pulsisx
"If someone believes that the earth is 6,000 years old and every scientist in the world is saying that it is billions of years old, why shouldn't I take that into account when I am assessing the rationality of someone I am going to put into the highest office in the land?"
Comments: 35 Score: [-] 235 [+].

  comments (35) 

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Posted: 10 months ago by dollyllama:
If you're not qualified to be an 8th grade science teacher how can you run an entire country. You have to have some basis in logic.
Score: [-] 173 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by Maven:
You'd probably be disappointed by the number of past presidents that wouldn't qualify by those standards...Even for their time period.
Score: [-] 60 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by Mershaullk:
I'm getting really tired of people saying "We came from monkeys". We have a common ancestor with monkeys. We didn't evolve from them.

/threadjack
Score: [-] 135 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by coldbladed:
If its proven why is there debate/doubt? Why is the facts/proof so hard to come across? I've seen a lot of statements that make you think one way or another in the moment but nothing that makes me say, ok ya that right there decides it for sure.

Some brainiac in a lab coat saying it isn't enough for me to accept it unequivocally.
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Posted: 10 months ago by dollyllama:
« Maven : You'd probably be disappointed by the number of past presidents that wouldn't qualify by those standards...Even for their time period.
I don't think I'd even be surprised, I would just hope that the populace were smart enough to stop electing them, that's the disappointing part :/
Score: [-] 0 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by dollyllama:
« coldbladed : If its proven why is there debate/doubt? Why is the facts/proof so hard to come across? I've seen a lot of statements that make you think one way or another in the moment but nothing that makes me say, ok ya that right there decides it for sure.

Some brainiac in a lab coat saying it isn't enough for me to accept it unequivocally.
But some guy with a white collar is? How odd.
Score: [-] 162 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by TheJehosephat:
/slight rant
I have no issues with the video, I've just got a couple questions on the paragraphs after it...

Why does she mention "In science, being a "theory" is not a step below a "law."" When that wasn't even brought up in the video?

And when she says, "If you did, you would know that we do know the age of the earth. It's 4.5 billion years old." He admits ON the video that he doesn't know how old the earth is and that it could be that old.
/end slight rant
Score: [-] 26 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by Mershaullk:
« coldbladed : If its proven why is there debate/doubt?
In the scientific world there is no debate/doubt that it happened. These things only arise when some theists feel threatened when they're told that their creation myths aren't true.

Why is the facts/proof so hard to come across?
Do some research. Facts aren't hard to come across at all.
Score: [-] 85 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by 2manyusernames:
« coldbladed : If its proven why is there debate/doubt? Why is the facts/proof so hard to come across? I've seen a lot of statements that make you think one way or another in the moment but nothing that makes me say, ok ya that right there decides it for sure.

Some brainiac in a lab coat saying it isn't enough for me to accept it unequivocally.
Therein lies one major difference between those of faith and those who follow logic.

If even someone who strongly believes in evolution as Mershaulk were to see proof that evolution was false, than he'd throw it out and accept that he was wrong.

Those who have faith may never give up their beliefs no matter what sort of proof is given.

That is why there is so much debate. No amount of proof whatsoever will make many of such people give up their faith in the bible.
Score: [-] 115 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by coldbladed:
« dollyllama : But some guy with a white collar is? How odd.
Nah, not at all. Like I said, statements that make you think one way or the other. I may be a Christian but I'm undecided on the issue of evolution as I can see it both ways.

Thumping the Bible won't make me think evolution is wrong but believing in God doesn't mean science is wrong either.

All I'm saying is that I haven't been convinced and in my opinion there isn't convincing enough info out there (for me). And yes I have looked.
Score: [-] 115 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by dollyllama:
« coldbladed : Nah, not at all. Like I said, statements that make you think one way or the other. I may be a Christian but I'm undecided on the issue of evolution as I can see it both ways.

Thumping the Bible won't make me think evolution is wrong but believing in God doesn't mean science is wrong either.

All I'm saying is that I haven't been convinced and in my opinion there isn't convincing enough info out there (for me). And yes I have looked.
You haven't looked very hard, seriously. That's not meant as an insult.

We share all but one gene with chimpanzees. The similarities alone are striking but the evidence is nearly unequivocal. What would it take for you to be convinced?
Score: [-] 83 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by 2manyusernames:
« coldbladed : Nah, not at all. Like I said, statements that make you think one way or the other. I may be a Christian but I'm undecided on the issue of evolution as I can see it both ways.

Thumping the Bible won't make me think evolution is wrong but believing in God doesn't mean science is wrong either.

All I'm saying is that I haven't been convinced and in my opinion there isn't convincing enough info out there (for me). And yes I have looked.
Well spoken. Both concepts can easily co-exist. There is nothing in either idea that precludes the other.


I can't watch the video. Does Huckabee believe that the earth is only a few 1000 years? That is a delusion that is not shared by the majority of Christians.

I have no problem with him if he feels evolution isn't the complete answer or even if it is not any part of the answer. If he thinks the earth is a few 1000 years, than he really has no business being anywhere near power of any sort.
Score: [-] 94 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by blurmore:
Mike Huckabee is courting a finekey constituency. I agree that someone who truly believes fossil fuels developed in the last 6000 years and not from fossils millions of years ago should not be setting energy policy. But does he REALLY believe it, or is he pandering to constituents that don't REALLY believe it either but would like a president who says he believes it. The number of people who truly believe the earth and life is only 6000 years old is probably the same number who believe the earth is flat. Many people like to wear this belief as a mantle of a narrow minded defense of creationism. To defend creationism they site the biblically described age of earth to fend off the overwhelming evidence of evolution. I like Mike Huckabee, and I don't believe that he really thinks the world is only 6000 years old.
Score: [-] 82 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by ieldanth:
A president has to handle things that are happening now, not 6,000 or 6 billion years ago. His stance on what happened before recorded time isn't exactly relevant to what is happening today. If he was being elected as president of a paleological society, I would have my doubts. If evolution was absolutely essential to the day to day running of a country, I would be concerned. Trouble is, on the macro scale, evolution happens over millions of years. Long after we are dust, it might matter.

In other words, he may be wrong about evolution, but I simply don't see it as relevant to his ability to run the country. I can find other ways of determining if he is logically deficient without filtering them through the lens of my own belief systems. Letting a man out of prison on his word that he was reformed only to have the man kill again is one glaring example.
Score: [-] 48 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by Mershaullk:
« dollyllama :
We share all but one gene with chimpanzees.
We may share some similarities to chimps but not that much. We only share 96% of our genome with chimps.
Score: [-] 87 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by Boomshank:
« blurmore : The number of people who truly believe the earth and life is only 6000 years old is probably the same number who believe the earth is flat.
I think you'd be VERY surprised to see stats on how many Christians believe in a young earth.

I'm not a Christian but I've been going to churches and gently asking lots of questions and I'd say the evangelical movement in America is made up predominantly of people who are being spoon-fed and therefore believe the young earth 'theory'.

Now when you figure the evangelical movement is taking off in North America like a bonfire at a fireworks factory, the numbers on young-earthers is large - and growing daily.
Score: [-] 115 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by makri:
« Boomshank : I think you'd be VERY surprised to see stats on how many Christians believe in a young earth.
I had never heard of anyone in the modern world who would really believe that before I met some Americans. I don't think there are many people like that outside US borders.
Score: [-] 129 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by 2manyusernames:
« ieldanth : A president has to handle things that are happening now, not 6,000 or 6 billion years ago. His stance on what happened before recorded time isn't exactly relevant to what is happening today. If he was being elected as president of a paleological society, I would have my doubts. If evolution was absolutely essential to the day to day running of a country, I would be concerned. Trouble is, on the macro scale, evolution happens over millions of years. Long after we are dust, it might matter.

In other words, he may be wrong about evolution, but I simply don't see it as relevant to his ability to run the country. I can find other ways of determining if he is logically deficient without filtering them through the lens of my own belief systems. Letting a man out of prison on his word that he was reformed only to have the man kill again is one glaring example.
Well it is just as easy to let a man out of prison thinking he has been rehabilitated and be proven wrong without religion coming into it.

I will grant you as I mentioned that his views on evolution have no bearing on his ability to lead the nation. What about if he truly believes that contrary to common sense and massive evidence (oh yeah, evidence that was either planted by God to test us or by Satan to lure us away), that the earth is only 6000 and some odd years.

Wouldn't that show that the man may not be right to lead the entire country. Wouldn't that indicate that such a delusion, such a refusal to accept the truth may cloud some of his decisions?
Score: [-] 89 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by tundramonkey:
"...if anybody wants to believe they're the descendants of a primate, they're welcome to do it."
*sigh* We didn't decend from apes, no matter how much the current US president may resemble one.

Mr. Huckabee needs to go back to grade 6 science.

And geography, for that matter. There is no National Igloo here.
Score: [-] 81 [+].

Posted: 10 months ago by ieldanth:
« 2manyusernames : Well it is just as easy to let a man out of prison thinking he has been rehabilitated and be proven wrong without religion coming into it.

I will grant you as I mentioned that his views on evolution have no bearing on his ability to lead the nation. What about if he truly believes that contrary to common sense and massive evidence (oh yeah, evidence that was either planted by God to test us or by Satan to lure us away), that the earth is only 6000 and some odd years.

Wouldn't that show that the man may not be right to lead the entire country. Wouldn't that indicate that such a delusion, such a refusal to accept the truth may cloud some of his decisions?
If we have some issue that requires us to know the age of Earth, yes. I may be wrong, but I don't know that the age of Earth comes up much in policy decisions.
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