Giants Causeway and Creationism

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

I've just picked up on this story, being in the general region for a few days, but to be honest it does not surprise me one single bit.

The Ulster evangelist is every bit as dumb as the american ones it seems.

I'm embarassed to be from the town that refused to hold an ELO concert on the grounds that it would promote devil worship and satanism.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/fe...cle3210680.ece

.......

However, momentum is growing in Ulster for an alternative theory of the origin of the causeway; one which echoes a wider and deepening dispute between conventional evolutionary science and fundamental Christianity.
The Causeway Creation Committee was set up in Co Antrim as a body which advocates literal biblical creationism.
This means its members believe that the answers to the scientific origins of the world can be found in The Bible; specifically in the book of Genesis.
The words of The Bible are not just for Christian conduct but represent a complete and infallible account of the geological and historical development of earth, they argue.
Therefore the theory dictates that the Earth is only 5,000 years old, it was created by God in six days and the dinosaurs existed alongside humans. It is a complete rejection of Darwinian evolutionary science.
Their belief is that the causeway was created by a huge watery catastrophe - Noah's flood. As dictated in the Book of Genesis, Noah selected two of every species and loaded them onto his ark until the flood, which God sent to punish man's wickedness, subsided.
The committee has been set up to lobby for information on their theories to be included in any future visitors' centre at the causeway. They say more than 1,000 people have so far signed the petition.
Founding member Stephen Moore (30) is a Christian evangelist who runs outreach programmes for young people in Portrush.
He explained: "We don't believe God created it the way it is, it was definitely a result of volcanic activity. Where we differ from the official theory is that we believe the cause of that activity was the flood we read about in The Bible. It says the fountains of the great deep opened up and because of that there was volcanic activity.
......

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

Quite clearly clinically insane. Some other quotes from that article:

"The other main difference in our view is the date. They say the causeway was created 60 million years ago but we believe that's a fairy tale. When you follow The Bible timetable it is about 4,500 years ago and due to volcanic activity that surrounds the events of a global flood.
"I take issue when people talk about the scientific view because our view is scientific as well. We use the same evidence and observations, we just interpret it differently.
"It just comes down to what glasses you are wearing."

He is able to produce a range of published leaflets which forward his claims on the causeway and a series of other world-famous natural sites including the Grand Canyon, Ayers Rock, the White Cliffs of Dover and Niagara Falls. The creation of all of these famous sites, the literature argues, complements rather than contradicts the word of God.
These are the sort of publications Stephen would like to see in the causeway visitors' centre and other tourist sites in Ulster. He would also like to see exhibits in the Ulster Museum altered to reflect the belief that dinosaurs existed at the same time as humans.

An it is seeping into our politics. I wonder how many people realise the creationism of the Anerican Bible Belt is already firmly entrenched in the local government of Northern Ireland?

The creationist issue has been raised repeatedly in written questions to the Education Minister Catriona Ruane by DUP members, many of whom are members of the Free Presbyterian Church.
They have asked her on several occasions about resources and materials being made available to schools teaching "alternative scientific theories" .
They have also asked for assurances that exam pupils who answer science questions with creationist answers will not be marked down.

Alliance member Trevor Lunn mischievously asked Environment Minister Arlene Foster this week for her assessment on the age of the Giant's Causeway.
Her answer was a classic piece of political ambiguity. She said: " Geologists generally agree that the Giant's Causeway is some 60 million years old. As you will be aware, however, there are alternative views in relation to the age of the Giant's Causeway."

The issue has also reached the level of local government. Lisburn council recently voted to write to all its grammar and secondary schools encouraging them to teach alternative theories such as intelligent design.

[Lord Muck oGentry]

Will the Finn McCool Theory get equal time too?

Seriously though. It's enough to make you weep.

[Fiona]

I wish this was unbelievable. But it isn't

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

It's why I live in Scotland as opposed to Ulster.

it isn't just the fact that most politicians are absorbed into one or other absurd sides of the fence, it is the fact that this sort of belief just never, never gets challenged.

And these creationist views are shared by a large number of DUP politicians, and probably OUP ones too.

Not only that, the guy that was getting the contract to build a new visitor centre at the Giants Causeway has close links to the Paisley family - so you have biblical fantasy mixed in with nepotism and corruption for good measure.

But it's ok to be corrupt if you are a christian, I've learnt that from an early age.