Creationist group tricks religious student group into hosting "Origin Summit" at university.

[DetlefK]

Excerpt from http://io9.com/creationists-stage-a-suprise-attack-on-science-at-michi-1651766419
"As part of a "back door" strategy to teach intelligent design on college campuses, an Oklahoma-based creationist group is sponsoring an Origin Summit at Michigan State University. Faculty and students are divided over how to respond, especially since the event will be attacking the work of an eminent MSU scientist.

News of the Origin Summit caught MSU's scientific community largely by surprise, reports Vivian Callier at InsideScience. The creationist organization, called Creation Summit, secured a room at the university's business school through a student religious group, but the student group did not learn about the details of the program—or the provocative titles of the lectures—until later."


The original article: http://news.sciencemag.org/education/2014/10/creationism-conference-large-u-s-research-university-stirs-unease
And their website: http://www.originsummit.com/

- "There is no doubt Hitler believed in evolution." Actually, unworthy-people-dilute-our-gene-pool was the only thing the public bothered to remember of Darwin's theory of evolution. It was THE big social topic back then. Of course Hitler heard about that.

- "The evidence for the Big Bang just isn't there." This guy can surely explain the distance-dependence of the stellar redshift and the overall smoothness of the Cosmic Microwave Background and its minute fluctuations and its origin.

- "Lenski has been trying for 15 years to prove evolution. So far, he has failed." Funny, just this week I read an article about parallel development of equal biological features in 2 different species of fish living in the same lake, over a span of just a few years.

- "DNA-mutations only cause destruction in genetic info." So, where do new flu-viruses come from every year?

- "Natural selection is not evolution." Finally they got something right. The first is just a component of the later.

- "The dueling simulations: Who wins? Evolution or creation?" Two tiny problems: 1. A simulation is only as good as the programmer. 2. A simulation can tell you what happens when your theory becomes real. It cannot tell you whether your theory is correct. You need experiments for that.

- Is that a joke about humans being descended from monkeys or are they really that stupid?

- They have challenged Dr. Robert Pennock, an outspoken opponent of Intelligent Design, to a debate, back in March. So far, he hasn't answered. Maybe he has a job with lots of responsibilities (like doctors tend to do) and his time is too precious to waste it on a pseudo-intellectual debate? Maybe he would have needed the option for a real talk, not a debate, to lay bare the mathematical/thermodynamic loopholes Intelligent Design conveniently ignores?

[AlbertCat]

1. his time is too precious to waste it on a pseudo-intellectual debate?

So is everybody else's. I mean, they're still spouting arguments from the 1850's! They don't seem to be aware of things like the "gene clock" or any developments since 1850. It's all fossils mislabeled in the 1850's or "It's too complicated to understand so ...god!"

[LostOne4Ever]

2. When it was Satanist and Harvard, the school had no issue dis-inviting them

But I guess schools only accommodate religious belief if it is on the approved list.

Probably the same list they use in the R forum when it comes to determining if a religion is worthy of support or respect. All mainstream beliefs are probably on the list of the sacrosant, while it is A-Okay to make fun of/dismiss the beliefs of Satanist, Pastafarians, and occasionally mormons and scientologist over there.

Don't you dare criticize people who believe in Adam, Eve, Abram, Moses or the like; but if they believe in the FSM or any of the Olympian pantheon then they are fair game!

[Curmudgeoness]

3. So a student religious group was duped...

I am sure that this will go a long way toward making these students open to the ideas that will be presented. It is also a great learning experience for them. Best to learn early in your life to get details before agreeing to anything.

I guess that this goes to show that all religious beliefs are not equally acceptable. Like we weren't aware of that already.

[beam me up scottie]

4. Argh.

Without a doubt, Creation Summit subscribes to a young earth. But seems
that such an admission is social suicide, especially on the secular campus.
The moment they discover you believe in a young earth, you're immediately
pegged as a religious fanatic. We don't mind being called fanatics, but
would like the audience to hear all the other presentations before
tuning us out. By hearing the other presentations first, they're
actually prepped so that, once the young earth message is con-
veyed, they're much more open and willing to listen.

How do you feel about being called liars and morons?

These anti-science losers aren't content with being independently stupid, they want the right to infect others on a much larger scale. When denied access to college campuses, they use disgusting tactics like the one in the op to infiltrate them.

And others like using their influence on school boards to purchase textbooks that question evolution as a way to introduce other "theories".