Saturday, August 9, 2008

Lying for Jesus

On a recent US radio show, creationist Ray Comfort (who gained notoriety with the aid of a banana) tried to refute evolution with the following argument:

Dogs do not have chickens. Chickens don't lay eggs with puppies in them.

Ray Comfort

Hmm, we seem to be back in crocoduck territory. Aside from the fact that such a simplistic argument wouldn't convince a six year old, this is a very odd thing to say, because if a dog ever did give birth to a chicken, much of modern science's understanding of the natural world would have to be thrown out. In an abstract way, his statement is actually evidence for evolution. So for Ray to make this argument, one of the following conditions must be true:

1. Ray Comfort does not understand the theory of evolution at all.

2. Ray Comfort is deliberately lying about the theory of evolution.

In either case (and I actually suspect it's a bizarre combination of the two), this man is not fit to debate the topic with anyone, let alone an evolutionary biologist. To their credit, the hosts of the radio show were unconvinced by his arguments despite being christians themselves, calling Ray out as a "wacko".

So which is it, Ray? Ignorant moron, or evil liar?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

3. Ray Comfort is intentionally exaggerating to make evolution look stupid.

K, so Ray admitted that the banana thing was a pretty dumb idea now. Anyway...

"In an abstract way, his statement is actually evidence for evolution."

In an abstract way, this quoted statement is actually a false dichotomy.

Stephen Skinner said...

I have a message for Ray Comfort: Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you, and reject your name as evil. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
Continue your work in Christ, brother, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because we both know that it is not in vain.
And if this world hates us, slanders us, and despises us without reason, we ought not be surprised. That's how they treated our fathers. That's how they treated the prophets. And that's how they treated our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.