From: bense@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Ron Bense)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Greetings
Date: 4 Jan 93 17:46:28 GMT
Reply-To: chrisl@pwcs.stpaul.gov
Organization: David Taylor Research Center, Bethesda, MD


The below is being posted for Chris Lyman, whose posting software is
down for the time being.

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Greetings, Happy Holidays, and peace to one and all.  Although pwcs.stpaul.gov
continues to receive news, most of us can't post and won't be able to until
our news software is recompiled.  That little task is the last entry on a
long to-do list for our sysadmins.  It's regrettable that I can't put in my
US$0.02 worth, but I'm gratified to see that my side of the abortion issue
is being handled so well.  Ron has offered to post my stuff and I gratefully
accept his offer.

---

Lately, I've been lurking in talk.origins, a newsgroup focused on the
evolution/creation debate.  My scientific credentials and expertise are
dwarfed by those of many of t.o's participants, so it's unlikely that
I'll ever post there.  Imo, the evolution/creation debate is yet another
facet of what seems to be a cultural war between the radical and/or
religious right and the progressive and/or humanist left.  I am
particularly struck by the similarity of mindsets between
creationists and anti-abortionists.

Creationists pounce on every anomalous phenomenon not predicted by the
theory of evolution as 'proof' that the TofE is bogus, yet offer no
theory of creation of their own.  They accuse evolutionists of suppressing
data, but ignore overwhelming evidence that the earth was formed millions
of years ago and that life as we know it now is the result of millions of
generations of transformation and natural selection (Forgive my imprecise
use of these terms; I told you I wasn't an expert!).  I guess you could
sum their position up with the phrase, "Don't confuse me with the facts,
my mind is made up!"

I will leave my implied analogy to anti-abortionists as an exercise
for the reader. :-)

Imo, the efforts of creationists to gut the sciences of biology, geology,
astronomy and others is particularly insidious in light of the fact that
academic performance in mathematics and science in the U.S. is falling.
Add to that the resistance to effective sex education and birth control
(both of which would reduce the demand for abortion, btw), and it seems
that the slogan "Ignorance is Strength" could be carved over the entry
to the Pantheon of the Religious/Radical Right.

Your comments are welcome; flames will be laughed at.

Whew!  On a more conciliatory note, last Sunday I was struck by the appropriateness of a particular Bible verse mentioned at my church's
adult education session.  In Romans, Paul affirmed the fact that the Law is
written in the hearts of many people, Christians and non-Christians alike.
It occurred to me if this was true, it would be very painful for a sincere
believer to have his or her version of the Law aggressively challenged;
it would be like open-heart surgery without anesthesia, in a figurative
sense.  Therefore, I resolve for 1993 to _try_ to be more of a Fred Astaire
(suave, debonair, light on his feet) in talk.abortion, at least with the
newbies, and less like Fred Dean (football player, bull in a china shop).

Of course, Dodie, Phooey and a couple of others are still fair game! :-)

Chris Lyman    /   email: chrisl@pwcs.stpaul.gov   /    my thoughts, my words
"The responsibility for change...lies within us. We must begin with ourselves, 
 teaching ourselves not to close our minds prematurely to the novel, the
 surprising, the seemingly radical." -- Alvin Toeffler
Newsgroups: talk.abortion