To recap: My wife Lilandra found out that Ken Ham will be lying to the Texas Home-school Coalition on August 1st thru 3rd. She being a former creationist and now a science teacher, expressed her concerns about that. Ham heads answersingenesis, a disingenuous pseudoscience propaganda site that is listed as one of the top ten worst anti-science websites. It is a multimillion-dollar anti-science propaganda mill built entirely on distorted data, factless frauds, and deliberate deception. Obviously it is nothing short of shameful that any collective of concerned parents should be foolish enough to seek his guidance with respect to educating their children. Ham thought he could bully Lilandra, so he called her out for her comments, made fun of her on his blog, and tried to use her criticisms against him to rally gullibelievers into supporting his cause.
Houston Atheists responded by challenging Ham to debate myself while he is in their city. Ham initially accepted that challenge -at least in part.
Now, we’re not saying no to a debate with the Houston Atheists Association. In fact we want one of our PhD scientists on staff to debate a PhD scientist chosen by the Houston Atheists Association. This would encourage a more fruitful exchange on the merits of creation vs. evolution, the age of the universe, etc.
So good, they’ve accepted the challenge, provided Houston atheists can find a professional scientist with a doctorate to debate our side. Prof P.Z. Myers PhD generously accepted their condition and added a proviso of his own, that I remain in the debate as his partner. However despite the fact that AiG has already clearly accepted our challenge, once PZ stepped up, answersingenesis has have fallen conspicuously silent. They continued to berate Lilandra -even on videos where our challenge was repeated, but otherwise they have cut off all communication and will not even acknowledge having initially accepted our challenge. it seems that they’re afraid of PZ, and they’re obviously afraid of me too. I wonder why?
Watch them show up with Sye Ten whatshisname…..
Indeed. Surely they will prevail unharmed like Daniel in the lion pit, and the Holy Ghost will be poured out over them like over the apostles on Pentecost to give them infinite powers of persuasion???
Sye ten Bruggencate.
I hate to say it, but I called it, back when I said that with PZ stepping up, they would just run away.
You’d think that if they really had the truth on their side, they wouldn’t resort to name calling, fabrication, and cowardice. Just goes back to what I have said, that the leaders of that whole mess are lying and know they are lying. If they were real believers, like their followers who are ignorant thanks to those lies, then they’d go ahead and debate. But their refusal shows they are just trying to cover their rears because they know that all they have is a pack of lies. They have to protect their lies! It’s the only reason they’re relevant and have money.
took the words right out of my mouth. how would an almighty god require his followers to go through such misinformation, distortion, and outirght lies if he’s there? why is proving their side so difficult and so full of contradictions, fallacies and sometimes pretty persuasive counterarguments?
Well a “biker” and an Evo Devo Phd? I’d be scared too.
Ken and Sye, sitting in a tree
P – R – A – Y – I – N – G
First comes Ra, then comes Myers
Then comes the truth, for those liers.
“Hi I’m AronRa, I’m going to verbally disembowel, dismember and eviscerate you. You will be gutted, sliced and cut into tiny pieces”
Offcourse Ken isn’t going to show up.
… we want one of our PhD scientists on staff to debate a PhD scientist …
As if you wouldn’t already be more competent than Ham. The fetishizing of the PhD–which academics know to be (in almost all cases) just the start of one’s work in a science–by these guys is of one piece with their authoritarian mindset on all other subjects. Siwash U says “thou art a PhD” so you must be an Authority. (But where did Old Siwash get the Authority?) Biblethumper Church says … etc. Next to Feynman’s Cargo Cult Science, we have the Cargo Cult of Degrees.
“It seems that they’re afraid of PZ, and they’re obviously afraid of me too. I wonder why?”
To be honest, I’d be afraid of meeting Aron in one of those dimly lit confrence halls for a debate. He looks as likely to eviscerate my arguments figuratively as to eviscerate me literally.