A Quick Update
For those still reading Ocellated, sorry for the lack of blogging goodness lately. Grad school has officially consumed my life, and I love it.
This week shows absolutely no signs of letting up either. A test today (bird orders of the world - which I’ll ace) and one tomorrow (advanced genetics — I’ll be beaten and disfigured to the point of being barely recognizable) will keep me snowed under. I also leave for a weekend in the Davis Mountains this Friday! I haven’t been back since I left this summer from thesis research.
What’s really been sucking up my time though is the Wednesday bible class lessons I’ve been doing over evolution. When I’m not working on school or other business jobs I have on the side, I’ve been working on those lessons.
Last week (the second lesson) was large scale evolutionary change. Cool things like the reptile-mammal transition, theropod dinosaur - bird transition, biogeography, adaptive radiations, vestigial traits, and the 2000 pound elephant in the room all along, human evolution. The audience (with a conservative evangelical background) did quite well, and took in stride human chromosome number 2 being the combination (fusion) of chimpanzee chromosomes 12 and 13. Indeed you can read a little about that evidence yourself here.
I have been spending much of the week since that lesson though struggling with a desire to feel merciful and forgiving, and a sense of righteous indignation. I expected some people to be upset. I mentally prepared myself for it and was (and am) fully determined to be polite and gracious in my conversations that ensue.
What’s frustrated me so was a conversation that I overhead as I made a beeline to the kitchen to grab liquid refreshment to quench the cracked and burning surface that was my throat after an extended period of talking with no breaks. One person in the class was talking to another and “refuting” everything they’d just seen. I completely stayed out of the conversation. But as I thought about it, what troubled me so was that this person was wasting an opportunity. At the front of the room, two biology grad students who’d just taught the class, both Christians, were available to answer questions. But instead of taking the opportunity to ask further questions and reflect on what they’d just heard, this person instead cornered someone to gripe about the class.
The irony is ripe here. The very creation story some cling as having to be literal teaches much about the dangers of pride and the virtues of humility. Yet pride and a lack of humility rear their ugly head when the evolution / creation issue gets discussed.
Oh well. That’s why I’m teaching the class. And at least for some people, I have little doubt they’ll find it worthy of their time and consideration.
Casting your pearls before Swine….That’s what is happening.
Thye are your pearls of wisdom these folks aren’t ready for.
That phrase means so much to me. Now I like to keep my pearls when I think the swine will just dine on them and discard them as offal. You are doing a great service.
There are three stages when a man is faced with a new truth
1. Ridicule
2. Violent opposition
3. Acceptance as if it was self evident
Someday when you hear that same perosn indignantly telling someone the “facts” as they learned it in your class you will see the circle knowledge takes.
Watch for the stages…it is amazing how they are all around for all kinds of truths.
Thanks Liz, but I think the swine analogy is perhaps a little too harsh. Yes, for some people, they’ve been taught that evolution is a bad theory and incompatible with faith for so long that it’s difficult and very uncomfortable to hear things that call their understanding on the issue into stark question. But I think we’re all ignorant of different things, with our own prejudices. And that’s why I think a measure of humility and patience on my part is more than warranted as people search for knowledge and truth. Yes, there are certainly a few that probably don’t want knowledge or truth. But I think most do.
Jay,
It is a wonderful thing that you even have the opportunity to teach the class. I am amazed. You sound very busy but when you have a chance please continue to keep us posted on what you present.
The church I was at a couple of years ago hosted Bert Thompson of Apologetics Press (about a year before his firing) and I’m sure they would’ve censored it if I’d tried to do what you are doing. (For you other readers, Apologetics Press is comprized of Church of Christ people and is or has supported the Young Earth Creationist position.) I was extremely disappointed the church’s elders chose to support that work.
Jay, there is an article in the Nov. 13 Time Magazine (the law office I work at subscribes to it) that talks about this issue. The front cover says “God vs. Science: A spirited debate between atheist biologist Richard Dawkins and Christian geneticist Francis Collins.” I have no idea what the debate is really about, as I’m technically supposed to be working, not reading magazines while at work, but I thought maybe you had heard of these guys or something.
Hang in there with the grad school - the semester is almost over - yahoo!
Jay,
You are not going to undo years of anti evolution indoctrination over night. You are trying to change a whole paradigm. I am sure your job isn’t helped by the the rhetoric of Richard Dawkins and others who even think that theistic evolutionists including Ken Miller undermine science.
You might look at
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/science/21belief.html?ei=5090&en=1248e2f606e1e138&ex=1321765200&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
and
http://theforcethat.blogspot.com/2006/11/tiff-among-allies.html
We miss your posts Jay. Hope all is well.
Steve
I think I’ll start posting comments about how the world was created in 6 twenty-four hour days to see if I can get a response out of Jay.
Also, the world is only 4,468 years old.
In addition, I’ve never seen a half frog/half bear around which would convince me evolution is happening.
Jay…it is time for you to start posting again, the blog-o-sphere needs you.