Church of the Infinite Chasm

WE GET LETTERS
It occurred to us after using Mrs. Gladys Bundlebee’s letter in last week’s post that we should do this more often. On that note, here’s another note, this one from Miss Genevieve Jones of Chilicothe, Ohio.

Miss Genevieve Jones

Thank you for writing, Miss Jones. I would like to stay on point and continue to appeal to reason. What I choose to believe in is partly based on odds and probability. The whole creation thing stems from the Bible, which contains basic principles that have stood the test of time for centuries. Don’t lie or steal. Don’t gossip. Don’t steal your neighbor’s wife, or even lust after her. Don’t be a hypocrite. Be modest and kind. Don’t build your worth around material possessions. Don’t murder, for heaven’s sake. Et cetera. There are hundreds more, the vast majority of which* are as relevant today as they were two or three thousand years ago.

Compare that with what man establishes as “fact:”
• A lengthy trial established that O.J. Simpson is innocent of murder.
• Ditto for Casey Anthony.
• And for George Zimmerman.
All were “proven” to be innocent. Do you agree?

What about scientific facts? Here are a few things science has at one time or another established as “fact.”
• The earth is flat.
• The sun revolves around the earth.
• Tobacco calms and soothes. Smoking cures cancer and wards off plague.
• Hand-washing is unimportant, even before surgery.
• Meat left in the open will spontaneously produce maggots, then flies.
• Bloodletting is the cure for many ailments.
• DDT will end malaria and be a boon to mankind.

Even careful scientists have “conclusively” established beliefs that were later proven to be false. Various drugs have been hailed as the latest medical miracle, only to later be proven to cause horrible and unforeseen side effects, birth defects, and even death. This is not a phenomenon of the Middle Ages or distant past centuries. It’s an unalterable part of science today, and will be tomorrow. This is a fact: people can “prove” what is not true.

Genevieve, in closing I call your attention to a paper presented by Douglas Allchin of the Minnesota Center for the Philosophy of Science to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2000. Its message was simple and to the point: “To err is science.”

Always keep that in mind.

[Notice: I have not proved creation, nor have I disproven evolution. I have simply presented evidence that is relevant to the discussion of whether anyone’s “proof” is iron-clad and unalterable.]

* Some stuff, like sacrificing goats or bulls to atone for one’s mistakes, are no longer relevant, and were never intended to be permanent laws or principles.

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