christ-on-a-stick

(*Note: this really applies mostly to Xians of the more fundamentalist flavour, who believe in creationism, a literal Flood, etc...)

I recently recalled a conversation I had with a pretty fundy aunt of mine (a frequent target of my tricky questions on account of her proselytizing ways). She is a YEC and often makes comments along the lines of "well I trust God's word more than I trust science and science is like a religion too and yaddayaddayadda). Essentially ignoring the role of science as a methodology and not a dogma, but I digress.

So it occurred to me one day some time ago to ask her if she entrusted her health to regular medical doctors, used over-the-counter medicines, etc. (knowing she does). Upon receiving her answer in the affirmative, I asked her why she believes that when it comes to things like experimenting and proving different drugs' efficacy, testing procedures and surgeries etc., she believes that the medical sciences are trustworthy and practical, but when it comes to things like evolution v. creation and carbon dating and the fossil record, she thinks that a) they're hiding something/fabricating things or b) "denying the truth".



It seems that on one hand they (fundamentalist Xians) rely on and TRUST the scientific method for personal health and safety, but when it comes to other issues they have a knee-jerk reaction that "if it doesn't fit in my presuppositions, it CAN'T be true". How do they reconcile this? Do they really believe that all scientists the world over are engaged in a Massive Scientific Conspiracy to "tell the truth" when it comes to how aspirin or penicillin works but be MAKING STUFF UP when it comes to evolution?

Jinto

Almost, but not quite.

What fundies really believe is that the scientific community is on a great conspiracy to deny the existence of God. This conspiracy, however, has a vested interest in making sure that the applied sciences work because they need them to work in order to live without God, so they can reasonably trust their doctors to make correct diagnoses.

Of course, when someone points out to them that evolution IS an applied science, they won't hear a word of it. Or they'll equivicate on the definition of a kind. Whichever.

And in conclusion, let the grand conspiracy to cover up the truth of the Invisible Pink Unicorn (PBUHHH) continue uninterrupted.

JEST2ASK

James 5 : 14,15

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church,and let them pray over him, annoiting him with oil in the name of the Lord. and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (note the NIV uses Them instead of him )


I have always wondered why more believers do not step out on "Faith" .... (adults freely choosing not parents deciding for children) ... as someone mentioned about Lourdes (sorry parapharsing) ... Why is it you don't see artifical limbs cast away there.... nevermind the canes, crutches and hearing aids.

Melkor

I've actually had someone tell me that they thought most of science was fabrication... even things like Quantum Mechanics.

So I was basically like, "So, Quantum Theory is just 'made up', and has no real bearing on reality, huh?"

He said, "Yup."

So I asked him how nuclear power plants generated power then, and he didn't have an answer for me.

MortalWombat

You could have even used a closer to home example: the laser beam in his CD player acts according to quantum mechanical principles as well.

Melkor

Or, for that matter, what that big, super-bright shiny thing is up in the sky from dawn to dusk, and how it produces energy.

It must be magic.

Rhea

Oh my god. How many letters are in that?

Rhea

As to the OP, I don't think they allow themselves an actual connection between the two thoughts.

I've had the same cognitive dissonance in the argument of overpopulation with young earthers.
1) Science can't be counted on to accurately date archeological finds.
2) Overpopulation is not a problem. Science will come up with a way of dealing with whatever population we have.




(we need the :huh icon here...)

Strawberry

I have a couple pairs of YEC aunts and uncles who have taken their kids to dinosaur museums.

"God put fossils here for us to wonder about."

Gah.

orac

"God gave us intelligence as a test. People who use it fail."

I swear I'm not making it up. There really are people who 'think" that way.

Once you realise that christians actively avoid logical thought in the same way normal people avoid leaping in front of trains, then you'll understand how they can think the things they do.

It's probably because they had just enough intelligence to observe what happens when people spend time thinking, and realised that thought leads to deconversion. Of course they then had to declare intelligence to be a sin, to avoid people thinking about it any more

It's impressive (in a depressing way) how they can believe this, and still calmly accept all the benefits that modern technology and medicine have given us. Thinking about how that's a contradiction probably counts as a sin.