Responses to Whose kids are they?:

In reference to the article of 4/2/08, "whose kids are they?", I would like to recommend a small book: James Clavell's "The Children's Story". This book is definitely not for children, but every parent needs to read it and take to heart. It will scare you, imagining how easy it would be for a negative point of view to be foisted on our children with little effort. Read it and weep. - BJ

I know a family who decided to homeschool their three boys. The two oldest boys (the third has not graduated yet) graduated at the age of 14 from high school. The first boy scored a 35 on the ACT (perfect score 36) and received a full ride scholarship for Computer Engineering at a local college. The second boy scored a PERFECT score on the ACT and also received a full scholarship for Computer Engineering at the same local college. The irony of it is, the local school district decided when the first boy graduated that they wanted him (since he got a 35 on the ACT) to be THEIR valedictorian (thereby allowing them to claim his success and I would imagine raising their funds). The highest level of education of their teacher (their mother)...some college (partly through an engineering degree). As another note, my cousin decided to pull her twin daughters out of a local school system and homeschool because one of her daughters got in trouble at school. The misbehavior? While in KINDERGARTEN she was asked to write five words that start with "J" and she wrote "Jesus". The teacher hauled this FIVE YEAR OLD to the office where the school administration called the parents in to tell them this was not permissible. - HC

How embarrassing. I'm a public school teacher and my wife teaches my teenagers at home. Although I know that many of our fine teachers in the public schools are good role models and Christians who see the schools in which they teach as their mission field, we all have to admit that public schools are at least as much under attack as are home school efforts. The drop out rates in public high schools are alarming, but even more alarming is the atmosphere generated by too many aimless teenagers going through the motions of being educated without learning effectively. We all know how much instructional time is wasted because of block schedules, overcrowded classrooms, and students dealing with dysfunctional families who can't handle being in a classroom. Worse, all of us feel that the teachers are being blamed for low performance when it is so obviously a massive social problem as well that is leading our students to learn less and have less discipline in their lives. We feel that our jobs are on the line because of student disinterest instead of being able to hold forth some standard and demand that students meet it or fail. There are many, many problems with public education today, and I can understand why so many choose to do the job themselves as education is not primarily a professional job but a parental job. Still, I know of at least two families who home school, not because they think they can do better, but because their kids simply refuse to get up in the morning and go to school. These families need help, not the option to cover up the problem by calling their kids' truancy home schooling. Can the church provide oversight in some way to get help to families who are trying to do the right thing instead of just leave them to fend for themselves in the particular zeitgeist we happen to find ourselves facing in these times? - John White

I really appreciate your newsletter. You're a beacon of truth in an increasingly confused world. Thanks very much! - M.Wojcik

Responses to No Intelligence Allowed:

About 20 years ago, when I was in graduate school I took a course called the Philosophy of Science. One of the book we were required to read was The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kune. The article on the film Expelled No Intelligence Allowed sounds familiar to what Kune found when he examined how science really operates. Scientists expend lots of effort to protect long-established theories. If an anomaly arises that the theory can't accommodate then there is a crisis and much debate. The end result is that sometimes a new theory is adopted due to the inability of the old theory to explain the anomaly. - Dennis Riecke Fisheries Biologist, Brandon, MS

Thank you for mentioning this movie. I want to bring the attention of readers to the far more serious case of Daniel Bourdanne, an African Christian Leader, effectively expelled from Great Britain because of his faith. Attention was drawn to this by Bishop Tom Wright of Durham in his Easter sermon, and in the postscript to it posted on his website: http://www.ntwrightpage.com/sermons/EasterDay08.htm - Dan O'Hara

The part that bothers me the most about this debate, is that ideas such as natural selection, and survival of the fittest seem to have crept into our social consciousness, and perhaps in some ways have taught us that we cannot be wrong. And it would seem that both sides of the debate are guilty of this. It would seem that in any debate, the truth of that matter would lay somewhere near the middle of the opposing ideas, rather than at either extreme. Why would the debate between ID and evolution be any different? I think perhaps we would be further along the trail of discovery if instead of opposing one another, trying to prove the other wrong, and ourselves as right, that if we could learn to realize our similarities, our common ground, and build on the intelligence and experience of each other, we would understand more of the things we question. - K

I have problems with your recent email as well as a lot of things I am hearing about the movie Expelled and how it was made. I would love to hear a response from you. Have you read Richard Dawkins blog posting about Expelled? How he was misled by the producers? I find it ironic for a movie that claims to fight for fair, open dialogue expelled from one of the previews a scientist that was interviewed for the movie and signed up for tickets fairly just like everyone else in attendance! It appears the producer acted to keep out intelligent, balanced conversation in the Q&A session following the movie. Here's my request: Since you claim to fight against injustice, and for fairness in your publication, publish Dawkins response as well. Come out against the producers of this movie who are giving Christians a bad name by using deceit and twisting of words to make their point. By the way, why the picture of Stein with a smile and Dawkins with a frown? Talk about pushing an agenda. In my mind, your publication and Expelled are as bad if not worse than Dawkins' approach against religion. Concerned fellow Christian, - Chris Schopmeyer Worship Pastor Pinelake Church

Your discussion with "Expelled" on March 25, 2008 regarding "No Intelligence Allowed" and the comments by Mark Mathis, Producer, Expelled, repeat the flaws in your continuing discussion of atheism, theism, religion, God, intelligent design, and intelligent designer. All these terms contain "double speak" For example, the terms "God" and "Intelligent Designer" can be the same or they can be different. The term that includes "God" and "Intelligent Designer" is The Explanation For Existence . The human being does not know The Explanation For Existence. The term "God" is used to elevate the human being to a one to one relationship with The Explanation For Existence. The terms "Intelligent Design" and "Intelligent Designer" are used to give "God" a place in science. Darwin's theory of evolution does not provide The Explanation For Existence. Evolution is a theory of only one aspect of existence, namely life. Life is only one part of the vast spectrum of existence. Life on earth, and the human being in particular, may be, and likely is, just one representative of life in existence throughout the universe(s). The "Intelligent Designer" did a poor job of designing human life that lives for a nanosecond of time with uncertainty as to "why we are here" and "what happens to us after we die." Of course, human beings are capable of mysticism and super natural belief to provide answers to these questions. These answers are included in the concepts of "God," religion, faith, and, more recently, intelligent design by an intelligent designer. The best answer is that - Existence exists. There is an explanation for existence. The human being does not know the explanation for existence. It is possible that the human being is the reason for, cause of, or explanation for existence. But, it is highly unlikely. Respectfully, - Norman Henry Colchester, Vermont

Responses to Dawkins and the God of the Old Testament:

In response to your "Dawkins and the God of the Old Testament" article - I thought that the article was a very good one, but did not go far enough. First of all, we must go back to the first issue; Dawkins makes an attack on the Bible and the God of that Bible as a promoter of genocide and an evil bully. This tells me that a tremendous amount of selective reading of those Bible passages is the problem. Dawkins (and other atheists/pagans who bring up this false claim) conveniently leave out important details in the Bible. In the vast majority of those cases when Israel attacks the surrounding nations, it had everything to do with self-preservation and nothing to do with genocide. In just about every case, these nations were extremely hostile towards Israel; they were intimidating, aggressive and violent towards them. This military aggression on the part of these surrounding nations was unprovoked hostility. In the case of the Midianites, they used cunning towards Israel in order to harm them. So the Israelites had two choices: ask for God's help in defending themselves or face extinction and/or slavery. They had already escaped slavery under Egypt. They chose the former and God acted on their behalf. A second reason was because of the terrible religious practices of these nations. Many of them practiced human sacrifice, especially child sacrifice and bestiality and in some cases, child prostitution. Archeology has borne this out, especially around the area of ancient Canaan. In fact, there were so many sacrificed babies unearthed in clay vessels in this area that some archaeologists wondered why they hadn't been destroyed sooner. Human sacrifice is detestable to moral people, religious or not, no matter how you look at it and child sacrifice is even worse. Yet, the gods of these surrounding nations demanded it. The God of the Bible demanded that the Israelites keep themselves separate from these people because He did not want them to get involved in such practices. He found human sacrifice abhorrent. Any nations that build an entire culture surrounding the practice of human sacrifice and sex abuse of animals and children SHOULD be destroyed. If nations today were aware of such a country practicing these things openly as if nothing was wrong with it, if these things were supported by the State in that land, don't you think the U.N. would get involved? It would be an extreme outrage to the sensibilities of people the world over! I grow tired of the "Old testament God is evil" canard and I wish more people would use the Bible to correct these false accusations. - Victoria, Portland, OR