In this case, it’s not so much demanding equal time for religion to confirm their beliefs and feel better about the world around them, as much as it is using equal time to proselytize.

Religion however, is a result of ancient story-telling over the passing millenia and generations. And religion and science were inseparable for most of this cycle of civilization, it’s only recently that the two were seperated ( Age of Enlightenment ).

Human beings still fear the unknown and the biggest unknown is death. People want that reassurrance that “they” will continue on after it. And religion gives them some comfort.

As for wanting equal time with science, they’ll always demand it because until “God” can be disproven, people will always “believe”.

Didn’t even try to go there. Actually I was trying to humble evolution’s standing in nature if anything. =)

if the politicing [sic], willful ignorance make you angry, well, its human nature

Angry is too strong of a word. Irritated might be more like it. I have and idea about human nature and people’s ability to tell tall tales. It’s just that when those tales are being passed on as science and the storytellers are demanding that they be given equal footing with tangible fact… That’s different than just telling stories.

I’m just pointing out that you’re neglecting an important feature of human nature; our ability for ingenuity and creating myths.

Hey, I’m for empiricism and all that, but you empiricists keep banging your heads against the wall asking yourselves “why can’t the obviousness of the evidence make sense to these people?”

It’s because you fail to take in account that humans are a story-telling people since the Larrieux Cave Dwellers. More likely before then if the Gobekli Tepi digs prove as old as archaeologists guess.

If the politicing, willful ignorance make you angry, well, it’s human nature unfortunately and will probably be around until we genetically engineer it out of ourselves or blow ourselves up.

If you want to prove that something is manipulating life on Earth, metaphors and long winded esoteric stories with a rocket propelled leap from point A to point Z, skipping the rest of the alphabet in the middle, won’t do. You need tangible evidence.

Personally, I’m fine with the idea that life on our planet may have been created by artificial means. What I’m not fine with is the lack of evidence, politicking, willful ignorance and appeals to the Bible and theology rather than backing up the theory with solid science. If you want to play with the big boys, please learn the rules of the game.

I have to agree that proving the unprovable is akin to the chicken and the egg conundrum and there’s more evidence proving evolution than creationism.

But evolution isn’t the end-all, be-all either. Witness our own attempts at “creating” (more like engineering) artificial DNA and thus, artificial life itself and the ability to engineer our own “evolution.”

Thousands of years down the road, what will our various descendents say about us via various myths and legends?

Quietly, I considered the possibility of more frustration when the students returned. My dark mood was reinforced by the cigarette butts, coke cans and more discards littering the bus stop’s unloved, dusty ground.

EUREKA! I would make my point, without words.

A scraggly branch was modified to become a boom-like rake. I cleaned the ground until it was pristine and uniform. Stray rocks were brushed to reveal their original finish. Standing back I studied the scene and positioned them in reference to where the bus would stop and where passengers exit. I began tracing rhythmic, resonant lines around the rocks. Time flew. I was having fun as I thought of what might happen when the students arrived. Just beyond the hill’s crest the sound of the approaching bus grew louder and I moved out of sight.

The bus arrived. Students left the bus. They hesitating for a moment, the students continued their trek. I smiled. These students proved the point I was trying to make earlier. They avoided the ground etchings as they continued to their destination. Finally, the last student left the bus. He stopped and considered the ground for several moments, and, finally, I emerged from behind the bush. He recognized me from earlier in the day and asked, “Why?”

I smiled and explained. I wanted to prove that, unaided, we can recognize that life is not an accident. Life, existence, all of this I motioned all around us — is the result of a designer, God, whatever you want to call the creator of all this. I created these patterns in the dust and you noticed and responded. The creator has caused everything we see take this form and in some cases to live. Like you have here, I am encouraging people to look around, pause and ask, Why?