Is It Possible to Lose Even More Respect for America's Favorite Religion?
WTF?(click to imbiggen)
This week, much to my dismay, the editor of the newspaper I work for, agreed to add as an insert, an insidious little 8 page rag that a fundamentalist religious group under the name of the late Ron Wyatt, has put together. They are capitalizing on the fact that Wyatt, among other things, claimed to have found...Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Ark of the covenant,(which apparently is buried 20 feet under the site where Jesus was crucified, they are even claiming by "evidence", that when Jesus was stabbed in the side by a Roman guard the rocks were rent, & his blood seeped into the ground and dripped on said golden Ark of the Covenant. )
According to This Wikipedia article on Wyatt:
While Wyatt won a devoted following from the ranks of fundamentalist Christians seeking tangible evidence of the literal truth of the Bible, his credibility was disputed, often bitterly, by professional archaeologists and biblical scholars. The Garden Tomb Association of Jerusalem state in a letter they issue to visitors on request:
The Council of the Garden Tomb Association (London) totally refute the claim of Mr Wyatt to have discovered the original Ark of the Covenant or any other biblical artifacts within the boundaries of the area known as the Garden Tomb Jerusalem. Though Mr Wyatt was allowed to dig within this privately owned garden on a number of occasions (the last occasion being the summer of 1991) staff members of the Association observed his progress and entered his excavated shaft. As far as we are aware nothing was ever discovered to support his claims nor have we seen any evidence of biblical artifacts or temple treasures. DUH!
Among the numerous vile despicable things I notice about this so-called "Biblical Archaeology Digest" that is going to sully the paper I love, is the fact that they direct readers to a website: www. discoverynews.net Note the name, "Discovery News" Could they possibility be trying to ride on the coattails of a legitimate site that writes articles about real scientific and archeological discoveries? Of course they are!
Although, I lost respect for any kind of religious organization long ago, I am still amazed that such a group of shysters can so blatantly fly their banner under the guise of "Christianity" which is supposed to be the epitome of truth.
Adding to my sense of indignation, I will be very surprised if any local Christians even raise a peep about this nonsense.
If all that hasn't turned your stomach, check out this bit of pious drivel, written by Creationist apologists at AiG (answers in Genesis), where they attempt to cover their own asses in case their outlandish claims become exposed as the bullshit it is.
[Sheesh!]
posted by Rita @ 5:15 PM
30 Comments
30 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
It's sadly pretty simple. They believe it.
BTW, the second link isn't working, and I am kind of curious as to what you were referring.
I am sorry Ms.Rita about my posting showing up 6 times. I have had trouble earlier today trying to post anything, and blogger service said there was problem's, I reckon if you can delete all but one that would be cool.
Thanx Ms.Rita!
Well, Jesus' blood must not have been enough to cover the rent....wasn't he evicted from the tomb?
Hard to believe the catholics are still drinking it!
Oh yes, AIG and Ken Ham - the guy behind the "Creation Museum" where cave men are lumped together with dinosaurs like in The Flintstones.
We have followed the machinations of these folks quite a bit in the last few years.
Oddly, Ken Ham is also the name of the commander on the last Atlantis mission.
Want a real good laugh? Check out "Tarvuism"
http://tarvu.com/
Gosh, I thought I must have written a really good post when I saw I had all those comments, right off the bat! ;)
This kind of crap shouldn't bother me, but it does. The worst thing is it's going to be in my newspaper. In my opinion allowing these people to advertise in our publication might lessen the credibility of the newspaper.
Good Morning Ms.Rita ..... I understand ... forgive me ... I didnt see it looking at it from your point of view, but it's understandable. Hopefully in that case .... they just embarrass themselves and some of the local's/ subscriber's hint to them, that this may not be the most news worthy item to print, and they get the hint or something. I mean .... I dont know how one in that industry deal's with that without just outright denying them to print that. I just got a laugh, because some of it looked funny going through it.
Have a good un Dear .....
The name might be a reference to the Discovery Institute, a notorious nest of creationist fake-science nutjobs (it's the main evolution-denialist organization in the US, I think). Seriously, you might want to look into whether there's a connection. The credibility of a newspaper is not an inexhaustible resource, and your editor might think twice if the people who produce the insert are linked to a known anti-science group.
I do sympathize with your point. This is one of the reasons I'll never have ads on my blog. You can end up promoting something thoroughly repugnant.
Don't be surprised, by the way, if some non-fundamentalist Christians do complain about the insert. Some moderate Christians don't like this kind of thing because it associates their religion with obvious nonsense.
harry I couldn't find the AiG link again...anyway it was Ken Ham & his group of creation scientists explaining why when they are proven to be wrong it's not their fault. Basically, A. humans are flawed B. the bible is God's perfect word.
If a God fearing creationist gives out wrong information about, for instance: Proof of Noah's Ark & it's later proven to be false, The logic is: "Human beings make mistakes because they are imperfect beings, but it's OK, because God say's Noah's Ark really does exist, so it's not like the creationists are really wrong. Unlike, when a evolutionist makes a mistake, because evolutionists are wrong to begin with.
It's sadly pretty simple. They believe it. I know that's true in the case of some gullible
people who believe by faith without real evidence. But, this is a shyster in action.
mac At least Catholics drink real wine in their communions & not watered down grape juice. If I'm going to drink pretend blood, I'll take the wine please. :)
Rev Don't you think "Tarvuism" needs some real life blood & guts & fear to be a religion that is truly effective?
Or can a religion survive on marketing alone?
rc Like I said, I am not expecting to hear a peep from our local largely pious readership base. 22 churches in this little town & no one will have the courage to stand up & call bullshit.
If the sample in my post gives you a chuckle, wait until you see the paper. :)
infidel I don't know if it's directly linked to that nest of snakes, but in following the various internet links posted in the insert, a trail could be made back to them.
I guess I could look at it from a strictly advertising, POV.
Like for instance if the paper allows advertising of a product that doesn't really live up to the hype, it's not the fault of the paper.
But is this the same thing?
I'll let you judge for yourself.
Hilarious!!!
Barnum was right.
I wonder if someone proposed inserting a tract in the newspaper claiming that Pat Robertson had been abducted by aliens in his youth, if it would be included with the news. If the newspaper would accept payment to include such an unprovable claim, then the religious tract was probably included for the money. If not, then I suspect the editor (or whoever made the decision) included it for religious reasons and believes it him/herself ---which puts that person's judgment and credibility into question.
C Woods She(my editor)does not take this sort of thing as seriously as I do. She doesn't believe their outlandish claims to be true, she just see's them as another advertising client. She thinks I'm blowing the whole issue out of proportion.
I'm also guessing this will be the general attitude of most of our subscribers.
I'm waiting to see what the reaction will be before I completely pass judgment,though.
Infidel commented:
Don't be surprised, by the way, if some non-fundamentalist Christians do complain about the insert. Some moderate Christians don't like this kind of thing because it associates their religion with obvious nonsense.
One of the things that sets us atheists apart from others is our low threshold of tolerance for religious bullshit.
A moderate level of tolerance probably won't even generate a peep.
I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
"But, this is a shyster in action."
Ah yes. I couldn't even bring myself to watch the whole thing. I saw thirty seconds and my heart just started breaking.
It's like they don't even understand what blood is. They think blood can seep down into the ground that far and then cause magic to happen when it magically interacts with another magical device that probably never existed either!?
qf "Magical thinking" It is truly mind boggling...does it get any cornier or immature?
Only here.
harry Your heart started breaking? That is a different reaction then I had!
Perhaps I am too cynical.
Perhaps rita.
I think you and I both had "adverse" reactions though. I was sad, and you were miffed.
Surely not what he had in mind!
Nope .... hadnt seen that one yet, but havent went by my PO Box in a few day's .... but I'll catch it! Thanx .....
I do check out the "Sacred Page" though .... just to stay on the up and up .... If I ever visited your town I would love to preach a sermon in one of the churches one Sunday .... just as an anonymous visiting priest/ minister. I know a woman who own's a care house for elderly people (true story), and a group of elderly women were in wheel chair's and such, close to death, they watch the big screen in the home on sunday wishing they were young again and physically able to attend a church like on the tele they see, or have experienced in their prime. I preached sermon's to them one sunday .... and they became so fond of my preaching, they asked me to come back, even their familia's who pay good money for them to stay there, thanked me. I came back and preached a couple sermon's. Now .... a friend asked me "why would I do something like that?" ... I actually did it out of compassion .... these folk's were close to death, had no chance of living long ... and even if it was fantasy .... it brought smile's to their face's.
Later Ms.Rita!
We have a little hill billy pentecostal Church called "Victory Tabernacle" that really likes a simple rousing sermon with lot's of fire & brimstone. Could you handle that?
Or, do you do, the blah, blah...
consecrated host, droning in Latin, performance, Episcopalians & Catholics prefer?
Actually, no Ms.Rita .... not either one, and no ritualistic ceremonial activity, or any of the other conforming routine's of submission, lack of regard for the nature, etc. However .... I can assure it to be captivating, and a perspective and look at the teaching's of the Christ figure, the Nazarene, the work's of the 4 Gospel's, unlike anything they have ever heard, yet a very rousing, or let's just say eye and mind opening look, that will get the adrenaline in high gear, but not with fire and brimstone or anything that embrace's fear and submission .... certainly a sermon they would not forget, rest assured.
Or, do you do, the blah, blah...
consecrated host, droning in Latin, performance, Episcopalians & Catholics prefer?
I've studied the Satanic Black Mass and could probably do a pretty convincing one, Latin included. Of course, one wouldn't want to tell the attendees beforehand what kind of service their guest preacher was going to be performing. That would take all the fun out of it.
Just got the paper -- my [lack of] God, that insert is a horror! I share your pain! I'll have to see if I can come up with some straight info on some of this stuff (I think PZ Myers had a post on the "finding" of Noah's Ark recently) for a letter to the editor. Gaah. I studied Middle Eastern history -- real history -- and this thing is painful. An abomination unto archeology!
I picked up my last copy of the Sentinel, the other night from my POB ... which is dated 06/02/10, but it didnt have that in it. Did get Les Schwab's tire sale insert though .... which had some decent deal's!
Mr.Infidel: For Pete's sake dude .... they found another goddamn Noah's Ark? Um, um, um .... just slap me upside my goddamn head! :)
RC: It's the next one (June 9) that has the Noah's Ark Horseshit Sale insert, which does not have nearly as good deals. The mail must take longer to get to Texas.
There are also a couple of items about the local Gay 90's Parade. Maybe the religious nutters will complain about that (because of what "gay" means nowadays) instead of about the insert.
What they found wasn't even ark shaped, it looked more like an ancient ski lodge to me.
This is an example of just how much financial trouble newspapers are in.
libhom said: This is an example of just how much financial trouble newspapers are in.
Now days, who isn't in financial trouble?
I believe newspapers are still a major media force, they just have to adapt. Newspapers have a traditional obligation to be considered unbiased (think Ben Franklin), unlike TV which is too broad to be personal or talk radio which no one takes seriously because it has it's roots in sensationalism. The biggest threat to newspapers is the internet.
I work for a weekly newspaper, which is not suffering as much as the daily papers which need more paid staff for obvious reasons.
The most important thing is to keep the integrity level of the media high.
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