Logic and Reason; Lunatics, Liars and Intellectual Discourse (or the lack thereof)

In working on the Redeeming Darwin project with EvanTell and Probe Ministries, I started doing a little research into the world of the Neo-Darwinist, Evolutionist and Atheistic movements. With the release of Expelled I had the opportunity to learn even more. I was surprised to find very strong emotional content and very weak intellectual discourse; at least in what they publish online. I am amazed at how scornfully vitriolic and malicious the disposition is toward anyone who does not accept their philosophical (not scientific—those are still ‘theories’) conclusions. Individuals whose self-confessed missions in life are to the inquiry and discovery of science are not open to any new ideas that were threatening—not to science—but to their worldview.

Scientific expertise aside, if Neo-Darwinists, Evolutionists and Atheists claim to be such rational thinkers, wouldn’t their own dialogue be calm and logical rather than histrionic and passionate? If we Christians are truly “lunatics and liars” wouldn’t ours be the irrational, fanatical discussions? This is not the case. I found most of their writings to be laced with expletives I would not re-print, name-calling I would never think of, and arguments so full of logical fallacies it really made me take a closer look at how they defend their positions. It’s as if they are on a school ball field taunting the other kids and resorting to fighting; breaking all the rules because they just can’t seal the victory no matter how ‘good’ their players are or how hard they try. They are angry and very defensive. On the other side, you have the Intelligent Design folks (and even creationists—the two are not synonymous) who are calm and rational—simply requesting the opportunity to join the discussion. Hmmm—typically when one side has the truth, they are cool, calm and collected—when another is standing on a weak and flawed position, they tend to resort to defensiveness, name calling, and irrational arguments. Interesting and revealing.

Therefore, I thought “how could I shed a small amount of light within this dark discussion?” I don’t have the time or desire to go search through the endless blogs (really bogs) of their rants and tirades. So, I will leave that to you. However, I do want to equip the reader (that’s you) with a few definitions and explanations of common logical fallacies you will find in their articles and posts. I am sure there are many more you can detect—I want to encourage you to think. Use your brain and really look at how the issues are addressed—not the issues themselves—consider how differently the two sides talk about them. It reveals what is truth and who holds it. Hopefully you are already firm in your faith, and this discovery process should only strengthen that faith. It certainly has mine.

Above all, be salt and light. Have patience and try not to fall into the temptation to be defensive and confrontational. Even as we arm ourselves to defend the truth; our theme should be in declaration of the power of the gospel. Attract—don’t attack. God can handle the Neo-Darwinists, Evolutionists and Atheists just fine. He created them too, even if they don’t believe it. So dive in, enjoy the discussion and never stop learning!

2 Corinthians 4:1-6