According to a recent survey, more than a third of professors at the top fifty universities describe themselves as atheist or agnostic. Among biology professors, it's a whopping 61%. It's no surprise then that belief in atheism has doubled in the college age bracket in the last 20 years. Best selling author, Ray Comfort, says, "Keeping intelligent design out of schools, is a hill to die on for evolutionists, so when I found that Charles Darwin's Origin of Species was available in the public domain, I had an idea that would get the truth onto college campuses. We are therefore reproducing Origin of Species in an abridged form (280 pages) with an added 'Special Introduction.'"
The introduction gives a time line of Darwin's life, and his thoughts on the existence of God. It lists the theories of many hoaxes, exposes the unscientific belief that nothing created everything, points to the incredible structure of DNA, and notes the absence of any undisputed transitional forms.
To show the dangerous fruit of evolution, it also mentions Hitler's undeniable connections to the theory, Darwin's racism, and his disdain for women. In addition, it counters the claim that creationists are "anti-science" by citing numerous scientists who believed that God created the universe -- scientists such as Einstein, Newton, Copernicus, Bacon, Faraday, Pasteur, and Kepler.
This special edition includes many original graphics and (as it says on the back cover) is designed for use in schools, colleges, and prestigious learning institutions. Its release is timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Darwin's book, initially published in November 1859 as On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.
The back cover lists the above information as well as saying the book contains "Information on Intelligent Design vs Evolution." The publication, which has already pre-sold over 20,000 copies, is already getting raving reviews from evolutionists.
Comfort said: "People that feel strongly about this issue can simply stand on the sidewalk at the main entrance of any college or university with a sign that says: 'Free 150th year anniversary editions of Origin of Species.' Having an indication of how many want the book will greatly help us with our print-run quantity. We want to get one million copies into the hands of students and professors in colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Let's see if they try to ban Darwin's Origin of Species. That would be interesting. The entire 50-page introduction can be freely read at Comforts website"
Yes, I'm sure this will change many minds, because if there was one thing I learned in college, it's that if a person isn't perfect, all of their ideas are wrong. Honestly, could anyone not see through the thin veil of what Ray's trying to do here? I doubt this will have an impact on anyone's thoughts of evolution. These books will likely make anyone handing them out lose what little credibility they may have.
Also, 50 pages is not an introduction, it's an addendum. To call it an introduction is a bold-faced lie, but what else would you expect from the "moral majority."
"I should get it and rip out the "Special Introduction". Probably full of mindless lies anyway."
It is 55% shorter than the original version. you can imagine how chopped up it will be. Basically it is one big quote mine of "On the Origin of Species".
There's a lot of hilarity over this edition over at the scienceblogs. Comfort is known as a particularly poor thinker.
Of the repetition of nonsense in the review above isn't helpful, such as the clearly idiotic inference that Hitler's racism and actions were derived from evolution, or that Einstein believed that God created the universe. He used god as a metaphor for nature, but specifically called any notion that he believed in a personal God a lie.
The most interesting thing to me is that he has disguised the fact that a) it's abridged, and b) abridged by Ray Comfort. But he won't give an official reason for this, we all know why of course, but it would be nice to get an honest answer from him about it. . . Hahahaha yeah like that will happen.
Reading the intro is quite funny, all the childish insults and lies in it.
He even fell for the 'Vestigial' line. He wants this to be a science text and he can't even get word definitions right.
Remember, to Ray it makes perfect sense that discrediting Darwin personally would also automatically discredit the theory of evolution. He sees - or, perhaps, is unable to not see - evolution as a religion, and if you discredit the “progenitor” of a religion, the religion itself is also discredited.
If evolution were a religion, like Christianity, he would be correct. But Ray proceeds from a false assumption.
Evolution is not a religion, it is a scientific theory. It has been verified repeatedly by thousands of scientists in biology and other fields. Over the last 150 years, as our knowledge has grown and the evidence has accumulated, evolution has become stronger. There is simply no serious question about the theory of evolution among scientists.
Even if Darwin could be successfully discredited in some manner, it would make no difference; the theory he developed now exists apart from him. But Ray doesn’t get that, possibly never will, and perhaps simply can't.
The real problem is that everyone wants to believe in evolution because is discredits God our creator. Its feels much better to put the blinders on, for now anyway, and think that we are not to answer to a creator. Then we can live just as we want because we are just animals and the God of the universe is a fairy tale, right? By the way, universe means a single (uni)- spoken sentence(verse). "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". Choosing to reject God and accept evolution takes more "faith" than believing in the Bible and understanding creation as it is given to us. Sin is the problem, men like darkness and the Bible is a Spot light. One day God will let people have their way in rejecting Him and there is a place for those sadly. Heaven will not be filled with people who don't want anything to do with God. Repent and accept Jesus Christ as your only means of salvation. Read your Bible, seek God and he will reveal Himself!
"It lists the theories of many hoaxes"
This sentence doesn't make sense. Is he using loaded language to make it seem that scientific theories are hoaxes? Disingenuous.
"...exposes the unscientific belief that nothing created everything"
What's that got to do with evolution?
"...notes the absence of any undisputed transitional forms."
It's comical that creationists still spew this nonsense. It is an outright lie.
To Philip: re:
By the way, universe means a single (uni)- spoken sentence(verse).
Universe does not mean single spoken sentence. When you look up the etymology of the word, this is what you get.
Origin:
1325–75; ME < OF univers < L ?niversum, n. use of neut. of ?niversus entire, all, lit., turned into one, equiv. to ?ni- uni- + versus (ptp. of vertere to turn).
look words up instead of assuming you know what they mean. I triple checked all my words before I wrote this.
Oops I should have read the rest of what Philip said, but was too busy looking up the correct meaning of universe, when I went back and read the rest, hilarity ensued. There is no such thing as believing in a scientific theory like evolution because they are facts and can be proven. It takes no faith to believe in scientific facts because they can be proven. The very word faith means "belief that is not based on proof". If you can prove something it is not faith. Proof is tangible, faith in something is not, therefore no one can have faith in evolution. They can only accept it as truth.
Comfort appears to have removed his "Introduction" from his web site. Was this due to the many accusations of plagarism? It seems that the only way to actually check his text is to show up at one of the give-a-aways.
Why give away something freely on campus to students, but not make it available to their parents?
I feel compelled to point out that highlighting the ways in which a scientific theory may have been abused in the past is not the same thing as debating its credibility.
Not worth buying and shame on the publisher for using Darwin's name for sale. What is worst is the deceptive title for the book and lack of warning for consumers. The book should have a red slash on Darwin's portrait and a title "The Origin of Species by Ray". Just freaking leave out Darwin's name!
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According to a recent survey, more than a third of professors at the top fifty universities describe themselves as atheist or agnostic. Among biology professors, it's a whopping 61%. It's no surprise then that belief in atheism has doubled in the college age bracket in the last 20 years. Best selling author, Ray Comfort, says, "Keeping intelligent design out of schools, is a hill to die on for evolutionists, so when I found that Charles Darwin's Origin of Species was available in the public domain, I had an idea that would get the truth onto college campuses. We are therefore reproducing Origin of Species in an abridged form (280 pages) with an added 'Special Introduction.'"
Comments
I should get it and rip out the "Special Introduction". Probably full of mindless lies anyway.
Yes, I'm sure this will change many minds, because if there was one thing I learned in college, it's that if a person isn't perfect, all of their ideas are wrong. Honestly, could anyone not see through the thin veil of what Ray's trying to do here? I doubt this will have an impact on anyone's thoughts of evolution. These books will likely make anyone handing them out lose what little credibility they may have.
Also, 50 pages is not an introduction, it's an addendum. To call it an introduction is a bold-faced lie, but what else would you expect from the "moral majority."
"I should get it and rip out the "Special Introduction". Probably full of mindless lies anyway."
It is 55% shorter than the original version. you can imagine how chopped up it will be. Basically it is one big quote mine of "On the Origin of Species".
"According to a recent survey, more than a third of professors at the top fifty universities describe themselves as atheist or agnostic."
That's pretty close to the population as a whole.
"Among biology professors, it's a whopping 61%."
That's because they actually know the facts.
"It's no surprise then that belief in atheism has doubled in the college age bracket in the last 20 years."
Actually, it's doubling about every 10 years. Great, isn't it? It's the triumph of reason over superstition.
There's a lot of hilarity over this edition over at the scienceblogs. Comfort is known as a particularly poor thinker.
Of the repetition of nonsense in the review above isn't helpful, such as the clearly idiotic inference that Hitler's racism and actions were derived from evolution, or that Einstein believed that God created the universe. He used god as a metaphor for nature, but specifically called any notion that he believed in a personal God a lie.
The most interesting thing to me is that he has disguised the fact that a) it's abridged, and b) abridged by Ray Comfort. But he won't give an official reason for this, we all know why of course, but it would be nice to get an honest answer from him about it. . . Hahahaha yeah like that will happen.
Reading the intro is quite funny, all the childish insults and lies in it.
He even fell for the 'Vestigial' line. He wants this to be a science text and he can't even get word definitions right.
Einstein has never been a believer! He was even attacked for his lack of faith by american christians! Comfort, get your facts straight!!!
Remember, to Ray it makes perfect sense that discrediting Darwin personally would also automatically discredit the theory of evolution. He sees - or, perhaps, is unable to not see - evolution as a religion, and if you discredit the “progenitor” of a religion, the religion itself is also discredited.
If evolution were a religion, like Christianity, he would be correct. But Ray proceeds from a false assumption.
Evolution is not a religion, it is a scientific theory. It has been verified repeatedly by thousands of scientists in biology and other fields. Over the last 150 years, as our knowledge has grown and the evidence has accumulated, evolution has become stronger. There is simply no serious question about the theory of evolution among scientists.
Even if Darwin could be successfully discredited in some manner, it would make no difference; the theory he developed now exists apart from him. But Ray doesn’t get that, possibly never will, and perhaps simply can't.
This is Mr Comfort spitting on Darwin's grave and making money off of it.
He does the same to Einstein.
The real problem is that everyone wants to believe in evolution because is discredits God our creator. Its feels much better to put the blinders on, for now anyway, and think that we are not to answer to a creator. Then we can live just as we want because we are just animals and the God of the universe is a fairy tale, right? By the way, universe means a single (uni)- spoken sentence(verse). "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". Choosing to reject God and accept evolution takes more "faith" than believing in the Bible and understanding creation as it is given to us. Sin is the problem, men like darkness and the Bible is a Spot light. One day God will let people have their way in rejecting Him and there is a place for those sadly. Heaven will not be filled with people who don't want anything to do with God. Repent and accept Jesus Christ as your only means of salvation. Read your Bible, seek God and he will reveal Himself!
"It lists the theories of many hoaxes"
This sentence doesn't make sense. Is he using loaded language to make it seem that scientific theories are hoaxes? Disingenuous.
"...exposes the unscientific belief that nothing created everything"
What's that got to do with evolution?
"...notes the absence of any undisputed transitional forms."
It's comical that creationists still spew this nonsense. It is an outright lie.
So would you support someone distributing an abridged copy of the Bible with a "Special Introduction" added to it?
To Philip: re:
By the way, universe means a single (uni)- spoken sentence(verse).
Universe does not mean single spoken sentence. When you look up the etymology of the word, this is what you get.
Origin:
1325–75; ME < OF univers < L ?niversum, n. use of neut. of ?niversus entire, all, lit., turned into one, equiv. to ?ni- uni- + versus (ptp. of vertere to turn).
look words up instead of assuming you know what they mean. I triple checked all my words before I wrote this.
Oops I should have read the rest of what Philip said, but was too busy looking up the correct meaning of universe, when I went back and read the rest, hilarity ensued. There is no such thing as believing in a scientific theory like evolution because they are facts and can be proven. It takes no faith to believe in scientific facts because they can be proven. The very word faith means "belief that is not based on proof". If you can prove something it is not faith. Proof is tangible, faith in something is not, therefore no one can have faith in evolution. They can only accept it as truth.
Comfort appears to have removed his "Introduction" from his web site. Was this due to the many accusations of plagarism? It seems that the only way to actually check his text is to show up at one of the give-a-aways.
Why give away something freely on campus to students, but not make it available to their parents?
I feel compelled to point out that highlighting the ways in which a scientific theory may have been abused in the past is not the same thing as debating its credibility.
Not worth buying and shame on the publisher for using Darwin's name for sale. What is worst is the deceptive title for the book and lack of warning for consumers. The book should have a red slash on Darwin's portrait and a title "The Origin of Species by Ray". Just freaking leave out Darwin's name!
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