The York Dispatch
has an editorial on the aftermath of the Dover trial and how it has affected the plaintiffs in the case. In short: not well. First they remind us of the words of John Jones III at the trial:
"The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the Board who voted for (intelligent design). It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy."
Despite this, as the editorial outlines, Bryan and Christy Rehm have been the target of veiled attacks and have been ostracized:
The Rehms, whose days in Dover Township are numbered, recently told The York Dispatch that they've had enough of the negativity that has followed them since the trial. They're moving.
"It just never goes away," Christy Rehm said. "We have proof it never goes away. We still feel it. We have neighbors that aren't so friendly with us."
Religious literature regularly fills their mailbox, and people call them "heathens" behind their backs, they said.
"We've given so much time, effort and energy to this district," Christy said. "A lot of people — a lot of our friends — have walked away, and we're still here. People just don't stay here."
What a rotten Christian witness from people who don't seem to know better but should. I am sure there are quite a few people who didn't treat them this way, but the stench remains. This is one reason (out of many) that I am almost done with modern evangelical Christianity. Not Christianity, just the way people in the modern evangelical movement practice it. I have a friend who went that route (not for the same reasons) a few years ago and converted to Orthodoxy. That is looking better and better.
Yeah, I left a firm Reformed Baptist position about 6 years ago. Nothing could fell my Calvinistic towers.......until I ran into the Orthodox Christology of the ancient Ecumenical Councils.
ReplyDeleteThey never were literal biblicists, so evolution is generally accepted too.
This is quite a shock.
ReplyDeleteUsually when you sue your neighbors, drag them through federal court, subject them to viscious ridicule and invective because of their most deeply held beliefs, censor them in their own schools for reading a paragraph describing a scientific theory as a theory, and cost them a million dollars in legal fees that was supposed to go to their children's education, people are usually appreciative and friendly.
Such weird behavior on the part of their neighbors...
Mike Egnor
Have you read Of Pandas and People? It is a truly awful book. They trucked that book in in the dead of night so that nobody would notice. Deeply held religious beliefs or not, junk science is junk science. They didn't sue their friends and neighbors, they sued the school to get the junk science taken out.
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't very Christian of them. The Lord didn't say "turn the other cheek, unless they throw junk science at you--then, sue." Why couldn't these arrogant censors just said "hey I don't like the book, but let's work it out like neighbors. I'll give my opinion, you give yours, and we'll agree to disagree."
DeleteFunny how you put on the Christian act, but don't ask simple civility from your Darwinist buddies.
And by the way, the money came from the school district, which means it came from the families with kids in the district. Don't play stupid.
Mike Egnor
"Have you read Of Pandas and People? It is a truly awful book"
ReplyDeleteEver read Descent of Man? It's full of racism and hatred--Darwin wonders why we even bothered to made a smallpox vaccine to save people who are weak--he says that smart breeders "don't allow their worst animals to breed".
The subtitle of Origin is:"Preservation of favored races in the struggle for life".
Talk about awful books--Panda's is a delight compared to your Darwinian filth.
And you call yourself a "Christian".
Mike Egnor
I noticed that you didn't address my statements about Of Pandas and People. I repeat: junk science is junk science. And to question my commitment to Jesus is the height of arrogance.
ReplyDeletePandas is a fine book. People ought to be able to read it if they want to. Beats the Darwinian junk science the kids have shoved down their throat.
ReplyDeleteAbout your commitment to the Lord--get real. You celebrate suing your Christian brothers and sisters, financially devastating their school district, on behalf of lawyers representing atheists who use schools to peddle atheism's creation myth.
You whine about the incivility of Christians in your idiotic post, but you defend the viciousness of the atheists who attacked them in court.
Not a lot of Christ in that, huh? You are a disgrace to our faith and to the Lord.
You sold your soul a long time ago, Kidder.
Mike Egnor
Mike Egnor
I believe evolutionary scientist and Christian Ken Miller was a witness at that trial. This is not about some atheist agenda. Christians are to be truth-bearers.Period. When we embrace what is demonstrably false, we bear false witness.
DeleteVery good reply, Canadian. And by the way, Mike, the title of the legal case was "Kitzmiller vs. Dover School Board," not "Kitzmiller vs. a bunch of my neighbors." The book Of Pandas and People got many, many details of evolutionary theory wrong and was widely panned by scientists. If we are going to teach our children science, it needs to be good science.
DeleteYou teach children that science is decided in courtrooms, and that the proper approach to neighbors and friends who disagree is to sue them in federal court.
DeleteThe fact is that you are so unsure of your science that you dare not even subject it to the scrutiny of schoolchildren.
If you trusted your theory, you wouldn't have to sue critics to silence them.
"This is not about some atheist agenda. Christians are to be truth-bearers.Period. When we embrace what is demonstrably false, we bear false witness."
Darwinism allows Dawkins to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist. Sounds like an atheist project to me.
ME
[And by the way, Mike, the title of the legal case was "Kitzmiller vs. Dover School Board," not "Kitzmiller vs. a bunch of my neighbors." ]
DeleteThe money came from the school district, which meant $1,000,000 in legal costs to lawyers from taxpayer money, which means the neighbors' money. I wonder how much of the kids' education money the expert witnesses (Ken Miller) got paid.
Beneath contempt.
ME
Actually, he didn't get paid anything. None of the witnesses for the prosecution got paid. All of the defense witnesses did, even if their testimony wasn't used.
DeleteNice Christian attitude you have there. Every single response of yours has been venomous.
ReplyDeleteAnd suing your neighbors isn't venomous?
DeleteFunny how you insist on milquetoast commentary from Christians, and applaud litigous thuggery from your atheist friends.
As I said, I see no Christianity in that. You should be defending free discourse and civility and condemning people who sue their (Christian) neighbors to shut them up.