Ummmm.. WOW

My last post was regarding a recent letter to the editor from a "Michael D. Shoesmith". After posting my blog, I thought I'd search to see who he was. I found this letter to the editor (http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1447182 - it is the middle posting).

WARNING: Rational thinking people will end up with a headache from reading the contents of Michael's letter. Please stay away from walls and other hard/firm objects - you will want to bang your head against something. You have been warned.

The title of this blog is "Ummmm.. WOW" because there is hardly anything that can be said to counter such inanity. Here it is:

Evolution a myth, says reader
Sir:Feb. 12 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of the incarnation of the perpetrator of the greatest intellectual meltdown ever, none other than Charles Darwin. Not only was it an assault on intelligence and reason, but also a full frontal attack on the known laws of physics which govern the universe foundationally. By taking a proverbial sledgehammer to the foundation pillars, Darwin set in motion the shockwaves that led to the holocaust, abortion, and the list goes on and on. Teaching kids the theory of evolution is the single greatest act of child abuse ever thrust upon humanity.
Those who celebrated the event in festive form identified themselves with barbarians -- human beings reaching down to identify with animals instead of reaching up to identify with God. They are religious in the most negative sense of the word possible. They swallowed a lie and called it truth. They believed a myth because it tickled their ears.
It is utterly amazing to me that anyone, in today's age of scientific enlightenment, would continue to hold the false evolution dogma as truth in the face of overwhelming evidence against it. I've written books about this and I've debated scientists from around the world and the only solid psychological conclusion to be reached is a flat out denial of the facts to support such barbaric ideology which can only be the result of mental illness. May God help us to find a cure.
-- Michael D. Shoesmith Sarnia

I've met some pretty deluded people in my life but none come close to Michael Shoesmith. He is a "hazardous chemicals expert" and he has written two books (popular ones, his profile has been viewed 6 times - well, 7 now!) but I think that's about the extent of the facts presented in his posting.

The Theory of Evolution does not violate laws of physics (that's an old one from creationists that has been dealt with more times than the bible has been edited - okay, maybe not that many times but many many many people have explained, clearly and concisely, to creationists that they have no idea what they're talking about) and evolution is not a lie or a myth - it is a fact.

Natural selection did not lead to the holocaust (Hitler was a Catholic and was 'doing god's work' - he even wrote a book and, though creationists will claim that Hitler idolized Darwin, he failed to mention Darwin). Abortion is often caused by failed (abstinence only) sexual education (or as a result of priests raping young girls - see Your Donations at Work). The real list that "goes on and on" of things that the Darwin's theory has truly helped includes vaccines, modern medicine, food sciences (solving world hunger), etc.

I'm glad he brought up child abuse - it's one of my favourite topics! Teaching people the truth may not be comforting and sometimes it may be frightening but compare learning that we're all related (all species, every living thing on the planet is related) with the threat of hellfire and I think evolution comes out on the lower end of the severity scale. Child abuse is: LYING to children; the threat of eternal damnation; and, discouraging critical thinking - none of which is science or evolutionary theory. (And I didn't even mention child sexual abuse scandals! Whoops, now I did.)

For the record, I celebrated the anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and proudly identified myself with barbarians (in the sense that I know we're related to animals). How that is classified as religion is beyond me - but so is pretty much every absurd statement in Michael's letter.