Our Neo-Pagan Age...

I'm sorry, but I need to interrupt my trip down memory lane for a moment here...how does someone who calls evolution, embryonics, and the big bang theory a pack of lies from the pit of hell end up sitting on the congressional science committee?  This is the age of stupid indeed.

Now, I have nothing against freedom of religion, speech, and opinion, but isn't Congressman Brown sitting on the congressional science committee a bit like someone who is a professed atheist sitting on a church standing committee?  Would you be happy if that was the case in your church?  The two just don't go together... 

And while we're at it...a few years ago I came across a post about a Christian Science Fair...some award winning highlights:

1st Place (elementary): "My Uncle Is A Man Named Steve (Not A Monkey)"

Student (grade 5) presented her uncle, Steve. She also showed photographs of monkeys and invited fairgoers to note the differences between her uncle and the monkeys. She tried to feed her uncle bananas, but he declined to eat them. Student has conclusively shown that her uncle is no monkey.

2nd Place (middle school): "Women Were Designed For Homemaking"

Student (grade 7) applied findings from many fields of science to support his conclusion that God designed women for homemaking: physics shows that women have a lower center of gravity than men, making them more suited to carrying groceries and laundry baskets; biology shows that women were designed to carry un-born babies in their wombs and to feed born babies milk, making them the natural choice for child rearing; social sciences show that the wages for women workers are lower than for normal workers, meaning that they are unable to work as well and thus earn equal pay; and exegetics shows that God created Eve as a companion for Adam, not as a co-worker.

Honorable mention (middle school): "Rocks Can't Evolve, Where Did They Come From Mr. Darwin?"

Things like this sadden me.  Would you really raise your daughter around the mind set that her place is the kitchen and not striving to live her dreams and live up to the same expectations that you might have for a son?  Even more disturbing is that this line of reasoning is being encouraged as science...

Some people might call me un-American for thinking that, as a country, we've got some serious problems...but I've always seen it that, as a country, we could be so much greater that we are right now...is it wrong for me to be disappointed that we aren't living up to our potential anymore?  We've made so much progress (as a race) since Galileo was excommunicated for saying that the world was round, so why are we taking steps backwards now?

And for those astute observers out there that point out that that article was from 2001, here's a more recent example.  I suppose things like this should make Congressman Brown seem like the middle of the road...but, as someone that believes in rational thought and the scientific method being applied appropriately, it pains me to hear that I'm in the minority with my opinion as to how we got here, and that people like me are making this the "Neo-Pagan Age..."  Um...last I checked I believed in God and believed in evolution...how does that translate to neo-paganism?  Maybe she meant to say neo-athiesm...?  That still doesn't quite work though...

Okay, for those of you that don't share my views on this, we won't revisit this for a while, rest assured...up next is El Frijole Grande (aka Chicago's cloud gate) and deep dish pizza galore!

Update 11/5/12: I don't think I could put it better than these clips:

Bill Maher's Romney warning ('Because heat, melting ice, is just a theory.')

Joss Whedon's endorsement of Romney (and the coming zombie apocalypse)

Kathleen Turner's editorial ('Take me back to the 21st century')

Mitt Romney as the next Andrew Johnson...

Update 11/8/12: I watched The Age of Stupid tonight.  I can't recommend it enough...puts a nice perspective on things that are touched on above.