| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Brian Westley" |
| Date: |
22 Dec 2003 04:48:40 PM |
| Object: |
Bush's faith-based national parks |
http://www.counterpunch.org/stclair12222003.html
....
This autumn Donald Murphy, deputy director of the National Park Service,
ordered three bronze plaques featuring quotes from Psalms 68:4, 66:4 and
104:24 placed on viewing platforms on the south rim of the Canyon. The
plaques were made and donated by the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in
Phoenix, who live in a convent called Cannan in the Desert. The convent
was founded in 1963 by Mother Basilea, who visited the Sinai where said
said she conversed with the Supreme Diety about the moral decline of the
western world.
The nuns' website warns that "avalanche of moral decay is upon us... our
society is disintegrating." As evidence, the nuns point to the removal
of Judge Roy Moore's monument to the 10 Commandments in the lobby of the
Alabama Supreme Court and to the appearance of the Dalai Lama at the
National Cathedral-"another illustration of how God's commandments are
pushed aside, step by step. May Jesus help us and guard our hearts!"
At the urging of the sisters, Murphy overturned a decision to ban the
plaques by the Park's superintendent, who contended the religious
messages violated the US Constitution.
....
But startng this summer the Park's bookstore began offering a volume
titled The Grand Canyon: a Different View. The view is indeed different.
This book of lavish photographs and essays presents the creationist
account of the origins of the great canyon of the Colorado River. The
book is edited by Tom Vail, a river guide, who offers Christian float
trips through the canyon. "For years, as a Colorado River guide I told
people how the Grand Canyon was formed over the evolutionary time scale
of millions of years," Vail writes in the introduction to the book.
"Then I met the Lord. Now, I have "a different view" of the Canyon,
which, according to a biblical time scale, can't possibly be more than
about a few thousand years old."
One of the contributors is creation "scientist" Dr. Gary Parker who
observes: "Where did the Grand Canyon itself come from? The Flood may
have stacked the rock like a giant layer cake, but what cut the cake?
One thing is sure: the Colorado River did not do it."
Earlier this year, the Bush administration prevented park rangers from
publishing a rebuttal to the book for use by interpretive staff and
seasonal employees who are often confronted during tours by creationist
zealots.
In southern California, a similar battle is raging over a Latin cross
erected on the Sunrise Rocks in the Mojave National Preserve.
Apparently, the cross was erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and
has since become a site for sunrise Easter services and a meeting ground
for Wise-Use ranchers associated with the Christian Identity movement.
In December 2000, Park Service managers agreed to remove the cross based
on advice from the Justice Department that the icon violated the
Constitution and Park Service regulations. But the Park Service backed
down after Congressman Jerry Lewis, the right wing firebrand from San
Diego, intervened. The ACLU sued the Park Service in March of 2001 and
won an injunction. The Bush Administration appealed and the case remains
pending before the Ninth Circuit.
....
Since 1995, the interpretive center at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington
has shown an 8-minute long film depicting various demonstrations and
gatherings at the monument, including anti-war protests, concerts and
Martin Luther King's most famous speech. Last month, the Park Service
bowed to demands from Christian groups to edit out footage of
anti-Vietnam War protests and images of gay rights and pro-choice
demonstrations. In a letter to the Park Service, the Christian groups
charged that the film implied that "Lincoln would have supported
homosexual and abortion 'rights' as well as feminism."
The Park Service HQ responded that they would edit the film to present a
"more balanced" version. The new film will included footage of rallies
by anti-abortion and Christian groups, such as the Promisekeepers, and
shots of a pro-Gulf War demonstration. Neither of these events took
place at the Lincoln Memorial.
....
---
Merlyn LeRoy
.
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| User: "Mark Richardson" |
|
| Title: Re: Bush's faith-based national parks |
22 Dec 2003 06:08:27 PM |
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On 22 Dec 2003 22:48:40 GMT, Brian Westley <westley@visi.com> wrote:
http://www.counterpunch.org/stclair12222003.html
..
<snip>
But startng this summer the Park's bookstore began offering a volume
titled The Grand Canyon: a Different View. The view is indeed different.
This book of lavish photographs and essays presents the creationist
account of the origins of the great canyon of the Colorado River. The
book is edited by Tom Vail, a river guide, who offers Christian float
trips through the canyon. "For years, as a Colorado River guide I told
people how the Grand Canyon was formed over the evolutionary time scale
of millions of years," Vail writes in the introduction to the book.
"Then I met the Lord. Now, I have "a different view" of the Canyon,
which, according to a biblical time scale, can't possibly be more than
about a few thousand years old."
The rocks are lying! The bible is telling the truth!
The reality of the Grand Canyon *should* overrule the words of men
scribbled in an old book and yet the words of men mean more to this
guy than the direct experience of nature.
That is so incredibly sad.
I am reminded of a terrific camping holiday I took with my two Seventh
Day Adventist friends when we were all about 20 years old.
We climbed up the tallest mountain range in Western Australia (the
Stirling Ranges) which are mere foothills compared to anything in
North America - but still impressive in their own context.
The whole way up the mountain I kept seeing layered sedimentary rock -
siltstones and sandstones - often showing ripple marks and channels.
I kept pointing out to my 6 day creation believing friends that there
was thousands of feet of this rock - obviously laid down in a river
delta or lake environment.
I could see *with my own eyes* that the rock would have taken millions
of years to quietly accumulate, millions of years to be buried and
solidified and millions of years to be raised up into a mountain and
then millions of years to erode away again.
My companions saw "evidence of the flood".
Human stupidity - the only truly limitless resource.
Mark.
--
Mark Richardson mDOTrichardsonATutasDOTeduDOTau
Member of S.M.A.S.H.
(Sarcastic Middle aged Atheists with a Sense of Humour)
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