"You actually believe that?"

Last year, in October or November, I believe, we were at my parents' house, and my Mom asked if we'd been reading anything interesting lately. I mentioned that, yes, I have been reading a few interesting things, particularly a book called Finding Serenity (which is a collection of essays about the fantastic, short-lived show Firefly, which, if you haven't yet, I demand you watch immediately) and the courtroom transcripts of the Kitzmiller v. DASD case in Kansas, which was concerned with whether Intelligent Design could be taught in science class. When asked what the witnesses had to say, I told them that there really wasn't anything new, aside from the fact that Intelligent Design is just creationism relabeled.

Evolution:

This, of course, opened up an enormous can of metaphorical worms because Dad immediately chimed in to say, "No it's not." My parents are smart and well-educated, but unfortunately, they're also hopelessly conservative. Anyway, Dad then told me to read some Behe and Dembski. I informed him that both were wrong, that Dembski has no credibility whatsoever and can't be counted on to give an impartial opinion since he was (at the time) a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute. As for Behe, he actually testified at the trial and had his ass handily handed to him. It was a beautiful moment. Then of course there was Barbara Forrest's damning testimony which I absolutely loved. But I'm digressing.

So, Mom offers up her favorite anti-evolution argument - If we come from apes, why are there still apes. Well, the fact of the matter is we don't come from apes, per se. We share a common ancestor with modern apes (and are apes ourselves), so to ask why there are still apes if we come from apes is like asking why there are still Irish people if we come from Irish people.

I also pointed out that we haven't stopped evolving, that there's no way of know what we're evolving into, that 99% of all species that ever existed on the planet have gone extinct, that theory means something different in science, and that no current species is any more evolved than any other.

Creationism:

So, she hits me with this one: Where did we come from?

I tell her we obviously come from less evolved organisms that go all the way back to the first microscopic single-celled life form.

"And you actually believe that?"

Ever have one of those moments where you have to choose between what your brain is screaming and what is more, you know, tactful?

Well, I went the tactful route and explained that it's not really a matter of belief, but a conclusion drawn from the evidence given.

I didn't mention that I was insulted by such condescending questioning. This is why I don't tell my parents anything personal.

But seriously, what did she expect?

"You actually believe that?"
"No Mom. I believe that the universe came about 6,000 years ago when an invisible man got bored one day, uttered the universe into existance, made humans in his image, created the moon, planets, stars, and galaxies for show, then sent his only son over to suffer and die JUST FOR ME and about 6 billion other people, because I touched myself to nudie pics when I was 16."

I'm not one to insult other people's faith.

Ok, I am, but not to their faces. Plus, I would've been kicked out of the house without having dinner, and I wouldn't have gotten any help with the new freezer.

Well, it turns out that righteousness triumphed over ignorance, and Intelligent Design was found to be Creationism in a bad suit. Since then, the term has started to die, and we have new ones like "Sudden Emergence" and "Teach the controversy", despite there being no such controversy in the scientific community.

Anyway, I spent the next few hours explaining to my father that Irredicible Complexity has been falsified already and that evolution isn't concerned with the origins of life itself, just the origins of species from other species.

Anyway, there was a study last year whose results were recently revealed, that showed what people in a number of countries believe in with regards to evolution. Basically, people were asked whether they agree with the statement that evolution is true (which it is, if you'reone of those elitists who believe that observing something occur means it's real). The good news is the United States didn't finish dead last. Turkey did. We finished a little bit ahead of Turkey.

It saddens me when people deny reality because it violates their comfortable faith. That's why I make it my business to violate other people's comfort zones. One of the first and most important things I learned in educational psychology is that discomfort leads to education.

- En Gee Ell