Comfort & Cameron to Prove Existence of God
Oh, I am all tingly with anticipation!!
ABC television has offered to air a live debate between Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron and the originators of a website that encouraged atheists to videotape themselves blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
Hundreds of atheists took the Blasphemy Challenge, and made the videos, posting them on YouTube en mass. In response to the popularity of the Blasphemy Challenge, best-selling Christian author, Ray Comfort contacted ABC and offered to . . .
He, along with former child star Kirk Cameron (co-hosts of a Christian TV program), also challenged the originators of the Rational Response Squad website where the Blasphemy Challenge began to a debate on the existence of God. The debate, if it happenes, will take place on May 5, 2007.
Says Comfort:
So far, there has been no word on whether the Rational Responders have accepted, but I find it interesting and potentially hilarious that Comfort and Cameron are willing to go through with this debate. It may be a minor point, but never, in the history of mankind, has a single shred of evidence that remotely suggests God exists ever surfaced. So I can't help but think we're being shined on just a bit by these two. I mean, what evidence do they have, and how did they come to possess it?
Recently, astronomers discovered a planet that may contain favorable conditions to sustain life. They didn't actually find extra-terrestrial life, but they went public immediately with the data they had, because the possibilities are so compelling. It seems to me that if one were to somehow discover evidence that didn't just suggest possibilities but absolutely proved God's existence --- a feat no one in the history of man has been able to do --- he or she would be bursting to share it with everyone; especially if he or she were of an evangelical mindset, as Comfort and Cameron are. They are always out to witness, convert, and save souls. Yet they are keeping proof of God's existence to themselves?!?! They ask for a debate, instead of contacting every news outlet in the world?!?!
Seems a little fishy to me. But then, I suppose I'm not qualified to prove the existence of an all-powerful being. So maybe I shouldn't say anything.
According to Comfort, however, he and Cameron are qualified to prove the existence of God. Just what it takes to be qualified to to prove such a thing remains a mystery, but both are proponents of the Intelligent Design fantasy about the creation of the universe (they think God did it), and both are staunch believers that Darwinian Evolution is codswallop. So perhaps one only need eschew the single most important scientific theory in the history of the planet in favor of some antiquated myths to be qualified. I don't know.
But I hope for Comfort's and Cameron's sake their proof is going to be a little better than the litany of nonsense they've provided as proof of a great designer in the past. The Great Banana Proof, as I call it, sticks out in my mind as one of their more inane pieces of drivel. The claim is that the banana is perfectly designed for humans, and therefore is proof of God's existence. I won't go into all the details of that little gem here. It's so entertaining, I'll let these two intellectual giants present you the argument themselves. Just watch this video.
Go ahead. I'll wait . . . .
See, pretty entertaining, huh?
It should be noted that bananas in the form referred to in the video were in fact intelligently designed --- by a long history of botanists and farmers crossbreeding the seeds out of the banana fruit. They are in their current form today as a result of engineering (much like potatoes are).
So the Great Banana Proof is evidence of intelligent design. Unfortunately, it's man's very Earthly and science-based intelligent design. God doesn't seem to have had much to do with it at all. In fact, this demonstrates nothing about a grand creator. All this demonstrates is Comfort's and Cameron's lack of knowledge about the history of breeding bananas for the world's food markets.
Now I'm no expert, but I don't think that does much to prove the existence of God.
Incidentally, here are some other good banana sources:
http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/groce...l_disease.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0719-02.htm
And there is even more to this issue that I have to assume Comfort and Cameron have never considered. Both Comfort and Cameron are obviously Christians. They preach the teachings of Jesus Christ, espousing a method of witnessing to non-believers in a program called The Way of the Master (the master in this case being presumably Jesus). But what they have failed to take into consideration is that, even if they are somehow able to build a case for an intelligent designer (stronger than that of the banana proof of course), that intelligent designer could be Zeus, Allah, Cthulu, or Jimmy the Great Teenager in the Sky as easily as Jehovah. Short of this thing standing on the podium talking to the viewers directly, there is no way to show that it is the Christian god.
Is that something a Christian wants to do?
Also, Comfort says he will prove the existence of God scientifically. But to prove something scientifically, an idea has to be tested. Hypotheses must be formulated for observable phenomenon, and then tested and scrutinized and re-tested and scrutinized again. Then it must be peer-reviewed by independent bodies and tested and scrutinized again and again. Just what are the observable phenomena for which Comfort and Cameron are forming hypotheses? What tests have they performed? Who makes up the peer group that will review and re-test the experiments? Where is the data they have collected?
You see, that's the problem with those darn scientists. They always have to be so thorough. Are Comfort and Cameron prepared to be as thorough?
I don't know, but I seriously doubt it.
At any rate, I sincerely hope the debate happens, and I hope it airs on national TV, and is re-run over and over again, and posted on the Internet. Hell, I love a good train wreck.
And let's face it, Kirk Cameron hasn't gotten a laugh on television in over 20 years. It'll be good to see him bringing the country a little cheer after so long.
ABC television has offered to air a live debate between Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron and the originators of a website that encouraged atheists to videotape themselves blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
Hundreds of atheists took the Blasphemy Challenge, and made the videos, posting them on YouTube en mass. In response to the popularity of the Blasphemy Challenge, best-selling Christian author, Ray Comfort contacted ABC and offered to . . .
. . . prove God's existence, absolutely, scientifically, without mentioning the Bible or faith.
He, along with former child star Kirk Cameron (co-hosts of a Christian TV program), also challenged the originators of the Rational Response Squad website where the Blasphemy Challenge began to a debate on the existence of God. The debate, if it happenes, will take place on May 5, 2007.
Says Comfort:
Most people equate atheism with intellectualism, but it's actually an intellectual embarrassment. I am amazed at how many people think that God's existence is a matter of faith. It's not, and I will prove it at the debate, once and for all. This is not a joke. I will present undeniable scientific proof that God exists.
So far, there has been no word on whether the Rational Responders have accepted, but I find it interesting and potentially hilarious that Comfort and Cameron are willing to go through with this debate. It may be a minor point, but never, in the history of mankind, has a single shred of evidence that remotely suggests God exists ever surfaced. So I can't help but think we're being shined on just a bit by these two. I mean, what evidence do they have, and how did they come to possess it?
Recently, astronomers discovered a planet that may contain favorable conditions to sustain life. They didn't actually find extra-terrestrial life, but they went public immediately with the data they had, because the possibilities are so compelling. It seems to me that if one were to somehow discover evidence that didn't just suggest possibilities but absolutely proved God's existence --- a feat no one in the history of man has been able to do --- he or she would be bursting to share it with everyone; especially if he or she were of an evangelical mindset, as Comfort and Cameron are. They are always out to witness, convert, and save souls. Yet they are keeping proof of God's existence to themselves?!?! They ask for a debate, instead of contacting every news outlet in the world?!?!
Seems a little fishy to me. But then, I suppose I'm not qualified to prove the existence of an all-powerful being. So maybe I shouldn't say anything.
According to Comfort, however, he and Cameron are qualified to prove the existence of God. Just what it takes to be qualified to to prove such a thing remains a mystery, but both are proponents of the Intelligent Design fantasy about the creation of the universe (they think God did it), and both are staunch believers that Darwinian Evolution is codswallop. So perhaps one only need eschew the single most important scientific theory in the history of the planet in favor of some antiquated myths to be qualified. I don't know.
But I hope for Comfort's and Cameron's sake their proof is going to be a little better than the litany of nonsense they've provided as proof of a great designer in the past. The Great Banana Proof, as I call it, sticks out in my mind as one of their more inane pieces of drivel. The claim is that the banana is perfectly designed for humans, and therefore is proof of God's existence. I won't go into all the details of that little gem here. It's so entertaining, I'll let these two intellectual giants present you the argument themselves. Just watch this video.
Go ahead. I'll wait . . . .
See, pretty entertaining, huh?
It should be noted that bananas in the form referred to in the video were in fact intelligently designed --- by a long history of botanists and farmers crossbreeding the seeds out of the banana fruit. They are in their current form today as a result of engineering (much like potatoes are).
So the Great Banana Proof is evidence of intelligent design. Unfortunately, it's man's very Earthly and science-based intelligent design. God doesn't seem to have had much to do with it at all. In fact, this demonstrates nothing about a grand creator. All this demonstrates is Comfort's and Cameron's lack of knowledge about the history of breeding bananas for the world's food markets.
Now I'm no expert, but I don't think that does much to prove the existence of God.
Incidentally, here are some other good banana sources:
http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/groce...l_disease.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0719-02.htm
And there is even more to this issue that I have to assume Comfort and Cameron have never considered. Both Comfort and Cameron are obviously Christians. They preach the teachings of Jesus Christ, espousing a method of witnessing to non-believers in a program called The Way of the Master (the master in this case being presumably Jesus). But what they have failed to take into consideration is that, even if they are somehow able to build a case for an intelligent designer (stronger than that of the banana proof of course), that intelligent designer could be Zeus, Allah, Cthulu, or Jimmy the Great Teenager in the Sky as easily as Jehovah. Short of this thing standing on the podium talking to the viewers directly, there is no way to show that it is the Christian god.
Is that something a Christian wants to do?
Also, Comfort says he will prove the existence of God scientifically. But to prove something scientifically, an idea has to be tested. Hypotheses must be formulated for observable phenomenon, and then tested and scrutinized and re-tested and scrutinized again. Then it must be peer-reviewed by independent bodies and tested and scrutinized again and again. Just what are the observable phenomena for which Comfort and Cameron are forming hypotheses? What tests have they performed? Who makes up the peer group that will review and re-test the experiments? Where is the data they have collected?
You see, that's the problem with those darn scientists. They always have to be so thorough. Are Comfort and Cameron prepared to be as thorough?
I don't know, but I seriously doubt it.
At any rate, I sincerely hope the debate happens, and I hope it airs on national TV, and is re-run over and over again, and posted on the Internet. Hell, I love a good train wreck.
And let's face it, Kirk Cameron hasn't gotten a laugh on television in over 20 years. It'll be good to see him bringing the country a little cheer after so long.
posted by Sam Ogden at
10:59 AM
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