Well, naturally I complained... and I got a reply. Here it is with my response -

On Fri 27/03/09 21:06 , "Anthony Bush" anthonyjbush@msn.com sent:

> The BIAZA Director had sent me your email, I think she is a bit fed
> up with the intimidating and bullying tactic that many Darwinists
> seem to use to try to get their way. I am used to it, so treat it as
> normal.


Dear Mr Bush,

My complaining about irrational guesswork being taught to children in the guise of science is hardly intimidation.

> You are obviously very much younger than I am, so have accepted that
> Darwinism is proven and Creationism is ridiculous without question.

I
apologise on the BIAZA's behalf for them forwarding my mail to you, it
was not my intention to enter into debate on imponderables with someone
obviously much younger and more naive than myself.

> Some of us belong to a previous age of reason, when debate was
> encouraged, and if you disagree then you live and let live.

I
am happy to debate, but I will NOT 'live and let live' when self
interests with ridiculous agendas parade themselves as educationalists
and threaten to instill children with the notion that they should
accept your fiction as fact, 'on faith'. I would rather they questioned
EVERYTHING. Including Darwin's Theory. This theory is eminently
testable, whilst creationism is not. Teaching blind acceptance is
indoctrination, not education.

>The
> debate centres on "did the world begin supernaturally by divine fiat?
> Or did it all just happen by itself, by chance out of nothing, by way
> of a Big Bang?"

Straw man. Science does NOT say something comes from nothing.

> To me there is no contest as the questions that Big Bangers need to
> answer seem too overwhelmingly unlikely to have answers:
>
> Why should a singularity under almost infinite gravity go bang?

"Big Bang"? Yes, followed by expansion, followed by contraction, followed by "Big Bang!"

As
for the singularity under almost infinite gravity, you are talking
about the proverbial unstoppable force meeting a immoveable object. Do
you think it would end quietly?

> How did atoms with four very powerful and fixed atomic forces come
> into existence?
>

Atoms coming into existence? An interesting concept. Can you prove this hypothesis?

You are quite happy to accept your invisible friend is eternal, but not the visible universe?

> How did interstellar dust come together into galaxies?
>

Well
obviously god stirred it together with a very big spoon. You seem to
have a very rudimentary knowledge of physics for someone who pretends
to be teaching science.


> How did our solar system form; with one planet at just the right
> distance from the right sized sun, and the right sized moon for
> reflected moonlight, tides and eclipses, and the right amount of
> water (what amazing stuff) on Earth for life to survive?
>

Yes, water is apparently very common.

> Then where did the first highly complex life come from?
>

It
evolved from earlier less complex lifeforms. I'm sorry if this is too
complicated. There are no doubt countless millions of places where the
necessary components for life did NOT occur, but also countless
millions of other places where it has. The elements necessary seem much
more abundant than previously thought. Perhaps life is an integral
component of the universe?

> How did it add genetic information to become so precisely more
> complex? And all this with astounding precision that does not look
> the very slightest bit random?
>

Because
along the way, over tens or hundreds of thousands of years, it has HAD
to find the right moves to hit the right grooves. Looking 'Random'???
You work in a zoo and you can't think of any creatures that look a bit
'random'???

> How did sexual reproduction arrive out of asexual reproduction?

Practicality, necessity, benefit, survival... the quest for fun? Take your pick.

> This is not a creation versus evolution debate. Creationists believe
> in evolution; from galaxies to bacteria evolution is everywhere. The
> question is, did it all arrive by itself and evolve by chance; or was
> there a designer starting the various Orders of life into being and
> pre-programming them to evolve into millions of species?

Yes,
I know some Christians are now back-tracking and saying evolution is
one of god's tools / part of his plan, etc. But NO pre-programming is
necessary. The strongest / the 'fittest for purpose' survive. The idea
of a being 'contriving everything in advance' is extremely fanciful and
totally unfounded in ANY proof. If you are a creationist then by
definition you don't accept evolution. You say that you DO 'believe' in
evolution. But you don't NEED to 'believe' in evolution, its testable
and provable! 'Belief' is woolly! It belongs next to things like
creation, angels, demons, gods, virgin births, miracles, heaven, rising
from death, etc, etc.... all of which are totally fanciful with no
proof to support them.

If you had read Origin of Species you
would realize their is no need for a designer. You don't need to be
Richard Dawkins to realise that IF the universe is designed, then it
must have been designed by something *even more complicated* than the
universe. So how awesome must the designer of this designer be? Etc,
etc.. And yet be totally undetectable??? The 'it's so complex it must
be designed' line of argument is pointless, especially when there are
demonstrable proofs of evolution and natural selection all around us.

> There are many more problems; that Darwinians complain that
> Christians at the difficult points adopt the default position of God
> made it. While they adopt the position "one day we will know how it
> happened by chance". That sounds very like mediaeval alchemy; one day
> we will make gold from heavy metals.

Please
don't accuse science of being 'like alchemy', this is both inaccurate
and insulting to all who seek to expand knowledge, rather than cling to
unsupported dogma.

> You imply that you did not know we were Christians here. Had you not
> heard of Noah? Do you not know why he built his ark?

The
Ark is a story pre-dating Christianity. It is generally considered a
fable. Although I can see evidence of a 400ft increase in world sea
levels after the last ice age, but before that, if the flood of legends
is older, then the flooding of the 'middle earth plains' (now the
Mediterranean Sea) is a candidate, but this was waaay before man, apes
and monkeys evolved from their common hominid ancestor.

>Had it not
> occurred to you that if we wanted to go undercover we could have
> called ourselves North Somerset Wildlife Park?

Not so catchy though, is it?

>Since 1998 have been a
> theme park to Noah. We have won three awards with tourism
> organisations who all visited us and applauded everything about the
> park.

'Tourism' supports science???? I'd like to read that paper, please. Are the Tourist Board your scientific validation?

>The overwhelming majority of the country believes in God in
> some way, so thousand of people visit us because we are Christians.

I would dispute that. I think 'the overwhelming majority of people' probably don't care about esoterics.
You don't advertise that you are Christians. Let alone Fundamentalist Christians.

> We are probably unique in being the only educational place in the
> country to fairly present Creationist views (three of them) and
> Darwinism side by side.

Fairly?
I've read the disinformation on your site. Why not put the story of
Mickey Mouse next to Darwinism and try to give THAT credibility by
association too. A choice of opinions doesn't mean the two opinions are
equally valid.

>I don't understand what you find so objectionable about the Christian faith?

I
hardly know where to start with this one..... 'God' , the invisible man
in the sky who created the universe and can affect the universe, but
his influence or presence cannot be detected, because he is
'invisible', despite us supposedly being in his image... and we're not
invisible... has a son, who is really God himself in human form, plus
he is Spirit... anyway, he is a dead ringer for several other mythical
gods who also had virgin births at Winter Solstice, rose from the dead,
etc, etc... now if you telepathically talk to his zombie son, he will
forgive the 'fact' that as a baby you were a sinner. 'God' sacrifices
his son (good role model), but it's morally ok, because remember he is
his actually his own son... and that invisible spirit too... anyway he
died for our sins, but he rose from the dead, so he's not dead after
all... hooray! Hey, I'm only being humorous because the whole thing IS
extremely humorous.

I'd like you to explain - why God can answer your prayers, but ignores the prayers of an African woman holding her dying child.

I'd
like to know - whilst you and I and any other good person (if given the
power of almighty god) would SMITE anyone abusing, torturing or
murdering a child... but god chooses NOT too, even though you believe
he could??? Well perhaps he doesn't, because he doesn't exist. Perhaps
he is a fantasy figure dwelling in the remaining void of knowledge that
science is rapidly filling.

> Charles Darwin once observed in "The Voyage of the Beagle" the
> profound effect of Christian missionaries on the uncivilized
> behaviour of local natives; and wrote " any voyager unlucky enough
> to be shipwrecked on some unknown coast should most devoutly pray
> that missionaries had got there first". Fortunately for you , in
> Britain they did.

Do you REALLY want to talk about the treatment of natives by missionaries?

regards,

Your visible friend,

RouX

---------------------------------------------------------------
If you are a UK resident, or Ex-Pat, please sign the petition to stop creationism being taught to British children
http://petitions.number10...gov.uk/NoCreationistZoo/

Today's Picture: Jasmine looking gorgeous (again).

Just uploaded my versions of

"If You Were My Woman" -

http://rouxrenard.com/music/If_You_Were_My_Woman.wma

"Ain't That Peculiar" -

http://rouxrenard.com/music/Aint_That_Peculiar.wma

"I Wish I Knew How It Would feel To Be Free ('Live')" -

http://rouxrenard.com/music/I_Wish_I_Knew.wma

My gig supporting the Scherrie Payne of The Supremes in Hastings went well. Rehearsals with my new band going well.

regards,

RouX

Today's Picture: Jasmine looking gorgeous (as usual).

Just uploaded my version of "Grapevine" - 

http://rouxrenard.com/music/I_Heard_It_Thru_The_Grapevine.wma

Really pleased with all the feedback I'm getting following my bulletin on that. Thanks very much.

I really, really want to make it in the music business. I'm putting together a band to do sets of Motown, Soul and Jazz. I enjoy doing 60s stuff too... talking of which... I hope to be back in Colin's studio soon, I'd like to have a crack at "Bend Me, Shape Me". Just LOVE that song.

Rehearsals for the gig with Lion of Judah in January going well. More news on that soon.

Today's Photo:  My Mum, Jasmine and me enjoying a multi-generational big hug!

Recording some more Motown tracks at Colin's soon.

MySpace friend Johnny Boy playing my Motown tracks during the disco before his gigs. He got grabbed by Ian Levine at Kev Robert's part last week, Ian wants to record him. Ian did quite well with Take That! Edwin Starr's widow loved Johnny's set too. Really pleased for him, cos he is a MAJOR young talent and a nice guy... also likely to spearhead a BIG revival of interest in Northertn Soul before long.

Been tracing my birth family history the last few weeks, hence the lack of postings, still not found the elusive Mr. Renard. Found some great cousins though!  Hey, You know how it is with cousins? Like you may see them or you might never see see them? Well, these guys are quite a close group. I have to admit it got to me when they started referring to me as one of 'the grandchildren'! In fact the eldest grandchild! Wow!!!

I had an enjoyable practise session with 'Lion of Judah' a few weeks ago, another practise soon. We have a pretty big gig in January.  Will do some more spots at Bar 27 soon. I sent a minidisc of my "Grapevine" from Caer Llan 2006 to Elmgrove to see if they could turn up my low mic level with their digital wizardy, but not heard back yet.

Meanwhile I plan to do a studio version of "Grapevine" at Colin's.... oh, this is where I came in!