Light reading: Scrappleface's other thoughts on the ID controversy

So much important stuff to blog, but I have to work on my book today and then go work at a local writers’ festival, so here’s some fun stuff in the meantime:

Scott Ott, a.k.a. Scrappleface, has published several satires on the ID controversy, not just one.

Don’t miss "Dover evolution lawyer eats counsel for the defense," in which the judge rules, on eating the defense lawyer,

"While the predatory attorney for the plaintiffs has demonstrated his superior fitness," said Judge Jones, "we have no proof that distinctive genetic material led to his triumph, or that such advantageous DNA will successfully pass to his progeny. He has merely demonstrated the efficacy of natural selection as a negative force for weeding out the weak, rather than as a creative force responsible for the origination and progress of earth's incredible web of life."

And then of course, regarding Harvard University"s project to discover the origin of life, "Harvard to Prove That Life Began Without Major Grant",

"Harvard University has proven over the years that the more complex something is, the less likely you are to find any intelligence behind it," said an unnamed university spokesman. "In fact, this 'origins of life' project started out as an accidental ink spill on paper, and it just developed from there."

Also, a friend encountered this in a children's book,

Where did all the Flanimals come from ? Some people think they were made by a strange old man who lives in the sky. But not the clever scientists. They believe no one made them. They evolved. This means that over millions and millions of years Globs of Gumption and Living Shnerb gradually grew and changed into Splungent Floobs and Slunge Greeblers which multiplied and became the very Flanimals living to-day. (Ricky Gervais, More Flanimals, Faber and Faber, London: 2005)

She asks me, "Is this an example of a myth that has completely suffused our culture; or could it be the author's gently satirical exposure of that myth in a medium that is relatively safe from harassment?" and challenges me to go to http://www.flanimals.com/ to be sure the book exists.

Actually, Bets, the author could well be serious. Darwinism is rapidly becoming a parody of itself, which is why cartoonists and comedians are beginning to notice. See, if you are a professional humourist and you have to explain to people why something is funny, you have a difficult job. But the more people parody themselves, the more they do the job for you.

Heck, I get people writing to me all the time, reciting the mantras of Darwinism with a degree of certainty that you never hear from people who believe propositions that are more likely to be true. I was struck by that fact when I was writing By Design or by Chance? I hadn't really expected it. Most Christians I know, for example, question their faith on an ongoing basis; Most of the Darwinists I hear from never seem to. After a while, I realized it was a pattern. And, of course, the less they question, the less they can reject the absurd parts, like evolutionary psychology. So the mountain of seriously defended absurdity is growing all the time.

If you like this blog, check out my award-winning book on the intelligent design controversy, By Design or by Chance?. You can read excerpts as well.

Are you looking for one of the following stories?

The Pope using the term "intelligent design" to describe the Catholic view of origins, go here.

Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams attacked by Darwinist, hits back. Will he now cartoon on the subject?

"Academic Freedom Watch : Here's the real, ugly story behind the claim that 'intelligent design isn't science'?".

Roseville, California, lawyer Larry Caldwell is suing over the use of tax money by Darwin lobby groups to promote religious views that accept Darwinian evolution (as opposed to ones that don’t). I’m pegging this one as the next big story. See also the ruling on tax funds. Note the line that the “free speech” people take.
How to freak out your bio prof? What happened when a student bypassed the usual route of getting frogs drunk and dropping them down the chancellor’s robes, and tried questioning Darwinism instead.

Christoph, Cardinal Schonbon is not backing down from his contention that Darwinism is incompatible with Catholic faith, and Pope Benedict XVI probably thinks that’s just fine. Major US media have been trying to reach rewrite for months, with no success.

Museum tour guides to be trained to "respond" to those who question Darwinism. Read this item for an example of what at least one museum hopes to have them say.