While poking around the intertoobs a few days ago, I found a remarkable blog by a young woman. She volunteers at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature, an excellent place where you can learn all about reality (and where "my" black hole show was created).
Sadly, this young woman also sees creationists giving tours and lying about said reality. Her blog post on this subject is truly worth reading. It would be considered well-written and thoughtful by anyone.
So imagine my surprise when I found out, coincidentally just now, that she’s only 14 15.
Fourteen! Fifteen! Amazing. I foresee a very bright future ahead of this young lady.
May 13th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
That is… amazing… incredible….
May 13th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
So correct me if I’m wrong here…
The way those “BC Tour Guides” are thinking is if the Bible said the sky was purple but you can clearly see it’s blue. It’s some sort of illusion and all of the scientific data and facts on why the sky is blue is wrong? Because it says it in the Bible that it’s actually purple?
To me, that’s just stupid reasoning.
May 13th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Very well stated!! Mirrors my feelings exactly. I am also a teenager working at an observatory/science museum and I encounter creationists with alarming frequency as well. I usually end up dropping whatever I’m doing and debating them for 10-15 minutes until they have to resort to “God did it!”
Whenever someone tells me that they don’t believe in the Big Bang (or evolution, or plate tectonics…), I always ask them to describe exactly what the Big Bang Theory states in the first place. 99% of the time, they get it completely wrong. It is so frustrating to have someone slamming every aspect of modern science in front of you when they don’t even understand the basic principles behind it in the first place…..
May 13th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Very very impressive…for anyone…doubly so when considering her age.
Creationists drive me to drink…it’s just so…insane.
I was very happy today when a bigwig at the Vatican came out and said its ok to believe in aliens and that the Bible is “not a science book”
It took them how long to get that one out?
May 13th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Creationists drive me to drink, too. However, if they did not exist, I’d find someone else…
- Mikel
May 13th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Wow, it was a pleasure to read that. A very bright future indeed
May 13th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
It’s too bad the morons are out in her comments, but that is to be expected.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Dammit! Why did I grow up in a small town in the deep south? Why couldn’t I have grown up in the city with brainy people? When I was 14, I was an atheist-leaning agnostic, but I thought I was the only damn one in the world! I was afraid to even talk about it. Now that I’m a stone-cold, iron-fisted ultra-atheist, I just wonder about the lost years… I could have been so much angrier at the world by now!
No, I’m not kidding. For so many years my perspective was shackled…
May 13th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
To messier1:
Good job! That’s exactly the kind of thing that people need to do. Back them into a corner in public just like that. I doubt I could do that. Heck, I’m pretty sure I can’t.
Mind you, the people I deal with are the real fundy kind.
That blogger may not be the only one with a potentially bright future…
May 13th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Thank you very much, Phil. I love your blog, and I admire you greatly.
Actually, I just turned 15 in March.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Here’s another young lady apparently dealing with dogma.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
And once again I feel stupid. I was never that precocious …
May 13th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Once, I was asked by a friend to show the son of a friend of hers around the NASA center where we work. We were at a hands-on display that had all manner of planetary and astronomy info on it, and the kid was showing off all the facts he knew about the solar system. He seemed pretty sharp.
Then we got to a projection of COBE and WMAP data, and an accompanying description about the estimates of the age of the universe. To which he replied, “Of course, I don’t believe that.”
I was taken totally off-guard.
And then I felt sad.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Funny. I just made my blog about skepticism and found out I got ninja’d. Guess I gotta keep up.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
[...] 13, 2008 I didn’t mean it, Phil. I admire you and all [...]
May 13th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Wow. I wish I could write half that well.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Ah… you’ve just made my day. I love seeing fellow teenagers’ blogs pop up like this, especially when they’re written by skeptics.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
“I was very happy today when a bigwig at the Vatican came out and said its ok to believe in aliens and that the Bible is “not a science book”. It took them how long to get that one out?”
There’s a huge amount of bad information out there about how the Catholic Church relates to science. As far back as the 17th century, church leaders would offer that where scripture disagreed with scientific findings, it was interpretation of scripture, not science, that would have to adapt. The record is not perfect at all, but is far far better than interacting with a militant creationist would have you believe.
This sort of militant approach has turned a lot of people away from faith. Likewise, the newer phenomenon of militant atheism can turn people off from science. Neither is an effective pathway into the future.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Although I appreciate what Lucia has done, does anyone else notice that in her CFI article, she replaces Richard Dawkins for God in a smoochy screed that I usually expect from fundamentalist Christians?
May 13th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Once again, Technodawg. While said blogger is an atheist, why is the idea of teaching scientific facts about the world we live in supposedly equal to militant atheism? Remember, that NOTHING in science says anything about whether or not there is a god or not, and many many religious people are still able to have faith AND accept modern scientific facts like evolution and astronomy etc. Arguing against the idiocy of creationism is NOT the same as arguing against Christianity, or religion in general.
So once again, what does atheism have to do with any of this? I asked you this on another thread here, but uh, didn’t get much of a reply. Hmmm…
May 13th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
OH NOES! HEAVEN FORFEND SHE ACTUALLY LIKE THAT “MEAN OLD” RICHARD DAWKINS! DAT MEANZ SHE’S A MILITANT ATHEISTS! RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNN!
I’m sorry, I don’t know what just came over me.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
[...] May 14, 2008 Imagine you’re reading your feeds, when you see a blog post about you. I’ve recently been seeing blog posts about me pop up all over the place, most recently from BadAstronomy. [...]
May 13th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
“Although I appreciate what Lucia has done, does anyone else notice that in her CFI article, she replaces Richard Dawkins for God in a smoochy screed that I usually expect from fundamentalist Christians?”
I admire Dawkins more than I admire the Judeo-Christian god, yes. I do not follow him unquestioningly. He’s not my only intellectual hero.
Truth be told, I admire Martha from Doctor Who more than I admire Richard Dawkins.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I am a “New Atheist” and I do agree with Dawkins’ stand on religion. However, I was just pointing out that her article shows that she is indulging in an unhealthy form of hero-worship reminiscent of what we see in church.
Why do you have to assume that any criticism of Dawkins’ over-fawning fangirls mean that I have something against Dawkins?
May 13th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
“If you imagined me falling out of my chair and giggling madly, you imagined correctly.
As proud as I was to have bowled over my own personal hero, I was a bit mystified.”
If this isn’t a “smoochy screed”, I don’t know what is.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I believe I used the word “personal hero” once in the article. I personally find it a wee bit hard to come to the conclusion that I’m religiously worshiping him or that I’m a fangirl.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
That was humour, Mariah. I was giggling more out of surprise than alleged fangirlishness.
One jokingly said sentence does not mean that the entire article is a “smoochy screed”.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Falling out of your chair and giggling? Even if that was meant as a joke, aren’t you ashamed of treating another human like some kind of a demi-god?
May 13th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I have no idea what you’re talking about!
I admire Richard Dawkins. I admire him greatly. I don’t elevate him to a level of being more than human. Just because you admire somebody doesn’t mean that you are a blind sheep.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Maybe you should have double-checked your article where you foamed over an atheist the same way a theist or a closed-minded fanatical Christian foam over their pastors.
If this is what freethought means for you, you have a long way to go.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
>>>”Why do you have to assume that any criticism of Dawkins’ over-fawning fangirls mean that I have something against Dawkins?”
Sorry, it’s just I see so many people who complain about that “mean old Richard Dawkins” for expressing his religious opinions. As if the guy doesn’t have a right to, Lord knows we hear plenty of the same from fundies. I may not necessarily even agree with his opinions sometimes, but I still respect the guy’s opinion and as a scientist.
>>>”Maybe you should have double-checked your article where you foamed over an atheist the same way a theist or a closed-minded fanatical Christian foam over their pastors.”
Hey, I foam over Christina Aguilera, I’d hardly call it religious or fanatical!
Even if it is hero-worship, so what? Hardly an abnormal thing in young people. Or even in some older ones. Sheesh.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Okay, I guess it’s too late to re-phrase that bit about Christina Aguilera…
May 13th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
“Maybe you should have double-checked your article where you foamed over an atheist the same way a theist or a closed-minded fanatical Christian foam over their pastors.”
Again, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I giggled in a similar way when I saw that I got linked here, but that’s just because I giggle when I’m surprised. Replace giggle with chuckle if you really think that sentence was fangirly enough to justify saying that I foamed.
Giggle is just another word that means laugh that happens to be used to describe fangirlish laughs, and I can’t see myself trying to make myself seem like a fangirl.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
These days, I’m just astounded to see someone that age who knows the difference between “its” and “it’s”.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Nothing wrong with a good giggle when someone you highly respect and admire acknowledges you. Personally, I’d have jumped up, yelled out “WAHOO” and showed it off to all my friends.
It’s only religious if a person is only parroting what a person says without any thought at all.
Otherwise it’s simply being human, happy, and proud!
And while I doubt it’s the case, what’s wrong with a little crush anyway?
May 13th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
“I am a “New Atheist” and I do agree with Dawkins’ stand on religion.”
First of all, an actual atheist wouldn’t refer to oneself as a “New Atheist.” That’s a pejorative term used by the religionists. It would be like an African American saying “I’m a “n*****” and I do agree with Martin Luther King on civil rights.”
That, and given how Mariah has treated Lucia, I can only be skeptical of “her” claims to be any atheist of any sort.
Leave the kid alone, troll.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Mark, notice that I put the phrase “New Atheist” in quotation marks.
Learn to read before calling me a troll. Thanks.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:54 am
watched the video, read the blog, the guys in the video got side swiped, and i dont see it as objectional in any way, it was predetermined to prove a point, and for the article, nicely written, but thats it.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Very nice blog! So happy to know that I’m not the only 15 year old skeptic out there!
May 14th, 2008 at 5:28 am
Mariah said:
“Mark, notice that I put the phrase “New Atheist” in quotation marks.
Learn to read before calling me a troll. Thanks.”
Mariah, maybe you wouldn’t get called a troll if you had cut Lucia a little bit of slack. You read one of several possible interpretations into her statement about Dawkins and simply assumed that it was the intended meaning, even after her protestations to the contrary.
I daresay you, like so many of us, have occasionally written something that was unintentionally ambiguous. To err is human, after all. Perhaps you could have asked for clarification before having a go at Lucia, hmm?
May 14th, 2008 at 6:50 am
Can’t…resist…Who…reference…
They’re all skeptic!
May 14th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Mariah, whether others are literate or not, a troll is still a troll. In this particular case, that refers to you.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Meanwhile, back on-topic. I agree, BA – I think Elles’s blog post about creationists was very nicely done. It mixed rationality and factual content with an expression of her genuine distress at the way in which so many people are depriving children (not just their own, but other people’s too) of access to humanity’s best understanding of the world in which we live.
I have not yet watched the video (I’m at work just now), but I intend to tonight.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Just something to think about….
What is the museum going to do when they find out that one of their employees is writing publicly and negatively about its patrons?
Obviously she’s right but haven’t we seen a recent rash of terminations due to somebody talking about actual science when one of their superiors is an intolerant zealot?
Anyway, I think she’s brave for making a point, but hopefully she doesn’t mind losing her job while doing it.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Quite entertaining vid. Especially the bit when the idiot “teacher” says “I admit, that creationism has a few problems… ”
:-p
May 14th, 2008 at 11:15 am
T-Rex was a vegetarian, huh?
BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!
Sigh.
Well, at least SplendidElles represents a rational side I’ve not seen in public for far too long. Very refreshing to see critical thinking alive & well in the next generation!
May 14th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Cafeenman said:
“What is the museum going to do when they find out that one of their employees is writing publicly and negatively about its patrons?
…
Anyway, I think she’s brave for making a point, but hopefully she doesn’t mind losing her job while doing it.”
Don’t worry – she’s not an employee, she’s a volunteer.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Hey, does anyone else have that Wheatus song bouncing around in their head after reading this?
May 14th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
“What is the museum going to do when they find out that one of their employees is writing publicly and negatively about its patrons?”
Well, nothing. I asked the volunteer coordinator (I’m a volunteer, I don’t get paid) what he thought of my post. He said it was all good as long as I don’t piss off a creationist so much that they never come back again and the museum loses money.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Mariah, mind not trolling? (This might even be concern trolling, albeit done very ineptly.)
Anyways, props to Lucia for making a blog post that’s better written than anything I could type or, really, conceive of.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I realize I made fun of the creationist idea that meat eaters were vegetarians until The Fall, but afterward, I noticed in seriousness that it shoots down one of their biggest arguments… if the animals on Earth are as God supposedly made them, then doesn’t the animals’ change after The Fall reflect that they AREN’T the same? I’m not saying it proves evolution, but it disproves their big ‘God created all life as it is’ argument.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:14 am
“What is the museum going to do when they find out that one of their employees is writing publicly and negatively about its patrons?”
Well, nothing. I asked the volunteer coordinator (I’m a volunteer, I don’t get paid) what he thought of my post. He said it was all good as long as I don’t piss off a creationist so much that they never come back again and the museum loses money.
# Lucia on 14 May 2008 at 1:24 pm
Ok.
I don’t know what it takes for them to not come back but whatever it is, it might be worth it.
And from what I’ve seen all it takes is *anything* reality-based to piss off a creationist.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
[...] Elles to sign up and blog for her, which is great. She’s already proven herself to be a very capable young woman. I’m no psychic — no one is — but I see good things ahead for this new [...]
July 10th, 2008 at 9:32 am
[...] cool stuff. If you’re in the area, treat yourself to the DMNS. They do good work… and Splendid Elles is there too for a [...]