Realigion
A work colleague of mine went to a non-denominational church meeting held in a suburban warehouse. He went to hear Ken Ham speak on dinosaurs. He came away frightened.
What is so scary about 400 people held spellbound and muttering "hallelujah" as an eloquent speaker explains the intricacies of creation-science? What is so frightening about a man telling others about his personal viewpoint? The audience won't just mindlessly accept lies or erroneous logic, will they?
It is quite self evident that dinosaurs didn't live millions of years ago, but cohabited earth with humans in the last 6-7 thousand years. Secular scientists' own findings provide proof of this conclusion:
1. Paleontologists have discovered evidence of dinosaur diseases in the fossil record.
2. There were no diseases before the "fall of man" in the Garden of Eden, about 6-7 thousand years ago. (If you deny this point, you deny the bible and call God a liar.)
3. Therefore, dinosaurs must have lived on earth after the "fall".
As proofs go, this is absolutely indisputable. Any talk you hear about evolution is just brainwashing by a secular education system.
English is a funny language. It has a lot of irregular verbs. Here are some conjugations to show correct usage.
I have opinions.
You have biases.
He/she has prejudices.
I educate.
You influence.
He/she brainwashes.
I am a free-thinker.
You are eccentric.
He/she is deluded.
One more new word for the change-one-letter dictionary:
realigion: a set of strongly-held beliefs based on observable phenomena.
Where was I? Oh yeah, that's right. I was poking at Ken Ham and his fresh, new, young and invigorating earth. My response to my colleague was simple. Don't be scared. Fanaticism and fundamentalism have been around for a long time. On a historic time scale fundamentalists are not growing in power and numbers. They are gradually dying out.
Don't think of creation-science as a threat to human advancement; think of it as an urban fantasy story being played out in a live theatre for your benefit. See how the hero, Ken, is just one frail human who pits his whole life against the forces of darkness controlling the world. See how he struggles to encourage the few remaining faithful troops to stay true and strong in the face of insurmountable odds. This is an epic fantasy of Tolkien proportions all played out for you, complete with audience involvement. We should positively encourage fanaticism because of the rich tapestry of story it adds to our mundane lives.
My advice sounded reasonable until he said "Remember Wako".