Bill Nye is Right

I can’t profess to write about worldview on a regular basis and not mention the debate which just garnered so much media attention and will likely be discussed for some time to come.

Since we were out of the house during the live event, I declared this morning’s studies focus on the event [which you can view for yourself on debatelive.org]. If you are not up to watching for two and a half hours, Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, offers a good report from his seat on the front row.

Contrary to what I saw last night on social media, we did not find the exchange boring. But, then again, you are talking to someone who frequently drags her children to worldview and origins seminars “for fun.” My children actually found parts interesting and declared it “not the worst thing you made us watch!”

But we were all disappointed. We are disappointed that Ken Ham did not pounce on the argument from the Laws of Thermodynamics when the topic was handed to him (it should have been his strongest case in the debate and this was the only point that really excited Gian), nor that he didn’t point out the logical fallacy on race/intelligence/human origins. Bill Nye cannot simultaneously assert that all races/ethnicities are equal AND man is as intelligent now as he was in ancient times (not more, not less) AND that man descended from ape to ape-man to primeval man. You can’t have it all and not sound like a real jerk, but Ken Ham either didn’t want to press it or was too tired by that point to realize his opening (it was a long time to concentrate on so many topics!).

Bill Nye made a mistake, in my opinion, by pretending to not know what is within the pages of the Bible. In the beginning he appeared to be feigning complete ignorance, but by the end it turned to stubbornness. One cannot be intellectually curious as he encourages young people to do while refusing to explore another viewpoint or possibility. He contradicts himself there.

Bill Nye thanked Ken Ham for his opening presentation on origins and creation by saying, “I really learned something.” I wish I could have said the same to Dr. Nye. While Gian and Adana and I were on the edges of our seats, watching the two and a half hours just to hear an evolutionist explain why one should believe in a chaos theory of origins, we turned off the TV sad that we learned absolutely nothing about that worldview. Dr. Nye did not answer our questions about beginnings, intelligence, creativity, or man’s purpose. Rather than inciting curiosity in regards to an evolutionary model, I was struck with pity for anyone who felt reduced to such an obviously flawed belief system.

But Bill Nye is right about the most profound issue at stake. As he stammered around the prospect of intelligence, ultimate origins, a higher power, an afterlife, and the final result of rejecting such a truth, he could only respond …

“I find this troubling.”

And so we pray Bill Nye will continue to be troubled, and all the humanist scientists with him.