Ray Comfort's minions are handing out butchered copies of Darwin's Origin today.

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  • woot
    Resident Science Cop
    • Nov 2008
    • 5531
    #1

    Ray Comfort's minions are handing out butchered copies of Darwin's Origin today.

    It was supposed to be the 19th, but they went a day early. The book features a 50-page introduction by Mr. Banana himself, which is partially plagiarized, uses arguments discredited centuries ago, and which equates Darwin with Hitler. It also has 4 chapters removed, which Comfort must have thought too obviously debunked his nonsense.

    If you're near a college campus deemed by Comfort to be in the top 50 in America, collect them all!
    Tags: None
    • Moliere
      One man.....one pie
      • Oct 2009
      • 27843
      #2
      Originally posted by woot View Post
      It was supposed to be the 19th, but they went a day early. The book features a 50-page introduction by Mr. Banana himself, which is partially plagiarized, uses arguments discredited centuries ago, and which equates Darwin with Hitler. It also has 4 chapters removed, which Comfort must have thought too obviously debunked his nonsense.

      If you're near a college campus deemed by Comfort to be in the top 50 in America, collect them all!
      Yes, collect them all because people are stupid and can't make up their own minds. We need to save the inferior people from being led astray.
      "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

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        • JohnnyLingo
          La Naranja
          • Nov 2008
          • 3976
          #3
          Three cheers for the freedom to disseminate your ideas, no matter how wrong they may be!

            Comment

            • woot
              Resident Science Cop
              • Nov 2008
              • 5531
              #4
              Originally posted by Eddie Jones View Post
              Yes, collect them all because people are stupid and can't make up their own minds. We need to save the inferior people from being led astray.
              Well, I don't agree with you, but I respect your right to believe that. Incidentally, it seems that being stupid and not being able to make up one's own mind aren't related.

                Comment

                • Moliere
                  One man.....one pie
                  • Oct 2009
                  • 27843
                  #5
                  Originally posted by woot View Post
                  Well, I don't agree with you, but I respect your right to believe that. Incidentally, it seems that being stupid and not being able to make up one's own mind aren't related.
                  I honestly have no idea who this guy is and what he is doing at college campuses. I just found it funny that someone would try to keep him from discussing his point of view. If he's at a college campus I can only imagine he will be met with intense skepticism and if he needs to be, he will be laughed off of the campus.

                  I don't go to anti-mormon rallies and try to take all their pamphlets and books to curtail their distribution of these things. That's just silly.
                  "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

                    Comment

                    • woot
                      Resident Science Cop
                      • Nov 2008
                      • 5531
                      #6
                      Originally posted by Eddie Jones View Post
                      I honestly have no idea who this guy is and what he is doing at college campuses. I just found it funny that someone would try to keep him from discussing his point of view. If he's at a college campus I can only imagine he will be met with intense skepticism and if he needs to be, he will be laughed off of the campus.

                      I don't go to anti-mormon rallies and try to take all their pamphlets and books to curtail their distribution of these things. That's just silly.
                      The problem isn't that he's passing out pamphlets; he does that all over the world every day. The problem is that he is handing out pamphlets in the form of an "introduction" to one of the greatest scientific works of all time (carefully abridged, at that) in an attempt to fool people into thinking he's not a crackpot. Someone who doesn't know what's going on is likely to think it's some zealous biology department kids handing out free copies of Darwin's book. I'd like to hear an argument that what he's doing isn't bottom-of-the-barrel unethical.

                        Comment

                        • Moliere
                          One man.....one pie
                          • Oct 2009
                          • 27843
                          #7
                          Originally posted by Eddie Jones View Post
                          I honestly have no idea who this guy is and what he is doing at college campuses.
                          Originally posted by woot View Post
                          The problem isn't that he's passing out pamphlets; he does that all over the world every day. The problem is that he is handing out pamphlets in the form of an "introduction" to one of the greatest scientific works of all time (carefully abridged, at that) in an attempt to fool people into thinking he's not a crackpot. Someone who doesn't know what's going on is likely to think it's some zealous biology department kids handing out free copies of Darwin's book. I'd like to hear an argument that what he's doing isn't bottom-of-the-barrel unethical.
                          If he truly took a piece of Darwin's work and abridged it, then it should say "ABRIDGED" on the cover with a fuller explanation on why it was abridged and who abridged it. I'm no lawyer but every abridged book I've ever seen has that in it.

                          As for him influencing people that don't know what is goin on I have to ask: Has all skepticism been lost in the world today? If someone is passing out free stuff they obviously have an agenda and if college students don't know this then they are ignorant.
                          "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

                            Comment

                            • woot
                              Resident Science Cop
                              • Nov 2008
                              • 5531
                              #8
                              Originally posted by Eddie Jones View Post
                              If he truly took a piece of Darwin's work and abridged it, then it should say "ABRIDGED" on the cover with a fuller explanation on why it was abridged and who abridged it. I'm no lawyer but every abridged book I've ever seen has that in it.

                              As for him influencing people that don't know what is goin on I have to ask: Has all skepticism been lost in the world today? If someone is passing out free stuff they obviously have an agenda and if college students don't know this then they are ignorant.
                              There is no mention that I can see anywhere on or in the book. The cover says it is the "150th Anniversary Edition" with a "Special Introduction by Ray Comfort", but that's it. The back cover claims that the book is a "higher-education edition... for use in schools, colleges, and prestigious learning institutions." Of course it would actually be illegal for the contents of the introduction to be taught in public school science classes in America (not that offenders are disciplined very often). There's a reason why creationists are so often termed "liars for jesus". This is but the latest example.

                                Comment

                                • Moliere
                                  One man.....one pie
                                  • Oct 2009
                                  • 27843
                                  #9
                                  Originally posted by woot View Post
                                  There is no mention that I can see anywhere on or in the book. The cover says it is the "150th Anniversary Edition" with a "Special Introduction by Ray Comfort", but that's it. The back cover claims that the book is a "higher-education edition... for use in schools, colleges, and prestigious learning institutions." Of course it would actually be illegal for the contents of the introduction to be taught in public school science classes in America (not that offenders are disciplined very often). There's a reason why creationists are so often termed "liars for jesus". This is but the latest example.
                                  Then it is unethical and probably against the law. I'm not a lawyer but it sure seems like a lawless thing to do. Isn't it against copyright laws to do that? Maybe because it's been out for so long copyright doesn't pertain to it.

                                  Still, college age students should be smart enough to know that anyone passing out crap for free has an agenda.
                                  "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

                                    Comment

                                    • woot
                                      Resident Science Cop
                                      • Nov 2008
                                      • 5531
                                      #10
                                      Originally posted by Eddie Jones View Post
                                      Then it is unethical and probably against the law. I'm not a lawyer but it sure seems like a lawless thing to do. Isn't it against copyright laws to do that? Maybe because it's been out for so long copyright doesn't pertain to it.

                                      Still, college age students should be smart enough to know that anyone passing out crap for free has an agenda.
                                      Yeah Origin's copyright has lapsed. I think it'd be illegal anyway if they were selling it, particularly given the plagiarized sections in the introduction, but since they're giving it away it seems they can shit on Darwin's grave all they want. It's quite sad.

                                        Comment

                                        • tooblue
                                          Senior Member
                                          • Nov 2008
                                          • 5113
                                          #11
                                          Originally posted by woot View Post
                                          Yeah Origin's copyright has lapsed. I think it'd be illegal anyway if they were selling it, particularly given the plagiarized sections in the introduction, but since they're giving it away it seems they can shit on Darwin's grave all they want. It's quite sad.
                                          My favorite quote from Darwin seems as relevant today as when he wrote it:

                                          As my conclusions have lately been much misrepresented, and it has been stated that I attribute the modification of species exclusively to natural selection, I may be permitted to remark that in the first edition of this work, and subsequently, I placed in a most conspicuous position ... the following words: 'I am convinced that natural selection has been the main, but not the exclusive means of modification.' This has been to no avail. Great is the power of steady misinterpretation.

                                            Comment

                                            • woot
                                              Resident Science Cop
                                              • Nov 2008
                                              • 5531
                                              #12
                                              Originally posted by tooblue View Post
                                              My favorite quote from Darwin seems as relevant today as when he wrote it:
                                              It may help for you to know that natural selection is only a part of the modern evolutionary synthesis. You may have heard of genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation as well. These are the four known methods by which evolution happens. Darwin was right about a lot of things.

                                                Comment

                                                • tooblue
                                                  Senior Member
                                                  • Nov 2008
                                                  • 5113
                                                  #13
                                                  Originally posted by woot View Post
                                                  It may help for you to know that natural selection is only a part of the modern evolutionary synthesis. You may have heard of genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation as well. These are the four known methods by which evolution happens. Darwin was right about a lot of things.
                                                  lol ... never mind.

                                                    Comment

                                                    • SoCalCoug
                                                      Ragnar Lodbrok Descendant
                                                      • Nov 2008
                                                      • 5214
                                                      #14
                                                      Originally posted by woot View Post
                                                      It was supposed to be the 19th, but they went a day early. The book features a 50-page introduction by Mr. Banana himself,
                                                      Don't we have a separate banana thread here?
                                                      If we disagree on something, it's because you're wrong.

                                                      "Somebody needs to kill my trial attorney." — Last words of George Harris, executed in Missouri on Sept. 13, 2000.

                                                      "Nothing is too good to be true, nothing is too good to last, nothing is too wonderful to happen." - Florence Scoville Shinn

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