to be a little perturbed to have discovered that my next door neighbour is a Creationist?

[Greensleeves]

DH overheard our next door neighbour having a row with his wife in the back garden yesterday. He was insisting - belligerently - that the Earth is 6000 years old, Stephen Hawking was an idiot and the moon landing was faked. His wife was cackling and saying things like "but it's basic GCSE physics!".

For the avoidance of dripfeed: he's a dour, ill-mannered git who bellows at his kids all weekend and lets his dog shit on our drive.

I'm sorry mogon, but WTAF

I would have thought the fact that his dog shits on your drive and he shouts at his kids is s bigger problem than his beliefs around creation which don't affect you at all.

I've obviously not RTFT and it's moved on!

When we were reading a book about space etc when DD was about 4, she asked sensible questions about what was before the Big Bang (we discussed that maybe 'before' didn't mean anything if that's when time began, something like that) and what was outside of space (similar sort of discussion).
And that those were good questions, and that science is about asking questions and it's ok if we don't know everything yet.

If mogon's DCs learn anything at all about black holes, they'll realise Ratty was both scientifically and theologically ignorant, I'm afraid.

Fancy explaining why an all-loving, omnipotent god chose to expend some energy on creating the Ebola virus?

He didn’t.

“Creationists believe that Satan put fossils etc here to test our faith. They don't buy it.”
That’s what some creationists believe.
Some others believe that we are interpreting the science wrong, and the actual evidence supports YEC.

*“interpreting the evidence wrong, so the actual science supports YEC”

He didn’t.

Ok, so where did the Ebola virus (parasitic wasps etc) come from?

(At this point, can I recommend again Eric Idle's 'All Things Dull and Ugly', especially to those with kids being prettily indoctrinated with 'All Things Bright And Beautiful' and 'Who Put the Colours in the Rainbow?' )

The evidence for creationism is on a par with the evidence for a flat earth.

www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/faith-in-life/defending-the-faith/the-case-for-a-creator

Lots of things point to a creator, silly and naive to dismiss it all.

I think when it comes to young earth creationists, the old maxim applies....Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

But I keep forgetting this and get drawn into arguments with these morons.

It's pointless. Logic, reason and facts can never beat fairy tales and make believe. Because you can come up with all the actual evidence you want, only for some loony to say " god put that false evidence there to test our faith". And that's really a knockout blow, and cannot be disproven. You cannot win any argument against that mind set.

That link to why there is a creatir is full of the same nonsense and fallacies theyve been trying to claim that are just crap.

The whole universe and earth being finetuned to us was dismissed by douglas adams

'This is rather as if you imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.'

@dreamyspires I don’t think you’re supposed to provide a link to that- you’re supposed to C&P the bits you want to fit the occasion........

when a star dies it either becomes a neutron star or a black hole

@mogonfoxnight you do know that's incorrect, right? I mean, some massive stars turn into neutron stars, but not all of them by a long stretch! No offense, but I'll pass on your book recommendations

@dreamyspires

At the top of the page on your (biased) link, it's asking for donations. Shocker 😂

I am teaching them to respect I am teaching them to respect other people's faith and belief systems.

Please don't do that. Teach them to be tolerant of other people's faith and belief systems. But don't teach them that they have to have respect for stuff they think is nonsense.

Young Earth creationists do not warrant respect. They deserve tolerance. They shouldn't be beaten up for their daft opinions, nor prohibited from voicing them. But they should be mocked and generally laughed at.

If people don't want to be ridiculed, then they shouldn't believe ridiculous stuff.

Mogon - whew, delighted I misread your tone and took you too seriously!
We're a bit past that stage, DD took her interest in physics in a more practical direction and is halfway through an engineering degree.

Dreamsyspires link makes a change from Answers in Genesis, I suppose...

It can be either, actually... but don't worry; it's a common misconception to believe one or the other is wrong

And ffs, put down your handbag - my reply was obviously light-hearted!

Haha, to be fair that's me most days, especially at this time on a working day

Lots of things point to a creator, silly and naive to dismiss it all.

Nothing, literally nothing, pints to a creator. The so called evidence is silly and naive. I followed the link given and the evidence it lists is laughable.

Ah, but @araiwa
so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.'

But he doesn't disappear, he evaporates. So changing from one to another. Then of course it rains and he forms another puddle. I think I've talked my self into reincarnation there.
However, my first point still stands.