So Who Are The Crackpots?

Creationists are often called crackpots, nuts, and wackos. A usual theme in the insults is that we're “science haters” or believers in “pseudoscience.” I've commented before that many evolutionists are completely unable to carry on a rational discussion without resorting to insults but my usual response is to ignore them. If I bothered to respond to every insult directed at creationists, it would consume my entire blog. And I think a blog that posts nothing but answers to insults would be about as interesting as listening to a 9 year old saying, “Nuh uh!” Having said that, though, I came across an article that casts a new light on these types of insults.

While doing my usual research (I like to call surfing the net, “research”), I came across a survey from 2008 that discussed public attitudes toward UFOs. It included some interesting demographics about the respondents. It seems only 38% of evangelical protestants say it is either "very likely" or "somewhat likely" that intelligent life exists on other planets. However, 66% of the people with no religious preference said the same thing. Given that information and the obvious attitudes of each group toward the Bible, one could reasonably conclude that the more likely someone is to believe the Bible, the less likely he is to believe in UFOs. Furthermore, less religious (or non-religious) people are almost certainly evolutionists so, by connecting the dots, I think it's safe to say that people who believe in UFOs are probably evolutionists.

Do you think I'm generalizing? Perhaps I am a little – but only a little. Evolutionists have a real stake in the existence of extra terrestrials. If abiogenesis occurs naturally, and if the earth is not unique in the universe, then it's almost a statistical certainty that life has sprouted up many different times throughout the vast universe. The late Carl Sagan made this very point and the group SETI has spent millions of dollars listening for alien radio signals which evolutionists are sure must be out there.

There are also shows like the History Channel's, Ancient Aliens. These shows interview “scholars” and “scientists” who engage in their own brand of pseudoscience and claim that ancient cultures had frequent contact with extraterrestrials. These same “experts” often attribute miraculous events described in the Bible to encounters with aliens. For example, they claim Elijah's ascent into heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11) is actually his being taken away in a space ship. Now, I haven't heard any of these people state their position on Biblical creation but I doubt they hold to the same “ordinary meaning” of the Bible that most creationists have. It's more likely that they're evolutionists.

Still another evolutionists who notably believed in aliens is the late Dr. Francis Crick. This Nobel prize laureate and co-discoverer of DNA understood that abiogenesis is so absurdly improbable that it couldn't have happened multiple times. He proposed the theory of “directed panspermia” which claims that life began somewhere else in the universe and was intentionally planted here by aliens.

The same tendency for UFO nuts to be evolutionists exhibits itself in other kook-theories as well. Cryptozoology is an obscure “scientific” discipline which aims to “study” elusive species like Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster. It escapes me, though, how anyone can “study” a species that can't be found. Why not study Leprechauns? Anyway, cryptozoology also has a firm foundation in evolution. Laypeople have suggested that Big Foot is a missing link. The more “official” position (I chuckle when using words like “scientific,” “study,” or “official position” when discussing Big Foot) is that Big Foot is another large primate and so is an evolutionary cousin to humans, similar to the way gorillas are. The Loch Ness Monster is claimed by some to be a plesieosaur-like species that became trapped in the Loch when it was cut off from the sea. A small population of the critters has survived unchanged in its little niche for 65 million years.

Now, I realize my observations are anecdotal and not a scientific samplings of evolutionists' attitudes. Nevertheless, I'm reasonably confident in my opinion. If I were a betting man, I would be willing to wager that a lopsided majority of UFO-ists are evolutionists as are believers in Big Foot/Nessie. I would even say the same of believers in ghosts. And don't forget that we're certain that the president of the Flat Earth Society also happens to be an evolutionist. Do you see a pattern here?

Please note carefully that I've been careful to not say the majority of evolutionists believe in Big Foot or UFOs. Instead, I'm voicing my opinion that the majority of people who believe in these crackpot theories are evolutionists. Do you see the difference? So you may be wondering where I'm going with this. Am I making a guilt-by-association argument? No. Am I making a sweeping generalization to imply that the few evolutionists who believe in UFOs represent all evolutionists? No. More than anything I guess I'm taking enjoyment in linking fancy unto fancy. I think it's just funny and ironic that the most outrageous beliefs are held by the people who accuse creationists of being scientifically illiterate. Who's the crackpot now?

Kidding aside for a moment, I think there are a few things we can take away from this: First, I think it's clear that “junk science” does not appeal to creationists. If it did, the ranks of UFO and Big Foot enthusiasts would be flush with creationists.

Second, no group is represented by its extremists. Unless evolutionists want to associate themselves with Big Foot hunters, they need to stop holding up people like the convicted Kent Hovind as an icon of creationists. At least most creationists are honest enough to denounce the bad behavior or weak arguments of its members. People like Sagan are mainstream evolutionists and their cohorts seem reluctant to speak a word against them.

Finally, we should acknowledge that beliefs have consequences. I've seen the photos and videos of UFOs. Is that really the best evidence for the existence of aliens? Why then do so many people believe in life on other planets? I say it's merely a consequence of believing in evolution because the theory virtually demands there must be. I've written before that a worldview that rejects God and the Bible is not rational. A person who rejects the Bible is foolish; it's no wonder then that he should embrace foolish beliefs.