…and this is a 
Get ready for Comfort
Category: Creationism
Posted on: August 5, 2008 10:45 AM, by PZ Myers
The ever-hilarious Ray Comfort will be on radio station WDAY shortly, at 10am Central — tune in and leave your rebuttals, humorous sneers, brutal put-downs, and random comments here. I'll be on the same station, same time tomorrow.
Question: Explain what intelligent design is?
Answer: Everything is intelligently designed, it didn't happen by accident. Explosions don't produce order, they produce chaos. When he became a Christian, he claims he couldn't find evidence to back up evolution. No species-to-species transitions in the fossil record.
He actually says this: Dogs do not have chickens. Chickens don't lay eggs with puppies in them. This is apparently evidence against evolution.
Karen calls in with the Galileo issue: equates Comfort to an inquisitor. Comfort uses this to disavow Catholicism, and says "don't blame Christians" for the Catholics. Weird.
Alex calls to ask what motivation scientists have for promoting evolution. Two answers: Morality. It lets them lust and sin at will. Money. You can get rich for just finding a bone.
Caller whose name I missed: animals have morality, and since there is no evidence for ID it shouldn't be taught, but could be debated.
Answer: Dogs feel guilt. Claims there is proof for ID, which is, for every creation, there must be a creator. Paintings have a painter, etc.
Evolutionists claim there was nothing that created something, which is scientifically ludicrous.
John rambles on about how most people believe in god, so he doesn't understand why there is a debate. No answer.
Another caller (Poe?) suggests that maybe astrology should be taught in astronomy, Atlantis in geology. Comfort replies by claiming that evolutionists are advocating censorship. Announcer brings up Expelled — complains that there was no evidence presented in the movie. Comfort claims that just showing the complexities of the cell is proof. The fact that people don't fall off the earth is evidence for intelligent design?
Jason brings up the uncaused cause argument: if you've got one (god), why can't there be more than one? Usual avoidance: god is eternal. Bleh. Agrees that other people invent gods, but his god is real.
Derek argues that the fairy-tale perfection of christian religious belief is unbelievable. Morality comes from events on earth.
Announcer asks about the banana argument. Comfort disavows it, claims that it was evolutionists taking it out of context to make him look bad.
A caller asks about Satan…we get biblical babble in reply.
Announcer is skeptical about both sides. Comfort uses this as an excuse to trot out his tired "everyone is a sinner" argument and that you need to read the ten commandments. He's just preaching at this point.
Cal calls in to promote Answers in Genesis. Phbbththbht. YEC idiot.
Carol is a paleontology student. She points out that they do not do it for the money, and that it's because they love the work.
Sign out at 10:40am.
That was truly awful. Comfort is a real ignoramus. However, I can see now why they decided not to do a debate: they really gave a lot of air time to callers, which is good, I think. If I'd been on at the same time, they wouldn't have been heard over my snarling and bone-cracking and horrible slurping noises, and Comfort's screams.
Ray flat out lied when he claimed that atheists misrepresented his banana argument by removing it from the context of his coke can analogy. Not true. Here's the whole thing, both the coke can and the banana story, and it doesn't help him: both parts are incredibly stupid.
Comments
Posted by: Alex | August 5, 2008 10:47 AM
A friendly reminder to turn all irony meters and bullshit detectors to the lowest sensitivity, lest they be vaporized.
Posted by: Dylan | August 5, 2008 10:48 AM
Let the pwnage by proxy begin!
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 10:48 AM
The two hosts are already mangling things. Ray will be on in 15 mins.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 10:50 AM
Although one host thought that Expelled failed.
Posted by: Bender | August 5, 2008 10:54 AM
Firefox keeps unexpectedly shutting down on me everytime I open the station, do I need to install IE?
Posted by: Ghost of Minnesota | August 5, 2008 10:54 AM
Do we know yet if it's going to be archived? I can't listen this morning and I won't be able tomorrow either, but I don't want to miss this.
Posted by: Patricia | August 5, 2008 10:54 AM
Arrrrggh! I can't get the thing to work. *pout, again*
Posted by: PZ Myers | August 5, 2008 10:57 AM
Yes, they said it would be archived and available about an hour after the show ends.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 5, 2008 10:57 AM
Gah, their stupid flash player doesn't work. D:
Posted by: PZ Myers | August 5, 2008 10:59 AM
It works on Safari. When you get the pop-up window, you have to click on "Listen live:" to actually get the playback.
Posted by: Brian | August 5, 2008 11:01 AM
They've already mentioned that "Atheisit's nightmare" the bannana...this is not a good sign.
Brian
Posted by: Benjamin Franklin | August 5, 2008 11:01 AM
Something must be wrong with my intertubes.
Posted by: Alex | August 5, 2008 11:02 AM
Sounds like these guys are going to be anything but easy on him.
Posted by: EM | August 5, 2008 11:02 AM
Feel free to posts questions for Mr. Comfort, we are watching this thread and will try to get any questions asked here on air.
EM
Producer, Ben and Jim in the Morning
Posted by: Dylan | August 5, 2008 11:04 AM
Whoa. You guys are like ninjas!
But ask Comfort why he is STILL using the banana argument. It's been debunked a thousand times by showing that the fruit has been domesticated over thousands of years.
Posted by: Gustaf Sjöblom | August 5, 2008 11:05 AM
I thought this would be a debate with you both on at the same time. Without that kind of interaction its rather easy for a kook like Comfort to sound close to reasonable to an uninformed listener. I'm a bit disappointed.
Posted by: BG | August 5, 2008 11:05 AM
Does not work for me either, IE or FF.
Posted by: mandydax | August 5, 2008 11:05 AM
Oh, good, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. This should help. Mmm, Ray Comfortable. He should be a plushie. Yeah, I should sleep. :(
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:07 AM
Working in FF3 but it took a few attempts.
Posted by: EH | August 5, 2008 11:07 AM
Stream initially did not work for me on Firefox but after clicking "Listen Live" in the pop-up window, it now works fine.
Posted by: Frank Lovell | August 5, 2008 11:10 AM
Works fine for me, using Firefox 3.0.1 -- loud and clear!
Posted by: Flippin | August 5, 2008 11:11 AM
"Tell us what Intel. Design is?" This should be awesome. (My hometown, too.)
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:11 AM
No official "quote"
Right Ray! No theory of ID
Holy shit Ray got somethign right to start off.
And then fails miserably.
Posted by: Benjamin Franklin | August 5, 2008 11:11 AM
I NO CAN HAZ RAY ON RADEO
Posted by: ennui | August 5, 2008 11:11 AM
Lightning striking a mud puddle straw man... again.
Posted by: EH | August 5, 2008 11:12 AM
Ad populum already? 87% of Americans believe...
Posted by: Tristanm | August 5, 2008 11:12 AM
..an explosion made a mud puddle that made life? Within the first two seconds I listened to it too...
Posted by: BobC | August 5, 2008 11:12 AM
"Evolution is a fairy tale for grownups."
-- Ray Comfort
Posted by: Jason | August 5, 2008 11:12 AM
EM:
Ask Ray why he continues to post cartoons to his blog that show a fundamental misunderstanding of transitional forms, despite the fact that it's been explained to him dozens of times, by me and others.
Posted by: BlueIndependent | August 5, 2008 11:12 AM
"Get ready for Comfort"
So why does that make me so uncomfortable?...
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:13 AM
Boy Ray sure isn't helping ID stay non religious.
Posted by: Penny | August 5, 2008 11:13 AM
EM - here's a question for Ray:
If we humans were intelligently designed, why are there some basic mistakes. One example is the fact that we both breathe and drink through one tube (our throat), with the result that sometimes people choke to death when food gets into the windpipe. If God is so great, how come there are such simple design faults?
Posted by: Nick | August 5, 2008 11:13 AM
If I could ask a question of Ray, I'd like to see if he was aware of Dr. Richard Lenski's long-term E. Coli experiment and if he had an opinion on it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_experiment
To make a long story short, it's a recent example of evolution being observed in a laboratory, where a beneficial mutation ocurred in a strain of E. Coli bacteria.
Posted by: Claudia | August 5, 2008 11:13 AM
His explanation for ID is just what he thinks...he didn't give any evidence for WHY he believes in intelligent design. Just that he reckons someone created everything.
omg...Dogs don't have kittens...
Well, I'm convinced!
Posted by: Patrick | August 5, 2008 11:14 AM
"Chicken eggs don't hatch puppies."
Jesus F'n Christ!
Posted by: Paul Schofield | August 5, 2008 11:15 AM
... he refuses to concede that dogs can't see colours...
Posted by: rayremonao | August 5, 2008 11:15 AM
well he has already mixed up the big bang with evolution.
Next, grouch, grouch, grouch science is not unchanging.
He is dumb.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:15 AM
EM ask Ray about the Crockoduck.
Posted by: Luke O'Dell | August 5, 2008 11:15 AM
Ray - Aren't ring species clear observable proof of one species transitioning gradually into another?
Posted by: Stuart Ritchie | August 5, 2008 11:15 AM
So dogs aren't colour-blind?!?!
Evolution is wrong because horses don't set up law courts??!?!
Ray Comfort, you are utterly insane.
Posted by: ennui | August 5, 2008 11:15 AM
Dogs do not have kittens. Brilliant!
What is the evidence for ID? What evidence would you accept that would disprove your ID hypothesis? Or are you just going to bash evolution with bad arguments? What makes ID science?
Posted by: Flippin | August 5, 2008 11:15 AM
Way to go Karen!
Posted by: BobC | August 5, 2008 11:16 AM
"I don't think we're animals."
Question for Comfort: Are we plants?
Posted by: Claudia | August 5, 2008 11:17 AM
Galileo wasn't tortured - he was only imprisoned! Get over it, bi-yotches! lmao
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:17 AM
Teach the Controversy... blah blah
Ray is hitting some ID points and undercutting others.
Love it.
Posted by: Donovan | August 5, 2008 11:17 AM
So far the hosts seem to be doing good at pushing Comfort back toward rational debate. I'm not certain Comfort enjoys that, but he's definately ignoring it.
Posted by: Geoff | August 5, 2008 11:17 AM
This is already going to shit...the change in format was a huge mistake. The host is utterly incapable of challenging Comfort's points. Ray is presenting a strawman view of evolution.
But the host is a bigger twit than Ray: In trying to play the devil's advocate against Comfort, the host makes the argument that if dogs can't see colors, maybe humans can't fully understand evolution, since we all have limits, which could be why humans can't find the "gaps" in evolutionary theory.
PZ, get on the flippin' phone!
Posted by: minimalist | August 5, 2008 11:18 AM
Somebody needs to ask Comfort why he even expects to see transitional forms in the fossil record, if he thinks that evolution proceeds by "dogs giving birth to chickens"?
Is it too much to ask that creationists even try to be consistent about their own batcrap-crazy views?
Posted by: HumanisticJones | August 5, 2008 11:18 AM
"That was Catholics doing all of that! Don't blame that on Christians!"
WTF mates? I thought that Catholics WERE Christian.
Posted by: Paul Schofield | August 5, 2008 11:18 AM
Straight up anti-Catholicism (refusing to acknowledge they are Christians) to avoid actually answering a question.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:18 AM
He said fornicate. Drink!
Posted by: Alex | August 5, 2008 11:19 AM
Can you follow up on my question about scientists lying?
In Christianity, don't you get FORGIVEN for lusting, murdering, etc.? Isn't that a better cop out of morality than evolution?!
Posted by: Ryan F Stello | August 5, 2008 11:19 AM
For EM,
Continuing with the design issues: why do humans have tailbones?
Posted by: Dave Godfrey | August 5, 2008 11:19 AM
Nice one Alex.
Palaeontology is one of the worst funded areas of science.
Posted by: Patricia | August 5, 2008 11:19 AM
From your comments this must be a scream. ;)
Posted by: Physicalist | August 5, 2008 11:20 AM
RC: Scientists only believe in evolution b/c (1) it lets us fornicate w/o fear of retribution, (2) it leads to fame and fortune.
Me: What an idiot!
Posted by: mandydax | August 5, 2008 11:20 AM
Wow, okay, not gonna help me sleep, between my laughing at him, his arguments(?) that make me go WTF?! (chickens laying puppy-eggs?! WTF?!), and his suggestion that taking a rapist/murderer to court is part of our "moral compass." Does he not see the irony there?
Also, I thought he was a cdesign proponentist, not a creationist. It really makes me wonder what the difference is. e_e;; Bleh, clicking close tab now...
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:20 AM
Here comes the watchmaker argument
Posted by: BobC | August 5, 2008 11:21 AM
Now I wish PZ was debating today. I had no idea Comfort was this stupid.
Posted by: Matt | August 5, 2008 11:21 AM
"Dogs do not have chickens. Chickens don't lay eggs with puppies in them. This is apparently evidence against evolution."
LOL. Virgins don't give birth to baby gods. Is that evidence against Christianity?
Posted by: HumanisticJones | August 5, 2008 11:21 AM
Painting->painter, building->builder, creation->creator... bull->shit
Posted by: Ouchimoo | August 5, 2008 11:21 AM
Listening to it now, This is hilarious! It wouldn't be if he was just gonna go on and on and never be refuted. . Can't wait for tomorrow's stream either.
Yes btw love the (Catholics went off and killed people in the crusades and the inquisition but humans are moral because they set up court systems. . . )
EEr
Posted by: Prazzie | August 5, 2008 11:21 AM
This is painful. I tuned in around the time he was saying that humans are superior to animals, because cats, dogs and horses don't have courts. Did I hear that correctly? Yeah, "animals don't have morals"...But "dogs do have a sense of guilt"! Yay! But they don't set up court systems. Aww :(
Painting! Painter! Brain droppings! Building! Builder!
"Could you make me a cow?"
I think I should quit now.
Posted by: Donovan | August 5, 2008 11:21 AM
Ooops, spoke too soon. There is NO debate between creationists and scientists. There is science and ignorance.
Posted by: cactusren | August 5, 2008 11:21 AM
Right...as a paleontologist, I've just got all kinds of cash rolling in over this new dinosaur I'm describing...
Posted by: Paul Burnett | August 5, 2008 11:21 AM
Question for Ben and Jim to ask Ray:
"Can you explain where the term "cdesign proponentsists" came from, and why?"
It's from the Dover 2005 trial - it's a "transitional form" that happened when the publisher of a creationist "biology" "textbook" incompetently performed a block "find-and-replace," substituting "design proponent" for "creationist" withouthout changing anything else - in an attempt to bypass a US Supreme Court ruling against "creation science" by renaming it "intelligent design." See (for instance) http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/2005/11/missing_link_cd.html
Posted by: Stuart Ritchie | August 5, 2008 11:22 AM
WHAAAT THE FUUUUUCK!
'Can you make a cow from nothing'.
Is Ray Comfort the stupidest man in America? I think so.
Posted by: Stephen Wells | August 5, 2008 11:22 AM
Why do creationists keep pointing out that miracles don't happen, then claim that this is evidence against evolution? Other way round, surely?
Posted by: Claudia | August 5, 2008 11:22 AM
EM - Ask Comfort who designed the DESIGNER?!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | August 5, 2008 11:22 AM
Oh my god, this is infuriating.
Posted by: Glen Davidson | August 5, 2008 11:22 AM
One did lay an egg with a lizard in it, though.
Once again Raytard (apologies to Talkorigins' Raytard) is telling us that matters don't deviate from evolutionary expectations, and faulting evolution for it.
Any objections to actual evolutionary theory, Raytard?
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
Posted by: Brian | August 5, 2008 11:22 AM
I like how when asked about the persecution of Galileo, he said don't blame that on the Christians, blame that on the Catholic Church.
So Catholics aren't Christains?
Also while the research is nasceant, his assertion that nonhuman animals don't have morals is suspect. Some naturalists observe animals shunning or attacking animals that break certain rules, steal food and so on.
Posted by: AJ Milne | August 5, 2008 11:23 AM
A friendly reminder to turn all irony meters and bullshit detectors to the lowest sensitivity, lest they be vaporized.
Try our new line of Comfort-standard(TM) industrial grade irony meters. 2-ga. internal wiring, 3x10^6:1 step-down transformers, military-grade ICs, massive dual-blade fast-trip circuit breakers and Safe-Shatter(TM) non-shrapnel-producing casings. Each unit is hand-assembled and burned in on a steady diet of AM radio and Bush administration 'We're turning the corner... really now, honest' press releases. Autoranging, and rated to 30 TeraHaggarts. Don't browse the web without one!
Posted by: Patrick | August 5, 2008 11:23 AM
"We can't make cheese or butter."
What?
Posted by: WordsUp | August 5, 2008 11:23 AM
Ray: lets teach the controversy..
The Supreme Court: Um, that violates the constitution...
Why doesn't anyone mention that!!!
these arguments are stupid
Posted by: Physicalist | August 5, 2008 11:23 AM
RC: "You can't have a creation w/o a creator. . . . Evolutionists say that nothing created something."
Posted by: Claudia | August 5, 2008 11:23 AM
EM - Ask Comfort who designed the DESIGNER?!!!
Posted by: Dave Godfrey | August 5, 2008 11:23 AM
We can't make cheese? Bzuh? Oh more watchmakers...
Posted by: GirBoBytons | August 5, 2008 11:23 AM
I haven't started listening yet but I will soon. I just had to say I think it's hillarious he didn't want to do an actual debate with you...afraid you might destroy him? Thats what I am going with. What a wimp but I suppose if I had to debate PZ about religion like this and I was on the other end I would be scared too. (On the fact that there isn't a whole lot of evidence for me to come at him with) I pity dah foo.
Posted by: BobC | August 5, 2008 11:23 AM
The callers are almost as dumb as Comfort.
Posted by: Brian | August 5, 2008 11:24 AM
I like how when asked about the persecution of Galileo, he said don't blame that on the Christians, blame that on the Catholic Church.
So Catholics aren't Christains?
Also while the research is nasceant, his assertion that nonhuman animals don't have morals is suspect. Some naturalists observe animals shunning or attacking animals that break certain rules, steal food and so on.
Posted by: Frank Lovell | August 5, 2008 11:24 AM
Some "scientific" creationists employ straw man arguments; some argue using red herring arguments. Ray comfort employs more complex (and intelligently designed) argumentation: straw man red herrings -- compound fallacies to confound his adoring public -- and unfortunately, millions of the public will find his fallacious straw man red herrings persuasive against evolution and for "God did it."
Tomorrow PZ can hopefully untangle Comfort's pretzel (il)logic -- but alas, SO many fallacies, SO little air time...
Posted by: Andrew T. | August 5, 2008 11:24 AM
Ow. My brain hurts.
I'm pretty impressed with Ben & Jim; these guys are eighty bazillion light-years ahead of anyone else I've ever heard on Christian broadcast radio in terms of cutting off Ray's Gish Gallop.
Posted by: Penny | August 5, 2008 11:24 AM
"We can't make milk..."
Actually, about half of the world's human population CAN make milk, under the right circumstances...
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:25 AM
NICE Astrology and Astronomy.
Good caller!
Posted by: amon | August 5, 2008 11:25 AM
wow - just wow
I had hoped to hear PZ put down the IDiocy, I hadn't expected Comfort to do such a spectacularly good job of making it sound laughable himself !
Posted by: Barklikeadog | August 5, 2008 11:25 AM
PZ, make a cow from nothing! This is really too fucking stoopid for words. My stomach is turning with the stupidity. Why is the moon so perfect? Huh? answer that one smarty. Go ahead try. Atlantis, flat earth. teach it in geography. Antonio I call Poe!
Posted by: jj | August 5, 2008 11:26 AM
Ha! Commenter:
Teach biology and ID
Atlantis and Flat world in geography
astrology along with astronomy
Nutz'o
Posted by: Luke O'Dell | August 5, 2008 11:26 AM
Er... Ray? Care to answer that question? FFS...
Posted by: Sam L. | August 5, 2008 11:26 AM
EM: You gave this guy an HOUR?
Posted by: Bender | August 5, 2008 11:26 AM
WHY are there so many retards in my hometown calling in? I had thought the city of Fargo might have been smarter then to go along with the beliefs of Comfort.
Posted by: Ryan F Stello | August 5, 2008 11:26 AM
EM,
One more: Ask him to define evolution.
It might be a good starting point for Myers to correct misconceptions about what ToE really means.
Posted by: Jimi | August 5, 2008 11:26 AM
Same Ray, different day.
He is not stupid, he is disingenuous and purposefully mischaracterizes science and what it reveals to us.
He has been shown time and time again that his arguments have no merit and yet he continues to knock down strawmen.
Pathetic.
Posted by: Physicalist | August 5, 2008 11:27 AM
Great caller: Teach the flat Earth "controversy" and astrology etc. too.
RC dodges the question.
I think that an important issue that PZ will have to cover for the radio audience is this whole "teach the controversy" line of argument. It's obviously getting far too much sympathy from the public.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 5, 2008 11:27 AM
Antonio was being snarky on purpose.
Posted by: Phil | August 5, 2008 11:27 AM
I'm pretty sure the last caller was being sarcastic.
Posted by: Andrew T. | August 5, 2008 11:27 AM
More kudos to Jim for pointing out that Expelled was entirely an attack on evolution and not a positive argument for intelligent design.
I loved the bit about how scientists get rich and famous faking fossils.
Posted by: Alex | August 5, 2008 11:28 AM
LOL WALK AROUND UPSIDE DOWN.
Science be damned, this is getting crazy.
Posted by: Barklikeadog | August 5, 2008 11:28 AM
PZ, make a cow from nothing! This is really too fucking stoopid for words. My stomach is turning with the stupidity. Why is the moon so perfect? Huh? answer that one smarty. Go ahead try. Atlantis, flat earth. teach it in geography. Antonio I call Poe!
Posted by: Flippin | August 5, 2008 11:28 AM
Can someone just ask what ID proves or explains?
Posted by: Claudia | August 5, 2008 11:28 AM
Okay, so the caller who reckoned that because "most Americans believe in God", ID should be taught in schools... My head nearly exploded. Ffs...
Posted by: BobC | August 5, 2008 11:28 AM
Comfort claims he can't hear the question when he doesn't like the question.
Posted by: Tosser | August 5, 2008 11:28 AM
He said Banana! He just loves his monkey food!
Posted by: Hamsterpoop | August 5, 2008 11:29 AM
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CALL THE LIVE SHOW!!!
701-293-9000
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Posted by: Paul Burnett | August 5, 2008 11:29 AM
Question for Ben and Jim to ask Ray:
"So is it actually creationist dogma that Catholics are not Christians?"
Posted by: Physicalist | August 5, 2008 11:29 AM
Wow! RC says that the fact that it's winter in New Zealand when it's summer up North requires an intelligent designer!!!
Posted by: Azalea | August 5, 2008 11:29 AM
@#88-I have to think that was intended to get him to admit that he didn't believe in e.g. a 'flat earth' controversy...it could have been a good trap if pursued.
But no. Of course. Why even bother with questions if they won't be answered?
Posted by: Ryan F Stello | August 5, 2008 11:30 AM
This sounds pretty fishy, after EM said specificallybefore that they'd be limited to 20 minutes.
Gosh, I hope this EM feller isn't just another Christianist-slanted jackass.