I mentioned that Eric Hovind, son of Kent, was lecturing lying at Shakopee this weekend. A reader, Evan Olcott, made the trip and has reported back.
I finally got the chance to see my first creationist in action last night - Eric Hovind (son of Kent) made an appearance at a Russian Baptist Church in Shakopee, MN. I was hoping for some of Kent's old tricks, but they were actually few and far between. A lot less science, a lot more Baptist scare-tactics... but there were some choice moments nonetheless.
The church help about 500 people, probably 30-40% of them were high-school aged kids - disturbing point #1...
After going through the talking points of the "sermon", it seems as though Creation Science Evangelism has changed their tune a little bit - as opposed to Kent's timid "I'm-the-science-guy-who-knows-more-than-you" approach, Eric's a pure preacher (and a shouter)... some of his points:
Eric's sermon was mostly benign Baptist scare-tactics, with the unique twist of comparing the size of the Universe to the size of God - therefore concluding that the God of the Bible is bigger than we can possibly imagine. (i.e. "You don't know who you're dealing with")
Had a short video clip of 7 or so entries from the Blasphemy Challenge, accompanied by SAD SAD piano music... ("these souls are just LOST")
Despite the DMCA/YouTube controversy about a month ago, Eric reaffirmed that "the stuff is not copyrighted", "you are allowed to copy it and give it away for free"...
Quoted Einstein out-of-context and claimed he was referencing the God of the Bible
Regarding Carl Sagan: "He was an evolutionist all his life. He's a believer now... because he's dead..."
Regarding the science behind the universe: "You're never going to figure it out" - "give it up"
Regarding money - "It's not your money, it's God's"
Mocked the Hubble telescope (it can only see a small part of the real Universe, after all...)
Claims the X-feature of the Whirlpool Galaxy for the existence of God
Evolution is a "very carefully protected state religion"
Regarding the meaning of life: "What is life about? To give God glory!"
Besides the SAME OLD ANSWERS to the same questions regarding dinosaurs and the ark, natural selection, common ancestry, animals having "feelings", X-rays causing aging and the lack of evolutionary evidence ANYWHERE, one of the more disturbing points was the "Youth Question and Answer" session after the sermon. I of course didn't attend it, but I could only imagine what happened when you got Eric Hovind and bunch of kids in a room asking questions -- mass deceit on a personal scale. Ugh.
After all was said and done, Christian Science Evangelism walked out of the church with $445 in offerings.
Like his daddy, Eric is a real piece of work. You can catch him on YouTube — he's just another raving liar for Jesus who has inherited an unfortunate set of delusions from his father.
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I'ts sadly comical that so many people cannot and will not review all the evidence before making belief claims, especially the claims of the dogmatists like creationists.
Theology in the attempt to supervine in science = Psuedoscience.
And the sins of the father shall be perpetrated by the son, even unto the seventh generation.
Regarding the meaning of life: "What is life about? To give God glory!"
God doesn't need more glory. Gos is perfect. :P
So...he got less than $1 per person? Either the audience was filled with gawkers, or Hovind really failed to impress the crowd.
Maybe it was Ladies' Night?
Eric's sermon was mostly benign Baptist scare-tactics, with the unique twist of comparing the size of the Universe to the size of God - therefore concluding that the God of the Bible is bigger than we can possibly imagine. (i.e. "You don't know who you're dealing with")
Oh, Lord, ooh you are so big... so absolutely huge... gosh we're all really impressed down here I can tell you...
[/montypython]
And he knows this how? Is he able to communicate with the dead? Oh! Wait! I get it. Sagan is in hell. The question has to be asked again, how does he know? Must have a talent given to him from a demon.
Hey! I am short of cash. Can he give me some? After all, it is not his, it is big sky daddy's.
I just hope big sky daddy does not run into a fiscal crisis and demand all of his money now.
Watch it bud. He is mocking a tool that proves big sky daddy's existence. Such a shame that Augustine did not have Hubble. Could have made a stronger case for big sky daddy.
Why is big sky daddy so insecure that he needs to have constant words of praise from such debased creatures like humans?
Damn. Where is his A material? Give this up in front of non believers and Hovind will be heckled off the stage.
This is just voluntary ignorance squared, or cubed. Then multiplied by 10.
What is the point of a cult that cultivates pure ignorance and bigotry?None that I can see.
Anyone with a library card, internet connection, and a functioning brain could see through Hovind's nonsense in 5 minutes.
PS Nice to see him picking on Astronomers for a change! Biologists have been attacked for 150 years. It is time for another branch of the reality based community to absorb their mindless fury.
I've never seen the philosophy of Intelligent Design summed up so concisely.
Can somebody fill me in on what this is all about? I'm familiar with the whirlpool galaxy (I've photographed it a few times), but never heard of this before...
Stupid comment from Hovind. If we followed his advice, we would still be living in caves, dying before 40, and hoping that Apollo didn't get tired of dragging the sun across the sky every day.
Typical death cult hypocrisy. They all take advantage of the products of modern science while relentlessly attacking it at the same time.
"And he knows this how? Is he able to communicate with the dead? Oh! Wait! I get it. Sagan is in hell."
Well, yeah. Didn't you read about it in America's Finest News Source?
"Can somebody fill me in on what this is all about? I'm familiar with the whirlpool galaxy (I've photographed it a few times), but never heard of this before..."
Probably Hovind saw that Futurama episode where Bender talks with that sentient nebula that may or may not be God and took it as a documentary.
Raven, I am with you in all ways except for the Apollo crack. When I last checked Athens and Sparta were not a series of caves.
Actually, if I remember my New Testament correctly, the money is Caesar's -- and this from the mouth of a being Hovind would claim is God. Does Hovind think God doesn't recognize His own possessions?
Regarding the science behind the universe: "You're never going to figure it out" - "give it up"
Give it up? No internal combustion engines. Can't be bothered to figure out how to train a horse, or even take the time to seriously consider the idea of riding a horse. Raw meat is good enough for me. I could try to farm, but figuring out the seasons would take some observation and I'll never figure that farming stuff out anyways...
And evolution makes quick work of Homo Sapian. Rhesus monkeys explode out of India and take over the world.
PZ @ he's just another raving liar for Jesus who has inherited an unfortunate set of delusions from his father.
At $445 for a few hours of work it sounds more like a lucrative set of delusions.
It seems as if he wants us to forget about our natural curiosity, which is not exactly restricted to humans.
So my dog can reason out how to unlatch a gate, but with a human's relatively superior reasoning powers I'm discouraged from seeking challenges greater than "I wonder if I can open this door?"
And here I thought creationists were so adamant about us being better than animals.
Are these "Russian Baptists" the same people as the Russian-speaking evangelicals who run organisations like the "Watchmen on the Walls"? The idea of the Hovinds being mixed up with a crew who thinks it's fun -- and sanctioned by Gawd -- to beat people up (and fling baggies of shit at Gay Pride parades) is possibly enough to keep me up at night. I really prefer my Halloween horrors to be slightly more nonexistent...
Totally off topic there is a nasty hijack your browser and send it into the weeds ad running on science blogs at the moment. It bounced me from newbieaddguide.com to blessedads.com before ending with a your are infected with Malware site. I always chuckle at the fake windows warnings on my Mac. I am not sure if it was this window or Zuska's that launched it, but the detour through blessedads on this thread was wonderfully poignant, dontchathink?
See http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1992/17/image/a
Brian... They are probably referring to the Core of Spiral Galaxy M51(turn your head 90 degrees to the left). They love taking the free HST pics and using them for evangelism. If you want to get really annoyed, go here and scroll down to the bottom and play the Indescribable, Part 1. The M51 cross makes an appearance toward the end.
So let me guess... he thinks the dust torus in M51 represents Jebus on the Cross... sort of the extragalactic version of the Virgin Mary showing up on a tortilla.
Clearly we must fund more space research, to find more of these miracles! Increase funding for the James Webb space telescope, quick!!
There are so many ways to make fun of every that is posted here. It so easy to overlook the most obvious statement. Is Hovind saying that the easiest way to be a believer in big sky daddy is to be brain dead? No wonder all of the fundies loved Terri Schiavo, she was the ideal true believer.
Just $455 in offerings? That's pretty bad. Even third-rate, nobody-knows-them people engaged in travelling ministries do better than that.
Did he put on a previous show? Go to other churches?
Thanks for the link.
I don't want to think too much about the alleged chain of logic that Hovind Jr. is applying to it, though...
"radiation causes ageing"
I was just yesterday watching an episode of the original series of Star Trek (when men were real men and alien women were for the shagging), even there the radiation had to be of a special kind to initiate ageing (it was spread by a passing comet). Hovind is therefore behind the 1960s scifi...
Since it's all God's money anyways, I wonder how Eric feels about his daddy's hoarding?
Stop right here.
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Incidentally, comment 24 is Molly material.
All through my misspent (or rather "stolen") fundamentalist childhood, through my four wasted years in seminary, and into my thankfully brief time in actual ministry, I never understood this equation:
"It's not your money. It's god's. So give it to ME."
Huh?
Holy crumbling shortcake! Do "pantheon" and "panhandler" have the same Greek root or something?
I think we should start referring to him as "Earache" Hovind since that's what you get from listening to him....
"he's just another raving liar for Jesus who has inherited an unfortunate set of delusions from his father."
I doubt he inherited any religious delusions. What he inherited is an education in how to make money by peddling lies. Daddy Hovind made it very clear by his actions that his only motivation is greed. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
OEJ
"He was an evolutionist all his life. He's a believer now... because he's dead..."
Ha! He's dead! Sucker! If only he hadn't succumbed to the demon education, he might still be alive.
God,
please, what do I have to do to avoid spending eternity with loads of little Kent Hovinds ?
Brain Hertz says, "Can somebody fill me in on what this is all about? I'm familiar with the whirlpool galaxy (I've photographed it a few times), but never heard of this before...
Didn't you know? All the Hubble images have diffraction spikes extending from every bright star. It MUST be a SIGN! There are lots of Christians who collect Hubble images as aesthetic and evident proof of God's existence in Heaven.
On the other hand, there might be a simpler explanation: this glorious super-abundance of crosses all over creation may instead just indicate that stupidity is quite possibly bottomless.
God,
please, what do I have to do to avoid spending eternity with loads of little Kent Hovinds ?
answer:
become a tax attorney, then a senator, and change the law so these suckheads don't get a free ride at taxpayer expense.
that'll pretty much do it.
This comment goes out to author of this post.
You seriously "don't know who your dealing with"
Im glad you you capitilzed "SAME OLD ANSWERS" in your blog. Because thats all your going to get. God is the same as he was a bajillion years ago. You will get the same old answers. Christianity is not some "hip to the beat whut up homie whats today's doctorin" religion. Baptists stick to the Bible. You dont subscribe to a new version every other month. I just hope you dont end up like Carl Sagan and realize it when its a little too late. You should visit the Russian Baptist Church in Shakopee. Dont worry, although the Russians are very tech savey they wont Blog your rediculous rants. Maybe when your athiest body dies, becomes a tree, gets made into paper and printed into the Bible your grandkids would read it and say, "Yeah, the meaning of life is to give glory to God"
ha!
lookee, a "no true scotsman", never heard that one before... what a dope.
Which version do you read? Aren't there several throughout history?
That's right god is the same as a bajillion (very precise I see) years ago... FICTION.
Oh goodie. A godbot and a Dane Cook fan.
"Christianity is not some "hip to the beat whut up homie whats today's doctorin" religion. "
You're right, of course. All those youth ministers are always a good four or five years behind the cultural curve.
My biggest question is why didn't you stand up when he asked if there was anyone in the audience that didn't agree with the christian point of view?
ooh yeah, Tanya proves a point. He asked athiests to stand up. No one stood, you didnt stand. Why?
Stop right here.
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Incidentally, comment 24 is Molly material.