Here Be Monsters!

There are still dinosaurs alive today. They are called birds. Birds evolved from a branch of theropods, and are an excellent example of evolution.

Of course, creationists don’t agree, simply because they don’t want to, and no amount of evidence will change their minds.

They do agree, though, that dinosaurs still live, and they insist that this proves that evolution is false. Not for them the carefully accumulated evidence gathered over centuries, however. No, far more compelling for them are myths and legends  which, if you think about it, are where they derive their entire world view.

The particular loonies who are, astonishingly, promoting this idea are the Florida based Accelerated Christian Education (ACE). One particular myth that they’ve latched on to, and teach as fact, is that of the Loch Ness Monster

The legend of Nessie is no longer taken very seriously by even the most gullible Briton and, despite hordes of “Nessie hunters” over many years descending on the shores of Loch Ness, no evidence has been put forward. The occasional photo that is supposed to be Nessie is invariably grainy, dark and indistinct. Yet ACE are teaching it as fact.

The temptation is to regard this as an American problem, since ACE is basedin America, but they have their claws embedded in the UK too, with around fifty schools teaching the ACE curriculum. I’ve met some pupils from one such school, and I shudder to remember the encounter. They were polite enough; in fact, they were polite to the point of insolence. If you’ve ever read  The Midwich Cuckoos (or seen either of the films based on it), you’ll know what I mean.

Just because ignorance has a smiling face, don’t think it won’t stab you in the guts the first chance it gets.

And if all that’s not enough, the ACE curriculum enthusiastically supports all manner of bigotry, including racism and homophobia.*

* Edited, see comments for details

Related articles

• Loch Ness monster cited by US schools as evidence that evolution is myth (scotsman.com)
• Loch Ness Monster Disproves Evolution (jonathanturley.org)
• The Loch Ness Monster Is Real; The KKK Is Good: The Shocking Content of Publicly Paid for Christian School Textbooks (alternet.org)
• How American fundamentalist schools are using Nessie to disprove evolution – Rachel Loxton – Herald Scotland (richarddawkins.net)
• Top 5 Lies Taught By Accelerated Christian Education (leavingfundamentalism.wordpress.com)
• Accelerated Christian Education Validated by UK Government Agency (leavingfundamentalism.wordpress.com)
• This should be kinda embarrassing (cbv.typepad.com)