Teh Stupid Runs Deep in the McDowell Family

Looks like Sean McDowell is following in dear old Dad's footsteps and dishing out heapings of stupid. The most recent edition has him blaming the recent near-fatal chimpanzee attack on...wait for it...Charles Darwin:

"Nevertheless, we need to ask a basic question: How could something like this happen? How is it that we live in a culture where people think it's safe to have a chimpanzee as a pet? Where do people get the idea that we ought to take a wild animal and treat it like a human being? The chimp owner treated the animal like a son who ate at her table, slept in her house, and even drove her car.

Ideas do not exist in a vacuum. In fact, there is one culprit for the idea that human beings and chimps are really not that different and should be treated that way: Darwinism. The Judeo-Christian tradition has always taught that humans and chimps are different in terms of kind (Genesis 1-2). While animals are a good part of God's creation, it is uniquely humans who bear the image of God. Many animals are wild and should be kept that way. On the other hand, Darwin propagated the idea that humans and chimps have a common ancestor and only differ in terms of degree (See Darwin's The Descent of Man). If humans and chimps are really not that different, then why not expect chimps to act civilly? After all, ideas have consequences.

Last week the world celebrated Darwin's 200th birthday. Universities placed tributes to Darwinism on their home page (examples include Oxford and Cambridge) and major networks such as BBC ran extensive programs devoted to Darwin's great contribution to the world.

Yet, ironically, this week we witness a brutal act that seems to logically follow from Darwin's ideas. You may be wondering how I can possibly link Darwin to this atrocious event. But think about it, if humans are deeply related to chimps then why not expect them to act that way?"

Ahem, evolution says chimps and humans seperated soem 4-8 million years ago, and that dramatic genetic changes can occur in such a time. So McDowell is grossly mistaken to say that evolution predicts chimps will act like people. On the other hand, it is McDowell's holy book that says man has dominion over the animals, and that they all, predators and all, got along on the ark for 40 days. After all, Ken Ham would have us believe Tyrannasaurs were once coconut eating friendlies. So if anywhere there is the implication that keeping a chimp as a pet is fine, it's the Bible.

As usual with a McDowell, watch your irony meter when they use the term "logic". It's a neon sign saying "gross ignorance and stupidity to come". Personally I'm waiting for someone to come up with an argument for how Darwin is responsible for the economic disaster, terrorism, and American Idol.