Fairy Tales and Boot Heels
ne of the main arguments I hear a lot of creationists make is that “evolution is only a theory, it’s not fact”. Well, that is actually true. It’s the theory of evolution. The problem is that, in common vernacular, the language you and I use on the street everyday, “theory” means, roughly, a guess. That is not what the word means in science. Let’s consult a dictionary.
From Dictionary.com:
1. Theory, hypothesis are used in non-technical contexts to mean an untested idea or opinion. A theory in technical use is a more or less verified or established explanation accounting for known facts or phenomena: the theory of relativity. A hypothesis is a conjecture put forth as a possible explanation of phenomena or relations, which serves as a basis of argument or experimentation to reach the truth: This idea is only a hypothesis.
In science, a “theory” is an explanation of phenomena that has been so thoroughly tested and proven that it’s no longer up for debate. It’s the excepted, proven explanation that tests true again and again. So, when someone says “the theory of evolution”, what you should actually be hearing is, “the fact of evolution”.
There’s a certain sect of fundies out there who are absolutely desperate to take control of how the rest of us think and feel. These fundies are frightened, ignorant people who can’t face life head on, and they are maniacally trying to change facts, sugar coat the world into something they can deal with. They can’t stand that such things as abortion, homosexuality, liberated women, or evolution exist. They want to destroy these things because they’re terrified of the world, and they think that by destroying these things, they can somehow remake the world into a place that is full of nothing but goodness and light and candy canes.
These nutjobs don’t come from one particular religion. Every religion has their taste of them. They don’t come in one particular strength, either. There are Nutjob Lites out there, too, people who are okay with one or two things, but totally against another one or two.
Homosexuality has existed for probably as long as animals have. People have been performing herbal abortions and surgical abortions for centuries. Even before that, people were just up and leaving their babies out to die of predation and/or exposure for various reasons. Societies existed centuries ago where woman had rights and votes and power. Evolution happened. Crossing your fingers, holding your breath, and wishing real hard are not going to make these things go away.
The world is an ugly, scary place, sometimes, and a lot of the problems we face are difficult problems to solve. But, ignoring these problems, oppressing people, and lying about solid science doesn’t solve anything. The way to make the world a better place is to become more educated, more enlightened, not less so.
Stop oppression. Stop believing in fairy tales. Stop obsessing over when life starts and understand that sometimes, some pregnancies have to end. Give us easy access tot he means to prevent those pregnancies in the first place. Let us learn the truth of the way the world works, and make our own choices in religion. Look the world head on and understand that while it’s not all pretty, willingness to look at the ugly bits and work to make them better is what will solve these problems, not fairy tales and boot heels.
