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On the streets with the “March for Science” protesters
Published: 2 May 2017 (GMT+10)
Over the weekend of April 22nd (2017) I was in Cincinnati, Ohio representing CMI at a large homeschool convention that is held there annually. As it turned out, I was at ‘ground zero’ for one of the global demonstrations being called the “March for Science”. The primary march occurred in Washington, D.C., but over 600 satellite cities around the world participated as well.
It has proved difficult to find information about exactly who was behind it. There is a website up, but no information is given about the identity of the organizers other than generic email addresses.1 On the Q & A page of their website, it reads,
Q: Who are the national organizers?
A: The national committee members are volunteers from all over the world. We represent a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and relationships with science. For more information on our team, visit our About Us page.2
However, the “About Us” link just redirects to an unrelated page that gives no further information about the identities of the organizers3. Why so shadowy? Why are the organizers afraid to let their identities be publicly known? The most famous public figure associated with this event is Bill Nye, the former kids’ show TV personality who famously debated Ken Ham in recent years (see our review).
Much has already been written about this march in conservative news outlets; it was little more than a blatant attempt to hijack the word ‘science’ for left-wing political purposes and promote the religion of scientism. Indeed, one official tweet from the organizers declared that “Colonization, racism, immigration, native rights, sexism, ableism, queer-, trans-, intersex-phobia, & econ justice are scientific issues.” Thankfully, it was subsequently deleted. But the official website continues to harp on “consensus” science and identity politics, opposing “immigration bans” and “homophobia” and claiming that “Inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility are integral to this mission.”4
I had some run-ins with some of the protesters on the streets of Cincinnati. In the first instance, I spoke with four adult women who claimed to be scientists themselves. I saw they were carrying signs, so I asked them what they were protesting about. When they replied “science”, I asked for clarification, and once again got some vague answers. It seemed that the biggest issue most people were galvanized on was the issue of global warming, but I asked them about creation and evolution. All of them said they believed in evolution, and so I asked them, “Can you give me any evidence-based reason (beyond simply saying that it is the prevailing consensus) why I should believe that all life has a common ancestor?”
The first response I got was “change over time”, a bait-and-switch. I replied that creation scientists also believe in change over time, so that does not answer the question at hand. One of them brought up the alleged dating of fossils using radiometric methods, which also was off-topic since the age of fossils is a separate question from whether life has a common ancestor.
Next a couple of them blurted out “ice cores!” and “DNA!” It wasn’t immediately clear how any of these examples were supposed to prove evolution, and I said that creation scientists also believe in ice cores and DNA. About this time they lost patience and said they had to keep moving. The conversation was over. Disappointingly, after speaking with four self-proclaimed scientists who believed in evolution, I was not able to get a single piece of evidence from any of them for evolution!
Later on that day, I encountered a group of protesters that had a sign with Bill Nye’s face on it as well as a sign that depicted a Bible saying, “This is not a science book.” Incidentally, we at CMI would agree that the Bible is not a science textbook, but whenever the Bible touches on issues related to science, it speaks accurately. I was able to walk alongside the person with the Bill Nye sign, and I asked them what they thought about creation and evolution. When they somewhat disdainfully responded that they believe in evolution, I asked, “Why, because Bill Nye says so?” They said, “Oh, I am not having this conversation right now!” and covered their face with the sign. Apparently they felt strongly enough to make a sign and wave it around, but not strongly enough to engage anyone in a rational discussion.
I am disappointed that the debate about scientific issues has been reduced to this kind of hyper-political, anti-intellectual nonsense. Many of the protesters seemed to have little to no understanding of the issues they were protesting about, and they were really just there because they wanted to support a grab bag of liberal causes that have little to do with real science. Protesting has become a new pastime here, but to what effect? Are people just shouting past each other?
We encourage CMI supporters to take the time to thoughtfully and lovingly engage people directly who disagree with the Christian worldview. If you do, you’ll find their positions are often based on misunderstandings and ignorance. With God’s help, you can engage your neighbors and make a difference.
Related Articles
Further Reading
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References and notes
- Contact Us. marchforscience.com, Accessed 27 April, 2017. Return to text.
- FAQ. marchforscience.com, Accessed 27 April, 2017. Return to text.
- At the time of writing. Return to text.
- Statement on IDEA. marchforscience.com, Accessed 27 April, 2017. Return to text.
Along with the "science" confusion, I got an e-mail from Perimeter Institute, about dark matter and wondering how that figures into anything. Scientific? or pseudo-scientific? Sure appreciate your e-mails! wow.
There is disagreement even among creation scientists about the issue of 'dark matter'. For CMI's take, a search on our site will direct you to relevant articles.
The recent "marches" for science had very little to do with real science and the scientific method. There is no question the world order has abandoned real science for pseudoscience to help usher in the Novus Ordo Seclorum. ALL the marches were politically motivated and politically supported by demigods like George Sorus.
We must never forget that the first sin committed on this earth of ours was driven by deception. It was successful then with humans that have met God in the garden of Eden, how much more will it happen today to people who does not even know God.
I realize that links are undesirable but Our International Paleo-chronology Group (IPG) arranged for the distribution of a very important Press Release on April 19, 2017 to counteract the misguided marchers at 600 cities, world-wide on April 22. --- New York, NY, April 19, 2017 (Newswire.com) - “The risk of asteroid impacts on Earth is much higher than assumed by many in the scientific community,” warns chemist Hugh Miller, director of the International Paleo-chronology Group (IPG). Our main thrust: “The risk factor could actually be up to 2000 times greater than what NASA expects,” Miller says,“ due to evidence of a more recent demise of most dinosaurs than the 65 million years assumed for the Chicxulub meteorite impact.
How can there be such an age gap between dinosaurs and man when there are hundreds of accurate dinosaur depictions worldwide made by our ancestors? How could soft tissue and collagen protein last 65 to 197 million years in some dinosaur bones, and Carbon-14 in all bones studied (including Triceratops, Hadrosaurus, Acrocanthosaurus, Allosaurus and Stegosaurus, yielding ages of only thousands of years) – discoveries that have been confirmed by several teams of scientists including the IPG. This re-writes the age of impact craters.”
We also said: Over a million small and medium size asteroids now orbiting near the Earth are a far greater risk to humanity than climate change, over which we have little more control than did our ancestors during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age that followed later.” For further very important details and photos see [link deleted per feedback rules]. Newswire told us ~250 sources so published.
Is this meant to be tongue-in-cheek?
As creationists we would not agree that a meteor killed the dinosaurs, so if this is meant to be serious, the reasoning is seriously flawed!
If I am interpreting you correctly, though, this is just a comical reductio-ad-absurdum on the climate change alarmism of the March for Science. Thanks for the write-in.
I write as a non scientist but as a Christian and am thankful for your comments and other publications that clearly explain the CREATION story from a scientific perspective, and which the BIBLE clearly agrees.
Thank you.
What do you think of their goal "Strengthen the role of science in policymaking" , in the light of Feyerabend's statement "A free society insists on the separation of science and society." (Paul Feyerabend, in Against Method)?
I think it's indeed interesting how science is becoming religious.
I have not personally read that work, and I am not an expert in the philosophy of science, but it looks like an interesting topic for sure. From what little I could glean from reading the associated Wikipedia article, it seems he was against the idea that all science should be rigidly defined by the use of the 'Scientific Method'.
I think perhaps he was 'feeling out' an area of inconsistency in the scientific world that we here at CMI also like to point out— namely, that there are actually different types of science (historical/forensic and operational). Historical science does not seem to follow the rigid Scientific Method since it involves the use of untestable, non-empirical assumptions.
I agree that science (or more properly, scientism) has become a religion for many secularists today, such as the ones participating in the March for Science. It can only be a bad thing when a (false) ruling paradigm starts influencing public policy. I'll have to check out Against Method for myself sometime.
Thank you for this article. I was hoping and praying that the church would rise up in this time, seeing it as a great opportunity to share with people who tend to be atheists. I had signs showing the bacterial flagellum as an example of irreducible complexity and DNA with digital code as an example of complex, specified information. I was able to get into a discussion with a couple of people there and I was able to share some of the information that came from your Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels DVD.
Nonsense on stilts as usual. Have you ever wondered why creationism, and creationists, are ignored by the science community? Basically it is because there is nothing of any actual use to be derived from it and them. The overlaps between young earth creationists and climate change denial and science denial have been well documented. Robber barons like Trump, and his administration, who actively undermine science, and promote ignorance, are doing these for reasons that suit them. It helps them and their base to continue with business as usual, "endless economic growth" (on a finite planet), lining the pockets of the few, at the expense of the many, and the biosphere. They will use anybody, anything, any organisation, to suit their ends. It is because they are sociopaths. Science denial suits them and their agenda. Creationism and intelligent design are being used by them to promote scientific illiteracy. God's Kingdom will not be built by promoting ignorance and the nonsense on stilts that CMI preaches.
I'm publishing this comment just to give people a view of the kind of content-free, name-calling rhetoric that creationists can expect to have hurled at them for simply telling the truth. We are not "science deniers", in fact we employ Ph.D. scientists and engage with the most current alleged evidence for Darwinism out there. It simply falls flat, so people like I.F. choose to resort to base insults instead of rational discussion.
"...but whenever the Bible touches on issues related to science, it speaks accurately."
What does this actually mean?
I think the meaning is well-represented in the words of the statement itself. For example, when the Bible gives a direct chronology from Adam to Jesus Christ (one which provides a timespan of thousands, not billions), and also says that Adam and Eve were around from the beginning of creation, we can deduce from these statements that Adam and Eve were real people and that the universe is comparatively young, rather than being billions of years old as evolutionists claim.
Or, for another example, when the Bible says that the whole world was covered by a massive flood that killed everything save Noah and his family on an ark, we can believe that really, scientifically and historically did happen.
But this is absolutely marvellous! The Evolution people are getting so worried that information about God's Creation is getting out there that they feel the need to organise marches to tell people their version. I'm so excited that next year there will be groups of Evolutionists gathered together in one place ready to have CMI booklets, leaflets and website cards shoved into their hands. I might even get T-shirts printed with the CMI website on them. Wow, how wonderful that they will come to us instead of us seeking them out. It makes our job so much easier.
Thank you! For the record, I have no idea if this is intended to be a yearly repeating event, or if it is just a one-time demonstration.
Great job engaging these lost souls. This march for "science", is really a march for "sin" wearing a fig leaf called science. I find it ironic that they believe in homosexuality or transgenderism based solely on what those individuals say about themselves and their visible practises, but refuse to pass that same courtesy to those of us who claim to be born again of the Spirit and show that by our own practises. Neither are provable with a blood test. It's also ironic to me that they claim to believe in evolution at the same time they're unwittingly marching against evolution. After all, if evolution is all there is, then all ideologies have just evolved through natural selection with Christianity becoming the dominant trait. And, if that's the case, then marching for or against anything, is a tacit admission that there are things beyond evolution and science.
This is to be expected, Roman's chapter 1 hits the nail on the head about these last days. It does sadden me in my heart because The Word Of God tells us their end if they will not seek God with all their heart and repent. I truly feel bad for them but The Lord God has been more than fair even beyond our imagination. The Creator of heaven and earth and everything in it full of Glory made Himself a servant to all mankind, no ordinary man would do this. So now my thought's are of His soon return That Blessed Hope, prayers that this season of evil will not last much longer. I am an old man and I have 3 grandsons now, and this world wants to chew up and spit out. I keep an open heart to give an answer for the reason of my faith in Christ Jesus with a heart of meekness, love, and truth. Seeing all that is going on today coming to pass just as The Word Of God says I keep looking up Knowing The Lord is faithful and is about to return and take us with Him. I hope that when it comes to pass that event will open the eyes of many you saw on the street and around the world protesting, and they will call upon The Lord and be saved. Keep up the good work.
....I fully accord with what Phillip B. said....thank you for all the work you do.
The impression that I get from the MarchForScience website is that it appears to be one big scam to get the public to donate money or buy t-shirts and other items. As you said - there is no indication of who is behind this whole scheme - it's just blank. No names, no mobile or telephone numbers, just anonymous email addresses.
On another front, here in South Africa we have a court case against religious instruction which was launched by by a certain Hans Pietersen against he Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS). You can google those names to get the gist of the story. I wrote to FEDSAS asking them to make sure that in accordance with Hans Pietersen's wish, no tax payers money is used to promote the naturalist/humanist religion of evolution that is fundamentally based on abiogenesis which is a distinctly unscientific religious idea.
The experiences with "March(ers) for Science" in Cincinnati mirrored those I observed here at the March for Science here in Jena, Germany -- the home of the German Darwin -- Ernst Haeckel.
I set up a large sign with various quotes from well-known and highly respected scientists stating that informed criticism based on facts is a key element of true science. At the bottom of the sign I posed the question: "What do you believe is the source from which nature originated? An Almighty Creator - God --or -- 'Almighty Chance'?" Underneath this question was a paper with two empty columns with the heading -- "Please give empirical (observable, verifiable, testable) evidence to support your position."
All I spoke to unabashedly confessed they believed in the powers of "Almighty Chance", but then were unable to give empirical evidence to support their position, when pressed. I then challenged them to be truly scientific and consider informed, facts-based criticism.
Very interesting, thanks. I'm glad there are people representing the truth in Germany as well! Keep up the good work.
Yes, April 22nd 2017 was global March for Science Day.
It appears that the science community had established infrastructure in many countries to coordinate and galvanise people to march in the name of science.
In Australia, various articles appeared in local media both before and after the event, including links to the Australian March for Science website which states its objectives.
According to one of these media sources:
"A whacky coalition of conspiracy theorists and vested interests have long sought advantage by attacking science, arguing tobacco really won’t kill you or climate change isn’t a looming global catastrophe. What’s different is now they are winning. The perceived anti-science stance of the Trump administration sparked today’s marches, but it’s not occurring in a vacuum. Distrust of experts in on the rise globally...In public debate, partisan ramblings are increasingly given nearly as much credence as real research."
I suspect the American scientific community may have wanted to send a counter message to President Trump's statements without wishing to reveal the personal identity of its organisers lest their careers or government-funded science activities were put at risk.
Globally, many in the scientific community may have supported these marches, but there are also others who seek to exploit such opportunities for their own ends. The views of individual protesters do not necessarily reflect the motives of the organisers.
Young Earth Creationists are not alone in believing they have the truth - a body of facts and knowledge that need to be protected in the face of "alternative facts", "fake news", etc.
Melbourne Australia also had a March for Science, on April 22, that coincided with a regular Christian street outreach. Many people had T-shirts with science themes. One woman's T-shirt had fancy Maths on it. Recognising the maths as Maxwell's Equations re light and electromagnetic theory, I started a conversation that lasted a few minutes.
Turns out she was an atheist scientist; an ex-Christian who had abandoned God because science "was filling in all the gaps". I pointed out that science was showing that the gaps were in fact enormous: e.g. it takes more faith to believe that nothing became the universe for no reason and that dead stuff became alive - both against the known laws of science. She said that the Big Bang and the origin of life were extremely unlikely but given enough time it must have happened. Amazingly blind and futile faith in nothing! She said she was happy in her beliefs and declined further discussion.
A second conversation, hours later, was with a young man who had no placards or T-shirt message, but looked lost. He was looking for the long-departed March for Science. He was born in Turkey of Turkish parents, non-religious, with very little knowledge of Islam or Christianity. We had a long conversation about Christianity and how it was foundational to science and Western freedoms, but that the West was now rejecting Christianity and in decline. He thanked me for an interesting discussion and went away with several Christian resources.
So while I didn't see any Christian T-shirts saying "And God said: [Maxwell's Equations] and then there was Light", the March for Science was a good opportunity for seed-planting for the Gospel.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Peter.
I just wanted to thank you folk at CM for your consistently high level of professionalism and courtesy in all your work. I regularly read your articles and have learned so much from them. You give people like me confidence, knowledge and understanding of the creation/evolution debate - helping us to engage meaningfully with exactly the kind of people you met on the march, i.e. people who seem to have little or no understanding of the issues they purport to follow. As a Christian I don't feel I have all the answers but I do feel remarkably equipped and strengthened by your articles in order to make a reasoned and intelligent stand against the irrationality and blindness of those who reject a Creator God. Thank you for showing how it can and should be done.
I love the "chutzpah" of those attending these political rallies disguised as serious thought. All these yelling, carting signs and boorish marchers are great examples of the degredation of our society and our education systems.
Had and of these "concerned citizens" actually studied probability, statistics or even chemistry they couldn't take these events seriously. Much less if they had to work and support a family would they have the time.
No, these skulls of mush are just there for the free sandwich, and for the party afterwards. No independent thought allowed. "Just roll another doobie man."
Without Jesus there is no hope.