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.
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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.
Reader’s comments
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.
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.
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.
Thank you.
I think it's indeed interesting how science is becoming religious.
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.
What does this actually mean?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.