That’s what caused the original controversy. It has since moved to the inspiration section, where I have no problem with it (well its still a stupid book, but I have no legal problem). After all the book store is there to sell books about the canyon, it obviously doesn’t mean the federal gov’t endorses everything in those books.
Likewise the bronze plaques with psalms may very well be legitimate, after all psalms is good poetry irrespective of its origins, and the gov’t can use it without endorsing christianity, so long as their legitimately trying to decorate the park and not make a religious statement.
As for the blocking of publication telling employees that creationism is bunk, that does sound sketchy, but the article isn’t too forthcoming with the details so for all we know the publication could’ve been stopped for other reasons. So I’ll reserve judgement.
Well, a lot of institutions that we might consider to be “taxpayer-supported” are becoming more and more “somewhat taxpayer subsidised,” based on their profit and loss balance. So they have to exists more and more as commercial ventures.
Now, in the recent election, the big “message” from the voters was that America is a tradtional-values, churchgoing type of country. May or may not be a misinterpretation, but the one that came across nonetheless.
So, the message is received, but not just by Washington, as expected, but by Madison Avenue (figuratively; the entire advertising industry, the bulk of which is actually in California these days). This doesn’t mean that the current glut of vulgarity in the mass media will cease, Janet Jackson’s mammary glands notwithstanding, since there’s still money to be made in that direction. However, the election showed a clear demographic of 50+ million households that hasn’t been properly exploited. So far its been mostly fundies selling to fundies. Brace yourselves for what will happen when people whose only religion is Marketing get going.
The fundies have the money. The Parks need the money. Publishers know how to get the money. The only science involved is economics.
In one of the stickie’s here, the mods and other’s point out the absurdity of doing things like, “And since this is the Pit: Fuck.” I’ve seen Pit threads get kicked to GD because they were civil discussions, just because we’re here doesn’t mean it’s obligatory to fling insults.
Wasn’t being patronizing.
And, perhaps, unintenionally, leaving an opening for some of our posters, who do labor under the misguided apprehension to jump in and say, “See! See! This proves that the Bible was telling the truth about Noah’s flood!”
Yup. John Mace, I’d agree, except for the fact that the park has stopped mentioning the age of the Grand Canyon, which is kind of important if you’re trying to edumacate folks about the place. Ya know that some of the Fundies make the argument that since God created the Earth, we can pretty much do with it as we please.
If ture, that’s troubling, but there’s a lot of disinformation floating around about this story and I’m skeptical that it’s as simple as that. For example, if you go to the GD thread, you’ll find that the “religious plaques” mentoned in the same apragraph were donated by a group of nuns and are simply meant as inspirational passages. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
Well, some people don’t see the harm in putting a monument of the Ten Commandments in a Federal Court House, either. If you’re going to allow one religious marker, then you’ve got to allow them all. Think that the Park Service would be hunky dory with a plaque containing quotes by Henry David Theoreau signed by the Church of Satan? (You know, “This Plaque Donated By the Sulfuric Church of Satan, Tucson, AZ.”) How long do you think that those would last, if they managed to be put up?
Yeah, but that’s par for the course in most bookstores. Ever take a look in the psychology section? In the philosophy section? In the history section? I think many bookstore workers frustratingly put books in categories where they don’t belong just because there is no Woo Woo Tinfoil Hat Bogus Pseudoscience section.