# “I’m on a highway to hell”
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [March 13, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225 "2006-03-13T20:37:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/1 "2006-03-13T20:37:38Z")
With all due respect to ACDC, this is what I was told the last two weeks in church.
Our pastor has decided to preach a five week series on creation. Why? I don’t know. My wife and I discussed this before the first sermon and couldn’t figure out where he was going with this. “After all”, my wife said, “creation or evolution has nothing to do with salvation.”
Well apparently, it does. Here are the lowlights:
[ul]
[li]A ~6000 year old universe is the only true understanding of “science” and salvation is contingent upon it[/li][li]The ultimate goal of evolutionists is to eliminate God[/li][li]Evolution is a lie being spread by Satan[/li][/ul]
So pack the sunscreen and pitchforks. Where I’m going, it’s going to be hot.
:wally
---
### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/2 "2006-03-13T20:40:36Z")
Are you going to stick around for this?
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### Author:  [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/3 "2006-03-13T20:41:10Z")
at church or in the thread?
---
### Author:  [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/4 "2006-03-13T20:42:25Z")
> [@Greenback](#):
>
> With all due respect to ACDC, this is what I was told the last two weeks in church.
>
> Our pastor has decided to preach a five week series on creation. Why? I don’t know. My wife and I discussed this before the first sermon and couldn’t figure out where he was going with this. “After all”, my wife said, “creation or evolution has nothing to do with salvation.”
>
> Well apparently, it does. Here are the lowlights:
>
> [ul]
> [li]A ~6000 year old universe is the only true understanding of “science” and salvation is contingent upon it[/li][li]The ultimate goal of evolutionists is to eliminate God[/li][li]Evolution is a lie being spread by Satan[/li][/ul]
> So pack the sunscreen and pitchforks. Where I’m going, it’s going to be hot.
>
> :wally
Man, I am sorry to hear that your pastor is taking the low road on this topic. I cannot stand when religious types tell folks that evolution is the gateway to atheism, communism, etc. Point number two, in fact saddens me. Just because scientists are trying to understand the mechanism does not mean that they do not believe in a god. I wish I could understand why evolution is the scapegoat that it is.
---
### Author:  [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/5 "2006-03-13T20:45:55Z")
What denomination is this?
---
### Author:  [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/6 "2006-03-13T20:47:46Z")
Sit in the back and heckle.
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### Author:  [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/7 "2006-03-13T20:48:06Z")
Evangelical church.
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### Author:  [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/8 "2006-03-13T20:48:11Z")
I don’t understand it either. I wonder sometimes if I am seeing a modern day revival of the Dark Ages.
Why does religion need an enemy? Doesn’t it have enough of a positive message of it’s own?
I have decided to be amused by it. Anyone that tries to discuss creationism or I.D. with me is just greeted with laughter. It is all that it deserves.
---
### Author:  [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/9 "2006-03-13T20:49:50Z")
> [@August West](#):
>
> I don’t understand it either. I wonder sometimes if I am seeing a modern day revival of the Dark Ages.
>
> Why does religion need an enemy? Doesn’t it have enough of a positive message of it’s own?
>
> I have decided to be amused by it. Anyone that tries to discuss creationism or I.D. with me is just greeted with laughter. It is all that it deserves.
That’s what I think I may start doing. I’m starting to think that fighting the ignorance is not worth it.
---
### Author:  [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/10 "2006-03-13T20:56:26Z")
> [@August West](#):
>
> I don’t understand it either. I wonder sometimes if I am seeing a modern day revival of the Dark Ages.
Didn’t Newton and Leibniz both use science to try to find God in the world? Why do some of these modern day religious types think they are incompatable (God ad science)?
---
### Author:  [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/11 "2006-03-13T21:00:42Z")
Although sometimes it feels like inviting people into a burning building, when I hear stories like yours I want to say: [The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.](http://www.episcopalchurch.org/) Seriously.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/12 "2006-03-13T21:04:40Z")
> [@Greenback](#):
>
> Our pastor has decided to preach a five week series on creation. Why? I don’t know. My wife and I discussed this before the first sermon and couldn’t figure out where he was going with this. “After all”, my wife said, “creation or evolution has nothing to do with salvation.”
>
> Well apparently, it does. Here are the lowlights:
>
> [ul]
> [li]A ~6000 year old universe is the only true understanding of “science” and salvation is contingent upon it[/li][li]The ultimate goal of evolutionists is to eliminate God[/li][li]Evolution is a lie being spread by Satan[/li][/ul]
I be he also believes that God wrote the Bible by controlling the hands that held the quills. The concept that it’s possible to believe in both creationism and evolution would probably make his head explode.
---
### Author:  [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/13 "2006-03-13T21:04:55Z")
It sounds like he could have been the preacher of the church I went to as a kid. In fact, I initially learned about evolution from a Chick tract that said evolutionists believe that “your grandfather is a monkey”. In my nine year old brain, I figured evolution _must_ be satanic, because otherwise why would anyone believe such drek?
On the positive side, when I learned what evolution actually was, around 12 or so, it made me question _everything_ the church had taught.
I predicted about 30 years ago that the anti-evolution furor was just a passing phase. Man, was I ever wrong.
---
### Author:  [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/14 "2006-03-13T21:09:49Z")
I can’t just leave it when the entire congregation is being taught this stuff, can I? Don’t I have a duty in the fight against ignorance?
---
### Author:  [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/15 "2006-03-13T21:11:05Z")
But are you at least enjoying the ride?
> [@Sean Factotum](#):
>
> Didn’t Newton and Leibniz both use science to try to find God in the world? Why do some of these modern day religious types think they are incompatable (God ad science)?
There are some quotes from Galileo about the compatibility of religion and science, too. And there are certainly modern examples of scientists trying to find or understand God through their research- [Abdus Salam](http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1979/salam-bio.html), who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 for his work on elementary particles, is one very prominent example.
There are, of course, many branches of Christianity that don’t teach that the Bible’s account of creation is literally true, and don’t have any problems with evolution- Catholicism is one of them.
> [@Just Another Geek](#):
>
> I cannot stand when religious types tell folks that evolution is the gateway to atheism, communism, etc.
I think it’s hilarious, especially when they say that acceptance of evolution is responsible for problems like alcohol that predate evolution by thousands of years.
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/16 "2006-03-13T21:14:12Z")
> [@Greenback](#):
>
> [li]The ultimate goal of evolutionists is to eliminate God[/li]
This cracks me up. He’s practically admitting god is a made-up concept. Hello! What a fool.
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### Author:  [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/17 "2006-03-13T21:14:58Z")
Well, Chick got it wrong.
One of my grandfathers was a louse, and the other was a weasel.
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### Author:  [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/18 "2006-03-13T21:38:34Z")
I really like Einstein’s quote, something like he was “thinking God’s thoughts after Him”.
I meet with the pastor later this week. I can’t decide if I’m looking for an apology or if I just tell him that I’ll find a church that deals with theology as opposed to crackpot science.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/19 "2006-03-13T22:00:07Z")
> [@Bricker](#):
>
> What denomination is this?
He’ll probably accept any note that **Greenback** cares to slip into the collection plate; the higher the better.
😃
Hey, **Greenback** , maybe this is God’s way of saying He wants you to give up church services for Lent…
😃😃
---
### Author:  [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-on-a-highway-to-hell/348225/20 "2006-03-13T22:03:34Z")
> [@Greenback](#):
>
> I can’t just leave it when the entire congregation is being taught this stuff, can I? Don’t I have a duty in the fight against ignorance?
Well, the common thought is that “Half of the people you meet are below average”. So, enlightening them just raises the bar for everyone.
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