Looks like Columbus, Ohio has 903223 Darwin Day events going on throughout the area. I’m jealous.
The celebrations are not without some controversy, of course.
[Whitehall] Councilwoman Jacquelyn Thompson originally suggested declaring Feb. 12 Darwin Day in honor of the 200th birthday of the man who conceived the theory of evolution. However, she watered it down to “Science Month” and added Galileo’s name in a compromise two weeks ago.
That watered-down idea got shot down by the Christians:
Council members suggested leaving a celebration of science to the schools and complained that it would compete with other February designations, such as Black History Month. However, the unspoken issue revolved around who believed in evolution versus creationism.
…
… The Whitehall debate, meanwhile, has drawn interest from as far away as southern California, where evangelical author and TV host Ray Comfort is saying Whitehall needs to dedicate as much time to creationism as evolution.
“They’re trying to deitize Darwin,” he said. “This is the atheist Christmas.
“It’s a God-given right to be an atheist, but they need to lighten up and let us talk about creationism, too.”
Of course, the absurd idea that you can’t celebrate more than one thing per month is made more absurd by quoting Comfort.
The Creationists will have their work cut out for them, though — the celebrations are happening all over the place whether they like it or not. The Humanist Community of Central Ohio is even bringing in PZ Myers just after Darwin’s birthday. Creationists: Bring it on.
Incidentally, I’ll be in Columbus next week.
More info on that soon!
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