[Vision2020] Creationism, Stem Cells and Christ Church

[Tom Hansen]

>From the June 22, 2005 edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News with a very
special thanks to Bill London.

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Creationism, stem cells and Christ Church 

By Bill London 

If creationism is to be taught in our public schools, we need to discuss
which story of creation should be chosen. 
After all, over the last few millennia, thousands of different creation
stories have been taught to children who believed in Zeus, Thor and a wide
variety of other deities. Choosing which creation story to teach in schools
is not easy. Selecting the creation story by popular vote seems so tacky.
Instead, let's use the same system used for determining water rights in
Idaho and the other Western states. When we establish the right to use
water, the first person to sign up for a water source has preference over
those who show up later. We should do the same for creationism. 

In this area, if we were to follow that sensible system, the creation story
told in the public schools around the Palouse would be from the Nez Perce
Tribe, the Nu-me-poo Nation. They were here first. The Nez Perce explain
that (to make a long story short) Coyote cut up the heart of the Monster and
the drops of blood became the first tribal ancestors. 

This creationism version has the extra benefit of explaining that part of
the Monster's heart hardened into the large rock still found at the Nez
Perce sacred site near the Clearwater River at Kamiah. For schoolchildren,
wouldn't that very tangible creationism story make more sense than pulling
out a rib from a guy named Adam at some abstract garden location? 

Making sense is not the primary goal of many creationism supporters,
however. Their goal is creating a pure society, an earthly representation of
what they assume their god requires. Teaching creationism is only one
manifestation of that vision. Curtailing scientific research that might
interfere with that vision is another. 

That explains the recent congressional decision to virtually eliminate
stem-cell research. One problem with using the political system to enforce a
limitation based on strict fundamentalist religious convictions is again the
multitude of religions world-wide. In this case, a team of South Korean
scientists, unfettered by these religious rulings, have now jumped way ahead
of their American counterparts. 

Think ahead now a decade or so. American scientists are mired in
obsolescence, while South Korean scientists have used stem-cell technology
to conquer Parkinson's disease. Huge profits, research support, and the
finest scientific minds follow that success and move to South Korea.
Americans can find solace in believing that they have remained true to those
fundamentalist requirements (except for the Americans with Parkinson's
disease who are headed to South Korean doctors). 

That's only one instance of the negative result of fundamentalist faiths
expanding into the political world and setting standards for everyone in the
United States. Here on the Palouse, we have the example of the political
aspirations of Christ Church. 

In Moscow, a half-dozen churches share similar fundamentalist Christian
beliefs, but only one has created a visionary plan to translate those
beliefs into political action, to force compliance with those goals, and to
remake Moscow in its image. 

Only Christ Church has that kind of political agenda. 

Let's focus on only one aspect of that agenda. Christ Church (with its
various appendages like New St. Andrews and Canon Press) wants to take over
downtown Moscow. That is why they bought the old cable company building at
Fifth and Washington and the old GTE building on Friendship Square - and
desperately sought to buy the Gart Sports building for use as their
cathedral. In violation of the zoning restrictions which seek to keep
downtown a retail area, they are working to create a very different
downtown, one dominated by the church and college. 

Hey, don't take my word for it. If you want a better understanding of the
political agenda of Christ Church, watch the documentary film, "My Town," at
7 p.m. Thursday at the Kenworthy in Moscow. 

The film is an excellent summary of the cultural clash in Moscow centered on
the Christ Church history conference last year. On camera, Christ Church
Pastor Doug Wilson's brother Evan Wilson (also a pastor, but for a different
church in Moscow) explains how Christ Church plans to dominate Moscow's
downtown. 

* Bill London of Moscow is a freelance writer, active in progressive causes,
and works part-time as an information officer for WSU's College of
Education.

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Thanks again, Bill.

Opponents to Mr. London's stated position will either present an open,
public position of their own free to debate or they will accuse me of
copyright violations.

Odd are on the latter.  They have yet to sow the former.

Take care, Moscow, and see you at the Kenworthy tonight at 7:00 PM

Tom "Think Community.  Think Co-op" Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

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"When people sin, everybody has to pay."

- Douglas Wilson of Wilson, Inc. (dba Christ Church) (June 7, 2002)

For more details:  http://www.tomandrodna.com/notonthepalouse

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