A group of outspoken atheists has blasted a creationist ministry for allegedly false copyright claims after recent YouTube posts attacking creationism were pulled from the popular Web site.
"We believe that the actions of Creation Science Evangelism Ministries are meant to silence critics that can prove their unscientific statements ... well ... unscientific," said a statement on the Rational Response Squad Web site. "We feel as if this act to silence us should be countered."
YouTube had taken down earlier this month numerous videos containing content from the Creation Science ministry and videos criticizing the group after receiving several take down copyright notices. The popular Web site also suspended Rational Response Squad's account.
DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) requests were submitted to YouTube as the creationist group claimed copyright ownership of the material that was used by the atheist group to criticize the ministry. DMCA, passed in 1998, limits Internet service providers from copyright infringement liability but requires them to promptly remove material from their Web sites that appears to constitute copyright infringement.
Brian Sapient, who heads the Rational Response Squad, plans to file suit, arguing that the material they used was fair use within the boundaries of copyright law.
The atheist group's account was recently reinstated and their videos were reposted along with a host of new posts where the squad and supporters denounce the ministry and claim the recent actions were attempts to silence critics.
"Our right to speak out about the irrationality of religion is the same right you are afforded to speak about exactly the opposite," said the atheist group.
Creation Science Evangelism Ministries is led by Kent Hovind, who is well known for his creation science seminars, which are taped and widely distributed. His self-titled "Hovind Theory" which includes a literal reading of the biblical account of Noah is highly controversial among both atheists and creationists. The Rational Response Squad frequently quotes Hovind in their argument for encouraging the public to use the Creation Science content and saying "our material is not copyrighted."
The atheists further use profane language while mocking Hovind in the YouTube posts.
Hovind is currently serving a 10-year term in jail for failing to pay $845,000 in employee-related taxes. He was found guilty in November 2006 on 58 federal counts. Hovind had argued that his ministry was tax exempt and wrote the IRS many times asking them why he was wrong if, in fact, he was wrong, according to The Conservative Voice. He did not get a response and in January was given 10 years in federal prison.
Meanwhile, the Rational Response Squad is currently entangled in several other copyright disputes.
The atheist group has also made a number of appearances in the media in more recent months, having this year debated Christian evangelists Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron on national television over scientific evidence for God’s existence. They also launched last year the controversial "Blasphemy Challenge" campaign which urges the irreligious to post videos of themselves on YouTube deliberately blaspheming the existence of God and the Holy Spirit – the one sin the group identifies in the Bible as unforgivable.
Christians, in response, have launched counter campaigns such as the "Praise the Lord Challenge," posting public testimonies of themselves professing faith in the Bible and taking a stand for Jesus Christ.
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This is a delayed reply (I hadn't checked back on this thread until now), but I am surprised that such an intelligent person such as yourself Citizen had only offered one statement to the several points I brought up. And the response wasn't too good because you assume that I don't believe in evolution, which I do. Evolution and other discoveries of science are not against God, as many people may believe and even some Christians. If anything, they're all testimonies of God's awesome creations, like the telephone is a testimony to Alexander Graham Bell, for example. It's strange to me that atheists (not saying that you are one Citizen) believe science supports their arguments when actually it doesn't. They may discredit what some Christians believe (beliefs that may not be correct accoridng to proper understanding of the Bible), but they don't discredit the Truth. Watching even someone like Dawkins debate against a highly respected apologist is really quite an embarrassment to Dawkins and atheists a like because he just ends up dodging the central questions. Honestly, many Christians are not that smart. But there is no doubt that the most intelligent athiest cannot even come close to the most intelligent Christian because as many truths as they may know, The Truth escapes them. And as I said before, when they finally get it ... that's when we get another atheist-turned-Chrisitan.
Good site, zenodaddy!!!
Ok. Thanks!!
http://www.u-cubed.org is the site, enjoy my friend!
Oh yeah, after reading it over again I see that I misread your reference to skipping a generation.My mistake.As far as your site, that sounds very interesting.I can use some additional teachings in these areas.Thanks!!
Thanks Golden! In reference to the 'skipping a generation' I was mainly referring to my grandfather lol. When I was 8 years old I went through the Messier Catalog and manually found most of them on my own, and then I stopped until about 6 years ago, now I just cannot seem to get enough.
We are about to rev up conversations such as these over at my ministries site if you are ever interested, same goes for Citizen as we love debates and differing of opinions.
Thanks for sharing that, zeno.I can tell that the "passion" has not skipped a generation!!
GoldenEagle,
I am very proud of my father. His grandfather was an astronomer and I guess it just skipped a generation. I have heard that before too, how being a theologian and an astronomer seem to be contradictory, but in reality, they go hand in hand.
My dad once told me that when he looks up into the stars, there is no way he could ever believe that we were a cosmic accident. His grandfather coined one of my favorite quotes, ""Sometimes when I am alone under the Stars, I look out into space and wonder if our works look as small to God as his looks great to us..."Herbert C. Carroll, 1902-1965, Amateur Astronomer & Telescope-maker (My Grandfather), April 6, 1937.'
In my opinion, atheism truly is the worlds excuse to believe anything and everything, except for the possibility that their lives may actually have a purpose.
An astronomer and a theologian? Wow, that is impressive!! To hear people today, you would think that the two could not co-exist.You should be proud .
I meant to say 'is' instead of 'was' in regards to my dad... been a long day at the office
GoldenEagle,
Thanks for the compliments. I am by no means a professional but I do study Theology and have studied cosmology and string theory several years ago. I am fortunate to come from a father who was both an astronomer and a theologian. Last year he was accepted as a Fellow at the Royal Astronomical Society in London and is in charge of the lunar done survey project... he has been working on that for the past 20 years or so.
I enjoy these type of debates because in the end we have to solutions... either someone hit the ball or the ball spontaneously and without 'reason' shot itself into the air... :-)
You rock, zenodaddy.I should have stayed out of your way and let you do your thing on this one.Your argument that something does not come from nothing (without a Creator) is one of my favorite arguments (notice I didn't say proofs) for the existence of a Creator.
'zenodaddy: That's incorrect. Creationists continuallly fail to shift the burden of persuasion, partly because they say silly things like "It's only been 300,000 years since the Big Bang," which severely injures their credibility,'
I never said anything about it being only 300,000 years since the big bang. I was referring to the time after the creation event (big bang) that we can see. The reason why we cannot see any further is because of the massive amount of light that we cannot see through. Just so we are clear... I believe the universe is between 13.2-15.4 billion years old.
'but also because all they have is the argument from incredulity, which relies not on evidence, but on an absence of evidence or, in some cases, ignoring the evidence, to insert its myths. And when that doesn't work, they resort to threats, trying to win by fear what they could not by reason.'
I do not think you are using the word 'incredulity' in the proper context...
Actually, spontaneous generation refers to the idea that life suddenly appeared without a cause.It is not a claim of Creationists, but an attempt to explain how life originated without a Creator.Louis Pasteur discredited it in the 19th century.I agree that it has more to do with the origin of life than with evolution.However, it is what atheists are left to believe, since they do not allow for a Creator.
I've listened to Bible Science and read materials from Ken Hamm for years. Have researched using the Bible and science. It seemed the info I'd uncover using science just re-enforced what I read in the Bible. Then about 15 years ago after I was "reborn" and filled with the HOLY SPIRIT it all made sense to me...To me, creation is 6000 years; The New Earth; it is so clear I wish everyone could see it as clearly as I can. You see, if you can't have 100% faith/belief in the Book of Genesis, then how can you believe/have faith in the rest of the Bible? To me the literal belief of Genesis/Creation is one of the most important acts of faith we must have...it sets the foundation for us to believe all of GOD"S WORD...if we only allow ourselves to believe part of the Bible, then we believe in nothing at all.