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AR 22:1 - How biology confirms our intuition that life is designed
In this issue:
CRIMINOLOGY - professor misidentifies devil
ORIGINS - when intuitive belief is scientifically valid
SEXUAL IMPURITY - which is growing faster -- STDs, or the national debt?
Apologia Report 22:1 (1,321)
January 5, 2017
CRIMINOLOGY
The Devil You Know: The Surprising Link Between Conservative Christianity and Crime, by Elicka Peterson Sparks [1] -- ForeWord magazine's review (Spr '16) finds that Peterson Sparks (Government and Justice Studies, Appalachian State University) "addresses a dark but pervasive truth: America has a crime problem that may have its roots in Christianity. ... Sparks is an expert in the study of crime and its patterns in the United States. Her new book shares a calm, persuasive, and chilling look at a highly emotional topic. Its reasonable tone stands to be celebrated, particularly given the contentious nature of her topic in public discourse. ...
"Through meticulous study, she uncovers the roots of the problem in Christian faith, particularly when it's practiced with reliance upon violent scripture or scripture taken out of context. The book traces the history of crime and faith in the United States through to dominant patterns in today's culture, highlighting current and unprecedented rates of incarceration. It includes powerful examinations of how coercive and oppressive cultural patterns disproportionately affect women, children, and the LGBTQ community.
"Notably, Peterson Sparks doesn't take issue with the whole of Christianity, but rather with the way certain groups morph their biblical beliefs into nationalism with a focus on authority and punishment. At the heart of the book is the question of which biblical values should actually translate to for society. Practical advice is left to the last chapter, which presents steps that individuals and communities might take to stop religiously based violence. Such moments counteract otherwise discouraging information. The Devil You Know turns into heartening and compelling territory, even while recognizing that the road ahead is daunting.
"This book is a critical read for leaders in religion and in social justice who are looking to help uproot crime more effectively. Peterson Sparks presents a challenge to Christians, and even people of other faiths, to truly evaluate the far-reaching effects of their beliefs and practices. The principles and lenses used in her research are valuable for other questions of religion and public life. The Devil You Know gives vital information for continued dialogue on crime and violence in America." [4]
Writing for Choice Reviews (Oct '16), Charles L. Kammer (The College of Wooster) counters: "Sparks ... attempts to draw connections between Christian nationalism/dominionism and crime in the US. She makes a connection between the harsh sentencing and incarceration conditions this group supports and the high recidivism rates that lead to increased crime. She also rightly notes the historical connection between the criminalization of drug use and a strand of domestic Christianity. Though her thesis is helpful, it employs a reductionist understanding of religion and its complex relationship to society, thus overlooking the role that religion has played in criminal justice reform and abolition of the death penalty and the limited impact of religion in a highly secularized society. There is also a somewhat simplistic understanding of the causes of crime, which detracts from the book's overall thesis and may divert attention from more effective means of crime reduction. Sparks devotes 20 percent of the book to biblical proof texting in an attempt to demonstrate that the Bible can be used to support extreme forms of punishment and abusive and discriminatory behaviors toward women and the LGBTQ community. This and the lack of significant empirical data weaken the author's claims." [3]
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ORIGINS
Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life Is Designed, by Douglas Axe [2] -- the publisher's blurb reads: "In this accessible, scientifically based book, the director of the Discovery Institute's Biologic Institute <biologicinstitute.org> offers further proof that the long-accepted view of Darwin's theory of evolution has significant shortcomings, and offers valid evidence in support of the idea that life was created by design. ...
"Douglas Axe argues that the intuitive belief many hold, that life was created by design and not natural selection, is scientifically valid, grounded in 'common science' - the lifelong process of building and refining our understanding of the world through everyday experience. We all do science at this basic level, Axe contends, and this science justifies our inference that life was designed. ...
"Axe argues that the key to understanding our origin is the 'design intuition' - the innate belief held by all humans that tasks we would need knowledge to accomplish can be accomplished only by someone who has that knowledge. For the ingenious task of inventing life, this knower can only be God.
"Starting with the hallowed halls of academic science, Axe dismantles the widespread belief that Darwin's theory of evolution is indisputably true, showing instead that a gaping hole has been at its center from the beginning. He then explains in plain English the science that proves our design intuition scientifically valid. Lastly, he uses every-day experience to empower ordinary people to defend their design intuition, giving them the confidence and courage to explain why it must be true and the vision to imagine what biology will become when people stand up for this truth."
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SEXUAL IMPURITY
"Last year, STD cases hit an all-time high in the US" by Beth Mole -- "It's the second year in a row with historically high STD levels. However, because only three STDs are routinely reported to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] - chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis - the new data may be just a glimpse of the nationwide problem." Gonorrhea had a 12.8 percent increase, reaching nearly 400,000 cases; "Syphilis saw the largest jump," with a 19 percent increase from 2014 cases, bringing the 2015 total to nearly 24,000; and chlamydia had the highest total number of cases, hitting more than 1.5 million in 2015.
"Americans most affected by the STD rise are young people and gay and bisexual men, the agency found. Two-thirds of chlamydia cases and half of gonorrhea cases were among Americans aged 15 to 24. Men who have sex with men were largely behind the rises in gonorrhea and syphilis.
"States in the Western region of the country saw some of the biggest jumps in STD rates, but the Southern states still held on to the highest overall rates for all three diseases. ...
"While the overall picture is concerning, the data doesn't capture the prevalence and trends of some other common sexually transmitted infections, namely herpes and human papillomavirus (the most common). According to estimates by the CDC, 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV and about 14 million get infected each year. While 90 percent of those infections are asymptomatic and clear up on their own within two years, lingering infections can lead to genital warts and cancer." And last, "health officials have raised alarm about gonorrhea cases that are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics." Ars Technica, Oct 20 '16 <www.goo.gl/2GOHD7>
HIV, the elephant in the room, somehow goes unmentioned.
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - The Devil You Know: The Surprising Link Between Conservative Christianity and Crime, by Elicka Peterson Sparks (Prometheus, 2016, hardcover, 330 pages) <www.goo.gl/8Gd6lW>
2 - Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life Is Designed, by Douglas Axe (HarperOne, 2016, hardcover, 304 pages) <www.goo.gl/gVBo4B>
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