Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Chatting with Jim...

On a whim, I invited the theists who regularly post over at Bill Tammeus' blog to meet me last Saturday evening for a discussion about Richard Dawkins' latest book, The Greatest Show on Earth. I first announced I'd be there on Tuesday of last week, so that anyone wishing to show up would have plenty of time to schedule it. I even specifically invited the "Master Debater" Jim Christensen (or at least, I told the kids he mentors to invite him). Given the aggressive and offensive nature of the juveniles posting over there, I wasn't surprised to see vitriol and insults.

Clearly, just the thought of meeting an atheist is frightening and worrisome to the youngsters. So when polite invitations didn't work, I tried challenging their courage. As expected, they declined, as only cowards and fools will do. I predicted over there that only Jim would have the balls to show up - and sure enough, he was the only one who did. All the kiddies ran away to Lawrence, instead. (I have to wonder about the ethics of allowing teenagers to go to a college fraternity on a Saturday night). Ho, hum. Too bad they didn't show, maybe they would have learned something about tolerance, ethics and genial conversation.

As it was, there ended up being quite a lively crowd at Borders last Saturday. I really wasn't expecting much (again). Instead, when I arrived I saw Cole Morgan, Iggy Dybol and Greg Swartz sitting waiting for me. "Uh, oh." I thought. I worried that Jim wouldn't come over to our table with all four of us sitting there. Glad to see I needn't have been concerned. A few minutes after I sat down, I was tapped on the shoulder by the man himself, Jim Christensen. A quick round of introductions and a trip to the coffee bar (I bought Jim his first coffee, like I said I would), and the conversation took off.

Of course, I was hoping to focus more on Dawkins, and less on the theological arguments of atheism and belief. For better or worse, Iggy and Jim started to go astray almost from the start. I was impressed by some of the admissions and concessions that Jim made -- he's not a Young Earth Creationist, but a "Gap Theorist". He does accept most of evolutionary explanations, he just thinks there must be a "guiding force" (Star Wars Jedi Masters, perhaps?). While I tried several times to get the conversation back to evolution and the evidence from the book, it was futile. Jim and Iggy (and the rest of us, I'll admit) had too much of a good time arguing atheism vs. theism.

I do have to wonder, though. Jim made several comments about ethics and whether we thought it was right to be posting on a blog (Bill's) where perceived threats and offensive language were used. Of course, he didn't have much to say when I pointed out that his "kids", Adam and Will, were also on there and posting insults, personal attacks and slander. I guess being unethical only applies to atheists, because a good Christian can always ask forgiveness, right?

3 comments:

Tom Corbett said...

So you call your insulting, name calling post are reasoned discussion?

Where did he suggest anything about "Jedi's" or the like?

Sound like Iggy's "Space Alien".

And your representation of what he said about ethics is an outright LIE.

You and Iggy are the same, you just tone it down a little, although you anger easily.

PTSD perhaps?

We're on to your game, Lunney. You are no better than your hate hate mongering buddies...who are the ones who came on that blog seeking to destroy it.

And, of course, in that they were successful, but only because Bill Tammeus has no guts.

Chuck Lunney said...

Considering that Jim himself called you all "kids", and agreed that your attitudes and posts show a very juvenile and offensive side, etc, I don't see how it can be said that I was "insulting" or "name calling". They were Jim's words.

As to what Jim believes, he specifically called himself a "Gap Theorist", and he said that while he accepted that the evolutionary sequence of life is correct, that there is a "guiding force" behind it. Those were Jim's words.

My comment about the Jedi Masters was a joke -- something which requires a reasonably developed sense of humor and a modicum of comprehension about modern culture. Both of which, you apparently lack in abundance.

Of course, since none of the "kids" had the guts to show up, there's no way you could possibly know what was said.

Rather than petty, malingering whining and sniping from the shadows of anonymous internet pseudonyms (something you, Will, and Adam seem quite adept at), perhaps you could join your mentor in coming to one of these events and actually learn something.

Oh, wait - you can't do that, you don't have the balls for it.

Chuck Lunney said...

And on the question of PTSD -- what the hell would a pubescent teenager like you possibly know about it?

No, I don't have it (never have), but I wouldn't expect you to have a clue what such a disorder actually entails. I've had several good friends afflicted with it, and it's not something to joke around about. Doing so shows only your own asinine, abusive and ignorant nature.