News to Note, June 9, 2012

1. What Doesn’t Animal Behavior Tell Us?

A “cold and calculating chimp,” canines catching yawns, and harmonious hyraxes—what doesn’t animal behavior tell us?

2. Proof for Ideas on the Moon

Hugh Ross claims proof for his ideas can be found on the moon.

3. Interviewer Claims Creation Museum is Dangerous and Delusional

Interviewer claims Creation Museum’s presentation of history and science is dangerous and delusional.

4. Re-Writing History

Evolutionist defends William Jennings Bryan against those who re-write history.

And Don’t Miss …

• For Greater Glory, a film depicting an actual 1926–1929 struggle for religious freedom in Mexico, reportedly does a good job of exploring the not-so-simple problems that can arise when matters of conscience conflict with government-mandated religious persecution. According to a detailed analysis from the reviewer for the National Religious Broadcasters, the film reaches far beyond simplistic answers. The reviewer writes, “Clearly the Catholic faithful and their leaders are the heroes in the film, but the story doesn’t shirk from the difficult questions that arise when religious persecution raises its ugly head: Should persons of faith obey a corrupt law that criminalizes religious activity and expression—or should they passively resist, or even actively rebel? The movie shows how bad things can go when even well-intentioned armed resistance is mounted.” (“How bad things can go” required an “R” rating for the film’s violence.) The reviewer concludes: “Scripture gives the Christian guidelines on relationships with government, of course: the general rule of obedience is repeatedly emphasized (Romans 13:1–7; I Peter 2:13–17). Yet there are also occasional exceptions (Exodus 1:15–21; Daniel 3: 8–18; Acts 16:35–40). In the final analysis, For Greater Glory raises important questions for the follower of Christ, for the student of religious liberty, and for many Americans who sense a rising tide of intolerance against religious expression and observance within our own borders.”
• South Korean professionals and creationists critical of the dogmatic acceptance of evolutionary ideas are making headway in the educational community. South Korea’s Ministry of Education has forwarded a petition from the Society for Textbook Revision to publishers who will now remove many evolutionary references from high school textbooks. Nature reports 40% of biology teachers surveyed in South Korea agreed that “much of the scientific community doubts if evolution occurs.” Fifty percent of those surveyed disagreed that “modern humans are the product of evolutionary processes.” Surveys of public opinion about evolution have mirrored the Gallup poll results in the United States. (See last week’s And Don’t Miss section if you did . . . miss it, that is.) And although an evolutionary psychologist at Kyung Hee University suggests Korean “antipathy to evolution” springs partly from “strong Christianity in the country,” survey results do not back up his opinion. An evolutionary scientist from Seoul National University says the “problem” stems from reluctance on the part of evolutionists to confront creationists. He says evolutionists fear such confrontations would give creationist ideas greater exposure. But he says that such silence is not working and is therefore organizing a campaign to oppose creationists in the schools and “in broader public life.” [Updated 6/14/12: Dr. Georgia Purdom has, since this article originally ran, published a response on her blog.]