A Tale of Two Childhoods
Posted: Sunday, November 23, 2008
by Joel Kontinen
http://joelkontinen.blogspot.com/
Ken Ham, the president of the apologetics ministry Answers in Genesis often says that the type of glasses we wear determine how we view reality. Thus, if we wear evolution glasses we will see the world from a naturalistic perspective but if we wear biblical glasses we will see God's hands in the world He has created.
Perhaps an example might clarify what I mean.
But Kenya is not the only thing that we share. We are both interested in religion. Professor Dawkins has even written a book on religion called the God Delusion. I have written about his writings on my blogs. It might be due to his selfish genes but he has not responded in kind.
We both seem to be interested in monkeys. Maybe I ought to admit that I once had a pet vervet monkey. My mother bought him from an African farmer when he was a tiny baby. The farmer had killed his mother who obviously could not resist the delicious corn cobs growing near the farmer's hut. (Corn, by the way, is called maize in Kenya in everything else expect corn flakes.)
While scientists are fond of using the name Chlorocebus pygerythrus, I found it difficult to call him by that name. "Morning, Chlorocebus pygerythrus, here are your breakfast bananas" did not sound too good, so I decided to call him Brother Monkey instead. Not that I subscribed to Darwinian evolution but that was the name that first came to my mind. Brother's tiny hand looked a bit like my hand. But Brother's tiny foot did not look like my foot at all. And I hate to admit that Brother was at times more stupid that any cat I ever saw.
Now, professor Dawkins has suggested that apes should have almost human rights. I don't know how many apes he knows personally but judging from my own experience with Brother I would be very reluctant to agree with him. Although Brother is no ape, as a vervet monkey he is almost an ape and in just two short years he grew to be as big as our supposed grandmother Lucy a.k.a Australopithecus afarensis. I would rather vote for the status quo of not granting human rights to apes.
But I would run out of time and space if I were to list everything professor Dawkins and I have in common, so I might be wise to end here.
However, we don't see eye to eye in all issues. For instance, Richard Dawkins thinks that the watchmaker is blind. I suspect that there is nothing wrong with the Watchmaker's eyesight but our differences have more to do with Poor Richard's choice of glasses than anything else.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)HI Joel, thanks for sharing this lighthearted story about differences in the way things are seen and for pointing out, the way we see things do not change the truth. That is why I love God's truth. It is not dependant on what people think about it. It is absolute and unchanging and that gives me great security. I also love answers in genesis. Very revealing stuff. Lord bless you!! TeresaThanks Teresa for your kind response. It's good to know that we cannot change the truth by our choice of glasses, as Ken Ham would say. I’ve been reading AiG’s webpages at least weekly since I discovered them five or six years ago and last April I spent a whole day in their museum. It was a great experience.
Blessings,
Joel
Joel, I like the name, Brother Monkey. This was cute, funny, informative and a good read. I'm just thankful the scales are not over my eyes and I see. Now, we have work to do about getting the scales removed from the eyes of those who are yet blind. Thanks Joel for joining my fan club! :-) Take care and be blessed!Thanks Avis for your feedback and for joining my fan club. Yes, “I once was blind but now I see” is true of origins issues also.
Be blessed,
Joel
Joel, I find your writing intriguing. I can picture you with Brother. Here are a few of this one writer's reactions, for whatever they may be worth: Visiting your blog, I found it well-organized. You have a broad line of interests and a distinctive writing voice. Your work shows a basic certainty strengthened by facts, from what I have read thus far. That is encouraging. When schedule relaxes a bit, I look forward to reading more of your earlier articles. Thanks for writing! ~JaneThanks, Jane, for your encouraging words. There are a lot of people who definitely do not like my writing as origins issues seem to be very emotional. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Joel
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