Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!

November 18, 2009 3:05 PM

November 24th marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Ray Comfort released plans to distribute thousands of free copies to students of the "50 top U.S. universities" on November 19th. His edition includes a 54 page introduction (PDF) written by Comfort. Apparently to thwart protest distribution was moved to today (according to the comments). The National Council for Science and the Environment has set up the website dontdissdarwin.com to counter Comfort's claims. via. previously.

Comfort vs. Dawkins. You may know Comfort from his religious work with actor Kirk Cameron (warning auto-play music) or his "Atheists' Nightmare" video featuring a banana.

Gratuitous Spaghetti Monster link.

posted by cjorgensen (75 comments total)

Oh, hey. I saw these guys on my campus today but I didn't know what was going on. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.
posted by mmmbacon at 3:12 PM on November 18, 2009

One of my labmates got one of these from some nuts handing them out on campus today. It has some pretty entertaining political cartoons of Darwin as a monkey accompanied by a whole lot of garbage. But one good binder clip later and she's got a perfectly good copy of the On the Origin of Species. It also sparked a pretty interesting discussion about science and religion with a visiting scholar from China. She's never heard of any of this stuff before. Probably not the effect the nuts were hoping for. At the end of the day, we're all still biologists and need evolution to actually be able to do science.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:12 PM on November 18, 2009 [8 favorites]

I don't get why fundies get worked up over the Origins of Species. It's a book from 150 years ago. Evolution and biology have gone way farther since then, and it's not like science is dogmatically tied to that book like Christianity is tied to the Bible. If they really wanted to challenge evolution, why not instead publish a rebuttal to a contemporary book about evolution written for laypeople?

It's like citing Gray's Anatomy to show the evils of vaccines.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:14 PM on November 18, 2009 [13 favorites]

Oh, that explains why my classmate got one of these today. It was a really nice, big book. We assumed it was to thwart the people always handing out bibles on our campus.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 3:16 PM on November 18, 2009

I wonder how this post will change over time.
posted by The Whelk at 3:17 PM on November 18, 2009 [7 favorites]

Also, we didn't even realize it was anti-Darwin. I guess the person who got it will once he reads it, but it just facilitated a big discussion on how great Darwin is in our class. So, awesome.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 3:18 PM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

In other news, speciation was recently "caught in the act" among Darwin's finches. TAKE THAT, BEEOTCHES!
posted by exogenous at 3:19 PM on November 18, 2009 [8 favorites]

You're a good man, Charlie Darwin.
posted by The Whelk at 3:19 PM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

I don't get why fundies get worked up over the Origins of Species. It's a book from 150 years ago. Evolution and biology have gone way farther since then, and it's not like science is dogmatically tied to that book like Christianity is tied to the Bible.

Yeah, it makes no sense until you realize that creationists simply don't/won't understand their own issue. Evolution to them is not a theory describing the development of organisms over time, but an entire worldview encompassing biological evolution, cosmology, abiogenesis, and any other scientific poistion that runs counter to Biblical literalism.

To them, just as they often say in their literature, Evolution is an all-encompassing religion and "Origin..." is its founding holy book.
posted by brundlefly at 3:24 PM on November 18, 2009 [11 favorites]

Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project, is going to be pissed. They totally mixed up his history and said that he claimed the complexity of human DNA is proof of God, and used his words to justify a view he doesn't hold.

The fact of the matter is that he is a Christian, but he became a Christian while he was working as a doctor who dealt with terminal patients. It was well before he joined the HGP. In addition, he also strongly believes in evolution, as in "humans evolved from a common ancestor with chimps" evolution, saying in an interview with Time, IIRC, that he didn't like rationalizations people use to mesh creation with evolution (IE God used evolution to make animals and plants, but humans are special and were created separately). His belief is that God used evolution as the tool to create life on the Earth. He has called DNA the "Language of God," which is also the title of his book, which is a decent read, and a good thing to show to fundie friends who think that anyone who believes in evolution cannot be a Christian.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:25 PM on November 18, 2009 [11 favorites]

At first I thought you did a double here, but thanks for the this, I'm glad I get to read his updated Intro. I wish I could've gotten one of these books. I would've made it into a project to "update" Comfort's updated Intro, and try to leave it as nice as possible.
posted by P.o.B. at 3:26 PM on November 18, 2009

brundlefly: "To them, just as they often say in their literature, Evolution is an all-encompassing religion and "Origin..." is its founding holy book."

And Dawkins is the Pope.
posted by idiopath at 3:27 PM on November 18, 2009

On December 20 we can celebrate the 4 year anniversary of the rulng by a (Republican, church going) federal judge that a school policy promoting "intelligent design" was "breathtaking inanity."
posted by bearwife at 3:31 PM on November 18, 2009 [8 favorites]

These were also crawling all over my campus today. At one point in the introduction, Comfort writes, "Google 'Social Darwinism,'" which just encapsulates the introduction perfectly.

"Oh yeah? Well, Google paleoanthropology. 214,000 results? Wait--what's that I see in there? A Wikipedia page for the Piltdown Man? Paleoanthropology debunked."
posted by dougmoon at 3:32 PM on November 18, 2009 [4 favorites]

There'll be a broadcast of CBC's Ideas radio show later on tonight on this topic - part 2 or a 3-part documentary focusing on his personal and academic evolution. (The CBC link has a number of links to other related Darwin sites.)

Ideas docs are frequently of very good quality. If this show is of interest, best to listen tonight rather than wait for a download. It may not be available as a podcast for copyright reasons. At this time it's not on the schedule.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 3:34 PM on November 18, 2009

Comfort's no threat. Let him waste his money.
posted by edd at 3:35 PM on November 18, 2009

part 2 of a 3-part...

must be devolving into a sea otter...
posted by Hardcore Poser at 3:35 PM on November 18, 2009

It's a book from 150 years ago. Evolution and biology have gone way farther since then, and it's not like science is dogmatically tied to that book like Christianity is tied to the Bible.

Actually this is exactly the point. They have no other frame of reference to relate to the rest of the world, so they just treat evolution (and science in general) as a competing sect with it's own holy books, magisterium, etc and attack it the same way they would attack any other heretical doctrine.
posted by Avenger at 3:35 PM on November 18, 2009 [10 favorites]

"Ray Comfort" sounds like a parody of a television evangelist's name from a Cramps song.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:38 PM on November 18, 2009 [6 favorites]

At one point in the introduction, Comfort writes, "Google 'Social Darwinism,'" which just encapsulates the introduction perfectly.

Buh?

That doesn't even make any sense. Darwin had nothing to do with "Social Darwinism."

That's like saying grapes suck and nuts suck because Grape-Nuts sucks.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:40 PM on November 18, 2009 [8 favorites]

Man, I'm too cheap to buy books and too lazy to remember to return books to the library. It'd be really awesome if the fundies could get riled up over books that I want to read.

"Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi, with an Introduction by Ray Comfort."

"Dear reader, were you aware of the history of Iran and how Israel should be getting a much bigger defense budget? After all, you can't have much of a holy war on a shoestring coinpurse..."
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:41 PM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Actually, nevermind what I just said. I want a Kindle. HEY WINGNUTS, DO YOU HEAR ME? I WANT A KINDLE!

I THINK GLOBAL WARMING IS TOTALLY TRUE! I SUPPORT CAP AND TRADE LEGISLATION! BY YOUR REASONING, I AM COMPLETELY DELUSIONAL AND NEED HELP! SEND ME A KINDLE WITH A COPY OF "THE END OF NATURE" BY BILL MCKIBBEN, ALONG WITH AN INTRO BY SARAH PALIN EXPLAINING WHY IT'S WRONG AS HELL!

REMEMBER, YOU NEED TO CONVINCE ME TO CHOOSE FREEDOM OVER TYRANY!
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:45 PM on November 18, 2009 [7 favorites]

That's like saying grapes suck and nuts suck because Grape-Nuts sucks.

You better take that back right now, buddy.
posted by The World Famous at 3:45 PM on November 18, 2009 [4 favorites]

I think it would be a good idea to hand out Bibles on campus with a lengthy, poorly written disclaimer in the front. I bet that would change a lot of Christians minds.
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:46 PM on November 18, 2009 [7 favorites]

> That's like saying grapes suck and nuts suck because Grape-Nuts sucks.

> > You better take that back right now, buddy.

I figured you for one of them godless Post-modernists.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:49 PM on November 18, 2009 [16 favorites]

Does Ray Comfort have children? I'm hoping not, because ignorance and stupidity like that really shouldn't be allowed to gain a genetic toehold.
posted by five fresh fish at 3:50 PM on November 18, 2009

This is completely stupid (Comfort's general idea, not all the specific loony creationism stuff)--three people said to me on campus today, 'hey they're handing out free copies of Darwin's Origin of Species at the Union!' So the message on this campus today seems to be, free copies of On the Origin of Species!!

But then, Comfort is the same dumbass who peels a banana upside down, mistaking the handle for a tab, and claims it proves God designed everything. So, yeah, I don't know why I would have expected a good idea from him.
posted by LooseFilter at 4:13 PM on November 18, 2009

One early report I read said that these handouts had four chapters of the original text removed. The four chapters in question were ostensibly four of the more convincing chapters of Darwin's text. Can anyone who has received a copy confirm whether this is true?

If it's true, it's an extraordinarily dishonestthing to do. It would be an out-and-out admission that Comfort can't even debate or dispute the text on its own merits, much less debating the science of evolution as it is understood today.

It would be like publishing a critique of a bowdlerized copy of the Bible with the four Gospels removed. It's one thing to try to find fault in a text's thesis. It's something else entirely to find fault with a text's thesis when the key chapters have been stripped out.

I'd really like to know if this is the case with Comfort's publication.
posted by darkstar at 4:13 PM on November 18, 2009 [3 favorites]

Double post. Flagged as such.

Former child actor Kirk Cameron and his friend Ray (The Banana Guy ) Comfort [previously] seek to distribute the "correct" (aka altered) version of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species to 50,000 students at the nation's top 50 universities as the book is soon to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Their version includes a 50-page introduction which "...gives the history of evolution, a timeline of Darwin's life, Adolph Hitler's undeniable connection with the theory, Darwin's racism, his disdain for women, and Darwin's thoughts on the existence of God..." Cameron's promotional video for the project: 'Origin Into Schools .' A video response: "Origin of Stupidity."

posted by ericb at 4:20 PM on November 18, 2009

On review this new post adds current info/status of Cameron and Comfort's efforts and the reaction to it.
posted by ericb at 4:21 PM on November 18, 2009

Hey, I got one of those books. Also I had a nice talk with a friendly creationist who was really freezing. She says she believes in "microevolution" but says that species don't actually change (that would be"macroevolution"). We kinda pressed her on that, asking how microevolution doesn't turn into macroevolution at some point. All genetic mutation involves a loss of information, she said. We pressed her on that too. I don't think it really makes sense, and she couldn't actually explain how that works. She'd been out there a while, though, and she looked pretty cold. Anyway, this group was one of the most friendly evangelical groups that have done some public effort on my campus - no signs, no insults, no yelling. I don't know if me and this girl could be friends, since she probably thinks I'm going to hell, but I bet we'd be good neighbors.
posted by thirteenkiller at 4:22 PM on November 18, 2009

*reaction to them.*
posted by ericb at 4:22 PM on November 18, 2009

It's a book from 150 years ago. Evolution and biology have gone way farther since then, and it's not like science is dogmatically tied to that book like Christianity is tied to the Bible.


It's a culture war.

Also, Charles Darwin has a Posse!
posted by sebastienbailard at 4:31 PM on November 18, 2009

thirteenkiller: "All genetic mutation involves a loss of information, she said."

I think it is great that they are taking a giant shit on information theory as a part of their whole anti-evolution thing. Maybe they could fit some anti-second-law free energy crap in there or flat earth and really go for the gold.
posted by idiopath at 4:34 PM on November 18, 2009 [7 favorites]

Hey, I got one of those books.

Any chapters missing?
posted by LooseFilter at 4:36 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

I WANT A FREE BOOK.
posted by jquinby at 4:47 PM on November 18, 2009

Maybe they could fit some anti-second-law free energy crap in there or flat earth and really go for the gold.

Will anti-Copernicanism do you?

Web design from 1993; intellectual philosophy from 1493.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:49 PM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

I don't get why fundies get worked up over the Origins of Species. It's a book from 150 years ago. Evolution and biology have gone way farther since then, and it's not like science is dogmatically tied to that book like Christianity is tied to the Bible.

When your basic premise is that it's not worth your time to examine something predetermined to be a lie, you look for the convenient villain in the story. This isn't about some reasoned examination of the data and the theories that fit it, nor is it about the scientific method. It's about being a knight in a modern day Christian crusade, a warrior for light, fighting against everything that sets itself against you and your Manichean worldview. Any unity or consensus on the other side doesn't mean there are points worth examining, it just reveals the extent of corruption in the world that you have to fight.

Never mind that a work like Darwin's origin of the species was probably inevitable after Linnaeus, or all the work that's been done since. His dated science is just a convenient strawman in a fight where stridency and rhetoric count and logic is the Devil's tool.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:51 PM on November 18, 2009 [6 favorites]

...or what sebastianbailard said.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:52 PM on November 18, 2009

Will anti-Copernicanism do you?

It's a nice introduction to the phrase "Big Bangism", which I just love for some reason.
posted by me & my monkey at 4:53 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

>
Type in "Ray Comfort is" into Google's suggestion search bar.

I'm not saying Google's right. I'm just saying, you don't get to be a multibillion dollar corporation by being wrong...
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:55 PM on November 18, 2009 [4 favorites]

I got my copy. I missed them on campus today but I picked up a copy from some folks who were having a used book fundraiser for a peace walk across the country. They said "look, it's only fair I tell you that they're giving this book away on campus." But I figured that getting it through the peace marchers somehow karmically purified it.
posted by pahool at 4:59 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yep, he really did take out four chapters. He just poured gasoline all over his "I'm just doing this to give the kids balance" strawman.

In retaliation, let's distribute Bibles without Genesis, Exodus, Mark, or Corinthians. After all, nobody ever reads those chapters, and it'll start people off on the right foot to start with Leviticus. After all, if they want to be Fundementalist Christians, they need to learn the essential laws first, like how they should not be touching menstruating women. In our secular society, it's a mistake that is way too easy to make.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:07 PM on November 18, 2009 [7 favorites]

I'm not saying there's no God. That's not for me to say. All I'm saying is that the earth was not made in a day.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 5:14 PM on November 18, 2009

Awww... I really wanted one of these. Teach me to not obssessively reload MeFi.
posted by Zed at 5:20 PM on November 18, 2009

I saw these people on my campus today. At least, I think I did. Pretty much every day, there are fundies on the quads trying (and pretty uniformly failing) to give away bibles, but today I noticed that a bunch of students were actually taking the books they were handing out. I just thought it was a weird coincidence that I saw the only three kids on campus who would actually take a bible in succession, but now I think it's more likely that they were enticed by people saying, "Free copy of Origin of Species," not realizing the nefariousness behind the offer.
posted by notswedish at 5:23 PM on November 18, 2009

Seems like someone ought to print up copies of the missing chapters and take up a position next to these guys handing them out. Maybe with a title like "To Hot for Comfort! The Origin They Don't Want You to See".
I bet it'd prove pretty popular.
posted by alexei at 5:38 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

FINCHES GONE WILD!
posted by brundlefly at 5:47 PM on November 18, 2009

Holy shit, mccarty, that's despicably dishonest.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:56 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Holy shit, mccarty, that's despicably dishonest.

God doesn't care if you have to be deceitful as long as you're doing it in the service of snuffing out science.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:19 PM on November 18, 2009

or his "Atheists' Nightmare" video featuring a banana.

Everything I hear about Ray Comfort always mentions this video. It warms me to think that his legacy in the world will be showing people that a banana fits in your mouth.
posted by Midnight Rambler at 6:24 PM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Thirteenkiller:

"Loss of information" sounds to me like another reference to entropy; I've heard the Second Law of Thermodynamics cited by Creationists as a reason for why it is impossible for Life grow more complex over time, only less complex. To at least some of the strict Biblical Creationists I've talked to, this has double philosophical appeal, because the Law seems to parallel the idea of an initially perfect world, Eden, steadily deteriorating, growing baser and more corrupt after the introduction of Original Sin.

Of course, as far as their objections to evolution go, the Second Law is being incorrectly applied; as typically stated it applies only to a closed/isolated system, which life most certainly is not. Living systems import energy, which is spent to reduce their entropy, essentially exporting it to the surrounding environment. While local entropy is reduced, the overall entropy of the system as a whole (the Universe) still increases on balance, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics is not violated.

Another way of looking at it: Life expends as much energy as it can to preserve and duplicate copies of its own information. This tendency has thus far managed to compensate for the countless and frequent local losses of information, due to mutation and other accidents, with sufficient local gains in information elsewhere due to reproduction (and sometimes also, though very, very rarely, to mutation!*)--with the result we're still here.

Though I admit that as a creation story, that explanation could probably use a snake or an apple or something.



* A combination of which yielding: ...Evolution!
Ain't it cool?
posted by theDTs at 6:28 PM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

theDTs: ""Loss of information" sounds to me like another reference to entropy; I've heard the Second Law of Thermodynamics cited by Creationists as a reason for why it is impossible for Life grow more complex over time, only less complex."

They are referring to information theory. In their model genetic code is a message encoded by our omniscient and omnipotent creator, and any alteration in that code is noise interfering with the transmission of that message.

This model is easily refuted by the relative diversity and non-stability of the genetic code of each species over time.
posted by idiopath at 6:39 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Will anti-Copernicanism do you?

To be fair, the theory of relativity more or less states that if you want to think about it that way, the Earth can be considered the motionless center of the universe, to which all other movement is compared. Of course, so can my left nostril.
posted by Caduceus at 6:45 PM on November 18, 2009

> At first I thought you did a double here, but thanks for the this, I'm glad I get to read his updated Intro.

Yeah, I was of two minds on this when I saw that two of my links were previously used. I went to the original, read it, looked at the links in the comments, and didn't see the actual Intro anywhere. Ironically, it took me a while to find that since the link off of Comfort's blog is broken. Anyway, the deciding factor on posting was that the event event off today and I actually found the PDF. If the thread had been open these would have gone in the comments.

Two links I couldn't find were Dawkins actually organizing a protest. Lots of blogs said he was, said he was encouraging people to rip out the introduction, but I couldn't find any primary sources for this. The second link I wanted was to a cartoon parody of the banana video where two gay men were using the shapes of a penis to promote the fact that God condones gay sex.

> Paleoanthropology debunked.

Piltdown Man is real, man. Real!

> I think it would be a good idea to hand out Bibles on campus with a lengthy, poorly written disclaimer in the front.

But this would not only be ineffective, it would send you right to hell! See Revelation 22: 19-20 if you don't believe me.

> One early report I read said that these handouts had four chapters of the original text removed. The four chapters in question were ostensibly four of the more convincing chapters of Darwin's text. Can anyone who has received a copy confirm whether this is true?

According to this page (a pro-Comfort site) they said they had to cut the original introduction and 4 "random" chapters from the first printing, but they did include a URL to this site (which has a good PDF version of Origin).

> Double post. Flagged as such.

I wasn't attached to the post in anyway, so didn't care if it died as a double, but I did think that since it was actually happening today and they original thread was closed, that perhaps it was worth revisiting. Also, the only duplicate links are the banana video and the Kirk Cameron site. On further reading what you say here. (I did credit your post with the previously.)

> In retaliation, let's distribute Bibles without Genesis, Exodus, Mark, or Corinthians.

Eh, I was happy enough to get Maccabees taken out of the NRSVP.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:48 PM on November 18, 2009

Unless I'm mistaken, most of Maccabees has been verified by contemporary accounts and archaeological evidence, though.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:54 PM on November 18, 2009

Just a correction to one of your links: The Don't Diss Darwin Institute was actually set up by the National Center for Science Education It's a different NCSE.

I was going to make this post yesterday, but feared it would be flagged as a double. I'm glad someone did it though.
posted by lexicakes at 7:16 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yep, he really did take out four chapters.

Holy crap that is unbelievably intellectually dishonest. I mean, Scientology-level dishonest. If I were a Christian or a creationist I would disown Comfort and his work from the rooftops.

This guy seriously makes Christians look awful. I know that's not saying much around here on MeFi but cutting chapters out of a book you're supposed to be critiquing just makes you look like you know you're wrong, but are trying to fool people into thinking you're right.
posted by Avenger at 7:16 PM on November 18, 2009 [3 favorites]

So this is what I turned down on campus. I don't take anything unless it is clearly food.
posted by nestor_makhno at 7:25 PM on November 18, 2009

For the record, I am a far-left Presbyterian. I'll gladly take this opportunity to disown Comfort, and Creationism as a whole. At its best, religion should be about examining the world from a different perspective. That does not mean you metaphorically blot out the sky so that you don't have to change any ideas.

These people have such a weak faith in God that they think they need concrete proof in the form of Creationism being the only belief-system that explains the origins of life. They're propping up the old watchmaker strawman. The argument works well for people outside of a scientific background, but for people involved in science, it's infuriating. Science is all about rationally finding the truth through empirical and objective tests. If evolution were such a bad theory, scientists would be on the forefront of getting rid of it.

And the grand irony is that if you need proof, it isn't faith. And the problem is that once you get into the religion by that logic, you end up setting up a firewall in your brain to keep out conflicting information, which makes you isolated from mainstream science and society, or you lose the religion.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:26 PM on November 18, 2009 [3 favorites]

This will backfire on them because of the deleted chapters. It's pure evil and the exact opposite of the anti-censorship motive they profess.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:52 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I would've been pretty peeved if it was missing four chapters and I would've ended up chucking it. Why would I want an incomplete book.

Origin of Stupidity <- Courtesy of ericb's original post. I still giggle when I think about her saying "Booolshit!"
posted by P.o.B. at 8:31 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

nestor_makhno: I don't take anything unless it is clearly food.

Dude. They've got you exactly where they want you.
posted by sneebler at 9:51 PM on November 18, 2009

mccarty.tim: For the record, I am a far-left Presbyterian. I'll gladly take this opportunity to disown Comfort, and Creationism as a whole. At its best, religion should be about examining the world from a different perspective.

What amazes me is that whether you look at it from a religious viewpoint or not, Creationism (and the sects that promote it) is more a failure of imagination than a coherent idea. Which makes it very difficult to argue with, because its adherents probably can't understand an opposing view. Well, that and the pure evil part.
posted by sneebler at 9:59 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Holy crap that is unbelievably intellectually dishonest. I mean, Scientology-level dishonest. If I were a Christian or a creationist I would disown Comfort and his work from the rooftops.

If you were a Ray Comfort-class Christian or a creationist, you'd be too ignorant or brainwashed to disown a thing.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:21 PM on November 18, 2009

I don't actually own a copy of On the Origin of Species so it would have been nice to pick one of these up. But having found out about the chapter removal thing bums me out. It's par for the course for Banana Man, but I would have liked a free copy of that book. I guess it'd be an interesting thing to own if you could place it side by side with the actual version. I guess I'm still hoping I can get my hands on one of these for basically no money, but Comfort isn't coming anywhere near me. Behave yourself.
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 11:23 PM on November 18, 2009

The font size makes it a bad copy for reading, although the font of the Ray Comfort intro is nice and big and readable.
posted by pahool at 11:56 PM on November 18, 2009

ericb: "Their version includes a 50-page introduction which "...gives the history of evolution, a timeline of Darwin's life, Adolph Hitler's undeniable connection with the theory, Darwin's racism, his disdain for women, and Darwin's thoughts on the existence of God...""

Darwin hated women and black people! And he believed in God!

Pick an argument creationists.
posted by minifigs at 1:01 AM on November 19, 2009

I got a couple copies of this today on the UW-Madison campus. The "special" introduction is stunningly bad, as expected, but I should mention that it DOES appear to be a complete copy of the Origin of Species. The chapters Eugenie C. Scott mentioned as missing in her copy (in mccarty.tim's link) are all present in the copy I have, as is Darwin's introduction. Unfortunately the text of Origin is in print much smaller than even the ENDNOTES of Comfort's introduction, so if I actually want to be able to read the book without my eyes falling out, I'll need to go get a different copy anyway. Maybe this is their grand scheme -- anyone interested in the actual science will GO BLIND from reading their book.
posted by Limiter at 3:02 AM on November 19, 2009

This is a sad story for the evangelical church. Instead of engaging young people in a discussion about spiritual values and a relationship with God, these evolution-is-evil people are heaping ridicule and scorn onto the efforts of all the well-meaning people of faith who are building trust and love on campuses. I'm embarrassed when I meet people like this in my church because they cannot be reasoned with. They feel this is their calling from God and they are doing His work. They are suspicious by nature and lack the very trust in God that they preach. Maybe the best thing you could do for these people is to say to them, "Thank you but I believe that God called Darwin to write the 'Origin of the Species" in order to motivate people like you to a stronger faith."
posted by birdwatcher at 4:59 AM on November 19, 2009 [2 favorites]

I would like to have a copy of this travesty, for my son's Darwin collection (Darwin is his middle name--he has a Lincoln collection too), and just out of curiosity.

The protests over the proposed increases in fees for UC students got all the media coverage here in the East Bay. Sorry, Mr. Comfort. The Darwin exhibit at the Museum of Natural History in NY remains my all-time favorite museum experience, but that's my favorite museum anyway, so I am biased, I guess.

Note to Sidhedevil: in your honor I will have grape nuts for breakfast. And thank you for giving me something besides Eull Gibbons (sp?) with which to associate them.
posted by emhutchinson at 5:46 AM on November 19, 2009

If you can't swim - here come a flood! "God is a groovy Guy" Fish Karma
posted by pianomover at 7:55 AM on November 19, 2009

emhutchinson:

I would like to have a copy of this travesty, for my son's Darwin collection (Darwin is his middle name--he has a Lincoln collection too), and just out of curiosity.

His name is Lincoln Darwin?

that's pretty awesome
posted by shakespeherian at 8:22 AM on November 19, 2009

I may be able to send a few of these books to folks who would want them. MeMail with your mailing address.

I only have a few. I'd send them book rate, as long as it's legal.

I haven't personally read these books, so I don't know.
posted by lilywing13 at 1:23 AM on November 20, 2009

As it turns out, Origin of Species wasn't the only part of Ray's edition borrowed for his own purposes.
posted by Rykey at 5:03 AM on December 1, 2009