Today's Bizarro was brought to you by Godfish Baked Snack Crackers. "Just like those Goldfish crackers, but omnipotent!" (Now in new chocolate flavor!)
This is the infamous Evangelical Goldfish Cracker cartoon that so many people have referenced in the blog comments of the past few days. I love this one, too.
Some have said that this cartoon is backwards, that creationists believe we came from "somewhere" (God) and evolutionists believe we popped up from "nowhere" (spontaneous life). But evolutionists argue that it is creationists who believe we popped up from nowhere (created "as is" by God) and evolutionists who believe we developed slowly from a logical process of chemistry (evolution). Funny how that works either way, depending on your point of view.
Psychology studies have shown that people tend to make facts bend to their belief system, rather than the other way around. Humans do this naturally, it's nothing to be ashamed of, but it is something we should be aware of. Scientists emphatically try to look at facts with an open mind before forming theories, and even they sometimes get it backwards.
A group of Palestinians and Israelis were shown the same TV news report about their endless struggle, then interviewed. Each person thought the news report was unconscionably biased against their own side. We see the same thing in American politics. The Dems think McCain is getting a free pass from the press, the Reps think Obama is getting a free ride.
My belief is that you have to throw out your own opinion about anything from time to time, and look at the facts with new eyes. I like to pretend I'm from another planet and I've just arrived here for the first time. As I study the myriad life forms, would I conclude they were the result of a slow chemical process or a supreme being? If I studied human political history, would I side with conservatives or liberals? Studying mammals, would I think that humans were a benign force or a mutant malignancy? Looking at the Olsen twins, would I imprison or euthanize them?
Use your own filter to decide which cracker has a better grip on reality. But while doing so, try not to think of this.
