Atheists & Agnostics

LiberalAndProud

(12,799 posts) Sun Jul 26, 2015, 01:36 PM Jul 2015

If it looks unbelievable, there might just be a good reason for that.

This from a Christian Today contributing editor. Ummm ... no duh?

All of which tells us that a side-effect of faith is an occasional disposition to gullibility. That certainly doesn't prove we're all entirely misguided, but it is a note of caution. The proliferation of Christian Internet hoaxes mean that we should always think for at least a moment before sharing that amazing story. Because if it looks unbelievable, there might just be a good reason for that...

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/albert.einsteins.atheist.professor.and.other.christian.hoaxes/59651.htm

9 replies

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If it looks unbelievable, there might just be a good reason for that. (Original Post) LiberalAndProud Jul 2015 OP

Yeah, no duh! Enjoyed the article mountain grammy Jul 2015 #1

Thanks! But this actually happened... onager Jul 2015 #2

Well, you know ... LiberalAndProud Jul 2015 #3

Really? Wonder which... onager Jul 2015 #6

You mean like a God edhopper Jul 2015 #4

My thoughts exactly. Curmudgeoness Jul 2015 #5

Nah, religious hucksters are only a modern phenomena Major Nikon Jul 2015 #7

Do I detect sarcasm? uriel1972 Jul 2015 #8

Jesus got paid Major Nikon Jul 2015 #9

mountain grammy

(27,273 posts)

1. Yeah, no duh! Enjoyed the article

Reply to LiberalAndProud (Original post)

Sun Jul 26, 2015, 02:24 PM

Jul 2015

also another one about the Pope.

onager

(9,356 posts)

2. Thanks! But this actually happened...

Reply to LiberalAndProud (Original post)

Sun Jul 26, 2015, 02:56 PM

Jul 2015

Famous examples include a story about Pharoah's Chariot and the bones of horses being discovered in the Red Sea, which first appeared on a comedy news site, but was then spread as fact by Christians who hadn't checked their source.

That claim of discovering chariot parts in the Red Sea was made by Ron Wyatt - notorious Xian huckster, charlatan and general con artist.

Xians fell for Wyatt's nonsense - and funded his "archeological expeditions" - for decades. He even started his own company, WAR - Wyatt Archelogical Research.

Wyatt also claimed he had discovered Noah's Ark and many other gen-u-wine Bible artifacts.

He capped his career with an Indiana-Jones type yarn about discovering the Ark of the Covenant and the gold from Solomon's temple in a Saudi Arabian cave.

Unfortunately...the Saudis got onto his Great Discovery. They ringed the cave with armed soldiers and swiped all the Jewish gold before poor Ron Wyatt could bring back any...uh...er...proof.

I hate it when that happens.

By the end of his career, Wyatt had stolen so much money and told so many lies that even some of the most credulous Fundies turned against him.

Just do an internet search on him for hours of amusement.

LiberalAndProud

(12,799 posts)

3. Well, you know ...

Reply to onager (Reply #2)

Sun Jul 26, 2015, 02:59 PM

Jul 2015

DH is not a believer except there was a documentary about one of the Noah's Ark discoveries that has him convinced that it could be. Why are these discoveries always made in places where we can't investigate further? It's ... inconvenient.

onager

(9,356 posts)

6. Really? Wonder which...

Reply to LiberalAndProud (Reply #3)

Sun Jul 26, 2015, 08:49 PM

Jul 2015

Documentary that was. I try to see all of those, for the lulz.

I remember the "Ark Discovery" guy, who did a Gish-gallop type documentary. He walked around that "boat-shaped stone" formation in Turkey and spewed out amazing finds at a rapid rate.

This show was on NatGeo, IIRC, so they had a whole team of real scientists investigating his claims.

My favorite was "ANCHOR STONES FROM THE ARK!1!" Samples of these were submitted to a somewhat bemused geologist at the Univ. of California.

He analyzed the rocks and they turned out to be local volcanic rock. The scientist pointed out that the rocks shouldn't be local if Noah brought them on the Ark. Which he built several thousand miles away...