Creationism News & Features Service (CNFS)
John Stear, August 2008
As far as I can ascertain, the above-mentioned organisation doesn't exist and consequently the "releases" below are not genuine.  Such a pity, as
I find them humorous while at the same time indicative of the behaviour of creationist organisations like AiG.  

 

Posted by CNFS on July 17, 2008, 3:10 pm

CREATIONISM NEWS & FEATURES SERVICE (CNFS)
FROM OUR HQ IN 2ND AVENUE SEATTLE TODAY:

Senior 'Answers in Genesis' (AiG) executives are becoming increasingly concerned about the organisation's antagonistic attitude to proper scientific research, an attitude which they regard as being damaging to AiG and unsustainable in the long run.

Leaked AiG documents list several reasons for their concern. Among them are:

1. It is AiG policy to flaunt the fact that they have staff members and supporters with degrees in a science discipline but as there cannot, by definition, be any such thing as a 'creation scientist' the more rational AiG executives now realise that such aggrandizement is self-defeating. Meanwhile, proper scientists continue to speculate as to why some science graduates forsake their years of study and renounce their profession by accepting farcical 'creation science' employment. Significant financial advantage seems to be the only rational explanation.

2. The publication of the 'peer reviewed' creationism science magazine 'Answers Research Journal' has proved to be a serious misjudgement and its minuscule circulation is a major disappointment. AiG foresaw that there would be a negative reaction to it in the proper scientific community, but were completely unprepared for the overwhelming ridicule being heaped on the magazine. Some major university libraries have been buying the magazine and cataloguing it in the 'Humor' or 'Satire' sections. 'It’s a hoot', said one university librarian. 'We wouldn’t miss it. It's funnier than Monty Python' [the British TV comedy show]. The spectacle of young scientists falling to the ground, helpless with laughter, while reading the magazine is not helping either the magazine's or AiG's image.

3. One of the reasons for the derision heaped onto the magazine is AiG's much touted 'peer review' system. AiG's system is a total abuse of the concept of peer review, being done, as it is, on an 'I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine' basis. No proper scientist will countenance the idea of peer reviewing creationism 'scientists' research efforts, so creationists must rely on their colleagues for reviews. This inevitable leads to an incestuous circular process with one creationism 'scientist' favorably reviewing another's research with the understanding of receiving a favorable review from him in return.

4. The regular AiG pseudo-scientific website column 'News to Note' fails to impress and is regarded by AiG insiders as a waste of effort. News to Note, compiled by a dispirited team who are instructed to invent paragraphs of carping negativity, is obviously floundering. As one team member said: 'This is meant to be a Christian organisation and yet we are ordered to be dishonest. We should be celebrating scientific truth and research but instead we are instructed to denigrate it. A child could write this rubbish.'

***This material may be used free and copyright free, with an acknowledgement please, by any news
or publishing organisation***

Posted by CNFS on August 1, 2008, 12:10 pm

CREATIONISM NEWS & FEATURES SERVICE (CNFS)
FROM OUR HQ IN 2ND AVENUE SEATTLE TODAY:

AiG INSANITY BID

A Washington DC group called 'Concerned Christian Lawyers' (CCL) is planning to apply for a Supreme Court order to have all creationists declared to be clinically insane.

'Our legal opinion, backed up by psychiatric advice is that we will have no trouble obtaining such an order', a spokesman for the group said today. 'We will first have one prominent creationist declared insane and when the precedent is set we will have the others declared'.

CCL has two reasons for doing this. The first is to prevent the blatant abuse of children by the creationism cult 'Answers in Genesis' (AiG).

'AiG professes to be a Christian group but is probably the only organisation in the world that is proud of its record of child-abuse. The abuse takes the form of brain-washing children from a very young age with AiG's weird version of science', the CCL spokesman said.

'These children are growing up totally scientifically ignorant in a scientific world', he said. 'As registered lunatics under court control it will be illegal for the creationists to continue any form of brain-washing of children'.

The second reason is to prevent AiG (and, hopefully, other similar cults) from preying on gullible people with appeals for more and more cash. People who believe in, and donate to creationism usually come from the underprivileged and less well educated section of the community. If they are declared insane the courts will take steps to prevent them from wasting money on contributions to AiG.

Two ex-AiG insiders spoke to CNFS about this on condition of anonymity. The first said: 'AiG was set up as a money making machine for a select few people. The chief executive frequently makes pleas for extra donations to fund some mysterious project or other. He's at it again now – asking for $300,000 to 're-dig the wells' or something equally ridiculous. Re-digging wells is certainly an imaginative new name for cash-gouging. You can guess where the well-digging money will go, and it won't be into AiG funds and it will never be accounted for in a normal way'.

'It’s really sad', said another. 'It is like the Middle Ages idea of buying indulgences. It is what Martin Luther rebelled against, and they are trying it again. The people they prey on are very gullible, and think they are buying their way into heaven by giving AiG money they basically cannot afford'.

In spite of several requests AiG has not returned phone calls from CNFS.

***This material may be used free and copyright free, with an acknowledgement please, by any news
or publishing organisation***