DO YOU KNOW MY DEAR FRIEND NYA ABERNATHY??????? This: “I have not taken a poll, but I am guessing most people in their 30s do not spend free Saturday evenings watching PBS Nova documentaries about dark matter and how life might have evolved on earth (correct me if I’m wrong…).” THIS IS HER. (she just turned 40 last month) Her substack is called Of Earth and Of Stars. 🌍✨ (now I’m going to go read the rest of your post lol)
I really enjoyed reading this story, Christine. I too was conned by Ken Ham and company in my early 20s during my "evangelical double down" phase. I'm so glad I've been set free of that and can bask in the wonder of the Universe.
Whew, is this a secondary evangelical double down phase I’m possibly hearing? That’s intense! So glad to break free too and enjoy all the marvels that we can perceive exist!!
This was a really heartwarming read! Ever since I was young, I've always been so interested in dinosaurs (which eventually branched out into a love of all things in science and nature), so I've always grown up knowing that life evolves. But it also made me one of the few outliers at church all my life.
I made the mistake of sharing with one of my friends at church about a book I'm reading (The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow) and he started going on about how we can't truly know everything in the past and how science is unreliable (e.g., the usual Creationist propaganda about radiometric dating), which I found utterly mind-boggling because he's training to become an MD (other MDs in my church tend to be conservative and Creationist, which feels so utterly contrary to the nature of their profession). Another of my old pastors/mentors once said that he feels science is so limiting and reductionistic about the world contrary to seeing it as God's creation, which brought to mind a Zen Pencils comic on a Richard Feynman quote about how wondrously a scientist sees a flower! Now I have to hide my interest in science (except around my close church buddies) lest I run into even more Creationists :\ and now I know to immediately shut down a conversation and walk away once I start hearing their bs LOL
On a lighter note, may I recommend the works of Steve Brusatte?? I read his book 'The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs', and it was a very readable and engaging overview about these "terrible lizards" and the scientists behind them! He also released a "sequel": 'The Rise and Reign of the Mammals' (which I haven't read yet but I imagine is just as great)!
You have more fortitude than me for handling conversations with people still in a fundamentalist and young earth creationist mindset! (And I totally remember their radiometric dating argument and how it seemed like total proof that none of it was correct…at the time!) It’s so sad and limiting that they think science is so dangerous. They/formerly me were missing out on so much!
I found the dinosaur book on my library app and requested the audio copy! I’ve started the Dawn of Everything book before but it’s so dense and long I didn’t get very far reading it on my phone 😂 Thanks for commenting!!
On a different note - have you heard of the YouTube channel “kurzgesagt - in a nutshell” ?? They have short animated videos on different topics from a humanist perspective. They are super fun and informative! Also, learning about the body in my massage class has been so fun and also, yeah the body is mysterious and wonderful and mind-blowing but also NOT perfect. It seems like if an all-knowing Creator was behind it all there’s a few tweaks he could’ve made 😂
Oooh I have not but that sounds perfect— I’ll have to check it out on YouTube! Yay massage class — I guess your job will be to work out the kinks, given that those “perfect” tweaks were not, indeed, made… 😂
Kurzgesagt is excellent, but I also love PBS Space Time! It’s definitely denser and more into the math side of things, but they covering fascinating topics about cosmology and quantum physics. And they have a special focus on the latest scientific findings, so you feel like you’re on the cutting edge anytime you watch their stuff! 😎
Regarding your trips to the Smithsonians, I visited as a teen and loved the experience. Seeing the Lunar Module replica was nuts. I don’t particularly remember the exhibit on evolution and the origins of humanity, but it’s a topic I’m fascinated by. I plan to write about it soon enough.
Lastly, I wanted to say your comment there about conservative Christians ‘thinking science is dangerous’ really resonated with me. I’m a believer with a conservative background (though I’m far, far from that base today) and I really feel that science is an excellent lens through with to examine faith. I’m aiming to do just that with my stuff, so maybe take a gander sometime if it sounds interesting :)
I went with my brother's family to the Ark museum near Cincinnati (I don't remember where it is exactly), he and I had a good laugh because they were featuring dinosaurs in their places in the ark. 🧐 I got his attention and was like "ummm.... i don't remember this one...." lol
DO YOU KNOW MY DEAR FRIEND NYA ABERNATHY??????? This: “I have not taken a poll, but I am guessing most people in their 30s do not spend free Saturday evenings watching PBS Nova documentaries about dark matter and how life might have evolved on earth (correct me if I’m wrong…).” THIS IS HER. (she just turned 40 last month) Her substack is called Of Earth and Of Stars. 🌍✨ (now I’m going to go read the rest of your post lol)
Hi 👋🏽 nerdy star girl here too!!! Joining this train 🤩
Yayyy!!!! And I’ve fully joined your tarot train too and am massively enjoying it!
Yes! I, Nya Abernathy, approve this message. 😆🫡✨️
Yay!!!! My people are here!!! I will have to check out your podcast 🤩 (lol see what I did there with that emoji?!?)
Yes. That is the superior emoji of the two options 😆 Yes we are heeeeere 👋🏼
I really enjoyed reading this story, Christine. I too was conned by Ken Ham and company in my early 20s during my "evangelical double down" phase. I'm so glad I've been set free of that and can bask in the wonder of the Universe.
Whew, is this a secondary evangelical double down phase I’m possibly hearing? That’s intense! So glad to break free too and enjoy all the marvels that we can perceive exist!!
Secondary? Help me out here. 😂
I applied to work at the creation museum!!!!🤣🤣🫣😬🙃😂 thank GODDESS that didn’t work out! LOL.
Eeeeep!!! Thank goddess indeed!
This was a really heartwarming read! Ever since I was young, I've always been so interested in dinosaurs (which eventually branched out into a love of all things in science and nature), so I've always grown up knowing that life evolves. But it also made me one of the few outliers at church all my life.
I made the mistake of sharing with one of my friends at church about a book I'm reading (The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow) and he started going on about how we can't truly know everything in the past and how science is unreliable (e.g., the usual Creationist propaganda about radiometric dating), which I found utterly mind-boggling because he's training to become an MD (other MDs in my church tend to be conservative and Creationist, which feels so utterly contrary to the nature of their profession). Another of my old pastors/mentors once said that he feels science is so limiting and reductionistic about the world contrary to seeing it as God's creation, which brought to mind a Zen Pencils comic on a Richard Feynman quote about how wondrously a scientist sees a flower! Now I have to hide my interest in science (except around my close church buddies) lest I run into even more Creationists :\ and now I know to immediately shut down a conversation and walk away once I start hearing their bs LOL
On a lighter note, may I recommend the works of Steve Brusatte?? I read his book 'The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs', and it was a very readable and engaging overview about these "terrible lizards" and the scientists behind them! He also released a "sequel": 'The Rise and Reign of the Mammals' (which I haven't read yet but I imagine is just as great)!
You have more fortitude than me for handling conversations with people still in a fundamentalist and young earth creationist mindset! (And I totally remember their radiometric dating argument and how it seemed like total proof that none of it was correct…at the time!) It’s so sad and limiting that they think science is so dangerous. They/formerly me were missing out on so much!
I found the dinosaur book on my library app and requested the audio copy! I’ve started the Dawn of Everything book before but it’s so dense and long I didn’t get very far reading it on my phone 😂 Thanks for commenting!!
On a different note - have you heard of the YouTube channel “kurzgesagt - in a nutshell” ?? They have short animated videos on different topics from a humanist perspective. They are super fun and informative! Also, learning about the body in my massage class has been so fun and also, yeah the body is mysterious and wonderful and mind-blowing but also NOT perfect. It seems like if an all-knowing Creator was behind it all there’s a few tweaks he could’ve made 😂
Oooh I have not but that sounds perfect— I’ll have to check it out on YouTube! Yay massage class — I guess your job will be to work out the kinks, given that those “perfect” tweaks were not, indeed, made… 😂
Kurzgesagt is excellent, but I also love PBS Space Time! It’s definitely denser and more into the math side of things, but they covering fascinating topics about cosmology and quantum physics. And they have a special focus on the latest scientific findings, so you feel like you’re on the cutting edge anytime you watch their stuff! 😎
Regarding your trips to the Smithsonians, I visited as a teen and loved the experience. Seeing the Lunar Module replica was nuts. I don’t particularly remember the exhibit on evolution and the origins of humanity, but it’s a topic I’m fascinated by. I plan to write about it soon enough.
Lastly, I wanted to say your comment there about conservative Christians ‘thinking science is dangerous’ really resonated with me. I’m a believer with a conservative background (though I’m far, far from that base today) and I really feel that science is an excellent lens through with to examine faith. I’m aiming to do just that with my stuff, so maybe take a gander sometime if it sounds interesting :)
Thanks for the recommendations!
I went with my brother's family to the Ark museum near Cincinnati (I don't remember where it is exactly), he and I had a good laugh because they were featuring dinosaurs in their places in the ark. 🧐 I got his attention and was like "ummm.... i don't remember this one...." lol