It’s weird that we’re doing more sports/athletes stories these days, right? So, I was going to skip this GQ cover with LA Clipper Blake Griffin until I read some of the interview excerpts. Now I can’t wait to see what happens in the comment section. The October issue of GQ is their first-ever “Age Issue” and in addition to Blake’s cover, I guess Chadwick Boseman, Norman Reedus, Clive Owen and Tom Selleck will also be getting covers or significant features too. That’s a great line-up, actually. All of those dudes are interesting. So, as for this Griffin interview… dude is a straight-up creationist. As in, he believes the earth is about 6000 years old. He was home-schooled, he’s pretty religious, but he makes a point of saying he’s not a homophobe. You can read the GQ article here, and here are some highlights:
Dating in LA: “People just think about L.A. and they think, “Oh, there’s so many beautiful women out here,” and things of that nature. But it is so hard to find just like a decent, like straight, you know, across-the-line, just like good girl out here. And I think part of it might be because I’m used to, you know, the midwestern kind of girls, and things like that. But I honestly haven’t really truly dated anybody for a while. Not in a real close sense.”
Whether he goes to church: “I haven’t in a while. But I still—I go with my brother and his wife. They have a little Bible-study thing out here. What’s great about now is, growing up and being in Oklahoma, I think the idea of people who are religious is they try to shove their religion on you, and they think that that’s the only way. They’re very judgmental. And I try to kind of take the approach of “Whatever it is you do, cool.”
The reaction to his stated belief in creationism: “Yeah, I was a little bit—just because, like, if you said you believe in evolution, I’m not gonna be like, “You f–king idiot!” You know what I mean? I’m just gonna kind of be like, “That’s whatever.”
Whether he believes in science: “I believe in science. I believe in all of that. I just… Honestly, when I’m at the beach and I’m looking at the ocean, I’m looking at the mountains and the sun is setting, I’m seeing people running up and down, laughing, having fun, I’m like, “This had to be created. This is created.” And that’s my personal thing.
He hasn’t thought about creationism too much: “If you ask like 90 percent of the people in Oklahoma, they’d agree. And then when you get to coasts, it’s very, very different. And a lot of people are very closed-minded when it comes to things like that, and don’t—I don’t want to say closed-minded, but it’s their way or the highway. And it’s unfortunate that people on both sides are very closed-minded about it. Because there are religious people who are very closed-minded to a lot of things that aren’t necessarily right, in my opinion. So it’s on both sides.
He’s not a homophobe: “I hate when I see Christians, or whatever religion it is, protesting gays and having signs that say, like, “God hates gays.” Because I’ve studied a lot of different religions; going to Christian school, we had a class where we would look at different religions, and we would kind of break them down and compare and contrast. And the Bible, take the Bible. So you believe in the Bible? God used women who were prostitutes, He used people that were stealers, people that were considered sinners, whatever the term may be, and He used them as His…to be examples of His teachings and things. Not make an example out of them, but actually use them. So, like, how can you say that God hates anybody? I’m saying, how could He be mad at somebody for liking the same sex? I don’t get it. And it also makes me mad, because as a religious person, it makes you look bad. I think it’s unfortunate.
Eh, I say… leave him alone. He’s right about one thing: growing up in Oklahoma, he was probably saturated with deeply-held Christian beliefs and that’s affected his worldview. But he doesn’t seem judgy about it, you know? He’s not a Duggar.
He also talks about Donald Sterling and how he (Blake) knew from the beginning that Sterling was a racist. Blake was not surprised by how things turned out at all.
Photos courtesy of Sebastin Kim/GQ and WENN.
Always funny when creationists accuse others of being close-minded.
He actually said people on both sides can be close minded. To demean someone else’s beliefs based on your own is unnecessary and just continues the antagonistic atmosphere between differing beliefs. A little understanding and respect all around would go a long way.
He has a right to his belief but scientists aren’t close-minded. They follow scientific process to come to their conclusion. They are fact based not faith based. Christianity eventually recovered from the shock that the Earth wasn’t in fact the center of the universe they will eventually recover from the shock of Evolution.
Evolution isn’t a “belief.” Science isn’t something you believe in or don’t. These aren’t opinions. This is kind of crucial. Fossils ya know.
But if someone is telling you something that is proven to be false (the earth is 6000 years old and that people and dinosaurs coexisted), how is it close-minded to not believe that or even to think it’s a stupid belief?
If someone told you the moon was made out of cheese – and really truly believed it – would you try to carry on a rational conversation with them about how their beliefs are equal to yours just because they think it’s true?
To be a creationist is EXACTLY the same as believing in faries & gnomes living at the bottom of your garden. Both beliefs have ZERO actual proof & depend on incredulity & suspension of rational faculties. Science, on the other hand, requires the burden of PROOF. It is truly astonishing that despite the fact that science & mathematics have explained most major natural phemomena, billions of human beings still desperately cling to these outdated, fantastical beliefs in imaginary beings rather than accepting hard fact & proof.
Yeah but who is it hurting?
Who gives a sh*t what other people believe in?
I don’t believe in God, ghosts, angels, spirits, astrology, signs, fate…none of it but I have ZERO issues with other people believing in that stuff, as long as they don’t try to legislate those beliefs or impose them upon me in any way.
Creationism or anything religion-based taught in a public school system is problematic for me but if it’s a personal belief that makes people happy, then good on them.
I don’t have any problem with what he said here. He seems like a “live and let live” kind of dude.
Are you the O’kitt who is now the best kitt? I am confuz.
Yeah, is that you, OKitten?
Who cares? I know people who believe in vampires. If that’s what they believe, I personally find it silly, but it is their right. I care so much more than he is able to see beyond the culture of homophobia ensconsed in typical fundamentalist thinking. Dare I say, I respect him for it.
@TheBestKittenAround — the problem is that it DOES hurt the rest of us – those who don’t believe it and don’t want our lives governed by it.
Have you seen what is going on in the Texas school systems? There are plenty of people who believe in things that hurt other people in the US Congress and Senate…AND they legislate based on their religious beliefs. THIS is where it’s a huge problem for me. I personally don’t care what someone believes, but if they are in the government, making decisions and laws that will affect me…then, yes, that is a huge problem for me. And, sadly, this is the situation we are in now (in the US, at least).
@msw, but if your friends were in state or city government and wanted to force non-vampires to pledge allegiance to Count Dracula…wouldn’t that be a problem? For me, this is where is goes from harmless to problematic. Look at those recent articles about city council members only allowing christian prayers to open their meetings. No atheists or other religions allowed.
Guys-I’m new and improved. I’m taking Meghan Trainor’s message to heart and loving myself.
@inthekitchen–I’m just going to copy and paste from my original comment, because I think you missed this vital part:
“..as long as they don’t try to legislate those beliefs or impose them upon me in any way. Creationism or anything religion-based taught in a public school system is problematic for me..”
So yeah, I already addressed that.
“I personally don’t care what someone believes, but if they are in the government, making decisions and laws that will affect me…then, yes, that is a huge problem for me.”
But what does that have to do with Blake Griffith? Dude is a basketball player, he’s not running for Congress. This post is about a guy that bounces a ball for a living, not Rick Perry. Blake is discussing his PERSONAL belief here and he’s not trying to impose it upon anyone. As an atheist I’m not going to demand freedom from religion without allowing for religious freedom as well. You might not like what he has to say, but he has every right to believe it.
Look, I’m an atheist raised by two atheists in a completely Irish Catholic town. I grew up being called a devil-worshipper because I didn’t go to Sunday school. But now I’m 35 years old and I pick and choose my battles. You’re misdirecting here. If you want to go after right-wing extremist evangelical cons then I have your back, but it’s a waste of energy to lament what an athlete says about religion, particularly when this was relatively tame compared to some of the other sh*t athletes have said.
I feel like I need to up my game, lol.
@TheBestKittenAround — yes, I saw what you wrote the first time, I was just trying to explain why I still have a problem with people believing harmful ideas. This specific person may not be trying to legislate anything (although, who is to say he won’t run for office after his b-ball career ends), but there are people who believe what he believes who ARE impacting the lives of people who want nothing to do with those beliefs. That’s all I was trying to say.
It’s kind of like gay marriage…if you (general you, not you you) don’t believe in gay marriage then don’t get married to someone of the same gender…however when laws get passed that prohibit certain people from marrying the person they love, then I have a problem with that. I guess my overall point is that I don’t think that these kinds of beliefs are innocuous because I feel like they are part of a bigger picture, that’s all.
Ahahahahaha! Kiddo-that’s awesome 🙂
@inthekitchen-We’re in total agreement about religion being harmful when it’s used to deny people their inherent rights.
“I was just trying to explain why I still have a problem with people believing harmful ideas”
I guess this is where I disagree. A personal belief in anything–God, creationism, vampires, ghosts, is not inherently harmful and it never has been. I think as soon as you categorize a facet of spirituality as “harmful” you’re essentially demonizing it, instead of acknowledging that it can be helpful to some people. Faith and a belief in God as a coping mechanism or a way to understand life, as a form of comfort–there is nothing wrong with that. As an atheist, I find it important to make that distinction (basically the difference between “personal religion” and “organized religion”) because I’m f*cking tired of atheism being synonymous with *anti-religion*. I expect people to respect my absence of belief and in turn I will respect their belief and that mutual acceptance is essential if we want to progress as a society that’s inclusive of ALL religions (or lack thereof).
@TheBestKittenAround — yes, you’re right, I was really extrapolating, lol.
I also think people should believe whatever they want if they aren’t hurting other people, so I don’t know why I lost my mind with this guy…I’ll have to think about that for a bit.
@Best Kitten and inthekitchen:
The thing is, there’s no significant lobby for ghost hunters or people who believe in Bigfoot. But Creationism…yeah, on a case-by-case basis, I’m live and let live. I might think you’re an idiot, but as long as you’re not hurting anyone, I don’t get worked up about it. But Creationism has passed that point and become an actual legislative nightmare. As a group, Creationists are impacting what information is taught to children in schools, in a negative manner. I’m sure Blake Griffin is a nice guy and I have no problems with him as a public figure. If more Creationists were as chill as he seems to be, no one would care about their beliefs at all. But they aren’t. As a collective they’re litigious and are actively working against scientific understanding and reason. I think it’s reasonable to say, “Blake Griffin seems nice but Creationism has got to go.”
Oh, I’m glad it’s you, BKitten. I was actually pissed off that someone was trying to be the best kitten over you. Lol I spend too much time on here. Signed BestNamesAllTaken
@best kitten,
“I don’t have any problem with what he said here.”
Not even his stealers? Cuz you know some people ARE stealers.
@GNAT..I mean BNAT-lol
@delorb-“God used women who were prostitutes, He used people that were stealers, people that were considered sinners, whatever the term may be, and He used them as His…to be examples of His teachings and things.”
I just want to pat him on his head and say “there, there…”
@Algernon-I did say that I’m very much opposed to religion in public school system in any capacity, and that includes creationism. That being said, I admit that I’m relatively isolated from this debate. As a Bostonian, there’s no real risk for creationism to enter into our public school system.
@BestKitten
Over the last decade I have watched my younger relatives get dumber. Over the summer I took one of my cousins, born and raised in Texas and now 14, to the natural history museum and she told me that dinosaur skeletons should be in the art museum because they’re not real. She actually thinks dinosaur fossils are all fake, like all of paleontology is an elaborate, worldwide hoax. She thinks this because Creationism is taught in her school as a viable alternative to evolution.
What I find problematic about Griffin’s comments is his assertion that the “other side” is close minded. That’s the shield Creationists raise every time someone questions them. They make it so you can’t engage in rational debate. They say, “You don’t want to entertain an alternate theory,” which is exactly what my cousin said to me, and that’s it. That’s not true; I will debate general relativity, quantum field theory and string theory all day long. What I won’t do is throw all of paleontology out the window because one time someone in the Old Testament said there were “monsters”.
I wish I could be laid back about it but this is making my family dumber. I can’t help but take it personally.
He seems to be thinking of creationism more like God started it all. As long as he’s not trying push his ideas on others no biggie- given his background and profession he probably hasn’t really thought it through yet.
And he’s so wholesome cute in a cardigan by the way.
@ Algernon-Yeah I can see how that would be….disturbing.
I’m not sure what to say. I gave up “debating” with ultra-religious people a long time ago because, much like politics, I started to feel like it was completely futile trying to come to some sort of understanding or agreement.
I do remember reading about the stuff in Arizona last year with the creationism bill, etc and I found it pretty appalling. But the US has always done a terrible job with the separation of church and state. I remember being a kid and having to say “Under God” but refusing to say “God”.
Anyway, rambling aside, I don’t blame you for feeling passionately about it, especially since you can see the direct impact it’s having on your family.
@Algernon,
The conspiracy buff in me is thinking that this is just some master plan to change our country. Dumb people down (well, dumb down the wrong people, while the right people get a proper education), militarize our local police forces and increase the wealth divide. But as I say, its just another crazy conspiracy. LOL
I’ve spoken to a lot of people on the far right and they all think that soldiers won’t follow immoral orders. They actually think our armed forces will put down their weapons and join them IF the revolutions starts. I’m like, ‘whaa?’ Soldiers follow bad orders all the time.
Actually,the extreme left and the extreme right are both close minded. Most Americans are live and let live and are extremely tolerant of all faiths. It is just that the media seems to only focus on the extremes.
“To be a creationist is EXACTLY the same as believing in faries & gnomes living at the bottom of your garden. Both beliefs have ZERO actual proof & depend on incredulity & suspension of rational faculties. ”
I have an advanced degree in Anthropology (in other words: I spent A LOT of time studying the fossil record and human origins). Evolution and creationism CAN BE completely compatible belief systems, and there are actually highly educated folks out there who have no issue stating they believe in both paradigms. Science, the fossil record, mitochondrial DNA, the THEORY of Evolution, Big Bang Theory, fill-in-the-blank, do not complete explain how humans came to be (ever heard of the ‘missing link’ – still missing). In fact, we are learning new things and reevaluating assumptions all the time. To state that Evolutionary Theory (NOT LAW) works like a lab experiment (i.e, that we have observed and proven everything there is to know about the human evolutionary process) is simply incorrect and shows ignorance about the field.
A person can choose to believe that science will one day fill in those gaps, they can choose to believe that God had a hand, they can choose to believe that science and God are not diametrically opposing paradigms and that someday both will work together to figure it out, or they can choose to believe in something else (Aliens?). Bottom line: where science falls short, faith of SOMETHING fills in the gap, so I just hope that you like faeries and gnomes, Tristan. 🙂
That being said, I think that Griffin handled the questions well, if not particularly eloquently. As others have stated, open-mindedness is a great thing, especially because no one has all the answers.
But, speaking of lacking proof of evolution…what proof is there that god exists and had a hand in the creation of anything? There isn’t any…that’s why it’s called having faith. There is a lot more evidence supporting the process of evolution than there is of a god that created the world in a few days.
As someone with an advanced degree in anthropology, I’m surprised you are emphasizing the THEORY of evolution. Surely you know that scientific theories are different from non-scientific theories. I mean, gravity is a THEORY the same way evolution is…but you don’t question it, or say it hasn’t been “proven,” do you?
Well said Kranky. Everyone can believe what they want. Science after all is constantly evolving and in doing so, many theories have been debunked so who is to say a new discovery will prove evolution is not as we believe it is now. You can’t know so everyone should respect each other and just live and let live.
@Diana B
The thing is, in the 150-ish years since Darwin proposed evolution, science has made enormous gains in understanding the physical world, and all the new information and data we have about not only our planet but the universe around us supports evolution. It’s not like we’re backsliding, we’re consistently and continually finding more and more data to support Darwin’s theories. Anything is possible, so maybe one day we will find something to show us a deliberate hand in the formation of Earth (Prometheus is real!), but so far scientific study has only strengthened Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Anyone *can* believe what they want, but to ignore everything we do know right now on the off chance we find something different one hundred, two hundred, five hundred years from now is kind of tunnel visiony.
inthekitchen – Second point first: Evolution IS a THEORY (because not everything is known, it can not be replicated, etc.) Gravity is a LAW. Big difference.
Scientific evidence SUGGESTS certain things about the evolution of humans, but the whole shebang is far from certain (example: humans were once believed to have originated in Africa… evidence now suggests otherwise). Better put, more is unknown about the development of modern man than is known. I fail to see how the science has at all negated the concept of a higher power (not talking about Biblical literalists), and so I really don’t see the value of calling people of faith (any faith) ignorant. It seems to me that making sweeping statements about the facts of human evolution shows a greater level of misunderstanding and yes, close mindedness.
@kranky — first off, where did I call ANYONE ignorant? Please don’t put rude words in my mouth!! Second, I’m not a physicist, but I believe gravity is actually both a theory and a law. The law part explains how gravity works but the theory explains the why (i.e. Einstein’s theory of relativity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_relativity)
I also didn’t say that science needed to disprove or negate the concept of god, I asked for any proof or evidence that there IS a god. That’s the issue for me – there is nothing (except faith) to prove god exists. There is a lot of evidence showing the process of evolution and how DNA connects us to other animals. I have yet to see any evidence of god from any of the people who insist he exists.
@Algernon I know what you mean, I believe in evolution too. The overwhelming scientific evidence about it can’t be ignored. But everyone is entilted to believe what ever they want. These types of discussions always take me back to that FRIENDS episode where Phoebe tells Ross she doesn’t believe in evolution and he flips out completely. As long as it is not harming anyone, everyone should have the right to believe whatever they want and when someone is doing it in a way as this man is doing it, stating that it is his believe and he is cool with whatever others believe and asks for respect, I don’t think the appropriate response is to call him an ignorant. Not saying the original poster said that but a lot on the board did and it just bothers me. Calling someone names is not the way to have a productive discussion.
inthekitchen – truly not trying to start a fight here… I did not write that you called anyone ignorant. The first paragraph was addressed to you, the second was just a reiteration of my general position. So I am clear moving forward, the rest of this comment addresses your concerns.
Yup, the theory of relativity. Gravity is a law, relativity and evolution are theories… which means our understanding of them are, ahem, evolving. You said you were surprised that I called evolution a theory. It is a theory, as is relativity, and gravity is a law, as evolution is not. These assignments are established. I am unclear on why calling evolution a theory is a problem.
Your are confident in your stance on faith, and it sounds like something you have put a lot of thought into. I am not arguing with it – it’s yours, it’s personal. What I will argue is that people of faith (again, not just Christians), *may* also put thought into their stance on science vs. faith. Perhaps their requirements of ‘proof’ are not scientifically-based, as your are. Perhaps they feel that scientific proof is not a appropriate way to approach their faith. Unless – as was discussed above – laws are being passed, what’s the problem? We do not all have to follow the same paths, and to say that we should is… bad. Very bad.
@kranky — I didn’t say I was surprised you called evolution a theory, I was surprised you were emphasizing the THEORY part as if to indicate that means it isn’t real.
When used to to describe scientific concepts, theory just means that the concept (gravity, evolution, etc.) hasn’t been disproved by experiment. Also – again I am not a physicist – but from what I understand, scientific “laws” describe the “theory” so you have to have the theory first and then the laws of the theory come from that. So, in fact, gravity IS a theory and a law.
That’s my last word anyway. Don’t really care to keep going in circles, just don’t want people putting words in my mouth (where did I say everyone has to follow the same path??). *shufflesoff… whereisNeildeGrasseTysonwhenyoureallyneedhim?*
@inthekitchen, That’s exactly right:
Theory
A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation.] As with most (if not all) forms of scientific knowledge, scientific theories are inductive in nature and aim for predictive power and explanatory force…Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge.[3] This is significantly different from the common usage of the word “theory”, which implies that something is a conjecture, hypothesis, or guess (i.e., unsubstantiated and speculative)
He sounds very dumb. “Stealers”
Right?? That’s what stood out the most for me as well lol, sounds like something my four year old niece would say.
He does strike me as pretty simple. But as a top NBA player, it’s not his intelligence or lack thereof that likely interested most people.
I give him credit for trying to be nice and fair about those that oppose his views. He seems polite, which is kind of refreshing.
+1, esmom
He does not force his beliefs on us so yeah, whatever. He’s alright in my book.
Mte
Most people haven’t thought through different subjects, whether it’s politics or science or economics. And so so you just lean on what you’ve been told growing up.
As long as he’s open to changing his mind, which he seems, he will work it out in time. I don’t get being overly judgey over someone who just hasn’t been exposed to different ideas yet .
Yup. And it’s clear he’s not used to having to express himself, explain himself… knowing how to converse clearly wasn’t valued in his household.
He seems like a nice dude. What’s the problem?
The “stealer” comment made me laugh but overall, it’s not a bad interview from a Christian at all imo, not even remotely duggar-like or duck dynastyish.
I don’t see a problem, either – he’s not forcing his beliefs on anyone. Maybe not the brightest bulb, but he’s doesn’t seem to be arrogant or righteous about his beliefs.
Yes, exactly.
Exactly. Wow, people are jumping all over this guy because they don’t have the same beliefs and he was being perfectly respectful and kind to those same people. Respect and kindness all around goes a long way. Saying someone is dumb is definitely not the way to go about getting your point across or trying to argue/articulate your beliefs. It automatically make people defensive and kills any debate or sharing of information from the get go.
Eh, he’s obviously not too bright but he seems harmless enough.
That was my take. I’m not sure he understands what creationism means. I got the impression he just thinks it means that God created the world, which I believe, but I also believe in evolution. Creationists don’t. I found him not very smart but nice and well meaning.
He does seem sweet and well-meaning, but I am just getting a Magic Mike vibe on his appearance, which is corrupting my response to him.
It sounded to me as though he’s starting to question some deeply held beliefs but doesn’t want to upset anyone – either the wider world that mocks creationism or his friends and family, who presumably still hold those beliefs.
Either that, or he’s just saying what his PR person told him to, so he doesn’t end up all over the headlines like that Duck Dynasty bloke (who I’ve still only ever heard of because he’s posted about on here)!
I’m going for the former for no other reason than he has the ring of Tim-Nice-But-Dim authenticity in this interview!
Interesting takes, Sixer, I prefer the former as well!
He looks very much like Potato 2.0.
Lol
Just because someone says they believe God created the universe, doesn’t mean they think the earth is 6000 years old There are plenty of Christians who believe the universe is very, very old. I don’t think this guy comes across as articulate at all, but I think he’s trying very hard to be open-minded and accepting of other viewpoints.
+1
I studied in a Christian school in elementary. The pastor’s wife taught us Adam,
Eve and so on. Same teacher taught us Evolution, dinosaurs and everything that contradicted with the Bible. I believe she also lectured Greek/Roman mythology in her high school literature class.
That’s pretty awesome Adrien. And I mean that genuinely, not sarcastically. 🙂
That’s how I took his view too of creationism when he elaborated on looking around himself and thinking a God must have made it. His definition seemed very general and yes he seemed open to new ideas which I give him bonus points for.
Eh I think he’s harmless. He isn’t judgy about others’ beliefs, which is why I feel I shouldn’t be judgy about his. And in a religious setting, I think it’s not easy to be a little more open minded the way he is. Good for him.
I’m impressed as well. He’s pretty much the only religious person I’ve ever happened upon that wasn’t preachy/judgemental. If all religious people were like this the world would be a better place!
Um, I can’t even get mad at the guy (creationists usually elicit that response from me), he sounds so harmless and like he just wants everybody to be happy. Having said that, it also sounds as if science – which he “believes in” after all – is just too damn hard to understand so… “This had to be created. This is created.” Well, okay then.
I don’t understand how anybody can be creationist at this age but it is not any of my business and he sounds nice enough. So I hope he finds the “good” girl he is looking for. And I loved what he said about homophobe. It is a very good point.
He is comparing being gay to being a prostitute or thief. He may be saying God doesn’t hate gays in the same way he doesn’t hate prostitutes and thiefs but that’s not a particularly pleasant comparison. It also brings up the whole choice thing as well because people are not born prostitutes or thieves. He may not realise it but his comments are still… questionable.
Good point. I think, however, that the dimness is strong with this one.
I think he meant it in a “people who society has traditionally looked down on”-way.
Technically, he is comparing them, yes. But I honestly think it was directed at the people who call themselves Christians and who point to the bible to back up their anger/hate. The bible does put them all in the sinner category, I think that’s where that thought came from. I think we can all agree that this man is not the smartest of cookies.
Yes I ageee. He is just saying that God loves everyone, even those that “Christians” look down on and hate
He was talking about those who are marginalized and who the self announced faithful like to look down on and deem “other.” While he’s not exactly articulate, I think he was targeting Christian hypocrisy and pretense.
Also shout out to us basic bitches in the Midwest! Haaaaay lololol.
^^^^Hahaha
@ savu – I hear ya!
Religious extremism and adherent’s middle age non thinking is a killer of democracy and freedom and equality. America is sliding into a theocracy so they need to stop telling the rest of us world how to live
America is actually becoming post Christian and the extreme right and tea partiers are making their last stand because they can tell they are quickly becoming the minority. Plutocracy? Yes. But theocracy no.
I don’t know…I don’t live in America but you do seem to have a big Theocratic problem. I recently read that in a few states it is still illegal to run for governor if you are an athiest…>WHA?!?!?! How is that not against your constitution?!?!? I really hope your country can evolve into a more secular one and loosen the bible belt’s stranglehold on your country and it’s laws/policies.
It’s the far political rights last stand that you see happening and how the GOPs gerrymandering allows the far right to still have power when the vast majority of Americans are moving in a post Christian direction like that of Europe.
Respectfully, this article makes some errors. Griffin doesn’t state what kind of creationist he is. There are 2 predominant schools of Creationism – Old Earth and Young Earth. You can’t actually tell from the article which kind Griffin is. Young Earth Creationism is the only school which endorses the “Earth is 6000 years old” line of thought. Old Earth Creationism argues that the “days” spoken of in Genesis in reality refer to epochs or eons and thus the Earth is likely billions of years old. Old Earth Creationism is effectively an attempt (not always a good one, but at least they’re trying) to reconcile the Biblical accounts with the science. I can’t tell from Griffin’s interview which kind he actually is – but these interviews aren’t exactly the best forums for talking religion and stuff like that. Frankly, I don’t much get why magazines even ask about this stuff, since it’ll never read that well in print.
Can I ask something I never understood about Young Earth Creationism: OK, they count dates literally and also they count (correct me if I’m wrong) how many father-son relations there is listed. Even if we take away the fact that father-son could actually be (the way the original language works) ancestor-descendant and we take father-son literally, as they do … Wouldn’t that still create a time frame, not exact time? If you have 50 generations of men fathering men, they can all have kids at 16 or at 60 or anywhere in between. That alone makes for only 50 generations a 2200 years gap. Where do they get 6000? Shouldn’t it be something like 3000-12000 (I made these two numbers up, I don’t know how many generations we have)? How can it be a precise number?
It varies, depending on who’s calculations you like to follow. But for most of them, they presume that the Heavens and Earth were created in the first week and then Adam was created on Day 6, so they proceed from there.
Also, to answer your questions about the generations – If you read Genesis, it often has very, very advanced ages for many of these people (for example, it states that Adam lived to be almost 1,000 years old, and many of his descendants lived hundreds of years). If you are a Biblical literalist, you believe this is how long they actually lived.
There are various calculations as to exact ages of the Earth, but the 6,000 number is a rough estimation that most of the young earth people tend to agree upon. If you’re interested in reading about how they get the numbers (you know, for laughs) you can always look at their Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_literalist_chronology#Example_of_literalist_chronology
Good point, Sam. There’s a pretty big distinction between the two groups that doesn’t usually get pointed out.
Can I point out that there are more than two forms of “creationism?” Every faith, and thousands have existed throughout time, has had a theory of creation. Only the Christian one seems to get any attention in US politics. Want to really get a reaction from Christian creationist? Tell him or her that you support teaching creationism in public schools only if the giant sea turtle, Gaia, and Odin and Ymer’s corpse are given equal time in the class, because: creationism!
Be the bull, don’t be the china. Interesting guy.
He just came across not that bright, but seems like a nice guy. I’ve got no issue with him in the article. The whole gay comparison to sinners turned me off, but at least in his own way he is saying whatever the religious beliefs about that treat people with kindness and be less judgmental.
He’s a creationist? Might as well just say “The jury’s still out on science.” Which…no.
Yeah, he’s so religious he has a child out of wedlock with a gold-digging cleat chaser. I can’t stand when men complain about the lack of “good girls” and then date tramps. It stands to reason that in a city the size of LA, if Blake looked hard enough, he could find a smart, hardworking, kind woman.
He seems soooo harmless. Like, let him rant a bit because he’s nervous and then he’ll shrug and say it is what it is. He didn’t really say anything out of line, but he’s not the brightest. He’s a great player though.
What is a tramp? A woman who has two kids by two different rich athletes? My cousin has kids by two different doctors? Is she a tramp? And no she is not married .Is she a tramp for dating men in the medical field( doctor chaser)? Is she a tramp for having kids out of wedlock?
Well, easy to see how KK tricked him into marriage.
And ignorance in the face of facts is always dangerous.
ALWAYS!
Such a great comment on so many levels.
mmmmm …..This isn’t the guy that KK married……….
LOL…Kris Humphries, Blake Griffith…same thing….right?
*Griffin. See? I’m no better than you.
All Biracial basketball players look alike I guess
LMAO
So, he believes God created the universe, that people ought to be nice to each other, and that everybody is free to disagree but thinks they ought to do it respectfully.
Am I supposed to be outraged in some way?
Yes. Because he believes in God.
I’m not religious at all, but I agree that he did nothing wrong. He actually sounds decent…not judgey nor preachy. I wish all religious people were like him!
Is there anyone on this board that believes in God?
Nope. We all believe in black magic and worship the devil. Kidding.
There are usually a few pretty vocal religious peeps on these threads but I don’t see them here today…maybe they’re at lunch.
Thanks, TOK.
I believe in God. I’m not putting anyone down that does not believe in God so I don’t get all of the hatred. To each his/her own.
Hey Kimber,
I think it’s a shame when anyone hates on anyone, so in your example, why athiests act so angry at believers. However, I understand it because when Time magazine publishes on it’s cover “Athiests are the most hated group in America” it’s hard for people who are athiest not to get their back ups/defensive. Plus most of us grew up with negative experiences regarding religion that sours them. For example, upon mentioning that I didn’t go to church to one of my boyfriend’s friends when I was young, his mom, who was a preacher’s wife, said I was a ‘slut’ and he shouldn’t hang around me just because I said I didn’t go to church!!!! For a long time I thought all religious people were horrible people but I’m at a more accepting place now and try not to judge all groups as homogenous.
I believe in God but I also believe in the Big Bang and evolution and I do not want any faith’s creation theory taught in public schools except in an elective comparative religions class in which all creation theories are included. I do want evolution taught because it is science.
Umm… I’m a bit more concerned that he came out of a university still thinking that creationism is a valid scientific argument. What the hell, University of Oklahoma?!
I also believe in God and science. So I understand what he was trying to say. He doesn’t sound like the sharpest tool in the shed but I think he means well. He is harmless and isn’t trying to give his beliefs on anyone.
Isn’t trying to *force his beliefs on anyone….Damn auto correct
On the one hand, it’s good that he’s not judgemental, but on the other, creationism? Really?
“I’m just gonna kind of be like, “That’s whatever.”
That’ll tell ’em!
He isn’t attractive and seems harmless for the most part but, I do hate when men throw shade about ‘ good girls’ being hard to find — where the heck are you looking? Lots of ‘good girls’ out there.
He comes across as a good-hearted guy, just very stupid. To believe in creationism in the face of overwhelming proof to the contrary is either out and out stupidity, or intellectual laziness.