From: utzoo!decvax!duke!bcw
Newsgroups: net.misc
Title: Re: RE: Matters Religious
Article-I.D.: duke.2959
Posted: Fri Jan 28 18:32:17 1983
Received: Sat Jan 29 05:17:35 1983
References: ihuxa.186

From:	Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University
Re:	Use of the Bible

It probably wouldn't matter too much for a biologist to not refer to
Darwin in disputes about evolution;  it would be fairly easy to refer
to others who would have the same amount of authority (even amoung
Darwin's contemporaries, Wallace and Huxley would do just about as
well as Darwin).  There is quite a difference - the Bible claims to
be in some way *unique*, and hence enjoys a special status which no
scientist, living or dead, would enjoy in such a dispute.  I think that
it was *this* special appeal to authority which was objected to, not
at all like an appeal (for example) to a scientist who is probably only
considered one of thousands.

Probably a more appropriate analogy would be to restrict a Communist
(of any stripe) engaging in a debate to refrain from any references
to Marx;  though many Communists look suspiciously like members of a
secular religion and not like scientists or humanists ...

			Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University