God's Grand Canyon--figurative or literal?

By Lee Russ

Saturday, January 06, 2007 at 05:33 PM

I was tempted to post this to the humor category, but it's too sad...

Just before New year's, the  Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) issued a news release that would border on the absurd except that the facts are true.

An excerpt:

HOW OLD IS THE GRAND CANYON? PARK SERVICE WON'T SAY -- Orders to Cater to Creationists Makes National Park Agnostic on Geology

Washington, DC -- Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees. Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is `no comment.'"
...
In August 2003, Park Superintendent Joe Alston attempted to block the sale at park bookstores of Grand Canyon: A Different View by Tom Vail, a book claiming the Canyon developed on a biblical rather than an evolutionary time scale. NPS Headquarters, however, intervened and overruled Alston. To quiet the resulting furor, NPS Chief of Communications David Barna told reporters and members of Congress that there would be a high-level policy review of the issue.

Just two days ago, the government announced that the creationist book would remain on sale at the park.

If you don't find all this depressing enough, try the fact that the Divine creation of the Grand Canyon by means of The Great Flood appears to be a widely held belief among those at the far end of Christian Evangelicals.

A woman named Marie Jon' flatly says, for example, "The Grand Canyon holds the key to knowledge of a great flood that took place on this earth."

On the other hand, she also says things like:

Many believe that we are close to the last days prophesied in the Bible. It is not impossible that God will present His case before an unbelieving generation, by striping away all doubts....

In God's compassion and loving wisdom, He will give every person a chance to believe on Him before earth's time runs out. The unleashing of unearthed treasures is their cue to understand that God is alive and well. It will be another wake up call from the divine Creator.

The treasures of a past ancient times will be brought to light and point the way to God. He is gathering a people before Christ's Second Coming.
...
The ACLU ilk, who sue schools over a display of Jesus' picture, will be besides themselves if the Noah's Ark story is found to be accurate. They are the ones that are thick as thieves when it comes to banning God from American's arena of public thought. We are in the midst of a culture war between Christians and secularists.
...
It is my belief that no living human being will be able to stand before God and say "I never was given physical proof to show that you ever existed." Joshua 24:15 "Choose this day whom ye shall serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Furthermore, it is possible that more proof will be uncovered to change the hearts of the non-believers. The Ark of The Covenant might possibly be found.

As "might" a Bozo the Clown mask dating back 8,000 years, along with a manuscript indicating that all holy works--Bible, Koran, etc.--were simply part of an elaborate slapstick routine designed to brighten the lives of those who lived in such dreary, long-ago times.

Yessir, folks, the attack on sense and reason is underway, and has been for a hell of a long time.  We've reached the exalted point of having fringe lunatics not only tolerated, but treated as prophets or potential prophets.  And you can't beat them with reason.  All beliefs exist solely on faith, and if you question one of the beliefs, you are simply a dangerous nonbeliever sent by Satan to tempt the righteous.