All YECs are Dead

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

At Dawn in New York, suddenly and without warning. Every single Muslim/Jewish/Christian Young Earth Creationist (people who beleive that Genisis exactly is how the Universe was created) over the age of 18 turns into a reddish brown organic paste with the consistancy of instant pudding. There Death is painless and takes about 30 seconds.

What happens and how do you feal about this?

Zor

As previously mentioned, civilization comes to an immediate halt, as a significant fraction of the populations of a number of really important countries (the US, namely) believe in Creationism. The government would, more-or-less, implode, and our infrastructure will grind to a halt as the operators of vehicles and important machinery turn to goo. Not to mention the public health nightmare which would ensue after this organic goo has a chance to sit in the sun for awhile and begins the process of decomposing.

I would be terribly unhappy, especially at the chaos and collapse of civilization here that would follow from killing half the adult population of the United States in thirty seconds. Though I would be rather unhappy about any scenario involving our civilization encountering an Outside-Context Problem. And, especially since I am certain some people I consider to be very close friends would suffer this fate.

[Wicked Pilot]

If people were eliminated purely on the basis of belief, it must be some very powerful intelligent entity.. what the hell else COULD it be?

Dr. Evil of course.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

I bet those left might think it justified the existence of God or was a rapture or something.

^Just realized Zero said it first.

Oh that's a disturbing thought. Also begs the question of what happens to the poor fools who decide it's time to become YECs because they're convinced their god has come to take the believers home. Do they get disintegrated as well? Or does the event only happen once?

[Sir Sirius]

Just came to think what it would be like to witness my suggestion come true while visiting some muslim nation. Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a busy street, mall or market square when suddenly nine out of ten people around you start convulsing violently and then spend the next half an hour flopping around in pools of their own blood like fish on dry ground, until they die and are eaten by a vast army of maggots and insects. Christ that would be a nightmarish experience.

Shivers... I really should try thinking before typing every now and then.

[AniThyng]

At this point I feel compelled to point out that Islam does not make any explicit statement supporting YEC [creationism yes, but not Young Earth in particular] I think this distinction matters, yes?

I went to school in a Muslim nation and while evolution was generally glossed over at secondary-school level, the geological age of the Earth was never disputed, and books [admittedly western books by western authors, e.g. Dawkins] on evolution are freely available.

[Junghalli]

A good portion of the worlds population gets killed off. Utter chaos for at least the first couple of months, followed by all kinds of international upheavals. Some countries virtually disappear. Western Europe probably gets more powerful in the long run.
I'd probably be too buisy trying to survive to worry about whether the world is better off, given that something like a quarter the US population disappeared and disproportionately from the rural areas I'm sure there'd be food shortages. No, I don't think the world would be better off. YEC is pretty stupid, but what the fuck did all these people do to deserve the death penalty for Christ's sake?

[Darth Wong]

I, personally, would consider just what the fuck it meant that so many people could face a quite abnormal event (turning into a paste and such...) based only on their beliefs. A quite logical conclusion in this case would be to assume that it's the rapture, and that the bloody YECs were right. Honestly, what the fuck could it be but a very powerful sentient being that could eliminate people based on belief?

There would be no way of knowing for sure what the dead believed. All you would know is that the death toll from this catastrophic event seemed to disproportionately strike the very religious and poorly educated sectors of society, as well as substantial portions of the Republican party. And the people most likely to interpret it as the Rapture would all be dead. The remainder would have to deal with the fact that it struck Muslims as well.

[Illuminatus Primus]

The fence-sitting Christians will attribute it to divine retribution or the Rapture. More fundies out of the pot.

[Admiral Valdemar]

It could be a disease tailor made to target people who thought certain ways, much like how you could have one attack only blondes for instance.

Far fetched? Yes, but how this happens isn't the point I would assume. Just that a shitload of people suddenly vanish and no one knows really how, only that they all had religious conservatism as their core beliefs.

[Ma Deuce]

my ethical twinges are reading a 0 on this one, but it definitly would screw up the economy.

Did you just say what I think you did; that the only reason you'd consider the sudden death of all YECs to be a bad thing is because it'd screw up the economy?

[Zero]

What if the death of the YECs would be something truly horrible. Like half an hour of violent spasms Exorcist style, followed by profuse bleeding from every orifice until they bleed to death and once they are dead their corpses would be consumed with in minutes by a swarm of maggots, locusts and other creepy crawly things that burst out from the corpse itself. This is unlike to be interpreted as gods method of saving his most faithfull followers from the rapture.

Even if this happened, you still must believe that there is some intelligent mechanism behind the event, and that he specifically targetted people of a certain ideology. You would still be forced to accept things that you currently don't.

[Darth Wong]

What if the death of the YECs would be something truly horrible. Like half an hour of violent spasms Exorcist style, followed by profuse bleeding from every orifice until they bleed to death and once they are dead their corpses would be consumed with in minutes by a swarm of maggots, locusts and other creepy crawly things that burst out from the corpse itself. This is unlike to be interpreted as gods method of saving his most faithfull followers from the rapture.

Even if this happened, you still must believe that there is some intelligent mechanism behind the event, and that he specifically targetted people of a certain ideology. You would still be forced to accept things that you currently don't.

Of course one would suspect an intelligent mechanism. But logically, one would suspect some kind of diabolical scheme hatched by some psychotic human. Humans are known to exist, remember?

[Zero]

There would be no way of knowing for sure what the dead believed. All you would know is that the death toll from this catastrophic event seemed to disproportionately strike the very religious and poorly educated sectors of society, as well as substantial portions of the Republican party. And the people most likely to interpret it as the Rapture would all be dead. The remainder would have to deal with the fact that it struck Muslims as well.

I wouldn't know what the dead believed, but I would know what the living believed, and there are many people who have converted out of christianity who may see and interpret what was happening as a rapture. I myself would probably take this conclusion, as it would be a quite sensible one in this event. What would you believe, Wong?

As for the other comment of tailoring a virus for certain-minded people... that wouldn't just eliminate YECs, and many YECs may be left over if it's only a certain mindset. Not all YECs have the same thought processes. If you assume that all YECs have the same mindset, and others don't... I mean.. dude, that's a huge generalization. Besides, I'm not sure you could tailor a virus that effective to only effect people with certain mindsets... I guess I don't know enough about viruses to really have a say about it, though.

[NecronLord]

If people were eliminated purely on the basis of belief, it must be some very powerful intelligent entity.. what the hell else COULD it be?

Dr. Evil of course.

Dr. Evil is "some very powerful intelligent entity.."

[Lord Zentei]

At this point I feel compelled to point out that Islam does not make any explicit statement supporting YEC [creationism yes, but not Young Earth in particular] I think this distinction matters, yes?

I went to school in a Muslim nation and while evolution was generally glossed over at secondary-school level, the geological age of the Earth was never disputed, and books [admittedly western books by western authors, e.g. Dawkins] on evolution are freely available.

Many Christian schools do this also. The Koran explicitly states that the Earth wa created in 6 days (or 8 days depending in the passage).

Civilization would grind to a halt all right, but not irreversably so. I can't help but feel that Humanity would advance more rapidly in the long term as a result of this scenario, cruel though such a conclusion is. (* Despite this, such an event should be considered a carastrophe. Any mass sterilization or death would be a terrible thing, both socioeconomically and morally.

(* Assuming that people don't see this as a sign that the YECs were right and start to emulate them.

[Junghalli]

I can't help but feel that Humanity would advance more rapidly in the long term as a result of this scenario, cruel though such a conclusion is.

What makes you think the belief will neccessarily die for good just because the people who currently buy it are dead?
And yeah, if you asked me for theories right afterword I'd probably think it was somebody who had a thing against religion conservatives and somehow found a way to kill them all (contaminated sacremental wine maybe?).

[Darth Wong]

I wouldn't know what the dead believed, but I would know what the living believed, and there are many people who have converted out of christianity who may see and interpret what was happening as a rapture. I myself would probably take this conclusion, as it would be a quite sensible one in this event. What would you believe, Wong?

I would investigate the cause of death. Death must have a physical cause, and then you would have to start looking for mechanisms. This is how rational people investigate mysteries, not "omigod this particular invisible sky fairy described in one of the ancient dead-white-guy books must have done it!"

As for the other comment of tailoring a virus for certain-minded people... that wouldn't just eliminate YECs, and many YECs may be left over if it's only a certain mindset. Not all YECs have the same thought processes. If you assume that all YECs have the same mindset, and others don't... I mean.. dude, that's a huge generalization.

How is it an unfair generalization? All YECs are demonstrably ignorant and irrational, at least when it comes to that particular question.

Besides, I'm not sure you could tailor a virus that effective to only effect people with certain mindsets... I guess I don't know enough about viruses to really have a say about it, though.

I wouldn't expect a virus to be able to do that either, but it's still an attempt to provide a mechanism, which is better than ancient caveman thinking.

[Zero]

I too would attempt to figure out what the hell was going on, but if such widescale death appeared purely on the basis of belief/faith, I have to wonder what's at all illogical about saying that it is perhaps the rapture that's been spoken of by christians. Honestly.. it isn't exactly an illogical conclusion.

As for your statement about YECs... I agree, they are demonstratably irrational and ignorant in that area, but not in all areas. When dealing with religious beliefs, ignorance is not uncommon. People can still have rational thoughts, even if there's something, such as a belief in a 6000 year old earth, that is unjustifiable scientifically. I don't believe that indoctrination is limited to certain kinds of people. If it were, then religion wouldn't have ran the world for so long.

[18-Till-I-Die]

Ok...does anyone have any logical ideas then as to what it would be.

Remember this 'event' strikes instantaniously, all people being hit at the same time on teh same day all over the world. Simultaneously, a couple billion people are reduced to organic goo. Perfectly healthy and normal, most having no connection whatsoever, their only connection being religious beleif. Those left alive--Intelligent Designers, Deists, Atheists, Hindus--were untouched while people standing inches away were hit. Un effected by gender, race, and mostly unefected by age anyone who was over eighteen and held a particular beleif dies, horribly and grusomely, simultaneously, with nothing else connecting them whatsoever.

The only other thing i could think of would be something like the Second Impact in EVA, some event triggered by an advanced alien force, perhaps as the beginning of an invasion.

[Lord Zentei]

What makes you think the belief will neccessarily die for good just because the people who currently buy it are dead?
And yeah, if you asked me for theories right afterword I'd probably think it was somebody who had a thing against religion conservatives and somehow found a way to kill them all (contaminated sacremental wine maybe?).

Fundamentalists tend to be raised as such by guardians who are also fundamentalists. Even if fundamentalist beleif is not wiped out permanantly, It wil be diminished no end for the forseeable future.

[Surlethe]

Well, I'd probably lose half or more of the people I grew up around, possibly including one or more of my parents, and several siblings.

Besides, a scenario like this takes all the victory out of winning. The enemy wasn't defeated! They didn't capitulate, they didn't join our side, they didn't realize they were wrong. There's no victory in that.

Fundamentalists tend to be raised as such by guardians who are also fundamentalists. Even if fundamentalist beleif is not wiped out permanantly, It wil be diminished no end for the forseeable future.

Also, people will note the correlation between Judeo-Christian fundamentalism and disintigration, which will probably cause the more moderate types to distance themselves from fundamentalism.

[18-Till-I-Die]

I think people are comparing Fundies to YECs wrongfully.

I know a LOT of people who are creationists but almost everyone of them are liberals in almost every sense.

I know, or have met, several Fundies who are all usually also racists, homophobes and generally shitty people.

Creationists are, in and of themselves, no more harmful than intelligent designers, atheists or anyone else. Fundamentalists are dangerous because they're fanatical and usually descriminate against other religions, and in my experience also usually against other races and sexes.

I think, and again this is just me, creationism is not the same as Fundamentalism. I always considered the latter to be more a discrimination thing while the former is just what you beleieve about the world's formation.

[Surlethe]

Being a YEC is a natural outgrowth of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism is taking the bible (or qur'an, or whatever religious text) literally. It follows that YECs are going to be those who take those religious texts literally which state the earth was created in six days.

[18-Till-I-Die]

Being a YEC is a natural outgrowth of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism is taking the bible (or qur'an, or whatever religious text) literally. It follows that YECs are going to be those who take those religious texts literally which state the earth was created in six days.

I dont know.

Of course Fundies beleive the same thing, but most of the YECs i know are not at all like Fundies. None of them, for example, have a problem with gays (that i know of, i cant read minds i only know what they tell me) none have a problem with the seperation of religion and state...but they all beleive that Genesis happened as writen.

Now Fundies i've met...whew boy. Most, firstly, are extremely homophobic, virtually every one has some issue about sexuality, most dont beleive in seperating church and state, and all have an EXTREMELY hostile position towards other people who beleive differently.

I dont know, i just feel there is a huge differnce between someone who is a perfectly normal, nice person and beleives in Genesis and someone like Jerry Fallwell.

[fgalkin]

Being a YEC is a natural outgrowth of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism is taking the bible (or qur'an, or whatever religious text) literally. It follows that YECs are going to be those who take those religious texts literally which state the earth was created in six days.

No, fundamentalists are those who wish to go to the "origins" of religion, abandining all "modern" developments (the last 1000 years or so).

All Muslims take toe Koran literally, but not all Muslims are fundamentalists.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin