If you have seen the ridiculous amount of coverage this has received by the mainstream media, you know what I am talking about. If you haven't, then you wouldn't have found this blog anyway so I'm not going to bother explaining it. It is a wonderous thing to behold -- a Hollywood promotional campaign, that is. It is simply amazing how quickly they can occupy the attention of a massive population.
The archaeologist responsible for this "discovery", (oh...I'm sorry..."revealing the meaning of other people's discoveries" is how he likes to represent his speculations) Simcha Jacobovici, is a real winner. Not only is he Canada's finest archaeologist -- I'm sure you know who #2 is -- but he apparently can discover the truth about almost anything ever written in the Bible.
If you were not fortunate enough to see Decoding the Exodus on the History Channel, then I invite you to grab a coffee and spend some quality time reading this comical debate regarding the show. http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbOOexodusbeware.html
I give Mr. Jacobovici high marks for wonderful and plausible speculation. It is the imagination combined with expertise that makes a great fiction writer. He can make you believe it is possible. But does that make it truth? Does that make it history? Does that make it evidence?
To represent his most recent find as scientifically sound fact is not only humorous, but also blatantly in violation of the Anthropological Code of Ethics. Here is a portion of our American version, although Canadians may have their own version.
American Anthropological Association Code of Ethics
Article III.C.1
Anthropological researchers should make the results of their research appropriately available to sponsors, students, decision makers, and other nonanthropologists. In so doing, they must be truthful; they are not only responsible for the factual content of their statements but also must consider carefully the social and political implications of the information they disseminate. They must do everything in their power to insure that such information is well understood, properly contextualized, and responsibly utilized. They should make clear the empirical bases upon which their reports stand, be candid about their qualifications and philosophical or political biases, and recognize and make clear the limits of anthropological expertise.
This "archaeologist" has surpassed the esteemed Mr. Brown (author of The DaVinci Code) on my list of abhorrent frauds. It is a shame that someone who COULD contribute so much to Biblical history instead chooses to chase fantastical theories in the name of the almighty dollar.
However, my point to this has little to do with Mr. Jacobovici. Instead, I find it ironic that so many people will cling to this one "revelation" as the proof to all they believed was false about Christianity. To believe there is a God who created everything, allowed His Son to die for the salvation of mankind, and that Man came back from the dead and physically went into heaven - to believe that requires much faith.
However, does it not take a great deal more faith to debunk thousands of years of text and evidence of that hope by your belief in an empty box with some scratches on it?
4 comments:
Hey, activate the FEED, Man! You're not showing up in my google main page. (Of course, it could be technical difficulties. If so. My apologies and I'll try to be patient while someone other than you fixes it.)
Thanks for starting a blog. I like reading your thoughts, they're so refreshing.
Oooh, and check out this article.
Indeed...welcome to blogger dgan.
Now for comments:
I've said it many, many times before, but it doesn't matter because we don't teach people logic anymore; one of the primary rules of logic is "The possibility of a thing is not evidence of its existence." You can get this with the classic example of a unicorn; clearly it is possible, but it doesn't exist in fact. Same with Dan Brown, same with just about anything on one of those "History's Mysteries" clone shows.
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