Telegraph: Attenborough lambastes Dutch fundies

4 October 2007 · Comments 

I wasn’t able to blog about this when it first came out, but Tuesday’s The Telegraph has an article about naturalist and broadcaster Richard Attenborough’s complaint to the BBC over a Dutch evangelical christian fundamentalist broadcaster’s “editing” (read ripping to shreds) of a series television programmes, The Life of Mammals, that he has presented for the BBC.

The world’s best known wildlife broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough, has called on the BBC to stop Christian fundamentalists from deleting references to evolution from his documentaries.

Censored versions of Sir David’s award winning programmes have been broadcast in Holland without any references to evolution, speciation, descent and timescales of millions of years, after being censored by Christian creationists who are opposed to Charles Darwin’s ideas.

“Instead of saying “70 million years ago, something happens,” they say “a very long time ago something happens”. They also omit paragraphs such as: “This is inherited from my warm-blooded ancestors,”" Sir David told the Telegraph. “I would much rather they kept to the letter, as far as that is possible, of what I said.”

I don’t think I need to point out the obvious, but I will anyway: these people are lying by removing parts of these programmes, that have scientific evidence (i.e. reality) to back them up, simply to try to convince themselves, and brainwash others, into thinking that their scripture has some kind of literal significance that trumps how the universe really is. Note to fundies: it doesn’t.

If I had heroes, Attenborough would be one of them. Thank you, Sir David, for standing up for reality, and defying these liars.

P.S. Is it just me, or do other people hear Attenborough’s silken tones drift through their inner monologue when reading nature books or articles?

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