Dictionaries for Darwinese
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
There are some words that have a great deal of similarity and some people use them interchangeably. I have made mistakes with them a few times myself. One problem is that they can overlap. Atheists and other anti-creationists use ridicule and mockery quite freely when attacking creationists, and these serve no constructive purpose. Let's focus on the others.
Briefly, we'll look at sarcasm and satire, and leave parody out of this except to say sometimes parody is used just for fun as well as being satirical.
"Did someone explain those to you with small words so you could understand them, Cowboy Bob?"
Well, yes — hey! The sarcastic question there is tinged with ridicule. Sarcasm can use a form of irony, such as when an angry child says, "Oh, that's so mature of you!" Some folks advocate avoiding sarcasm altogether because it can easily become hurtful. However, the Bible has many instances (such as 1 Kings 18:27 and I'll let you look up Jesus and Paul your ownselves).
Satire is related to the others, but usually used in a more lighthearted way to illustrate problems and folly with politicians, false religious teachers, expose evil, and a host of other things. This, too, utilizes irony. The Bible has satire as well, such as when Isaiah describes idolators in Isaiah 44:17-14 or Jesus in Matthew 7:5. A famous Christian site called the Babylon Bee is dedicated to satire on political, Christian, global warming extremists, and daily life. Regular readers of this site have undoubtedly noticed the satire and sarcasm here, and sometimes it is very blunt.
Sarcasm and satire are often useful to be provocative and getting someone's attention. Some people cannot take a joke that is used to point out their double standards and dreadful reasoning, so when they become as cuddly as a burlap bag full of rattlesnakes, you know there's no reasoning with them. Other people, however, may learn from the situation.
I've had religious people say in effect, "You used sarcasm (or satire) with that angry atheist. Now he'll reject Christ forever and go to Hell, and it's all your fault!" Last I knew, people went to Hell because they were sinners, and we're all responsible for our own choices. That said, it is still important to be careful so we do not construct stumbling blocks while at the same time not allowing bullies and trolls to dictate our actions.
Satire is often used in with humor and is not intended to be caustic. It can still be used to get someone's attention, and hopefully to prompt them to think. The post "Learning to Understand Darwinese" had both sarcasm and satire, as did the articles linked therein. As a kind of follow-up, I have two more items for you.
First, Creation Ministries International has "The Darwin Dictionary — Your Guide to Your guide to things evolutionists say" to illustrate the difference between what evolutionists say and reality. Second, you may want to brows the Darwin Dictionary by David Coppedge at Creation-Evolution Headlines. He has coined some words and phrases that he uses for sarcasm and parody in his own articles. Of course, I had to add a video featuring ApologetiX, the foremost Christian parody band:
There are some words that have a great deal of similarity and some people use them interchangeably. I have made mistakes with them a few times myself. One problem is that they can overlap. Atheists and other anti-creationists use ridicule and mockery quite freely when attacking creationists, and these serve no constructive purpose. Let's focus on the others.
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| Credit: Unsplash / Romain Vignes |
"Did someone explain those to you with small words so you could understand them, Cowboy Bob?"
Well, yes — hey! The sarcastic question there is tinged with ridicule. Sarcasm can use a form of irony, such as when an angry child says, "Oh, that's so mature of you!" Some folks advocate avoiding sarcasm altogether because it can easily become hurtful. However, the Bible has many instances (such as 1 Kings 18:27 and I'll let you look up Jesus and Paul your ownselves).
Satire is related to the others, but usually used in a more lighthearted way to illustrate problems and folly with politicians, false religious teachers, expose evil, and a host of other things. This, too, utilizes irony. The Bible has satire as well, such as when Isaiah describes idolators in Isaiah 44:17-14 or Jesus in Matthew 7:5. A famous Christian site called the Babylon Bee is dedicated to satire on political, Christian, global warming extremists, and daily life. Regular readers of this site have undoubtedly noticed the satire and sarcasm here, and sometimes it is very blunt.
Sarcasm and satire are often useful to be provocative and getting someone's attention. Some people cannot take a joke that is used to point out their double standards and dreadful reasoning, so when they become as cuddly as a burlap bag full of rattlesnakes, you know there's no reasoning with them. Other people, however, may learn from the situation.
Satire is often used in with humor and is not intended to be caustic. It can still be used to get someone's attention, and hopefully to prompt them to think. The post "Learning to Understand Darwinese" had both sarcasm and satire, as did the articles linked therein. As a kind of follow-up, I have two more items for you.
First, Creation Ministries International has "The Darwin Dictionary — Your Guide to Your guide to things evolutionists say" to illustrate the difference between what evolutionists say and reality. Second, you may want to brows the Darwin Dictionary by David Coppedge at Creation-Evolution Headlines. He has coined some words and phrases that he uses for sarcasm and parody in his own articles. Of course, I had to add a video featuring ApologetiX, the foremost Christian parody band: