A boxing match between two dead dudes who have less-than-nothing in common

This WingNutDaily story is driving me to exasperation. It's about a "boxing match" – a metaphor for a battle of ideals and thoughts, no doubt – between Charles Darwin and this Theory of Evolution, and John Calvin and his Calvinism teachings.

WND's been advertising this "battle" for weeks. And no, I still don't have any idea what the fuck it's supposed to be about, either.

The "Boxing Match of the Millenium," a head-to-head debate that pits the teachings of Reformation leader John Calvin, born 500 years ago this year, and evolutionist theory author Charles Darwin, born 200 years ago this year, is being planned during the Reformation 500 Celebration in Boston starting July 1.

It's far more than just a clash of words.

"We're trying to point out that there needs to be a debate, a public discussion on the elitist philosophy that currently dominates and would suppress that debate," said Doug Philips, president of Vision Forum Ministries, the sponsor.

"And we're trying to point out that there are two world views, one largely coming from Christianity and the second from evolutionary humanism. … The future of our nation really rests in part on how we respond," he said.

Even at its very basics, it just sounds so stupid and kooky. What is there to compare, and much less debate, between Darwinian evolution – or, as the article puts it, "evolutionary humanism" – and Calvin's theocratic teachings? It's just another case of idiots putting science and religion against each other as though they were on any sort of playing field at all. One tries to explain the world, the other is a bunch of ideals and doctrines to keep people in line. There is simply nothing to "debate".

Yet, one of the stupidest things in that article is where they claim that Calvin was the "Father of Modern Liberty", or better yet, that he is sometimes called the "true founding father of America". Sweet Jesus in a can.

"The major media is having a field day extolling Charles Darwin's 'virtues' during this 200th anniversary year of his birth," Philips said. "And it's high time that the Father of the Modern Theory of Evolution be given a firm counterpunch by the Father of Modern Liberty, John Calvin, whose 500th birthday is also being celebrated this year."

Calvin, Philips said, sometimes is called the true founding father of America, even though the nation arose hundreds of years after his death, because of his dedication to the doctrines of liberty, governance and the proper response to tyrannical authority.

Great. More morons who claim that Christianity had anything to do, at all, with redacting the Constitution or the actual birth of the United States of America. Hasn't this been debunked thoroughly enough yet? And also, calling Calvin the "Father of Modern Liberty"? While Calvin openly taught how God ruled over absolutely everything and we're all basically his minions? Yeah. True freedom there.

Saying that Calvin had any weight at all in the creation of the USA is simply delusional and ignorant. Hell, just take a look at what one of the actual founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, thought of Calvin: he absolutely hated the man.

I can never join Calvin in addressing his god. He was indeed an Atheist, which I can never be; or rather his religion was Daemonism. If ever man worshipped a false god, he did. The being described in his 5. points is not the God whom you and I acknolege and adore, the Creator and benevolent governor of the world; but a daemon of malignant spirit. It would be more pardonable to believe in no god at all, than to blaspheme him by the atrocious attributes of Calvin. Indeed I think that every Christian sect gives a great handle to Atheism by their general dogma that, without a revelation, there would not be sufficient proof of the being of a god. Now one sixth of mankind only are supposed to be Christians: the other five sixths then, who do not believe in the Jewish and Christian revelation, are without a knolege of the existence of a god!

Kinda hard to make out just what Jefferson meant with the Olde English, but you get the idea: he loathed Calvin, and I'm willing to bet, so did the others. It's simply ludicrous to say Calvin was any influence at all in the founding of America. (Yet that's never stopped the delusional wingnuts and religiots before, has it now?)

So, all in all: yet another case of WND stupidity. Oh my, the novelty, there.