Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Where does Bob get this stuff?

Just before Easter weekend, Bob was insisting on the historicity Jesus and the resurrection. In the same breath, he anticipated the common objection arising from the lack of contemporaneous eyewitness written accounts. Bob explained oral traditions were the mainstay and raw material of historical source material since literacy was scarce and costly.

But Bob also made this claim: People in ancient times had better memories because the printing press had not yet been invented.

Really?

Bob went further and claimed that among those living at the time of Jesus, the portion of the brain that contained the memory function was more highly developed than it now is.

What? On what scientific evidence could anyone base such a statement?

No one can. But fact checking is not what Bob does.

But there is a way Bob’s claim could be supported: Pathologists would have had to made many thorough autopsies and psychologists would have made many memory evaluations – all duly verified and recorded 2,000 years ago. Similar studies, using the same procedures, would have to be repeated some centuries after the invention of the printing press and the results analyzed by a competent statistician.

Bob often expresses dismay over the number of MENSA’s who are not "believers."

I would suggest that Bob scares away the smart people.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bob claims that the portion of the brain that contains the basis for memory was more developed in Christ's day than now!! Oh my gosh is Bob espousing the theory of DE-EVOLUTION ( !!! cue the scary music). Considering that the four gospels do contradict themselves leads one to question Bob's thesis. Bob's idea might be true considering that Bob's program wasn't around 2000 years ago to assault the listener's high cortical functions. The fact that no contradictory writings exist today does not necessarily mean that none existed . It may just mean that no written copies have survived.( According to Bob maybe the anti-Christians simply memorized their objections since they had better memory back then.) Perhaps once Christianity became the Roman state religon under Constatine any writing against Christianity were purged.

DJ said...

What shocked me was that Bob actually spent time talking about religion instead of bashing liberals.

Although he did make plenty of time for that in his "news" hour.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of liberal bashing, see my last comment on the "Poor Bob" April 23 post. I don't know how you came across Bob, but one day during lunch I was channel surfing on the radio and came across this guy with ,to my point of view, saying really strange ideas on evolution. Now I was raised a Catholic ( and have since falen away hence my nom de post )and was taught evolution by the nuns. To the good sister who taught me high school biology she had no problem integrating her belief in God ( oops almost forgot to mention Jesus also. As you know Bob says we don't mention him that often) with what current scientific knowledge stated on the development of life. What Bob was saying was like listening to a logical train wreck in progress and since that day not so long ago I can't seem to avoid listening to Bob even though for most times he drives me insane with his hatred for anyone that does toe the line that he does (and does his politics seem to outweigh his religious beliefs in importance?). Bob is entitled to his opinion , but by demonizing those on the opposite side of the fence from him and by twisting the facts or omitting them or fabricating them just grates on me. So that's for this website that lets me vent.

Anonymous said...

Crap, thinking about Bob has got me so pissed that instead of writing that he drives me insane for his hatred for anyone who DOESN"T toe his line that I said the exact opposite of what I intended. What rehab center is there for Bob Detoxification?

DJ said...

Hey John. I started listening to Bob because a long time ago, I was a conservative Christian who believed all his lies.

But after a long time away from Michigan as a result of the Global War On Terror(TM), I started to see how conservatism and Christian charity are often in conflict with each other, and as my disillusionment with the Bush administration grew, I saw how all these righties had put Bush on the cross and worshipped a red white and blue shaped elephant.

I'm still a Christian, but a very liberal one. It does feel good to have a community here that debunks his b.s.