The World As Seen By The BCSE

(This article was first published on my blog in November 2006. See also part two and part three).

The purpose of this article is simple. It will help us to gain an insight into how the BCSE view the world.

Introducing Alan Bellis

We have seen that the BCSE are a re-launched version of the "BlackShadow" group of activists. BlackShadow were founded by Alan Bellis, a member of the National Secular Society. Alan is a hardline atheist who recommends the works of atheist Sam Harris in these words: "Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply a refusal to deny the obvious."

Mr. Bellis controls the websites www.blackshadow.me.uk and www.blackshadow.co.uk. The BCSE hosted its website there until October 2006 (when Roger Stanyard registered the domain name bcseweb.org.uk) . (Ref:BlackShadow Yahoo Group message 2182 (now removed from the Internet by the BCSE - available by request from me for verification). The first image above was also removed after attracting ridicule from other parts of the Internet -see http://telicthoughts.com/?p=989 . The second can still be seen at http://www.creationism.co.uk/index.php/Main/JoinTheFight).

Here's an example of Roger Stanyard advertising www.blackshadow.me.uk as the BCSE's website (http://richarddawkins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3844):

Once the BCSE's own website (at www.bcseweb.org.uk) went live, Alan Bellis took control of www.blackshadow.me.uk back. He continued to be one of the most active members of the BCSE.

Coming To The Point

Now, take a look at this. What I want you to see today is the content that Mr. Bellis then put up on his website. Here is the first image to see:

In case it's tricky to make out, that picture on the left is of a gun, pointing at you. The text in red says, "If... the fundamentalists take over then this is probably the last thing you will ever see."

And here's the second image (which you could access by clicking on the first):

Now, I think that we can assume that Mr. Bellis intends those graphics to be taken at least partly in humour.

Nevertheless, they give a revealing insight into the state of mind and motivations of the BCSE's leadership. We've already seen that the BCSE's leadership, in contrast with the university professors, Royal Society members and head-teachers who they mock, lack experience and standing in the worlds of science and education. And again and again we're seeing the same picture - the main motivation is the spreading of hard-line atheism. There is a "great war" against the "fundies" - "fundies" being the favourite term of atheist activists such as Richard Dawkins et. al. to label Bible-believing Christians. The BCSE is, in its own mind, a front in this "war".

Explaining a few things...

Now, take a look at that first graphic again. It gives us a clue as to why the BCSE are so fanatical. In their own minds, the "fundamentalists" wish to "take over", and have murderous intentions against "gays, liberals, single mums, cohabitees, believers in evolution, atheists and agnostics".

Now, back in the real world, most people will be throwing back their heads to have a good chuckle at this kind of rhetoric. But the BCSE appear to be deadly serious. On their official website, core member (and yes, yet another outspoken atheist) Lenny Flank writes (http://www.bcseweb.org.uk/index.php/Main/YourSchool):

"I've been dealing with creationists for over 20 years ... They are Ayatollah-wanna-be's. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else." - Lenny Flank

Did you get that? In the BCSE's mind-set, there's nothing real separating evangelical Christianity from radical Islam. 9/11, the Madrid train bombings, the London tube attacks and so on - these are all the kinds of things which, in the BCSE's mind, your local evangelical church is likely to be admiring and seeking to reproduce. In the BCSE's mind, evangelicals are lying when they say that they want to tell you how you can have your sins forgiven and receive eternal life through Jesus. Their real aim is to seize control of parliament, and kill you for daring to disagree with them about Darwinism!

Who is threatening freedom in the real-world?

Well, interestingly enough, yesterday the US state department issued its annual list of countries where freedom of religion is severely violated (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/75927.htm). There are eight countries on that list. What are those countries clamping down on freedom in the name of? Well, three of those states are imposing atheism, and five of them are imposing Islam. Ho hum! That's a little bit different to the BCSE's take on things.

But that's reality. We're not dealing with reality here. We're dealing with the crazy, crazy world of the hard-core atheist activists masquerading as the "British Centre for Science Education". Now you know them a little better. Now you're a little better equipped to respond when you see them in newspapers or lobbying MPs. Now you know where they're coming from.

This is all a long way removed from serious discussion about why the universe exists, and whether human beings are special or unique. I find it a shame that I have to write about such nutty things, instead of talking about more important issues. In the last few days I've seen that some of the best popular-level books against evolution and for special creation have been made freely available on the Internet. Now, these are serious questions, and they demand to be taken seriously. If you'd rather look at these crucial issues in a serious way, rather than pottering around with polemical blogs such as mine or websites of political activists such as the BCSE, then I'd direct you there. Here's the link. Scroll down the page to get a description of each book: http://www.answersingenesis.org/cec/online_resources.asp.

David Anderson