Science is Real

A few weeks ago, I mentioned in my blog that there was a music group whose videos appear on the Disney Channel that basically tell kids the Bible is just a “story” and science is real. “They Might Be Giants” is the name of an alternative rock group whose songs and videos for children are produced by Disney Sound and aired on the Disney Channel. When Elizabeth was younger we would occasionally see their videos on ABCs and 123s, and while I thought they were a little “different,” there was nothing inherently wrong with them.

A couple years ago they produced a CD/DVD for kids, called Here Comes Science. I had our librarian order it and then forgot about it until PZ Myers, the famous atheist blogger, posted one of their videos on his blog. For children of the 70s and early 80s that remember Schoolhouse Rock!, think of these videos as sort of the alternative rock version. Many of the songs are focused on observational science such as “Photosynthesis” and “Cells.”

However, several of the songs have a definite agenda to indoctrinate children in the belief of evolution and millions of years. From the song “My Brother the Ape,” they sing these words:

But I'll admit that I look more like a chimp Than I look like my cousin the shrimp Or my distant kin the lichens Or the snowy egret or the moss And I find it hard to recognize Some relatives of ours Like the rotifer, the sycamore Iguanas and sea stars

In other words, all living things are related as descendants of a common ancestor. From the song “I Am A Paleontologist,” they sing the following:

Could it be an herbivore Crushing plants with rounded teeth Or ferocious carnivore Who moves so quickly on its feet? It's like pieces of a puzzle That I love to try and solve It's so fun to think about How a species has evolved

Notice the last line, “How a species has evolved.” In the video they show a fish evolving into a land animal (presumably a dinosaur) and then evolving into a bird and flying away. However, the song that probably bothered me the most is entitled “Science is Real.” Here are the lyrics in their entirety:

Verse 1:

Science is real From the Big Bang to DNA Science is real From evolution to the Milky Way I like the stories About angels, unicorns and elves Now I like those stories As much as anybody else But when I'm seeking knowledge Either simple or abstract The facts are with science The facts are with science

Chorus:

Science is real Science is real Science is real

Verse 2:

Science is real From anatomy to geology Science is real From astrophysics to biology A scientific theory Isn’t just a hunch or guess It’s more like a question That's been put through a lot of tests And when a theory emerges Consistent with the facts The proof is with science The truth is with science

Notice in the first verse that the Bible and Christianity, reflected in the terminology angels, is equated with patent fairy tales like those about elves. In the second verse we see a list of scientific fields such as anatomy and astrophysics, and what is shown in the video in relation to these clearly falls under the category of observational science. However, over and over again the child hears science defined as observational and historical science with phrases like “From the Big Bang to DNA” and “From evolution to the Milky Way.” All of these are equated with facts, proof, truth, and reality. The Big Bang and evolution are equated to scientific theories that have “been put through a lot of tests” and are “consistent with the facts.”

Really? How do you test molecules-to-man evolution in a lab? How is finding soft tissue in a dinosaur bone (observational science) consistent with the “fact” (their version of historical science) that the bone is 68 million years old? As the Apostle Paul wrote:

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:22–23)

As I’ve said many times on this blog, parents be aware of what your children are watching on TV, listening to on their iPods, etc.—even from seemingly innocent sources like Disney. I’ll leave you with this sobering cartoon from my friend and AiG illustrator Dan Lietha:

Get equipped to teach your children the truth based on God’s Word and keep fighting the good fight of the faith!