Refuting an Atheist Assault on the Middle Ages

While this post would have been a good fit at one of my other weblogs, the content was in reference to the article featured in "Big Space, Little Planet, and God." The article featured below has several things that echo my own experiences dealing with professing atheists.

Those who read it may remember a previous article was about why God bothers with Earth — and with us. The author mentioned the Middle Ages, and an atheopath decided that he should write to Creation Ministries International and set them straight. It did not go well.

Nativity. Birth of Jesus / Giotto di Bondone,  c.1304 - 1306

The first thing worth noting is that the complainant is avoiding the main point of the article and focusing on one area so he could make hay with it. This is something that is a bane of authors and people active on social(ist) media: We try to make a point, then someone zeroes in on something else and hijacks the discussion. Keep in mind that misotheists display traits of narcissism, which would explain why they frequently try to put Christians and creationists on the defensive.

Like the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages, the medieval period is not sharply defined by dates. Although things like the Bronze Age are used to support evolution, those and the Middle Ages are mainly used as points of reference. There is overlap in various ages, and people have incorrectly attributed works or activities of other times to the medieval period.

Many false ideas about the medieval period are spread around, but there are also numerous articles refuting them (the internet is both a blessing and a curse). However, professing atheists are fond of using boilerplate rhetoric in their attacks on the Bible, God, creation, and so on. (They also use very similar styles and exhibit an amazing lack of original thought.) When they are corrected with the facts, they squirm out of them or simply ignore the truth and keep on attacking. The epilogue of the featured article below prompted a laugh from me, as I have had the same kind of "you're unteachable" moments.

The article "Why would God bother with a tiny planet like Earth?" refuted several myths about the Middle Ages. In particular, this period saw many scientific innovations and even discussions about the earth’s rotation.

. . . 

Conversely, the so-called Renaissance (unlike the real 12th-century renaissance) was thus a reactionary period in many ways. It saw an advance in superstition, such as Hermetic magic. It featured witch burnings—although the death toll was about ~12.5k, contrary to popular belief—while Medieval theologians declared that witches didn’t exist. . . .

Not to be deterred, an atheistic critic, Richard J., repeated a lot more long-discredited medieval myths. A lot of elephant-hurling one-liners in this comment. So they just deserve relatively brief answers (by Dr Jonathan Sarfati, the article author). Still, for any really interested readers, further reading is provided. One advantage of a website with >15,000 articles and a search button is that it’s easy to find answers.

I'd be much obliged if you'd read the whole article, and consider the articles linked there, by voyaging to "Medieval misconceptions —Busting myths about the Middle Ages." It is easy to find medieval style music on YouTube or large collections grouped together, but authentic instrumentals, well, I had a difficult time. Here's something for fun: