Ben Bridges
Encyclopedia
Ben D. Bridges, Sr. is a conservative
Republican
politician and former member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 10th District based about Cleveland
. He was chairman of the House Retirement Committee.
Bridges worked as a barber
for six years before joining the Georgia State Patrol
. He retired in 1995 with the rank of captain
. He was elected to the Georgia House in 1997.
In 2007, Bridges was criticized by the Anti-Defamation League
and others for circulating a memo condemning evolution
which said, in part "Indisputable evidence — long hidden but now available to everyone — demonstrates conclusively that so-called 'secular evolution science' is the Big-Bang
15-billion-year alternate 'creation scenario' of the Pharisee Religion... This scenario is derived concept-for-concept from Rabbinic writings in the mystic 'holy book' Kabbala
dating back at least two millennia." It also directed readers the website of the Fair Education Foundation Inc., which claims the Earth
is not rotating or orbiting the Sun
. Bridges says he had nothing to do with the memo, but the memo's author, Marshall Hall, says he had Bridges' approval. Hall is the husband of Bridges' campaign manager and president of the Fair Education Foundation. Bridges said he did not necessarily disagree with Hall's view; he is quoted as saying, "I agree with it more than I would the Big Bang Theory or the Darwin Theory".
Bridges' memo was circulated in the Texas legislature by the conservative Republican Warren Chisum
of Pampa
, the seat of Gray County in the Texas Panhandle
.
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician and former member of the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
from the 10th District based about Cleveland
Cleveland, Georgia
Cleveland is a city in White County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,907 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of White County....
. He was chairman of the House Retirement Committee.
Bridges worked as a barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
for six years before joining the Georgia State Patrol
Georgia State Patrol
The Georgia State Patrol is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Georgia. The GSP has statewide jurisdiction with the exception of federal military installations...
. He retired in 1995 with the rank of captain
Police captain
- France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant....
. He was elected to the Georgia House in 1997.
In 2007, Bridges was criticized by the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
and others for circulating a memo condemning evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
which said, in part "Indisputable evidence — long hidden but now available to everyone — demonstrates conclusively that so-called 'secular evolution science' is the Big-Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
15-billion-year alternate 'creation scenario' of the Pharisee Religion... This scenario is derived concept-for-concept from Rabbinic writings in the mystic 'holy book' Kabbala
Kabbala
Kabbala may refer to:*Kabbalah, is a religious philosophical system claiming an insight into divine nature*Sefer ha-Qabbalah by Abraham ibn Daud*Kabbala Denudata , a book from Christian Knorr von Rosenroth, a Christian Hebraist...
dating back at least two millennia." It also directed readers the website of the Fair Education Foundation Inc., which claims the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
is not rotating or orbiting the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. Bridges says he had nothing to do with the memo, but the memo's author, Marshall Hall, says he had Bridges' approval. Hall is the husband of Bridges' campaign manager and president of the Fair Education Foundation. Bridges said he did not necessarily disagree with Hall's view; he is quoted as saying, "I agree with it more than I would the Big Bang Theory or the Darwin Theory".
Bridges' memo was circulated in the Texas legislature by the conservative Republican Warren Chisum
Warren Chisum
Warren Darrel Chisum is a conservative Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from the Panhandle city of Pampa, a community of some 20,000 people and the seat of Gray County. He has served in the state House since 1989...
of Pampa
Pampa, Texas
Pampa is a city in Gray County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,887 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gray County.Pampa is the principal city of the Pampa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Gray and Roberts counties....
, the seat of Gray County in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
.