Level playing field

Today the Los Angeles Times prints a front-page story by Richard C. Paddock about a small group of Australians who believe that the Tasmanian tiger, extinct for decades, still exists. Because the consensus of scientists is that the tiger is indeed extinct, that position becomes the obvious position of the writer. Tiger devotees are treated with the same respect as Bigfoot searchers.

Note the contempt for tiger believers:

Hunting a Striped Phantom
The extinct Tasmanian tiger lives on in the minds of hundreds of people who believe they have seen the dog-like marsupial in the wild.

MOLE CREEK, Australia — For years, Trudy Richards searched the forests of Tasmania for the elusive creature with the head of a wolf, the pouch of a kangaroo and the stripes of a tiger.

She put motion-sensor cameras and audio recorders in the forest. She built sand traps to capture a footprint. She trekked through the woods, her camera at the ready. She spent hours on stakeouts — all in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the ancient thylacine.

And then, she says, she finally saw one. According to her account, a Tasmanian tiger, as the creature is commonly known, walked into her campsite one winter evening just before midnight. Richards says her camera was out of reach but insists there was no mistaking the animal's distinctive black stripes.

There's just one problem. The thylacine has been listed as extinct since 1986 — 50 years after the last known specimen died in captivity at Tasmania's Hobart Zoo. Although some scientists say the animal might have survived into the 1980s, there has been no confirmed sighting in 68 years. Scientists say the species vanished from mainland Australia thousands of years ago.

Such negativity does not deter tiger hunters like Richards. Tasmania, a rugged island of 460,000 people south of the Australian mainland, is known for its independent streak, and many here reject the verdict of science. For them, the survival of the world's largest marsupial carnivore is a matter of faith.

"They're out there," says Richards, 41, who has no scientific training and works as a clerk at a farm supply store. "They've been out there for the last 70 years. You either believe or you don't."

Like the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot, the legend of the Tasmanian tiger has taken on a life of its own. Hundreds of people claim to have seen one. Volumes have been written about it. Several websites are devoted to the search. Media mogul Ted Turner once offered a reward of $100,000 for proof of the creature's continued existence. A handful of tiger hunters dedicate their lives to finding it.

The searchers take hope from the fact that the Tasmanian tiger — unlike the mythical creatures of Scotland and the Pacific Northwest — once existed, roaming Tasmania and mainland Australia for tens of millions of years.

Here's the same excerpt, rewritten:

Praising a Bearded Phantom
God lives on in the minds of hundreds of people who believe they have experienced the paternal deity in religious rituals.

MOLE CREEK, Australia — For years, Trudy Richards prayed to the elusive deity who has the insecurity of a child, the sternness of a schoolmaster and the temper of a badger.

She studied a book purportedly inspired by the deity. She attended weekly ceremonies praising him. She implored others to bow down before him, lest they perish in a fiery pit called "Hell." She spent hours away from her family in prayer — convinced that her devotion was a magical pathway to "eternal life."

And then, she says, she finally saw God. According to her account, the Lord, as the deity is commonly known, walked into her campsite one winter evening just before midnight. Richards says her camera was out of reach but insists there was no mistaking God's distinctive beard.

There's just one problem. There is no evidence that "God" ever existed. There has been no confirmed sighting or other detection of the supposedly all-powerful and all-present being in all of recorded history. Scientists say there is no proof of God whatsoever.

Such negativity does not deter God devotees like Richards. Tasmania, a rugged island of 460,000 people south of the Australian mainland, is known for its independent streak, and many here reject the verdict of science. For them, the presence of the world's most powerful force is a matter of faith.

"He's up there," says Richards, 41, who has no scientific training and works as a clerk at a farm supply store. "He's been up there forever. You either believe or you don't."

Like the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot, the legend of the Lord Almighty has taken on a life of its own. Millions of people claim to have seen or "experienced" him. Volumes have been written about him. Several websites are devoted to the myth. Atheist groups have offered rewards for proof of the Lord's existence. Christians dedicate their lives to him, his son Jesus, and a third deity called the Holy Ghost.

Of course, it's hard to adapt this last paragraph of the excerpt:

The searchers take hope from the fact that the Tasmanian tiger — unlike the mythical creatures of Scotland and the Pacific Northwest — once existed, roaming Tasmania and mainland Australia for tens of millions of years.

It's a verified fact that the Tasmanian tiger did once exist. There's no proof that God ever did. God is not "unlike the mythical creatures of Scotland and the Pacific Northwest." He's just like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.

So, really, reporters should treat God belief with even less respect than Tasmanian-tiger belief. I won't hold my breath.