Biblical Creation vs. Evolution

[Soldier4Christ]

Sleuthing Superfaults
by Larry Vardiman, Ph.D.*

The catastrophic processes during and following the Genesis Flood continue to amaze and challenge geologists and geophysicists. Mountain building, faulting, and other geologic processes are believed by the conventional scientific community to have occurred over millions of years. But evidence continues to mount that many massive geologic processes have occurred in months, days, and even minutes. For example, the rapid movement of large blocks of limestone for distances of up to 50 miles has recently come under scrutiny by scientists of the Flood Activated Sedimentation and Tectonics (FAST) program.

Most faults show the displacement of rock for tens of feet or less. However, much larger displacements of rock for many miles have come to be called superfaults. They require catastrophic explanations. The Heart Mountain detachment fault in northwestern Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park is the largest continental rockslide known on earth. This mass of rock, more than 400 square miles in area and over 1,000 feet thick, moved rapidly down a slope of less than 2 degrees at an estimated speed of 50 miles per hour. Because of the weight of such a large block of rock and its rapid movement, it has been an enigma to geologists for years. What processes could have reduced friction on the underlying surface sufficiently to allow sliding at such a low angle without deforming the lower surface? Could the rock have melted to form a thin layer of liquid or gas?

Recent research by both secular and creationist scientists has focused on an unusual layer of rock found in superfaults that has properties that argue for catastrophic emplacement. This thin layer of rock in the fault contains melted glassy minerals that indicate temperatures exceeded 1000°C and vaporized the limestone when it slipped. Similar glassy minerals have previously been found in craters where large meteors struck the earth at high velocities and melted basaltic rock at high temperatures. The amazing irony of Heart Mountain is that uniformitarian geologists who believe in millions of years of earth history and slow, gradual processes are being forced by the evidence to recognize catastrophic process.

Members of the FAST group conducted field surveys in the summer of 2008 near Heart Mountain to document and explore the evidence for catastrophic emplacement of faults in the area. They mapped the South Fork detachment fault to the south of the Heart Mountain detachment fault and collected rock samples. Although much of this fault is inaccessible because it is buried underground, there are several locations where it is exposed at the surface. The fault at these locations is being studied in detail and samples of the minerals in the fault collected for laboratory analyses.

Plans are also being made to numerically simulate the superfaults in the Heart Mountain region and illustrate their movement under catastrophic conditions following the Genesis Flood. Dr. Steve Austin, who manages the FAST program under contract to ICR, has studied the Heart Mountain detachment fault for several years and is excited about its potential as an argument for a young earth and a catastrophic Flood.

* Dr. Vardiman is Chair of the Department of Astro/Geophysics.

[Soldier4Christ]

Man of Science, Man of God: Louis Pasteur
by Christine Dao*

Who: Louis Jean Pasteur
What: Father of Modern Microbiology
When: December 27, 1822 - September 28, 1895
Where: Arbois, France

Little was known about preventative medicine and the causes of disease in the days of Louis Pasteur. Today, we owe all the discoveries in the fields of microbiology and immunology to his work.

Pasteur came from a long line of peasants. Biographers Albert Keim and Louis Lumet wrote that Pasteur was a "rather slow" student and "gave no indication of brilliant qualities. He studied diligently, but without enthusiasm."1 His father, however, wanted him to become a professor, so the young Pasteur applied himself to his studies and eventually gained admittance to the prestigious École Normale Supérieure, to which he returned in 1856 as director of scientific studies.

Pasteur was a devout Catholic and was "regarded as conforming with the biblical account of the creation."2 At the time, the concept of spontaneous generation was widely accepted, which maintained that life was generated by non-life (i.e., maggots appeared to arise out of exposed animal carcasses). Darwin used this theory, also known as abiogenesis, to propose that the first life forms miraculously grew out of a "warm little pond, with all sorts of ammonia and phosphoric salts, lights, heat, electricity, etc."3

Pasteur conducted experiments comparing organic material that was exposed to air with organic material that was not. Nothing grew in the sealed or filtered vessels. This empirically demonstrated that the fermentation in the open containers was caused by the growth of microorganisms from the air, not spontaneous generation, thus proving biogenesis (life begets life). His studies led to the practices of sterilization and "pasteur"ization, particularly in the fields of medicine and food preparation. He wasn't the first to propose the theory that germs cause disease, but his experiments supported it and he shares the title of "the father of germ theory and bacteriology" with German physician Robert Koch.

Pasteur received criticism for his work and detail-oriented methods. He wouldn't make any claim until he had re-tested several times and was sure of the results. His vigorous approach to his work eventually led to perhaps his most significant contributions: the anthrax and rabies vaccines. Anthrax was responsible for destroying whole flocks of sheep in France, and Pasteur successfully demonstrated the survival of inoculated sheep from the vaccines he developed.

In 1880, Pasteur and his pupils began research into hydrophobia, or rabies. At the time, treatments included cauterization with hot irons, stifling sufferers between two mattresses, and other useless "remedies." Pasteur isolated the rabies virus and developed both a non-virulent and a virulent vaccine.† The non-virulent version was given to a nine-year-old boy bitten by a mad dog in 1885. The vaccine succeeded, as it did in subsequent cases. On October 26, 1885, Pasteur officially presented his research on hydrophobia, preventative vaccines, and vaccination treatment applied after infection, and this work was highly praised.

On June 4, 1887, the Pasteur Institute was established in Paris so Pasteur and his researchers could expand their work on infectious diseases.4 A university was also named for him, and he received high honors and acclaim from his peers, years after he had endured their criticism. Later in life, he suffered from a series of strokes and died from complications in 1895 near Paris.

Pasteur's work set the foundation for some of the most important advances in our modern world. He was an experimentalist of the highest order, and his science was undoubtedly fueled by his faith:

    Are science and the passionate desire to understand anything else than the effect of that spur towards knowledge which the mystery of the universe has placed in our souls? Where are the true sources of human dignity, of liberty, of modern democracy, unless they are contained in the idea of the infinite, before which all men are equal?5, 6

References

   1. Keim, A. and L. Lumet. Translated by Cooper, F. T. 1914. Louis Pasteur. New York, NY: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 5-6.
   2. Ibid, 63.
   3. Darwin, C. Written in 1871, published in 1887. The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter, vol. 3. London: John Murray, 18.
   4. The history of the Pasteur Institute. Posted online at www.pasteur.fr/english.html, accessed September 22, 2008.
   5. Keim and Lumet, Louis Pasteur, 143.
   6. Galatians 3:28.

† While Pasteur never was able to "isolate" the microscopic components of the rabies virus, he nonetheless was able to separate the virus to the extent that he could create various strengths of the vaccine for experimentation.

* Ms. Dao is Assistant Editor.

[nChrist]

THANKS PASTOR ROGER!

The articles are great. I copied them for later study. It's amazing how quickly the theory of evolution is falling apart now. In fact, it really defies common sense.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Soldier4Christ]

Transcontinental Sedimentation and the Flood
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Sand and other sediments can be transported by rivers and floods, but what kind of forces—and how much water—would it take to move thousands of cubic miles of sand from one side of a continent to the other?

Recently, a team of researchers explored transcontinental sedimentation in Siberia. As described in their study in the journal Geology, the scientists traced uranium signatures in zircon crystals from a remote area called Verkhoyansk back to their original southern sources east of Lake Baikal. These crystals and their surrounding sediments had traveled over 1,200 miles to the northeast to form an “immense wedge” of strata.1

Creation researchers are interested in transcontinental sedimentation because this kind of deposition would be expected from a worldwide flood. Geologist Andrew Snelling recently reported that the Coconino Sandstone, visible in the walls of the Grand Canyon, is part of a vast slab containing a colossal 10,000 cubic miles of cemented sand.2 Where did all this sand come from? The first clue is that “cross beds within the Coconino Sandstone (and the Glorieta Sandstone of New Mexico and Texas) dip toward the south, indicating that the sand came from the north.”3 The nearest northern source of similarly colored sand was likely from far away Utah, and must have been washed down by a widespread sheet of water.

In another instance, the Navajo Sandstone, exposed in portions of Utah, appears bright white because of the purity of its sand grains. Again, where could these sediments have come from? Researchers found that radioactive uranium within the sand has a signature that matches rocks from the Appalachian mountains, about 1,250 miles away.2 Another study verified the direction of water flow that formed many of these sedimentary layers. Scientists “accumulated data from over half a million paleocurrent vectors” across North America that “verified the “stable southwesterly pattern” that had been documented by other researchers.4 Although park rangers and posted signs tell area visitors that all this sand was blown in by wind, the evidence strongly indicates water deposition.5

So how, in all these examples, did these massive amounts of sand move from one side of a continent to another? The Siberian research team proposed that the “zircons originated from the southern margin of Siberia …and were transported to the Verkhoyansk margin by a major transcontinental river system that existed for ~200 million years, the paleo–Lena River.”1 However, there is no evidence of channels or deltas from such a river. Today’s rivers do not build anything like the massively thick sedimentary layers observed in Siberia and North America. Indeed, “how could water be flowing across the North American continent consistently for hundreds of millions of years? Absolutely impossible!”2

Only an event as cataclysmic as the worldwide Flood that is recorded in Genesis could have done this kind of continent-wide rearranging of sediments.6

References

   1. Prokoviev, A.V. 2008. The paleo–Lena River—200 m.y. of transcontinental zircon transport in Siberia. Geology. 36 (9): 699-702.
   2. Snelling, A. 2008. Sand Transported Cross Country. Answers. 3 (4): 96-99.
   3. Austin. S. 1994. Grand Canyon, Monument to Catastrophe. Santee, CA: Institute for Creation Research, 36.
   4. Chadwick, A. V. 2000. Megatrends in North American Paleocurrents. Posted on origins.swau.edu
   5. Hoesch, B. 2008. Marketing the Navajo Sandstone. Acts & Facts 37 (6): 14.
   6. 2 Peter 3:6.

[Soldier4Christ]

Genesis and a 'Wet' Sahara
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Using satellite photos in conjunction with geochemical analyses, a team of researchers has proven the existence of a now-buried lake and river system that once operated in the middle of the Sahara desert in North Africa. As reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers found a freshwater corridor that would have led from the Saharan lake to the Mediterranean Sea.1

The Middle East was not always so arid; it enjoyed a much wetter climate in the past. Evidence of this comes from geology, archaeology, and history, including “petroglyphs scratched onto rocky outcrops in North Africa, depicting herds of large mammals and alligators in grassy plains where it is now too hot and dry for these lush environments.”2 The finding of the freshwater corridor ostensibly offers a possible migration route for the first humans, who supposedly evolved from central Africa. However, the satellite images and geochemical findings of a once wetter Middle East are also consistent with the Genesis record.

Consider that “Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.”3 Also, Exodus 33:3 refers to a land “flowing with milk and honey,” a reference to the verdant and desirable Promised Land. If these Scriptures are accurate, then some areas that are largely arid today must have been more lush back then.

And if these Scriptures represent reliable historical accounts, as the Saharan evidence indicates, then logically the Bible must also be reliable in its other accounts—such as its depiction of human origins. The historical record is incomplete, and “the trouble is, we simply don’t know all truth and can’t accurately reconstruct the past from the fossils alone.”4 But when it comes to questions of origins, the Bible provides a reliable framework to reconstruct the past. God has given us an accurate account of not only our origin, but our purpose and destiny as well.

References

   1. Osborne, A. H. et al. 2008. A humid corridor across the Sahara for the migration of early modern humans out of Africa 120,000 years ago. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (43): 16444-16447.
   2. Vardiman, L. 2008. A Dark and Stormy World. Answers. 3 (4): 80.
   3. Genesis 13:10.
   4. Morris, J. 2008. Creation Evangelism. Acts & Facts. 37 (11): 3.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Redefining Life
by Brian Thomas, M.S. and Christine Dao*

“Life is that which replicates and evolves,” begins a paper recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.1 This definition may be convenient for those with a naturalistic worldview, who deny the possibility of a supernatural involvement in the origin and maintenance of life. Such a description does not, however, reflect reality.

A similar shift in meaning occurred in the 1940s with the publication of Chester W. Wright’s Economic History of the United States.2 According to David Barton of WallBuilders, the integration of this economic view of history into American public classrooms began a slippery slope to redefine that history: “Taxation without representation” grossly overshadowed the 26 other grievances appearing in the Declaration of Independence that pertained mostly to “certain unalienable Rights” with which all men were “endowed by their Creator.”3 The American Revolution suddenly became a war about money, not the morals and convictions that so many people had died to uphold.

Likewise, science has witnessed the “evolution” of evolution’s definition. In recent years, scientists have strayed from Charles Darwin’s original terminology of “descent with various degrees of modification”4 and instead favor the more ambiguous “change over time.”5 This phrase is meaningless in terms of supporting an evolutionary view of development. An oak tree growing from an acorn demonstrates change over time, as does a rusting car. But the oak is still an oak, the car is just decaying, and although each one is changing, neither of these scientifically observable phenomena demonstrate any verification of Darwinian evolution.

Life forms reproduce and are capable of certain genetic changes between generations. However, these observable phenomena do not represent macroevolution. Defining life as “that which replicates and evolves” presupposes macroevolution in order to illustrate macroevolution. An analogy of natural selection, however mathematically postured, that is attempted from a wholly non-real “prelife landscape” would seem a very poor substitute for what life really is, yet that is the essence of the PNAS paper’s argument.1

In contrast, a scientifically and biblically accurate description of life includes three categories, the first of which is material. Organisms consist of materials so well organized that they can perform biological functions—like obtaining, converting, and processing energy; protecting their own integrity and identity; information storage; and reforming another generation prior to the death of the parent generation.

On day five of the creation week, animals received an additional metaphysical component. Observation confirms that many animals have rudimentary versions of mind, will, and emotion, all of which are immaterial and represent a clear, qualitative jump from the merely physical.

Last, God created humans, the only beings in possession of another qualitative difference: a spirit, capable of expressing faith, hope, and love.6 Observation again clearly indicates that only mankind can decide to reckon as true an abstract and verbalized concept, and thus exercise faith. Many people have faith in the testimony that a living God created life even though no human was there to witness its inception. Evolutionists exercise an even greater faith when they believe the less credible story that nature created life from non-living materials.

Science has not observed life evolving today at any of the three levels—body, soul, or spirit. To redefine life as “that which replicates and evolves” is inaccurate. People may change definitions to suit their worldviews, but the Bible is clear that life came from God the Creator and was redeemed by God the Savior.7

References

   1. Nowak, M. A. and H. Ohtsuki. 2008. Prevolutionary dynamics and the origin of evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (39): 14924-14927.
   2. Wright, C. W. 1941. Economic History of the United States. New York: McGraw-Hill.
   3. Overview. Posted on WallBuilders.com.
   4. Darwin, C. R. 1859. On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. London: John Murray, 423.
   5. Huxley, J. 1942. Evolution: The Modern Synthesis. London: Allen & Unwin.
   6. Morris, J. Spirit, Soul, Body. Days of Praise, September 20, 1994.
   7. John 10:10.

[Soldier4Christ]

Darwinism: Survival without Purpose
by Jerry Bergman, Ph.D.*

Humans have always wondered about the meaning of life...life has no higher purpose than to perpetuate the survival of DNA...life has no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference.1 --Richard Dawkins

Evolution is "deceptively simple yet utterly profound in its implications,"2 the first of which is that living creatures "differ from one another, and those variations arise at random, without a plan or purpose."3 Evolution must be without plan or purpose because its core tenet is the natural selection of the fittest, produced by random copying errors called mutations. Darwin "was keenly aware that admitting any purposefulness whatsoever to the question of the origin of species would put his theory of natural selection on a very slippery slope."4 Pulitzer Prize author Edward Humes wrote that the fact of evolution was obvious but "few could see it, so trapped were they by the human…desire to find design and purpose in the world." He concluded:

    Darwin's brilliance was in seeing beyond the appearance of design, and understanding the purposeless, merciless process of natural selection, of life and death in the wild, and how it culled all but the most successful organisms from the tree of life, thereby creating the illusion that a master intellect had designed the world. But close inspection of the watchlike "perfection" of honeybees' combs or ant trails…reveals that they are a product of random, repetitive, unconscious behaviors, not conscious design.5

The fact that evolution teaches that life has no purpose beyond perpetuating its own survival is not lost on teachers. One testified that teaching evolution "impacted their consciences" because it moved teachers away from the "idea that they were born for a purpose… something completely counter to their mindset and beliefs."6

In a study on why children resist accepting evolution, Yale psychologists Bloom and Weisberg concluded that the evolutionary way of viewing the world, which the authors call "promiscuous teleology," makes it difficult for them to accept evolution. Children "naturally see the world in terms of design and purpose."7 The ultimate purposelessness of evolution, and thus of the life that it produces, was eloquently expressed by Professor Lawrence Krauss as follows: "We're just a bit of pollution…. If you got rid of us…the universe would be largely the same. We're completely irrelevant."8

The Textbooks

To determine what schools are teaching about religious questions such as the purpose of life, I surveyed current science textbooks and found that they tend to teach the view that evolution is both nihilistic and atheistic. One of today's most widely-used textbooks stated that "evolution works without either plan or purpose…. Evolution is random and undirected."9 Another text by the same authors added that Darwin knew his theory "required believing in philosophical materialism, the conviction that matter is the stuff of all existence and that all mental and spiritual phenomena are its byproducts." The authors continued:

    Darwinian evolution was not only purposeless but also heartless--a process in which...nature ruthlessly eliminates the unfit. Suddenly, humanity was reduced to just one more species in a world that cared nothing for us. The great human mind was no more than a mass of evolving neurons. Worst of all, there was no divine plan to guide us.10

Another text taught that humans are just "a tiny, largely fortuitous, and late-arising twig on the enormously arborescent bush of life" and the belief that a "progressive, guiding force, consistently pushing evolution to move in a single direction" is now known to be "misguided."11 Many texts teach that evolution is purposeless and has no goal except to achieve brute survival: the "idea that evolution is not directed towards a final goal or state has been more difficult for many people to accept than the process of evolution itself."12 One major text openly teaches that humans were created by a blind, deaf, and dumb watchmaker--namely natural selection, which is "totally blind to the future."

    Humans...came from the same evolutionary source as every other species. It is natural selection of selfish genes that has given us our bodies and our brains…. Natural selection…explains…the whole of life, the diversity of life, the complexity of life, |and| the apparent design in life."13

The Implications

Many texts are very open about the implications of Darwinism for theism. One teaches that Darwin's immeasurably important contribution to science was to show that, despite life's apparent evidence of design and purpose, mechanistic causes explain all biological phenomena. The text adds that by coupling "undirected, purposeless variation to the blind, uncaring process of natural selection, Darwin made theological or spiritual explanations of the life processes superfluous."14 The author concludes by noting that "it was Darwin's theory of Evolution that provided a crucial plank to the platform of mechanisms and materialism…that has been the stage of most western thought."15 Another text even stated directly that humans were created by a random process, not a loving, purposeful God, and:

    The real difficulty in accepting Darwin's theory has always been that it seems to diminish our significance…. |Evolution| asked us to accept the proposition that, like all other organisms, we too are the products of a random process that, as far as science can show, we are not created for any special purpose or as part of any universal design.16

These texts are all clearly teaching religious ideas, not science. An excellent example is a text that openly ruled out not only theistic evolution, but any role for God in nature, and demonstrated that Darwinism threatened theism by showing that humans and all life "could be explained by natural selection without the intervention of a god." Evolutionary "randomness and uncertainty had replaced a deity having conscious, purposeful, human characteristics."

    The Darwinian view that… present-type organisms were not created spontaneously but formed in a succession of selective events that occurred in the past, contradicted the common religious view that there could be no design, biological or otherwise, without an intelligent designer…. In this scheme a god of design and purpose is not necessary…. Religion has been bolstered by… the comforting idea that humanity was created in the image of a god to rule over the world and its creatures. Religion provided emotional solace, a set of ethical and moral values…. Nevertheless, faith in religious dogma has been eroded by natural explanations of its mysteries…. The positions of the creationists and the scientific world appear irreconcilable."17

Darwin himself taught a totally atheistic, naturalistic view of origins. He even once said, "I would give nothing for the theory of natural selection if it requires miraculous additions at any one stage of descent."18 John Alcock, an evolutionary biologist, therefore concluded that "we exist solely to propagate the genes within us."19

cont'd

[Soldier4Christ]

Leading Darwin scholar Janet Browne makes it very clear that Darwin's goal was the "arduous task of reorienting the way Victorians looked at nature." To do this Darwin had to convince the world that "ideas about a benevolent, nearly perfect natural world" and those that believe "beauty was given to things for a purpose, were wrong--that the idea of a loving God who created all living things and brought men and women into existence was…a fable."

    The world…steeped in moral meaning which helped mankind seek out higher goals in life, was not Darwin's. Darwin's view of nature was dark--black…. Where most men and women generally believed in some kind of design in nature--some kind of plan and order--and felt a deep-seated, mostly inexpressible belief that their existence had meaning, Darwin wanted them to see all life as empty of any divine purpose.20

Darwin knew how difficult it was to abandon such a view, but realized that for evolution to work, nature must ultimately be "governed entirely by chance." Browne concludes:

    The pleasant outward face of nature was precisely that--only an outward face. Underneath was perpetual struggle, species against species, individual against individual. Life was ruled by death...destruction was the key to reproductive success. All the theological meaning was thus stripped out by Darwin and replaced by the concept of competition. All the telos, the purpose, on which natural theologians based their ideas of perfect adaptation was redirected into Malthusian--Darwinian--struggle. What most people saw as God-given design he saw as mere adaptations to circumstance, adaptations that were meaningless except for the way in which they helped an animal or plant to survive.21

Neo-Darwinist Richard Dawkins recognized the purposelessness of such a system:

    In a universe of blind physical forces and genetic replication some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.22

How widely is this view held by scientists? One study of 149 leading biologists found that 89.9 percent believed that evolution has no ultimate purpose or goal except survival, and we are just a cosmic accident existing at the whim of time and chance. A mere six percent believed that evolution has a purpose.23 Almost all of those who believed that evolution had no purpose were atheists. This is only one example that Sommers and Rosenberg call the "destructive power of Darwinian theory."24

Purpose and Christianity

Christianity teaches that God made the universe as a home for humans. If the universe evolved purely by natural means, then it just exists and any "purpose" for its existence can only be that which humans themselves attribute to it. But our own experience and intellectual attainments argue against this. The similarity of human-constructed machines and the orderly functioning of the universe is the basis of the design argument. Just as a machine requires a designer and a builder, so too the universe that we see requires a designer and a builder.

Determining the purpose of something depends on the observer's worldview. To a nontheist the question "What is the purpose of a living organism's structure?" means only "How does this structure aid survival?" Eyesight and legs would therefore have nothing to do with enjoyment of life; they are merely an unintended byproduct of evolution. Biologists consistently explain everything from coloration to sexual habits solely on the basis of survival. Orthodox neo-Darwinism views everything as either an unfortunate or a fortuitous event resulting from the outworking of natural law and random, naturally-selected mutations. Conversely, creationists interpret all reality according to beliefs about God's purpose for humans. Evolutionists can usually explain even contradictory behavior, but creationists look beyond this and try to determine what role it plays in God's plan.

Conclusions

Orthodox evolution teaches that the living world has no plan or purpose except survival, is random, undirected, and heartless. Humans live in a world that cares nothing for us, our minds are simply masses of meat, and no divine plan exists to guide us. These teachings are hardly neutral, but rather openly teach religion--the religion of atheism and nihilism. The courts have consistently approved teaching this anti-Christian religion in public schools and have blocked all attempts to neutralize these clearly religious ideas.

As the Word of God states, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

References

   1. Scheff, Liam. 2007. The Dawkins Delusion. Salvo, 2:94.
   2. Humes, Edward. 2007. Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul. New York: Ecco, 119.
   3. Ibid, 119.
   4. Turner, J. Scott. 2007. The Tinkerer's Accomplice: How Design Emerges from Life Itself. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 206.
   5. Humes, Monkey Girl, 119.
   6. Ibid, 172.
   7. Bloom, Paul and Deena Skolnick Weisberg. 2007. Childhood Origins to Adult Resistance to Science. Science, 316:996.
   8. Panek, Richard. 2007. Out There. New York Times Magazine, 56.
   9. Miller, Kenneth R. and Joseph S. Levine. Biology. 1998. Fourth Edition, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 658, emphasis in original.
  10. Levine, Joseph S. and Kenneth R. Miller 1994. Biology: Discovering Life. Second Edition, Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 161, emphasis in original.
  11. Raven, Peter H. and George B. Johnson. 2002. Biology. Sixth Edition, Boston, MA: McGraw Hill, 16, 443.
  12. Purves, William K., David Sadava, Gordon H. Orians, and H. Craig Keller. 2001. Life: The Science of Biology. Sixth Edition, Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates; W.H. Freeman, 3.
  13. Interview with Richard Dawkins in Campbell, Neil A., Jane B. Reece, and Lawrence G. Mitchell. 1999. Biology. Fifth Edition, Menlo Park, CA: Addison Wesley Longman, 412-413.
  14. Futuyma, Douglas J. 1998. Evolutionary Biology. Third Edition, Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 5.
  15. Ibid, 5.
  16. Curtis, Helena and N. Sue Barnes. 1981. Invitation to Biology. Third Edition, New York, NY: Worth, 475.
  17. Strickberger, Monroe. 2000. Evolution. Third Edition, Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 70-71.
  18. Darwin, Francis (editor). 1888. The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin. London: John Murray, 210.
  19. Alcock, John. 1998. Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 16, 609.
  20. Browne, Janet. 1995. Charles Darwin: Voyaging, A Biography. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 542.
  21. Ibid, 542.
  22. Dawkins, Richard. 1995. River Out of Eden. New York: Basic Books, 133.
  23. Graffin, Gregory W. 2004. Evolution, Monism, Atheism, and the Naturalist World-View. Ithaca, NY: Polypterus Press, 42.
  24. Sommers, Tamler and Alex Rosenberg. 2003. Darwin's Nihilistic Idea: Evolution and the Meaningless of Life. Biology and Philosophy, 18:653.

[Soldier4Christ]

Demanding the Evidence in the 21st Century
by Lawrence Ford

Millions of people around the world believe it is, but not everyone understands the weight of evidence that verifies the accuracy of the 6-day creation account, the special design and creation of the first man and woman, the young age of the earth and universe, and the catastrophic global flood of Noah's day that critically impacted life on earth.

Until fairly recently, science acknowledged the Creator, with many of the greatest scientists in history recording their unashamed belief in and devotion to the God of the Bible. Today, many thousands of scientists maintain their belief in God and revere Him as Creator, though admittedly they find themselves in the minority in their profession.

Charles Darwin, with his limited understanding of biological systems, began a revolution 150 years ago that continues to take its toll on the sciences and on people of faith. If all that exists is only what can be observed around us, then we are to be profoundly pitied. Dr. William Provine of Cornell University sums up the despair that naturally results from a belief in Darwinism:

    Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear--and these are basically Darwin's views. There are no gods, no purposes, and no goal-directed forces of any kind. There is no life after death. When I die, I am absolutely certain that I am going to be dead. That's the end of me. There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning in life, and no free will for humans, either. What an unintelligible idea.1

Such a godless outlook on life and death is itself entirely unintelligible. Man is a much more valuable creature than Charles Darwin or William Provine describe. But as today's scientific establishment continues to entrench itself in atheistic naturalism and push its system of belief on the public--in schools, in research, in social concerns--how do people of faith correctly interpret the evidence that is uncovered by science and retain their absolute confidence in the reliability of the Scriptures?

For nearly 40 years, the Institute for Creation Research has conducted scientific research and communicated these evidences to the public in a manner that remains true to the fundamental laws of science, while demonstrating the accuracy of the Bible when it touches on matters of science. The counter-revolution that Dr. Henry Morris began in 1961 with the publication of The Genesis Flood and the founding of ICR has dramatically impacted research and education in the sciences. Volumes have been published from experts in the fields of geology, biology, astronomy, and physics. And now this evidence is available to millions around the world.

Evidence on the Web

ICR has launched a new online initiative called Evidence for Creation to present the overwhelming scientific and biblical evidences in a user-friendly format accessible anywhere that there's an Internet connection.

Divided into five multi-layer sections, Evidence for Creation logically explores what the earth and its natural processes imply regarding origins and the complex design that supports and animates life on this planet.

Richard Pferdner, Director of Internet Ministries, first envisioned the Evidence web tool some 10 years ago:

    When I was involved in a small Bible study years ago, the class discussed the evidence for creation. One group member commented, "We've spent more time talking about scientific evidence for creation than we have about the evidence in the Bible." Why not have both and place them in a user-friendly environment on the web? The Evidence section on the ICR website will allow teachers and study leaders to see the biblical evidence, as well as the scientific evidence, that supports the creationist viewpoint.

Evidence for Creation is designed to equip believers with tools for expanding their knowledge of creation science and for building their faith in our awesome Creator. ICR has published an extensive library of articles and research that spans nearly 40 years, but since that information was organized chronologically on our website, it has been hard for our visitors to make a connection between related subjects.

With the launch of Evidence, information is now categorized into five main topics, with a vast network of subtopics within each category. An ever-deepening series of hyperlinks allows users to dig into subjects of interest, backed by current and archived scientific and theological articles that have been published by ICR. As Pferdner adds:

    ICR has a vast library of articles and information spanning nearly 40 years of ministry. It is easy to get lost in it. Evidence for Creation provides a point of reference, a place to begin, and a system of navigation. It makes the evidence and information more clearly accessible.

Web users now have at their fingertips a dynamic resource that conveniently outlines the evidence. And as new scientific discoveries are made and added to the growing body of evidence, Evidence for Creation will grow as well.

Evidence for God: God Does Exist

In the beginning God...--Genesis 1:1

No one can absolutely prove God's existence, but His perfect wisdom and power are observable in everything, especially in the specific ways the elements of our universe work together.

Evidence for God explores some of life's more mysterious concepts, including beauty, justice, love, and order--things that cannot be explained by naturalistic means, but which fit perfectly with a Creator. Explanations are both simple and logical, backed by the research published in relevant articles.

Evidence for Truth: Real Truth Is Knowable

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.--John 8:32

Modern secularist philosophies have attempted to redefine truth as being subjective, a reflection of personal experience. But our belief or disbelief about something has no bearing on whether it is actually true. Science itself is a discipline based on objective truth, taking advantage of absolute scientific laws to conduct research and make sense of natural phenomena.

Absolute truth is both observable and knowable. It is illustrated in the inescapable universal laws that are in place for human benefit, advantage, and protection. It is found in the conscience of every human being. Although each culture has its own flavors of what behaviors and actions are deemed acceptable, the innate concept of right and wrong still exists.

cont'd

[Soldier4Christ]

Evidence from Nature: Nature Reveals the Creator

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.--Romans 1:20

The earth is a unique planet, especially in that it is the only one that can support life. Natural laws are constant, and are ordered so specifically that random chance cannot account for the phenomena that occur.

Studies of the earth and its natural processes have resulted in innovation and invention in technology, agriculture, and other spheres of human endeavor. Particularly with today's energy concerns, scientists are taking advantage of the laws of nature in their efforts to find cleaner and renewable sources of power. In the pharmaceutical industry, the behavior of bacteria and the influence of their environment are paving the way for new drugs. Medical science is discovering the complex and intricate workings of the human body's natural defense, the immune system.

Research in these and many more areas take advantage of absolute laws in science--laws that we can observe in action all around us.

Evidence from Science: Science Verifies the Creation

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.--John 1:2

Science gives us the tools to understand our universe and the laws of nature that we observe all around us, and this understanding provides compelling evidence for creation.

In the new Evidence from Science section on ICR's website, visitors can explore just what the evidence collected by the physical, earth, and life sciences says about the complexities of our world, life, and the natural processes that occur. Most discoveries--such as fossils and rock strata--that are used in secular science as "proof" for an old earth and evolution actually tell very different stories when studied rationally and logically according to observable proofs and processes.

Evidence from Scripture: Scripture Is Unique

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.--John 1:1

Many believers today are not confident when it comes to reconciling the Bible with science. It may not be a science textbook, but the Bible talks about many scientific phenomena that can be tested and observed. The information contained in the Bible is also wholly accurate, and this logically leads to the conclusion that it is historically accurate as well.

The Evidence from Scripture section discusses the vast amount of research that has gone into studying the Scriptures from a scientific perspective. And the more research that is conducted into the accuracy of the Bible, the more discoveries into the authority and nature of its Author can be made known.

Understanding and Communicating Truth

Science continues to make more discoveries regarding the origin and development of the world and of life on earth. The growing body of quantitative data continues to provide a better understanding of the qualitative questions that intrigue us most. Who am I? Do I have any purpose in life? Is there anything to hope for after I die? Am I simply a product of random chance or did Someone carefully design me? Is there evidence to answer any of these questions?

In fact, there is. And the new online Evidence for Creation at icr.org has been designed to give readers confidence in understanding and communicating the truth regarding science and Scripture. As Pferdner states:

    In discussing science and evidence in the secular world, Christians are sometimes hesitant to defend the truth of the Bible because of all the technical details that are involved in talking about evolution vs. creationism. Evidence for Creation provides a source to address the questions that are out there. A Christian can say to someone, "That's a great question, and I know just where you can go to find more information."

[nChrist]

AMEN! - More beautiful articles that make me smile.

The WORK of the MASTER is everywhere! We can look at it - SMILE - and know that our HEAVENLY FATHER made all things - exactly as HE said that HE did in Genesis!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 3:14-19 NASB  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Romans 11:33 NASB  Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

[sparky88uk]

In other words, Christians Unite will be the opposite of our public schools.

Hello I am new and haven't even had time to introduce myself yet but thought I would just make a quick comment on the school part of this discussion.
I'm from the UK Northern Ireland to be precise but just as in the USA the schools here teach the E word as fact and just as in the USA we are now reaping the rewards of this for when God is taken out of the schools so the devil moves in.
I can't be the only one who makes the connection between school massacres and the absence of God in schools?
If children are being taught they are blobs of goo what is there to love or live for, now I'm not saying that I was never affected by this error in teaching because it is so pervasive I have to think about everything connected to this and check it in scriptures to be sure.
But it is maybe one of the advantages of having little faith that believing Creation by God is much easier than the alternative!
As a local Gospel singer here says " From Genesis to Revelation, I believe it all".

[Soldier4Christ]

Hello sparky88uk,

Welcome to Christians Unite forums. I look forward to seeing more of your posts and in having some wonderful Christian fellowship with you.

I am positive that you are not the only one that has made that connection. It has been said here many times. It is not just the fact that people are being taught they came from goo but also the teaching that there is nothing afterwards with no reprisals of any sort for their actions in the here and now. So live for the moment as we so desire because tomorrow there is nothing. How deceived people are and how they will suffer because of this deceit. It is for this reason that we must adhere to the truth and spread it as far as we can to all those willing to listen.

[sparky88uk]

Thanks for the welcome , I have heard people say why did God make so many stars, planets, galaxies etc if there is only life here on earth, well if they would start at the beginning God tells us why, now you have to read the KJV for this to read true but the translations also work.Genesis 1:14

   14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

The first point I would think is that of course God wanted only to make the best and most spectacular to show His glory to mankind when they were created, 2nd they were to "be for signs" I take that as the way navigators use the stars and planets etc for guidance, 3rd the seasons are obvious enough it takes the earth 365 days to orbit the sun and 28 days for the lunar phases, 24 hours in a day and then we come to the week the only non natural time period that is because God gave it to us on the 7th day He rested.
Now I'm not that long saved but I have grasped this thanks to God putting it in my mind because I certainly didn't think of it, I'm open to different interpretations however?
Think I'll close all my posts with the same ending.
"From Genesis to Revelation, I believe it all".

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen and Amen!

God's word is indeed true and given for a reason. I do believe that you have stated it quite well.