Biblical Creation vs. Evolution

[Soldier4Christ]

Particle Physics Is Remarkably Consistent with Genesis
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Aided by a supercomputer, an international team of theoretical physicists has recently performed a massive computation that confirmed Einstein’s famous formula E=mc2, which states that matter and energy interconvert. Their research appears in the November 21, 2008, edition of the journal Science.

The study set out to provide a stronger theoretical basis for the Standard Model of particle physics. Part of this model holds that the protons and neutrons inside atomic nuclei are made of quarks and gluons, which are theoretical particles of energy. The researchers’ quantitative calculations agreed very closely with the experimental observations that “more than 99 percent of the mass of ordinary matter comes from protons and neutrons, and in turn about 95 percent of their mass comes from this confined energy.”1

Perhaps it is yet unknown what “confines” the energy, which thus produces mass, but this phenomenon seems consistent with ICR founder Dr. Henry M. Morris’ commentary on Genesis 1:2:

    The “Spirit” (Hebrew ruach) of “God” (Elohim) proceeded to “move upon the face of the waters” (literally, “vibrate in the presence of the waters”). Waves of gravitational energy and waves of electro-magnetic energy began to pulse forth from the great “Breath” (another meaning of ruach) of God, the Prime Mover of the universe. The unformed “earth” material (Hebrew eretz), as well as the “waters” permeating it (Hebrew shamayim) quickly coalesced into spherical form under the new force of gravity, and the first material body (Planet Earth) had been formed at a point in space.2

Several points can be drawn from the biblical account of creation. Matter exists apart from God, as Genesis directly implies. Matter is not currently being created (just as the First Law of Thermodynamics states), since God ceased creative work on the seventh day.3 And with this new study, scientists seem to have strong evidence that matter is made of energy, even as God energized His creation as recorded in Genesis 1:2. If indeed the Spirit of the Creator was emanating vibrating energy into the primeval universe, then perhaps the material of the universe still consists of that energy.

The investigation of the structure of matter is a valid pursuit within the creationist worldview, and so far no information gleaned from this pursuit has shown anything but concurrence with the Word of the Maker.

References

   1. Dürr, S. et al. 2008. Ab Initio Determination of Light Hadron Masses. Science. 322 (5905): 1224-1227.
   2. Morris, H. 2006. The New Defender’s Study Bible. Nashville, TN: World Publishing, 8.
   3. Genesis 2:1-2.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Why Did Life Evolve Beyond Bacteria?
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

According to certain scientists, human activity that causes damage to the environment may interfere with the ongoing evolution of the earth. Harvard geochemistry professor Charles Langmuir said in a recent lecture, “If we continue to view the Earth as something that is separate, that we merely use, then the resulting practices could damage the environment enough to stall planetary evolution, even causing it to fall back to a level where it supports just microscopic life.”1

The implication is that animal and plant life is more vulnerable than microbial life to environmental variations, and that it therefore carries a higher risk of annihilation (i.e., is “less fit” to survive the changes). But if microbes are so good at surviving, and if increased survivability is what drives evolution, then why did life evolve upwards from microbes? If the main driving force behind Darwinian evolution—fitness—is removed from the equation, then what remains to drive it?

The obvious, but to many unacceptable, answer is that since bacteria are earth’s superior survivors, they should be all the life this planet has ever seen. Bacteria live on almost any surface. They don’t have to waste costly metabolic resources to build specialized equipment for sexual reproduction because they divide by fission, often twice an hour in favorable conditions. They are observed with a fully-functioning suite of well-designed mechanisms that enable them to blanket the earth, grow and divide, adapt and survive. And yet the earth is populated by a variety of living things, including humans, who are supposedly the most evolved species.

Science continues to discover that even the “simplest” single-cell life forms contain a vast amount of complex, specified information. After a lifetime spent in the philosophic rigors of investigating and defending atheism, British philosopher and former atheist Antony Flew wrote, “The only satisfactory explanation for the origin of such end-directed, self-replicating life as we see on earth is an infinitely intelligent Mind.”2

In his lecture, Langmuir described a series of “evolutionary steps” through which life evolved from initially toxic conditions. There is no place in Scripture, plainly read, for a vast age of anoxic bacteria, then one of aerobic bacteria. Fortunately for scriptural history, there is also no geologic evidence for any time on earth when oxygen was not present, and there is certainly no biological evidence that indicates anything other than life having been created from Life.

References

   1. Powell, A. Humanity may hold key for next Earth evolution. Harvard University Gazette Online. Posted November 20, 2008, accessed December 1, 2008.
   2. Flew, A, and R. Varghese. 2007. There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. New York: Harper One, 132.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Delicate Balance of Ear Crystals
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

UCLA researchers have discovered that tiny crystals called otoliths—necessary parts of a properly functioning inner ear—form not as the direct result of a gene product, but rather as the result of the physical, swaying motion of hair-like cilia during development.

As adult vertebrate bodies move about, otoliths are pulled by gravity and enable the detection of movement, which is vital for maintaining balance. The researchers studied these crystals in fish embryos, where they accumulate as gelatinous proteins mixed with calcium carbonate. When fully and properly formed, the crystals lie atop sensitive beds of cilia, which are fine, hair-like cellular extensions that are responsible for translating roll, pitch, and yaw information from the semicircular canals of vertebrates’ ears.

In their study published in Nature, the scientists discovered that otolith formation required more than just genes—in this case, properly functioning cilia.1 This represents another example of an “epigenetic” factor influencing development, whereas a few short years ago scientists thought that purely genetic causes were responsible for the formation of biological structures.

But there is additional significance to this research. The researchers disabled the gene for the protein dynein, the molecular motor responsible for ciliary motion. The result was that the otoliths “did not assemble in the correct site. So not only did ear crystals form in the wrong place, but they were misshapen and abnormally sized,” according to co-author Kent Hill.2 So the crystals, rows of cilia, sensory cells, skull cavities, inner ear membranes, neuron connections, and many other parts must each be correctly formed for vertebrates to detect motion.

Not only are otoliths complex (being a crystalline arrangement of matter), but their timed and directed formation must result in the correct placement, shape, number, and size for balance detection to work at all. The same Creator who “curiously wrought” us in our mothers’ wombs,3 has similarly set up ciliary swaying as the means to build vertebrate ear otoliths. These crystals’ role in maintaining balance, as well as the precise requirements of their construction, shows clear indications of the Creator’s hand.

References

   1. Colantonio, J. R. et al. The dynein regulatory complex is required for ciliary motility and otolith biogenesis in the inner ear. Nature. Published online prior to print November 30, 2008, 8.
   2. Schmidt, E. Can you hear me now? How the inner ear's sensors are made. UCLA press release, November 30, 2008.
   3. Psalm 139:15.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Brain's Emergency Brakes
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Emergency brakes are an important safety component in elevators. In a dangerous episode, such as an earthquake, these brakes activate and stop the elevator from moving, keeping the passengers inside from plunging to the bottom floor.

Human brains also have an ingenious “brake” system. Discovered by University of Oslo researcher Johan Storm, these remarkable systems within brain cells restrict the inflow of calcium ions from the cell’s fluid surroundings, an action that could save cells during trauma. Precise cellular calcium levels are integral to neuron function, and stressful situations like strokes can disrupt the calcium balance.

Professor Storm confirmed the effects in mice of the seldom-used “BK channels” found on brain cell membranes that communicate with the constantly-used calcium channels. If BK channels were not typically closed, ions would leak through them, disrupting the cell’s primary functions. In fact, “a mutation causing the BK channels to open more often than they normally do may cause epilepsy.”1

A University of Oslo news release described the brain’s emergency brakes as “ingenious,” “smart,” “essential,” “advanced,” and “wisely constructed.” However, it claimed that the brakes are “the result of an evolution that has gone on for more than two billion years,”1 since other organisms such as fruit flies and frogs contain these cell membrane channels. But the presence of BK channels in different organisms does not require an evolutionary interpretation because an intelligent Creator could and would have placed these little lifesavers in many of His creatures, precisely because they work well.

Human brains are far too well-formed to be products of cosmic accident. It makes more sense that these are “ingenious” and “advanced” products of an ingenious and advanced Creator, rather than of undirected natural and randomizing processes.

Reference

   1. Vogt, Y. New knowledge on the brain: An emergency brake in the brain. University of Oslo, press release, December 3, 2008.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Inefficient Cat Motion Remains a Mystery for Evolution
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

The evolutionary story holds that nature favors efficiency in hunting and movement, but it turns out that cats contradict that concept.

In a report appearing in the research journal Public Library of Science (PLoS), Duke University anthropology professor Daniel Schmitt found that dogs chase prey efficiently, but cats stalk their victims, using movements that are less energy efficient.1 He and his colleagues studied the walking gaits of mammals, including dogs and humans, both of which conserve energy by exchanging the potential vertical movement of the center of mass for lateral kinetic motion. This exchange effectively reduces the muscular work involved by up to 70 percent, something Schmitt called “an evolutionary miracle in my view.”2

Theoretically, nature should have produced and preserved the most efficient modes of locomotion, but Schmitt said in a Duke University press release, "We've found that's too simple a way of looking at evolution, because there are some animals that need to operate at high energy cost and low efficiency."2

Instead of relying on efficient running, cats are especially suited for carefully creeping up on their prey, which is a less economical use of muscular energy. But if dogs don’t need to function this way, then why do cats? Perhaps dogs’ and cats’ specific capabilities arose not because nature selected them, but because they were intentionally made to accommodate the integrated muscular and nervous capacities of different modes of locomotion. Thus, while dogs might chase prey for long distances, cats were designed to stalk and pounce. Each distinct mode is functional, each represents a different design approach to solving the problem of catching prey, and neither shows signs of having evolved.

The authors of the PLoS study concluded that for cats, this “tradeoff [between stealth and efficiency] highlights the complex and conflicting pressures that may govern the locomotor choices that animals make.”1 But animals did not choose their modes of locomotion any more than humans “chose” nervous systems that allow them to acquire and process higher information. According to evolutionary thinking, cats “counterintuitively” developed into creatures that compromised or traded efficiency of gait for stealthy crouching. However, this is not counterintuitive to the creation model, within which it makes perfect sense that a Creator would have especially equipped different basic kinds of creatures with such different yet functional modes of locomotion.

References

   1. Bishop, K., A. K. Pai and D. Schmitt. 2008. Whole Body Mechanics of Stealthy Walking in Cats. Public Library of Science One. 3 (11): e3308.
   2. Dogs Chase Efficiently, but Cats Skulk Counterintuitively. Duke University press release, December 3, 2008.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Bush Believes that Creation and Evolution Are Compatible
by Christine Dao*

Recently, President George W. Bush stated that he believes that the concept of evolution does not conflict with a belief that God created the world.

In an interview with ABC’s Cynthia McFadden at the White House that aired on Monday, December 8, 2008, on Nightline, Bush said that he isn’t a literalist when it comes to reading the Bible, but he thinks “you can learn a lot from it.”1

When asked about creation and evolution, he said, “I think you can have both.” He clarified:

    I think God created the Earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty, and I don’t think it’s incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution…I happen to believe that evolution doesn’t fully explain the mystery of life.1

Indeed, evolution, which requires massive amounts of death over millions of years, does not explain the mystery of life at all. Furthermore, creation and evolution are completely antithetical to one another. One of Darwinism’s biggest fans, Stephen J. Gould, once wrote:

    The radicalism of natural selection lies in its power to dethrone some of the deepest and most traditional comforts of Western thought, particularly the notion that nature’s benevolence, order, and good design, with humans at a sensible summit of power and excellence, prove the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent creator who loves us most of all…. To these beliefs Darwinian natural selection presents the most contrary position imaginable.2

In his latest book, 5 Reasons to Believe in Recent Creation, Institute for Creation Research CEO Dr. Henry M. Morris III addressed the common misconception among Christians that creation science and Darwinian evolution are compatible. Dr. Morris discussed how the biblical account does not allow for a Darwinian evolution of descent with modification, that science does not observe evolution happening today, that the geological and fossil records do not contain evidence of transitions, and that God’s character forbids and His purpose for creation excludes evolution.3

Bush called himself a “simple president,” implying that he does not feel qualified to speak authoritatively on scientific matters. Few people do, since American science education, under the guise of “separation of church and state,” has for decades hindered students from understanding even basic science by limiting their studies to the evolutionary worldview and forbidding an open exploration of the evidence. This effort to suppress sound science continues as special interest groups pressure the Texas State Board of Education to drop the teaching of evolution’s “strengths and weaknesses” from the state science curriculum requirements, which the Board will review in early 2009.4

Before the evolutionists turned to courts and political policy to dictate evolutionary science education in the public classrooms, scientific origins issues involving creation and evolution were explored and discussed in the places where they should be: in the lab, in the field, and in the proceedings of scientific societies. Today, advances in fields such as molecular biology5 and even paleontology6 are shedding new light on the complexity of life, debunking outdated uniformitarian concepts and providing more nails for Darwinism’s coffin.

During his presidency, Bush has affirmed his faith in the Christian God a number of times. And like many professing Christians, he errs in placing human wisdom and what some call science over the authority of the living Word of God. He has believed the pervasive, yet fraudulent, claim that evolution is a fact and that the biblical account cannot be literally true. If Christians even in the highest places of governmental authority cannot trust in the accuracy and authority of God’s Word, then how can we hope that they will lead our nation in “a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”?7

References

   1. Escherich, K. Excerpts: Cynthia McFadden Interviews President George W. Bush. Nightline. Posted on abcnews.go.com December 8, 2008, accessed December 10, 2008.
   2. Gould, S. J. 2007. The Richness of Life: The Essential Stephen Jay Gould. McGarr, P. and S. R. Rose (eds.). New York: W. W. Norton, 446.
   3. Morris III, H. M. 2008. 5 Reasons to Believe in Recent Creation. Dallas, TX: Institute for Creation Research. Available at http://www.icr.org/store.
   4. Dao, C. Proposed Texas Standards Censor Sound Science. ICR News. Posted on icr.org September 29, 2008, accessed December 10, 2008.
   5. Thomas, B. Self-sacrificing Cells Demonstrate a Selfless Designer. ICR News. Posted on icr.org December 1, 2008, accessed December 10, 2008.
   6. Thomas, B. Happy Birthday, Sue; How Old Are You? ICR News. Posted on icr.org August 20, 2008, accessed December 10, 2008.
   7. 1 Timothy 2:2.

* Ms. Dao is Assistant Editor.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

It really boils down to either believing GOD and what HE said about HIS Creation - OR NOT! The theory of evolution and GOD'S WORD don't mix AND BOTH CAN'T BE TRUE! One has to be a LIE! If one is a Christian, they need to realize that they are calling GOD a LIAR if they believe in the theory of evolution. This is very sad and not a wise thing to do for any Christian.

BLUNTLY, everything a Christian needs to know about CREATION is in GOD'S WORD - primarily Genesis. However, it is mentioned in many other parts of the Holy Bible. Christians need to read and study what GOD said about HIS CREATION because that is the ONLY TRUTH! Believing Darwin's half-baked hoax over GOD'S WORD should be a matter of great shame for any person calling themselves a Christian. In fact, it would be a matter requiring FORGIVENESS!

[Soldier4Christ]

Where Did Flesh-eating Bacteria Come From?
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Flesh-eating zombies may be the work of science fiction horror, but necrotizing soft tissue infection—a severe type of infection that destroys tissue—is a real condition that can kill about 30 percent of those infected and disfigure the rest.

Such tissue infections are rare and involve bacteria growing inside the body and often deep under the skin. They are difficult to diagnose because many cases show little outward signs. These infections progress rapidly, so quick intervention is important in increasing the patient’s chances for survival. Researchers at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute have found that simple blood tests, such as white blood cell count and serum sodium level, helped physicians to determine whether patients have the disease and to decide on a treatment protocol.1

How can flesh-eating bacteria exist in a creation once deemed good by its Creator?2 Scientific observation is consistent with the concept that many infections, including those resulting from flesh-eating bacteria, are products of healthy cell parts that have broken down. Several different bacteria—including Streptococcus pyogenes, Vibrio vulnificus, and MRSA3—can be responsible, singly or together, for causing necrotizing soft tissue infections. These bacteria are able to counteract the body’s defense systems with various molecules called “virulence factors.”

In some cases, the virulence factors could have originally been good molecules that were used by bacteria to compete for survival space, thus maintaining a healthy ecological balance. Others could have associated with higher organisms in neutral, or even beneficial, ways. The Vibrio bacteria, some of which are responsible for cholera, produce molecules that interact specifically with epithelium in fish and squid pouches in a delicate coordination to produce bioluminescence for hunting. The proteins from Vibrio are only virulence factors when they are found in inappropriate environments like the human body.4

Some molecular machinery that enables infections today could also have originally been made for specified purposes, but may have since degenerated to the point that it can interact with other organisms, thus causing infection. Anthrax would fall into this category.5 In addition, the Creator may have provided these “toxins” in part for their medicinal potential, as in the case of botulin, knowing that they would be needed in a fallen world.6 In fact, there is now a patent on the use of Streptococcus pyogenes’ main virulent factor to treat connective tissue disorders.7

While it is not yet known what best explains the presence of flesh-eating bacteria, current scientific observation is consistent with the fall of creation, as recorded in Genesis.

References

   1. Blood tests can help detect presence of necrotizing soft tissue infections. Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute press release, December 4, 2008.
   2. Genesis 1:31.
   3. Thomas, B. New Antibiotic Kills Drug-resistant Superbugs. ICR News. Posted on icr.org July 14, 2008, accessed December 5, 2008.
   4. Sherwin, F. 2005.Creation, Corruption, and Cholera. Acts & Facts 34.(11).
   5. Wood, T. 2002. The Terror of Anthrax in a Degrading Creation. Acts & Facts 31 (3).
   6. Romans 8:22-23.
   7. Method of treatment of connective tissue disorders by administration of streptolysin O. U.S. Patent 6998121. Posted on freepatentsonline.com.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[nChrist]

Hello Pastor Roger,

To say that man is fallen and DEGENERATING is a known fact and a Bible fact. Some would point to medical advances and say that man is evolving upward, but this doesn't make any sense at all. Man might have slightly longer lives than we had 200 years ago because of medical advances, but look at the longevity of people in Bible History. People in Bible History lived 100s of years, and they didn't have the advantage of medical science.

Adam and Eve lived in a paradise, and they were created in the image of GOD. There wasn't any illness, pain, trouble, or violence in Eden - but man disobeyed GOD and were kicked out of Eden. Adam and Eve had everything in Perfection that GOD intended, but they sinned against the CREATOR and lost the Perfection GOD intended for them. This started a long and painful human inheritance of the curse of sin and death. At this point, mankind has degenerated to the point of almost self-destructing with EVIL!

Can we have what Adam and Eve had in the Beginning? YES, but only one way - accepting JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR. REGENERATION is GOD'S Work, and it starts in the heart. Every positive aspect of SALVATION is GOD'S WORK - not man's. The beautiful work of REDEMPTION, ATONEMENT, SANCTIFICATION, AND FORGIVENESS is GOD'S WORK! BUT, there is more that won't be completed in this short life. GOD has promised us a Glorified Body like the one CHRIST has, and it will be free of pain, disease, and DECOMPOSITION OR DEGENERATION for ETERNITY. GOD originally CREATED man for Eternity, but man introduced sin and evil into the PERFECT Intentions of GOD. One could draw an analogy with someone handing you a beautiful glass sculpture, you beating on it with a hammer, and then you asking why it is no longer beautiful. Nobody made you beat on that glass sculpture, and you should have known that the perfect work of the ARTIST CREATOR could be damaged or spoiled.

Mankind has gone downhill dramatically since Adam. The theory of evolution indicates an upward change, not a downward change. The ONLY way we can have an upward change now is with JESUS CHRIST! In the meantime, the whole creation groans in pain and is reaping the WAGES OF SIN. Medical science can't cure what's wrong with us. ONLY THE GREAT PHYSICIAN can cure what's really wrong with us. What's wrong with us is at the core of our being, and it can't be surgically removed. It's a terminal illness that caused great pain and affliction in this short life, and it will get much worse for eternity. In case you're wondering, it's sin and evil - an open warfare against GOD. We broke the peace with GOD, and ONLY JESUS CHRIST can restore this PEACE. It isn't peace like the world defines "peace". It's a PEACE that's PERFECT that can only come from GOD and be with GOD. Adam and Eve experienced this PEACE before they sinned. If you want to experience this PEACE, read the next post.

Love In Christ,
Tom

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 NASB  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:  2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  4  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  5  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.  6  But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;  7  and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.  8  For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;  9  indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;  10  who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,  11  you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.


Romans 8:16-28 NASB  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,  17  and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.  18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  19  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope  21  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  22  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  23  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  24  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  25  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.  26  In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;  27  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  28  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.


2 Corinthians 5:1-21 NASB  For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  2  For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,  3  inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.  4  For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.  5  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.  6  Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--  7  for we walk by faith, not by sight--  8  we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.  9  Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.  10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  11  Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.  12  We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.  13  For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.  14  For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;  15  and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  16  Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.  17  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  18  Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,  19  namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

[nChrist]

GOOD NEWS!

1:  Romans 3:10 NASB  as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

2:  Romans 3:23  NASB  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

3:  Romans 5:12  NASB  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--

4:  Romans 6:23  NASB  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5:  Romans 1:18  NASB  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

6:  Romans 3:20  NASB  because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

7:  Romans 3:27  NASB  Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

8:  Romans 5:8-9  NASB  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

9:  Romans 2:4  NASB  Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

10:  Romans 3:22  NASB  even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

11:  Romans 3:28  NASB  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

12:  Romans 10:9  NASB  that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

13:  Romans 4:21  NASB  and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

14:  Romans 4:24 NASB  but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

15:  Romans 5:1  NASB  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

16:  Romans 10:10  NASB  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

17:  Romans 10:13  NASB  for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Thanks be unto GOD for HIS unspeakable GIFT!, JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour forever!

[Soldier4Christ]

A New Role for Interferons: Teaching
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Interferons are signaling proteins in immune systems that have long been appreciated for their role in defending the body against viral attacks. Interferons hinder viruses from multiplying inside host cells, activate killer cells and macrophages (engulfing cells), and communicate with lymphocytes to help host cells deal with viral infection. Now researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas have discovered “a new role for interferon: teacher.”1

Human immune systems have a programmed memory device so that when the body is re-infected with a virus, it quickly recognizes the invaders and deals with them. Without this immune memory, which fades over time, the body would be subject to repeated infections at every inoculation. In their new study, published in the Journal of Immunology, the researchers discovered that the little protein interferon is also a vital link in the biochemical chain of events that makes this antigen memory possible, in effect “teaching” the immune system to recognize returning viruses.2

One evolutionary explanation for the origin of these multiple interferon immune functions is that extra interferons somehow became available and were thereby able to evolve more functions, eventually including that of “teacher.” However, besides lacking evidence, this hypothesis ignores the main problem—that interferons are only useful in several biological contexts because there already are multiple biological systems in existence, each of which is functional, in which the interferons can operate. For example, a telephone line can transmit either meaningful voice or digital data only if there are pre-orchestrated systems (telephones interfacing with ears/brains, and fax machines interfacing with printers) for the line to be a part of. Like interferons, the telephone line is purposeless outside of pre-existing specified functional contexts.

Interferons viewed through the creation model make more sense. Just as interferons have biological uses only in the context of interconnected, fully-functional suites of immune system biochemicals, so the origin of interferons makes sense only in the context of the Creator God of the Bible. Not only does He reveal His intelligence in efficient and hardy design and manufacture, but He shows His benevolence through the very purpose of interferons—protecting the body from viral or other invaders.

References

   1. Interferon needed for cells to 'remember' how to defeat a virus, researchers report. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center press release, December 3, 2008.
   2. Davis, A. M. et al. 2008. Cutting Edge: A T-bet-Independent Role for IFN-/β in Regulating IL-2 Secretion in Human CD4+ Central Memory T Cells. The Journal of Immunology. 181 (12): 8204-8208.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Fast-orbiting Stars Puzzle Astronomers
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

German astronomers have been meticulously tracking the orbits of 28 stars nearest to the center of the Milky Way spiral galaxy. Over the 16 years of their study, one of the stars travelled so fast that it completed a full revolution. Though the galactic core is dark, its mass has been estimated based on the behavior of the stars that orbit it so closely. These observations seem to confirm that a black hole exists at the core of the Milky Way, but they also raise significant questions about the stars’ origins.

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) sponsored the study, which is slated to be published in the Astrophysical Journal.1 An ESO news release stated, “The mystery still remains as to how these young stars came to be in the orbits they are observed to be in today.”2 Given a purely naturalistic origin scenario such as that offered in the Big Bang theory, one wonders how so many stars and planets came to be in orbits at all, rather than swirling off into space.3 Even more curious is that the astronomers closely observed six of the stars inhabiting the same orbital pattern, like so many seats on a Ferris wheel. The question is complicated by the likely effects of the violent “forces of the black hole” that would rip stars apart, not place them on a galactic train track.

The ESO also stated, “Excitingly, future observations are already being planned to test several theoretical models that try to solve this riddle.”2 These models will certainly not include one that involves an outside intelligence having placed the stars in their orbits, even though other cosmologists have dedicated themselves to the search for alien intelligence, which some believe may have even seeded life on earth.4

The precise construction parameters of cosmic structures like these stars and the rules that govern them will only be intelligible as products of a supernatural Creator. Physicist Lee Smolen, after studying the myriad factors that make life possible in this world, said: “Luck will certainly not do here. We need a rational explanation why something this unlikely turned out to be the case.”5

References

   1. Gillessen, S. et al. 2008. Monitoring stellar orbits around the Massive Black Hole in the Galactic Center. Astrophysical Journal, in press.
   2. Unprecedented 16-Year Long Study Tracks Stars Orbiting Milky Way Black Hole. European Southern Observatory press release, December 10, 2008.
   3. Other unanswered questions in the Big Bang explanation of the origins of the Milky Way concern why the galaxy itself is spinning, why it still has distinct arms if it is really 13 billion years old, and why stars would form within the galaxy at all, when physics shows that the force from an exploding (pre-existing) star would be required to compress enough matter into a protostar. Though secular scientists’ anti-religious bias precludes them answering these questions with a “Who” instead of a “what,” there is no scientific reason to exclude the possibility that the galactic arms, motion, and stars were emplaced by a supernatural cause.
   4. Crick, F. and L. Orgel. 1973. Directed Panspermia. Icarus. 19: 341-346.
   5. Smolin, L. 1997. The Life of the Cosmos. New York: Oxford University Press, 24.


* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Neanderthal Men Were Modern Men
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

A set of fossilized human remains has been discovered in Iberia that shows partial Neanderthal characteristics, proving again that Neanderthals interbred with anatomically modern men.1 This adds to a growing list of evidence, consistent with biblical history, that demonstrates Neanderthal to have been fully human, rather than an evolutionary transition.2

Though evolution models once held that Neanderthal man was one of the “missing links” between an ape-like ancestor and modern man, the repeated discoveries of Neanderthal remains right next to those of modern humans—instead of in separate, lower, older strata—have forced him out of the pool of “pre-human” evolutionary ancestor candidates. In contrast to ever-evolving naturalistic interpretations, the biblical creation model has consistently maintained that Neanderthal man was just that—man.

Neanderthal did have distinct characteristics that are apparently now either extinct or diffused, but his family line was fully human for several hundred years after Noah’s Flood, when humans repopulated the earth about 4,300 years ago.

The mounting evidence for Neanderthal and modern man’s coexistence calls into question whether the Neanderthal and other human varieties even lived in separate times, as the evolutionary story still maintains. Both the Bible and science indicate that this was not the case. Biblical history has no place for such a separate, distant time of evolutionary development, but it does allow for variations within the human kind in its 6,000-year history.

Anthropologist Marvin L. Lubenow has shown that Neanderthal, other than having a larger cranial capacity, was anatomically the same as Homo erectus.3 Their fossils do not fit into the depiction of a linear evolutionary ape-to-man transition that is iconic today, but were simply comingling variations of humankind. Furthermore, a fossil elbow (KP 271) and the Laetoli footprints of Neanderthal man are indistinguishable from modern man, and both have been dated by evolutionary scientists at 4 million years or older—predating the earliest Neanderthals!4 Thus, within the published evolutionary dates, “anatomically modern Homo sapiens, Neandertal, archaic Homo sapiens, and Homo erectus [as well as Lucy-like Australopithecinces] all lived as contemporaries.”3

As seen in the fossil remains from Iberia, the more that is discovered about Neanderthal, the more evolutionary models morph to accommodate the data. In contrast to this ambiguity, both the Bible and science confirm that man and apes—though many small differences can be discerned within each kind—nevertheless remain totally separate, untransitioned created kinds.

References

   1. Walker, M. et. al. 2008. Late Neandertals in Southeastern Iberia: Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo, Murcia, Spain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published online before print December 12, 2008.
   2. Duarte, C. et al. 1999. The early Upper Paleolithic human skeleton from the Abrigo do Lagar Velho (Portugal) and modern human emergence in Iberia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 96 (13): 7604-7609.
   3. Lubenow, M. 1992. Bones of Contention. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 178.
   4. Tuttle, R. 1990. The Pitted Pattern of Laetoli Feet. Natural History. March Issue, 60-65. Quoted in Lubenow, Bones of Contention, 170.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Did Magma Dykes Spread the Continents?
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

A longstanding conundrum for long-age geology thinking is summed up by Purdue University Professor Eric Calais: “When we calculate the forces available from plate tectonics, we find that they are not large enough to do the job [of spreading continents apart].”1 But he is hopeful that his latest observations will help resolve this issue.

Calais led a research team that measured a surprisingly gentle movement of African crustal plates. The researchers first noticed that GPS coordinates were separating farther than the small local earthquakes could explain, so they set up equipment at the Natron rift, near the border between Tanzania and Kenya, to explore what might be causing it. In the summer of 2007, they recorded a week-long dyking event, which is an intrusion of magma upward into continental crust cracks. The movement of one plate several feet in relation to another was only discernable as a dyke emplacement because of the combined measurements of seismic, satellite interferometry, and GPS technologies.

In the standard geological model, continents slowly creep apart over vast eons, eventually leaving ocean basins behind in the ever-widening gaps. However, there is no mechanism among presently observable processes that can overcome the tremendous resistance to movement that continental masses pose.

Calais and his team hope that dyking will help solve this longstanding problem. They propose that intruding magma may weaken the crustal plates by heating the adjoining rock, thereby “greasing” continental skids. Calais theorized that the effects of the dyking’s “little push” over millions of years would form an ocean between two plates.1

However, dyking does not sufficiently explain the geological formation of this area. If these particular African plates are already millions of years old, and they have a known history of faulting—including the 5.7 cm horizontal movement measured in the August 2007 episode2—why is there not already an ocean between them?

Even if intruding magma melts continental crust in dyking, it only does so along the thin margin where the magma contacts the crustal rock. How could this process heat enough crust in the right places to facilitate ocean-forming?

Another problem with dyking as a means of tectonic plate separation is that the newly-formed igneous rock dyke is more resistant to erosion than the continental rock itself. How could a new ocean bed form through a process that is essentially building new and more resistant continental crust?

But if this fault has been active only since the completion of the Flood—a matter of thousands (rather than millions) of years ago—one would reasonably expect to see the evidence of the small amount of plate friction history that this region reveals. Geophysicist John Baumgardner has developed a model of tectonic plate movement that is incompatible with long-age processes, but is compatible with physics and also answers the fundamental dilemma of how that much mass was moved. With gravity as the main driving force, the continental crust seems to have undergone rapid, runaway motion from its originally created position as a consequence of the earth-destroying Flood.3

So dyking, though an interesting phenomenon, is entirely incapable of explaining continental movement. It would require an event on the scale of a global Flood, one “whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.”4

References

   1. Team led by Purdue professor first to record key event that breaks continents apart. Purdue University press release, December 10, 2008.
   2. Calais, E. et al. 2008. Strain accommodation by slow slip and dyking in a youthful continental rift, East Africa. Nature. 456 (7223): 783-787.
   3. Baumgardner, J. 2005. Recent Rapid Uplift of Today's Mountains. Acts & Facts. 35 (3). See also: Baumgardner, J. 2008. Catastrophic Plate Tectonics: A Mechanism for the Flood. Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Creationism. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, Inc., and Dallas, TX: Institute for Creation Research. (Digital version only.)
   4. 2 Peter 3:6.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Yawning With a Purpose
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

All vertebrates yawn, but why they do it has long been a mystery. Recent research suggests that yawning may be a cooling mechanism for the brain.

In their study set for publication in the journal Animal Behaviour, Binghamton University biologists tested the hypothesis that “as ambient temperature increases and approaches (but does not exceed) body temperature, yawning should increase as a consequence.”1 In other words, as the surrounding temperature rises closer to the body’s warmer temperature, yawning should result. The parakeets they tested yawned as predicted, thus confirming the researchers’ temperature-based hypothesis.

Oral and nasal passages are very close to the brain, as those who have experienced “brain freeze” when swallowing ice cream too quickly can attest, and it makes sense that the increased air movement through those passages would aid in cooling. Vertebrate brains, which contain billions of delicate, heat-generating biochemical reactions occurring every minute, operate best within a certain cool temperature range. Further, “the new findings also explain why tired individuals often yawn, since both exhaustion and sleep deprivation have been shown to increase deep brain temperatures.”2

Thus, the pre-programmed instinct to yawn may serve the purpose of cooling, but it only does so because of the location of specifically-shaped airways near the deep brain.3 Remarkably, both the physical equipment and the metaphysical instinct (information or programming) to use it are found fully integrated “in all classes of vertebrates.”1 How did this come to be?

Lead author Andrew Gallup asserts that yawning “evolved to allow maximum cooling of the brain,”1 though he offers no evidence to support the concept that a long series of adaptations in response to differing environments led to the development of yawning—nor does he explain how this feature was retained by all seven vertebrate classes throughout their hypothetically long history of development from a common ancestor. Much less faith is required to believe that a Creator specifically integrated this system to maintain brain temperature, and that “in his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”4

References

   1. Gallup, A. , M. L. Miller and A. B. Clark. 2009. Yawning and thermoregulation in budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus. Animal Behaviour. 77 (1): 109-113.
   2. Viegas, J. The Yawn Explained: It Cools Your Brain. Discovery Channel News. Posted on discovery.com December 15, 2008.
   3. Thomas, B. 2008. The Amazing Design of the Human Nose. Acts & Facts. 37 (: 14.
   4. Job 12:10.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.