Biblical Creation vs. Evolution

[Soldier4Christ]

The Human 'Stars' of Christmas
by Henry Morris III, D.Min.*

Have you ever wondered why the angels announced the birth of Jesus Christ to shepherds? Are you a bit curious about what drove the wise men to travel all the way from "the east"? Why Mary and Joseph for His earthly parents? Surely there were other Davidic descendants living at that time. And Simeon and Anna--why were they chosen to play a part in this event?

Then there was wicked King Herod and the self-righteous, hypocritical Pharisee sycophants who fawned on him. Why did God let them know that the Son of God had come into the world? What common denominator did the sovereign Creator use to select these human "stars" in this most unique drama in history?

Perhaps the most simple and profound spiritual test for an individual is where he or she stands concerning "belief of the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Just how the truth of the written Word (John 17:17) is wrapped up in the living Word (John 1:1-3, 14; 14:6) is an eternal mystery that can be believed, but never totally understood. Yet it is that truth that came into being when the eternal Son of God became the incarnate Son of man.

Mary and Joseph

Although they both met the genealogical and biblical requirements of the Davidic line (Joseph from Solomon with legal right, and Mary from Nathan with spiritual right), the more important character trait was their response to God's messenger, Gabriel.

    And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. (Luke 1:38)

    Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him. (Matthew 1:24)

Both were given astounding news that was humanly impossible to comprehend--and humanly costly to accept--yet they did not hesitate to believe and act immediately on the instructions they were given.

The Shepherds

Common, ordinary men, far from the "power people" of the day, on a routine job in the still of the night, were suddenly confronted with the stunning glory of the angel of the Lord. Their fear calmed by the angel's words, they heard the announcement of the fulfillment of the hope that lived in every believing Jewish heart--the Messiah had come!

After their physical hearts had calmed down, they turned to each other and said:

    Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste. (Luke 2:15-16)

Not only did they gladly accept the word given, but they "came with haste"--they acted immediately on the information. Just like Mary and Joseph had.

Simeon and Anna

About a month after the circumcision of the infant Lord Jesus, Mary and Joseph came to the temple to offer a sacrifice according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12).

Simeon (the Bible just calls him "a man," giving him no special title or function) was a "just and devout" man who had yielded himself so completely to the Holy Spirit that he was told that he would not die before he saw the fulfillment of his faith. Responding to the Spirit's prompting, Simeon arrived at the temple just as Mary and Joseph came to present the Lord Jesus (Luke 2:27). Then, filled with the joy of the moment and under the Spirit’s guidance, Simeon was used to pronounce a blessing and a prophecy (Luke 2:28-35).

Anna, over 100 years old, had been serving God as a prophetess and prayer warrior in the temple for many years. Coming "in that instant" (Luke 2:38), Anna uttered a prayer of thanksgiving and then went on to tell anyone who would listen of the wonder of Christ’s coming.

Once again, both these dedicated people, responding to the word God had given them, acted immediately to obey and spread the truth.

The Wise Men

There are many Old Testament prophecies that speak to some event in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Quite a few center on His birth, some of which, no doubt, were familiar to the Magi and were part of the motivation that started them on their long trek to find this "King of the Jews" (Matthew 2:2).

These men were the scholars of Persia, and would have had access to the writings of Daniel and the commentaries of the Talmud of Babylon. Coupled with their astronomical calculations, they had determined that the fulfillment of Daniel's "seventy weeks" was soon to climax in the coming of the Messiah, although they were not aware of the Bethlehem prophecy of Micah 5:2.

Again, acting immediately on the limited knowledge they had, they sought answers from the leaders in Jerusalem. When pointed to Bethlehem, they found the home of Mary and Joseph, worshiped the Lord Jesus with honor and gifts, and then responded to the dream from God warning them to return "another way" (Matthew 2:12).

King Herod

This sensually wicked and debauched king knew nothing of the Scriptures of his own people, and had only thoughts of murder toward any perceived threat to his rule and way of life. When told of the prophecies and the refusal of the Magi to participate in his deceptive plot, Herod responded with the slaughter of all boys under the age of two in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).

There was no "love of the truth" in Herod (2 Thessalonians 2:10)! Like Cain of old, he was "of that wicked one" (1 John 3:12) and reacted with rage and murder. Truth demands action. One cannot be neutral toward truth; it either invokes a love for it or a hatred toward it (John 3:19-21). Herod, already habitually wicked, plummeted to the depths of evil and acted on his passion.

The Pharisees

These men were the conservative religious leaders and scholars of their day. They knew the Scriptures. They led the nation of Israel spiritually and set the standards for "holy" behavior. Of all the human participants in the drama of the Incarnation, they should have known the truth and embraced it gladly.

Yet they chose affluence and influence above obedience and reverence. Rather than follow the clear teachings of the Scriptures (which they knew intimately), they chose to follow the distorted and complicated reasoning of men (the Talmud) which allowed them to afflict their people with "heavy burdens and grievous to be borne" (Matthew 23:4) and use their traditions to make "the commandment of God of none effect" (Matthew 15:6).

The Lord Jesus gave His most harsh criticisms to these men. They knew truth, but chose to disobey. They could have responded in righteousness, but willingly turned away from truth, and then did all they could to make their disciples follow their error.

Reaction to the Gospel Today

Foundational to the "everlasting gospel" is worship of the Creator (Revelation 14:6-7) who has become our Savior through His death, burial, and resurrection "according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). In many churches today, while the "love" message of the gospel is blended into palatable syrup that can be fed to anyone (Christian or non-Christian), the "repentance" and "new creation" parts of the gospel are either ignored or distorted into a hybrid that is compatible with evolutionary humanism.

The positive and negative responses to the gospel by those in Jesus' day are precisely the same reactions seen among people today. But only belief in the truth can lead to salvation and bring a soul from death unto life. May God grant you His peace through His Son as we celebrate the greatest gift this Christmas season.

* Dr. Morris is Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Creation Research.

[Soldier4Christ]

Even Parasite Genes Look Young
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

The parasite Trichinella spiralis is commonly dated as being around 20 million years old. A recent DNA study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists, however, has yielded some surprising results.

T. spiralis causes trichinosis in humans when they eat undercooked pork that has juvenile forms of the worm encysted within the pig muscle. The USDA scientists collected and analyzed samples of Trichinella DNA from 28 countries. If the parasite is indeed millions of years old, then the different geographical locations should yield distinct groups that retain ancient familial mutations.

However, “the scientists were surprised to find that parasite samples from Europe, North Africa and the Americas had remarkably uniform DNAs. In fact, statistical analyses grouped all 44 samples from all evaluated regions into a single ‘Western’ group of T. spiralis, due to the high degree of genetic similarity.”1

In other words, instead of finding genetically and geographically identifiable groups, they found that all these worms were so similar as to still belong to just one group. The worms, sampled from around the world and yet without the evolutionarily predicted mutational differences, appear as though they have not evolved.

One good explanation for why they have accumulated so few mutations is that these worms, along with all other living things, have only been around for thousands, not millions of years. As previously reported, remarkable similarities between the raw sequences (like words in a book) as well as organizational structures (like book chapters) of human DNA demonstrate the youthfulness of humankind.2, 3, 4 The genetics of the lowly trichina worm is further support for the biblical model of a young earth.

References

   1. Perry, A. Humans Prompted New Paths for Parasites. U.S. Department of Agriculture press release, November 25, 2008.
   2. Thomas, B. Why Are Human Genes Still Linked? ICR News. Posted on icr.org August 6, 2008, accessed December 17, 2008.
   3. Criswell, D. 2008. ABO Blood and Human Origins. Acts & Facts. 37 (2): 10.
   4. Morris, J. 2006. How Old Is Life? Acts & Facts. 35 (6).

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Rare Insect Evolved at the Wrong Time
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

The Lord Howe tree lobster (actually an insect) was thought to have gone extinct around 40 years ago when rats were introduced to the lone island that housed them off the coast of Australia. The insects were rediscovered on a nearby island in 2001 and in a recent analysis of stick insects, evolutionary researchers found significant DNA sequence differences between the three tree lobster groups. They calculated, assuming evolution and its time scales, that the Lord Howe tree lobster was over 20 million years old.1

Confusingly, however, the Lord Howe Island home of the tree lobster has been dated by geologists at only about seven million years—13 million years younger than its namesake insect. The scientists proposed a solution to this puzzle in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.2 According to their theories, these insects evolved on a series of now sunken volcanic islands. When an older island eroded and submerged, the insects migrated to the next one in the chain, eventually arriving on Lord Howe Island, which is the most recently formed. This hypothesis assumes that the now sunken volcanic peaks were once former islands that existed for long time spans, and also assumes that genetic differences between the tree lobster groups were formed by mutations over vast eons. But neither of these assumptions is supported by observation—only by conformity to the evolutionary view.

Conflicting evolutionary dates between disciplines like those in this news report,3 as well as within a discipline,4 are the rule rather than the exception.5 In geology, they are called discordant dates and unexpected or undesirable results are ignored or are filed away for future consideration. In biological sequence homology studies, the conflicting dates are routinely scrubbed out in practice, as a manual for producing such sequences describes: “When conflicts with that assumption occur (and they often do), they are explained by ‘reversal,’ ‘convergence,’ or ‘parallelism’….[These] are required as extra steps or hypotheses to explain the [conflicting age] data.”6

The conflicting ages given for the Lord Howe tree lobster and its habitat adds to a growing list of reasons to doubt the façade of the evolutionary time scale. In its place, an even more scientifically sound history—one not so riddled with contradictory dates—is the one given to us by the Creator in Genesis. In this model, the tree lobster, a large, ground-dwelling insect (easily captured for prey), found a haven from predators on the post-Flood Lord Howe Island only thousands (not millions) of years ago.

References

   1. Coelho, S.Ancient Insect Hails from Sunken Island. ScienceNow Daily News. Posted on sciencenow.sciencemag.org on December 17, 2008, accessed December 24, 2008.
   2. Buckley, T. R., D. Attanayake and S. Bradler. Extreme convergence in stick insect evolution: phylogenetic placement of the Lord Howe Island tree lobster. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Published online December 16, 2008.
   3. Thomas, B. Cambrian Clash: Fossils and Molecular Clocks Disagree. ICR News. Posted www.icr.org on October 20, 2008, accessed December 22.
   4. Austin, S. A. 1992. Excessively Old "Ages" For Grand Canyon Lava Flows. Acts & Facts. 21 (2).
   5. Woodmorappe, J. 1979. Radiometric Geochronology Reappraised. Creation Research Society Quarterly. 16 (2): 102-129.
   6. Hall, B. 2007. Phylogenetic Trees Made Easy. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 78.


* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[nChrist]

The Human 'Stars' of Christmas
by Henry Morris III, D.Min.*

Have you ever wondered why the angels announced the birth of Jesus Christ to shepherds? Are you a bit curious about what drove the wise men to travel all the way from "the east"? Why Mary and Joseph for His earthly parents? Surely there were other Davidic descendants living at that time. And Simeon and Anna--why were they chosen to play a part in this event?

Then there was wicked King Herod and the self-righteous, hypocritical Pharisee sycophants who fawned on him. Why did God let them know that the Son of God had come into the world? What common denominator did the sovereign Creator use to select these human "stars" in this most unique drama in history?

Perhaps the most simple and profound spiritual test for an individual is where he or she stands concerning "belief of the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Just how the truth of the written Word (John 17:17) is wrapped up in the living Word (John 1:1-3, 14; 14:6) is an eternal mystery that can be believed, but never totally understood. Yet it is that truth that came into being when the eternal Son of God became the incarnate Son of man.

Mary and Joseph

Although they both met the genealogical and biblical requirements of the Davidic line (Joseph from Solomon with legal right, and Mary from Nathan with spiritual right), the more important character trait was their response to God's messenger, Gabriel.

    And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. (Luke 1:38)

    Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him. (Matthew 1:24)

Both were given astounding news that was humanly impossible to comprehend--and humanly costly to accept--yet they did not hesitate to believe and act immediately on the instructions they were given.

The Shepherds

Common, ordinary men, far from the "power people" of the day, on a routine job in the still of the night, were suddenly confronted with the stunning glory of the angel of the Lord. Their fear calmed by the angel's words, they heard the announcement of the fulfillment of the hope that lived in every believing Jewish heart--the Messiah had come!

After their physical hearts had calmed down, they turned to each other and said:

    Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste. (Luke 2:15-16)

Not only did they gladly accept the word given, but they "came with haste"--they acted immediately on the information. Just like Mary and Joseph had.

Simeon and Anna

About a month after the circumcision of the infant Lord Jesus, Mary and Joseph came to the temple to offer a sacrifice according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12).

Simeon (the Bible just calls him "a man," giving him no special title or function) was a "just and devout" man who had yielded himself so completely to the Holy Spirit that he was told that he would not die before he saw the fulfillment of his faith. Responding to the Spirit's prompting, Simeon arrived at the temple just as Mary and Joseph came to present the Lord Jesus (Luke 2:27). Then, filled with the joy of the moment and under the Spirit’s guidance, Simeon was used to pronounce a blessing and a prophecy (Luke 2:28-35).

Anna, over 100 years old, had been serving God as a prophetess and prayer warrior in the temple for many years. Coming "in that instant" (Luke 2:38), Anna uttered a prayer of thanksgiving and then went on to tell anyone who would listen of the wonder of Christ’s coming.

Once again, both these dedicated people, responding to the word God had given them, acted immediately to obey and spread the truth.

The Wise Men

There are many Old Testament prophecies that speak to some event in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Quite a few center on His birth, some of which, no doubt, were familiar to the Magi and were part of the motivation that started them on their long trek to find this "King of the Jews" (Matthew 2:2).

These men were the scholars of Persia, and would have had access to the writings of Daniel and the commentaries of the Talmud of Babylon. Coupled with their astronomical calculations, they had determined that the fulfillment of Daniel's "seventy weeks" was soon to climax in the coming of the Messiah, although they were not aware of the Bethlehem prophecy of Micah 5:2.

Again, acting immediately on the limited knowledge they had, they sought answers from the leaders in Jerusalem. When pointed to Bethlehem, they found the home of Mary and Joseph, worshiped the Lord Jesus with honor and gifts, and then responded to the dream from God warning them to return "another way" (Matthew 2:12).

King Herod

This sensually wicked and debauched king knew nothing of the Scriptures of his own people, and had only thoughts of murder toward any perceived threat to his rule and way of life. When told of the prophecies and the refusal of the Magi to participate in his deceptive plot, Herod responded with the slaughter of all boys under the age of two in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).

There was no "love of the truth" in Herod (2 Thessalonians 2:10)! Like Cain of old, he was "of that wicked one" (1 John 3:12) and reacted with rage and murder. Truth demands action. One cannot be neutral toward truth; it either invokes a love for it or a hatred toward it (John 3:19-21). Herod, already habitually wicked, plummeted to the depths of evil and acted on his passion.

The Pharisees

These men were the conservative religious leaders and scholars of their day. They knew the Scriptures. They led the nation of Israel spiritually and set the standards for "holy" behavior. Of all the human participants in the drama of the Incarnation, they should have known the truth and embraced it gladly.

Yet they chose affluence and influence above obedience and reverence. Rather than follow the clear teachings of the Scriptures (which they knew intimately), they chose to follow the distorted and complicated reasoning of men (the Talmud) which allowed them to afflict their people with "heavy burdens and grievous to be borne" (Matthew 23:4) and use their traditions to make "the commandment of God of none effect" (Matthew 15:6).

The Lord Jesus gave His most harsh criticisms to these men. They knew truth, but chose to disobey. They could have responded in righteousness, but willingly turned away from truth, and then did all they could to make their disciples follow their error.

Reaction to the Gospel Today

Foundational to the "everlasting gospel" is worship of the Creator (Revelation 14:6-7) who has become our Savior through His death, burial, and resurrection "according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). In many churches today, while the "love" message of the gospel is blended into palatable syrup that can be fed to anyone (Christian or non-Christian), the "repentance" and "new creation" parts of the gospel are either ignored or distorted into a hybrid that is compatible with evolutionary humanism.

The positive and negative responses to the gospel by those in Jesus' day are precisely the same reactions seen among people today. But only belief in the truth can lead to salvation and bring a soul from death unto life. May God grant you His peace through His Son as we celebrate the greatest gift this Christmas season.

* Dr. Morris is Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Creation Research.

AMEN - PROOF AND MORE PROOF THAT GOD'S WORD IS REAL AND TRUE! - ALL OF IT FROM COVER TO COVER!

[Soldier4Christ]

Creation and the New Year
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.*

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

It is appropriate for Christians to begin the New Year by referring back to the beginning of the very first year. The first verse of God’s Word is also its most important verse, since it is the foundation on which everything else is built. Even God’s great work of salvation is irrelevant and futile without His prior work of creation, for only the Creator of all things could ever become the Savior of all things.

If a person really believes Genesis 1:1, he or she should have no difficulty believing anything else in the Bible. The very first object of saving faith (Hebrews 10:39) is the fact of special creation by the word of God (Hebrews 11:3).

The verse is comprehensive and scientific, viewing space (“the heavens”) and matter (“the earth”) as functioning in a framework of time (“in the beginning”). This space/matter/time “continuum” (as scientists call it) has not existed eternally, nor is it still being created, both of which heresies are standard beliefs of all forms of evolutionary pantheism (including most of the world’s religions and philosophies, ancient or modern). It was created—and even completed in the past.

This foundation of all foundations is, clearly, the only sure foundation upon which one should build a life, or an organization, or anything. A firm renewal of one’s commitment to special creation, as literally recorded by divine revelation in the inerrant Word of God is thus the proper way to begin a New Year, or a new home, or a new career, or a new family, or any phase of a Christian life. This is the time to confess and forsake all doubts, and trust God’s Word! In the beginning of the first year, God created all things. At the beginning of this year, we should resolve to believe and obey all things in His Word.

* Dr. Henry M. Morris (1918-2006) was Founder and President Emeritus of ICR.

[nChrist]

Creation and the New Year
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.*

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

It is appropriate for Christians to begin the New Year by referring back to the beginning of the very first year. The first verse of God’s Word is also its most important verse, since it is the foundation on which everything else is built. Even God’s great work of salvation is irrelevant and futile without His prior work of creation, for only the Creator of all things could ever become the Savior of all things.

If a person really believes Genesis 1:1, he or she should have no difficulty believing anything else in the Bible. The very first object of saving faith (Hebrews 10:39) is the fact of special creation by the word of God (Hebrews 11:3).

The verse is comprehensive and scientific, viewing space (“the heavens”) and matter (“the earth”) as functioning in a framework of time (“in the beginning”). This space/matter/time “continuum” (as scientists call it) has not existed eternally, nor is it still being created, both of which heresies are standard beliefs of all forms of evolutionary pantheism (including most of the world’s religions and philosophies, ancient or modern). It was created—and even completed in the past.

This foundation of all foundations is, clearly, the only sure foundation upon which one should build a life, or an organization, or anything. A firm renewal of one’s commitment to special creation, as literally recorded by divine revelation in the inerrant Word of God is thus the proper way to begin a New Year, or a new home, or a new career, or a new family, or any phase of a Christian life. This is the time to confess and forsake all doubts, and trust God’s Word! In the beginning of the first year, God created all things. At the beginning of this year, we should resolve to believe and obey all things in His Word.

* Dr. Henry M. Morris (1918-2006) was Founder and President Emeritus of ICR.

ANOTHER AMEN!

GOD'S WORD is the ONLY measurement of all TRUTH and REALITY. Christians should already know this beyond any doubt. Sadly, some Christians dismiss portions of the Bible in favor of so-called science or other beliefs of man. The devil loves doubt of any kind - even in a single Scripture. WHY? Doubt is the seed of disbelief, and the devil is quite skilled in making this seed grow. The devil cultivates the doubt seeds and is able to snare great hosts of people. The devil's appetite for devouring people is never-ending. Again, WHY? The devil wants worship and glory for himself - NOT GOD! This is why the devil is fallen and will face eternal punishment at GOD'S Appointed Time. The same is true for any man who denies CHRIST and refuses to give HIM the GLORY that is rightfully HIS! There is a horrible price for denying the CREATOR!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 1:18-23  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,  19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,  20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,  21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:  22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,  23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

[Soldier4Christ]

Another Local Flood Theory
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

A British researcher has offered yet another non-biblical explanation for the source of the global Flood account in Genesis. Archaeologist Sean Kingsley proposed that the story arose from the flooding of ancient and now submerged villages in the Mediterranean Sea southwest of Mount Carmel. Collectively called Atlit-Yam, these villages were inhabited long ago when the sea level was lower.1

Some scholars have proposed that the flood narrative was inspired by a long-ago breached dam that allowed the Mediterranean to flow into what is now the Black Sea. Kingsley argued that this event was too far away from the Holy Land to have inspired ancients to write what they did. He rhetorically asked The Jerusalem Post, “What's more convincing scientifically, a flood in the Black Sea, so far away from Israel and the fantasy of a supposed ark marooned on the slopes of Mount Ararat, or six submerged Neolithic villages smack-bang in the middle of the Bible Land?”2

But why would a flood affecting such a limited area be described thus: “And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered”?3 Even if the biblical record were absent, a host of scientific evidence seems to demand a worldwide flood.4 Noah’s Flood is the most scientifically sound causative agent for an Ice Age.5 And it was the melting of the continental ice from this age, some hundreds of years after the Flood, that likely raised sea levels to eventually inundate Atlit-Yam.

Israeli archaeologist Ehud Galili has excavated Atlit-Yam for decades and disagreed with Kingsley’s proposition. Many uniquely preserved artifacts—including animal bones, fish bones, and plant matter—have been discovered in the underwater villages. They do not indicate a cataclysm but seem best explained by “the slow rise of sea levels which occurred all over the world.”2 Such underwater, formerly coastal villages exist worldwide.6

Archaeologist Shimon Gibson told the Post, “The bottom line is that overall evidence of [a] world submerged in flood does not exist.” In light of the apostle Peter’s warning,7 this kind of comment is to be expected.

Nevertheless, those who reject the worldwide flood event should be asked to provide reasons why this biblical historical narrative account is different from the otherwise scientifically reliable content of Scripture.8 They also need to explain transcontinental sediment transport, the cause of the Ice Age, fossilized sea creatures atop every high mountain in the world, the rapid burial of plants and animals required to produce the fossil record, the vast extent of some sedimentary rock layers, and the remarkable lack of erosion features at the contacts between strata9—all without Noah’s Flood.

References

   1. Kingsley, S. 2008. From Carmel to Genesis: A Neolithic Flood for the Holy Land? Bulletin of the Anglo-Israeli Archaeological Society, 26.
   2. Lefkovits, E. Did Noah's Flood start in the Carmel? The Jerusalem Post. Posted on jpost.com December 10, 2008, accessed December 23, 2008.
   3. Genesis 7:19.
   4. Thomas, B. Transcontinental Sedimentation and the Flood. ICR News. Posted on icr.org November 5, 2008, accessed December 23, 2008. See also “Osmium in Shale Reflects the Flood,” “The Dinosaur Mummy,” and “Fossil Feathers Convey Color” by the same author, also on icr.org.
   5. Oard, M. 1987. The Ice Age and the Genesis Flood. Acts & Facts. 16 (6).
   6. Hancock, G. 1999. Heaven’s Mirror. London: Michael Joseph.
   7. 2 Peter 3:3-6: “…there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.”
   8. Gish, D. 1991. Modern Scientific Discoveries Verify the Scriptures. Acts & Facts. 20 (9).
   9. Morris, J. 2008. Surface Features Require Rapid Deposition. Acts & Facts. 37 (12): 13.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[nChrist]

Everything points to the Biblical account of a great flood. Bluntly, there is no way for man to explain it away. There are piles of evidence supporting the Biblical FLOOD, and they amount to FACTS that just won't go away. The only LOGICAL thing to do is PROCLAIM that the HOLY BIBLE is COMPLETELY ACCURATE!

[Soldier4Christ]

Evolution Missing from Top Science of 2008
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

The acclaimed research journal Science has published its picks for the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 2008.1 The number one breakthrough was the manipulation of body cells into an embryonic state, thereby producing induced pluripotent stem cells. Geneticists hope that these will supply stem cells to test and treat diseases without the needless destruction of human embryos.

Also making the list are planets that have been directly detected for the first time outside of earth’s solar system, cancer-causing genes pinpointed through genome research, and the development of iron-based materials that work their superconductive magic at up to 56 degrees Kelvin. Additional discoveries include major advances through the use of powerful computers in laser video microscopy, protein modeling, and particle physics modeling.

Each of the breakthroughs came about through quality empirical science, with researchers employing the scientific method to discover how natural phenomena work. It is significant that none of these breakthroughs required an evolutionary framework for any part of their discoveries—not for the development of their hypotheses, not for the testing of those hypotheses, and not for their results or conclusions. If evolution is truly to be regarded as essential to empirical science and a necessary component of science education, then why were its tenets irrelevant, by virtue of their conspicuous absence, to the top scientific discoveries of 2008?

As one evolutionist explained, “Darwinism is unique among scientific theories. Because it attempts to explain not only events in the outside world but also man's origins and his place in those events, Darwinism straddles the gap between philosophy and science, between faith and reason, in a way no other scientific theory does.”2

In fact, Darwinian evolution is so unique in these regards that it is largely outside the realm of empirical (testable) science.3 Most of it is not scientific, but instead imposes a limited way of thinking about origins that excludes the supernatural, even when the evidence points to a supernatural cause. In this regard, it falls under the category of philosophy—or religion. The aspects of evolution that are testable have been tested and found untrue by good science.4 Therefore, not only is Darwinian evolution not science, it is also a poor philosophy and a false history.

The top breakthroughs offered by Science are the fruits of quality empirical science, and as such are consistent with the Christian worldview on which modern science was founded.5 As Scripture encourages us, “Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee.”6

References

   1. Breakthrough of the Year: The Runners-Up. Science. 322 (5909): 1768. Posted online at sciencemag.org December 19, 2008, accessed December 23, 2008.
   2. Leith, B. 1982. The Descent of Darwin: A Handbook of Doubts about Darwinism. London: Collins, 9.
   3. Morris, H. M. 2001. Evolution Is Religion—Not Science. Acts & Facts. 30 (2).
   4. Gish, D. 1981. Summary of Scientific Evidence for Creation. Acts & Facts. 10 (6).
   5. Snow, E. V. 1998. Christianity: A Cause of Modern Science? Acts & Facts. 27 (4).
   6. Job 12:8.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[nChrist]

YES, the theory of evolution is hanging by a thread, and that thread will be definitely BROKEN at the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST!

I was also just thinking about a news spot I heard yesterday about so-called GLOBAL WARMING being a CONTRADICTION IN TERMS FROM THE BEGINNING. As it turns out, 7 of the last 10 years indicate GLOBAL COOLING - THE OPPOSITE. So, Al Gore and friends need some math lessons also. They MIGHT get it if they just went to 10. The bottom line is extremely SIMPLE:  GOD is the CREATOR, and HE'S also in control of the universe.

[Soldier4Christ]

Yes, there has been global cooling since 1998. Al Gore and his friends and supporters at NASA and NOAA have been falisfying records in order to make it look like warming. Many of the original temperature recording stations in the frigid part of Russia are no longer in use. This has taken away many of the cooler temperatures that figured into the global average making it appear warmer. Jim Hansen has been caught several times adjusting other records such as those for Oct 2008 to show warmer temperatures than those that were actually reported. In addition to all of that many other weather recording stations have had air conditioners, factories and other heat generating or retaining devices built close enough to them to cause them to have faulty readings.

The supposed melting of the Arctic area is also false. Currently the ice cap is the highest that it has been since records were first kept on it's size and winter is not even half over yet for that area.

The bottom line is extremely SIMPLE:  GOD is the CREATOR, and HE'S also in control of the universe.

Amen! That is the key to understanding it all.

[Soldier4Christ]

How Some Vegetables Fight Cancer
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Many plants have cancer-fighting properties. Researchers have known for some time that cabbages and their near relatives, broccoli and cauliflower, can help prevent certain cancers. A recent study has uncovered how that activity works in body cells to fight breast cancer.1

The research, published in the December issue of Carcinogenesis, explored the anti-carcinogenic properties of these vegetables on the cellular level.2 The plants contain a compound called sulforaphane, which interferes with microtubule formation, a necessary event in cell division. As cells in a cancerous tumor try to divide, they are hindered by the compound. Sulforaphane activity is similar to other anti-cancer drugs that are currently available, but it is less toxic and less potent.

Most pharmaceuticals are products (or derivatives of products) of nature—mostly plants. But why would evolution, which is supposed to operate by survival and reproduction of the fitter individuals in a population, develop plants that waste their valuable resources to manufacture compounds that seem to offer themselves no survival advantage?3

In contrast, it is perfectly consistent with the biblical model for plants to offer “others-centered” products that confer specific health benefits to the creatures that depend on them. Genesis 1:31 describes an originally “very good” world, where God provided for man “every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat [food].”4

Thanks are in order both to those who are working to discover how certain compounds manifest their health benefits, as well as to the Creator who provided His creation with plant sustenance infused with beneficial compounds.

References

   1. UCSB Scientists Show How Certain Vegetables Combat Cancer. University of California, Santa Barbara press release, December 23, 2008.
   2. Azarenko, O. 2008. Suppression of microtubule dynamic instability and turnover in MCF7 breast cancer cells by sulforaphane. Carcinogenesis. 29 (12): 2360-2368.
   3. Demick, D. 2000. The Unselfish Green Gene. Acts & Facts. 30 (6).
   4. Genesis 1:29.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Confusing Origin of Locust Swarms
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Certain grasshoppers are generally mild-mannered and solitary creatures.1 However, when their population becomes dense enough, their bodies physically change and they clump together, sometimes forming the kinds of swarms that have plagued mankind throughout history.

The swarming capacity of these insects is well-known, but “there has been no convincing general explanation for the evolution of these density-dependent switches in spatial distribution.”2 In a recent study published in Current Biology, researchers have attempted to explain the origins of this behavior. Andy Reynolds of Rothamsted Research and his colleagues propose that locusts evolved their clumping and swarming capacity in order to prevent predators from being able to continuously eat them. If grasshoppers always remained solitary, they would remain spread out over wide regions, so that predators could easily devour them.

An increase in the grasshoppers’ population density triggers the swarming response, causing the insects to move en masse to a new location out of the reach of their immediate enemies. However, this explanation fails to answer the key question: How did these grasshoppers obtain the ability to transform their individual behaviors, social behaviors, external and internal physiologies so radically, and within a span of just hours?3

Even if locusts form swarms for the purpose of eluding predators, this only shows that there is a purpose involved. No evolutionary concepts are necessarily connected from this purpose to the locusts’ behavior. In fact, the relevant point is precisely that no real-world natural mechanism has been established, either by this research or in any other field, that would translate a purpose (such as evading predators) into forming a new biological structure or instinct, let alone a completely-integrated organism. Thus, the pertinent question for evolution remains unanswered, and even unexplored: How, step by step, did locusts evolve their transforming capacity?

It may well be the case that these insects clump and swarm partly for the purpose of avoiding predators. However, another study indicates that locusts begin swarming because of the threat of being eaten by neighboring locusts.4 Research does not demonstrate that either of these general explanations has, or could have, anything to do with an evolutionary development of grasshopper behavior or physiology.

It makes more sense that the purposes for locust swarms were conceived in the mind of the One who programmed locust behavior. Moreover, this Creator, unlike any undirected natural process, understands and even formulated the broad plans of the complex ecosystems in which the locusts can effectively function—either as solitary insects, or swarming hordes.

References

   1. Those within the family Acrididae, including locusts (swarming grasshoppers).
   2. Reynolds, A. et al. 2008. Predator Percolation, Insect Outbreaks, and Phase Polyphenism. Current Biology. Published online December 18, 2008.
   3. Rogers, S. et al. 2003. Mechanosensory-induced behavioural gregarization in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Experimental Biology. 206 (22): 3991-4002.
   4. Cannibals drive locust march. Oxford University press release, May 9, 2008, regarding the study published in Current Biology by Bazai, S. et al, 2008, Collective Motion and Cannibalism in Locust Migratory Bands, 18 (10): 735-739.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Virus Motors Impossible for Evolution
by Brian Thomas, M.S.*

Bacteriophages are non-living yet specialized viruses that hijack cells to clone more viruses. In this way, they help to maintain balanced bacterial populations. When a new “phage” is assembled within a host cell, it is faced with a difficulty—how to package its DNA, which is 1,000 times longer than the diameter of its capsid, the tiny vessel that holds it. Research in 2007 revealed that this is accomplished by a molecular motor.1

The amount of force this motor exerts is 6 x 10-11 Newtons, making it the most powerful of all known molecular motors and twice as powerful as a car engine, relative to its size. It guzzles fuel at the rate of 300 ATP (adenosine triphosphate) energy molecules per second.2 (Since it essentially steals all this ATP from its host, efficiency is not an issue.)

The bacteriophage motor also has gears, a handy feature when DNA needs to be unraveled before packaging. Douglas Smith of the University of California in San Diego said in 2007, “It is the equivalent of reeling in and packing 100 yards of fishing line into a coffee cup, but the virus is able to package its DNA in under five minutes.”3

The December 26, 2008, edition of the journal Cell reported on the nuts and bolts of the viral DNA packaging motor.4 It consists of five proteins in a ring that wraps around the DNA strand. Each protein takes its turn, running counterclockwise, to shove two DNA bases at a time into its capsid. Each of the five proteins goes through a sequence of events: binding ATP (enabled by the exact placement of a specific amino acid, arginine), binding the DNA, cranking the DNA upward, then releasing and resetting.

A famous twentieth-century evolutionist, J. B. S. Haldane, once said in a debate that evolution could not possibly form “various mechanisms, such as the wheel and magnet, which would be useless till fairly perfect.”5 In the 60 years since this statement was made, biological magnets, wheels, and motors—including the viral DNA packing motor—have been described in considerable detail. Since none of these finely-tuned biological features could have been invented by any natural means, they must have come from a supernatural One.

References

   1. Fuller, D. N. et al. 2007. Single phage T4 DNA packaging motors exhibit large force generation, high velocity, and dynamic variability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104 (43): 16868-16873.
   2. Sarfati, J. 2008. By Design. Powder Springs, GA: Creation Book Publishers, 143.
   3. Seethaler, S. Powerful Molecular Motor Permits Speedy Assembly of Viruses. University of California, San Diego press release, October 29, 2007.
   4. Sun, S. et al. 2008. The Structure of the Phage T4 DNA Packaging Motor Suggests a Mechanism Dependent on Electrostatic Forces. Cell. 135 (7): 1251-1262.
   5. Dewar, D. 1949. Is Evolution a Myth? A Debate between D. Dewar and L. M. Davies vs. J. B. S. Haldane. London: Watts & Co. Ltd, 90. Quoted in Sarfati, By Design, 86.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

[Soldier4Christ]

I HAVE WAITED . . . --- Genesis 49:18.

"I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord." --- Genesis 49:18.

Many have received comfort from these words in death, and waited in faith for their salvation. The thoughtless and impenitent wait only for temporal prosperity in their lives, and therefore cannot expect eternal bliss: but on the contrary, a dreadful judgment after death.

Oh, that they would enter into themselves this very day, that at the eve of life they might, like Jacob and Simeon, depart in peace! We will not, therefore, look for any earthly things, but for the Saviour, who is already come, who will grant us his salvation, his aid and deliverance in life and death, and will conduct us safely at last, though we should wait some time for his help.

Yes, my Redeemer, they who wait, depend upon, and hope in thee shall not be ashamed. Grant us only faith and patience, that we may wait on thee from one morning watch to another; and, enduring all things, make the whole course of our lives one perpetual expectation of thy aid; and may we ever abundantly experience thy help and salvation, especially at our latter end.

Christ's own soft hands shall wipe the tears
From every weeping eye;
And pains and groans, and griefs and fears
And death itself shall die.

How long, dear Saviour, oh how long
Shall this bright hour delay?
Fly swiftly round, ye wheels of time,
And bring the welcome day.