These days it seems you can hardly turn on the TV, go online, or open your morning newspaper without being confronted with the idea of global warming. In his 2006 Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore presents global warming as an imminent threat to the planet and paints an alarming picture of a future in which mankind ultimately destroys life on earth.
It’s clear that global warming is a complex and emotionally charged issue, one that cannot be ignored in today’s cultural and political climate. New claims and counter-claims appear in the press with numbing regularity, leaving many Christians uncertain what to believe. Rather than getting lost in the details, it is necessary first to uncover the basic facts and then to understand the assumptions that drive the interpretations of those facts.
Although many people may think otherwise, all of us have assumptions (beliefs) that influence how we look at the facts. If a scientist believes in billions of years of earth history, he will assume, for example, that polar ice needed hundreds of thousands of years to build up over two miles in depth. Scientists who believe in the biblical account of Noah’s Flood, on the other hand, believe the ice must have appeared shortly after the Flood. Depending on their assumptions, equally skilled scientists can reach very different conclusions.
In the global warming debate, it is important to separate fact from interpretation.
Answers in Genesis and Coral Ridge Ministries has put together an excellent video titled Global Warming: A Scientific and Biblical Expose of Climate Change. Check it out below.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
46 Thirtieth Anniversary of a Geologic Catastrophe
May 18 marks the thirtieth anniversary of one of the most violent natural disasters of our time, the colossal 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. This catastrophic geologic event not only shocked the world because of its explosive power and made headline news, but challenged the foundations of evolutionary theory.The May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington is regarded by many as the most significant geologic event of the twentieth century, excelling all others in its extraordinary documentation and scientific study. Although not the most powerful explosion of the last century, that eruption provided a significant learning experience within a natural laboratory for the understanding of catastrophic geologic processes. And thirty years later we learn that Mount St. Helens still confronts the underlying slow-and-gradual assumptions of modern geologic thinking.
On May 18, 1980, a steam blast equivalent to 20 megatons of TNT destroyed the northern side of the once-pristine shape of the volcano. Geologists, who are accustomed to thinking about slow evolutionary processes forming geologic features, were astounded to witness many of these same features form rapidly as a result of that and subsequent eruptions. We are indebted to Dr. Steven Austin of the Institute for Creation Research for his work in documenting carefully the geologic results of this astounding catastrophe. The following undeniable lessons still confront us, thirty years on.1. Rapid Formation of Sediment Layers
Up to 600-feet thicknesses of sediment layers formed as a result of the primary air blast, landslides, resultant water wave on nearby Spirit Lake, volcanic ash flows, mudflows, air falls of volcanic ash, and steam water. The most surprising accumulations resulted from the volcanic ash flows that moved at high velocities from the volcano. These deposits included fine volcanic ash beds from a tiny fraction of an inch thick to greater than 3 feet thick, each representing just a few seconds to several minutes of accumulation. Furthermore, one such layered deposit, 25 feet thick, accumulated within three hours during the evening of June 12, 1980. It was deposited from volcanic ash flows moving at hurricane velocity. Geologists were staggered that such coarse and fine sediment layers could be separated into distinct strata by such a catastrophic flow process from a slurry moving at freeway speed.
Sadly, most geologists still conventionally think that such sedimentary layering has to represent long seasonal variations, or annual changes, as layers accumulate very slowly. They normally think that catastrophic sedimentary processes homogenize materials, depositing coarse and fine grains together. However, Mount St. Helens emphatically teaches us that sedimentary layering does form very rapidly by catastrophic flow processes, such as those that would have occurred during the Genesis Flood.
2. Rapid Erosion
From everyday experience it is observed that rivers and creeks erode very slowly. Thus it is usually assumed that great time periods are needed to form deep canyons. However, at Mount St. Helens very rapidly erosion occurred, producing erosion features that challenge conventional thinking about how landscapes form.
Two-third of a cubic mile of landslide and eruption debris from the May 18, 1980, eruption covered 23 square miles of the North Fork of the Toutle River, blocking the drainage from Spirit Lake westward into the Pacific Ocean. It was the largest debris avalanche observed in human history! The deposits averaged 150 feet thick. Then on May 19, 1982, another explosive eruption of Mount St. Helens melted a thick snow pack in the crater, creating a destructive, sheet-like flood of water, which became a mudflow. Reaching the landslide and eruption debris deposits of the North Fork of the Toutle River, the flow formed channels which cut through the blockage of the drainage westward. Bedrock was eroded up to 600 feet deep to form two canyons on the north flank of the volcano. Individual canyons up to 140 feet deep were cut through the landslide debris and volcanic ash deposits. The erosion left elevated plateaus to the north and south resembling the North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon.
Also, gully-headed side canyons and amphitheater-headed side canyons resemble the side canyons to the Grand Canyon. The breach did not occur straight through the obstruction, but took a meandering path, which reminds us of the meandering path of the Grand Canyon through the high plateaus of northern Arizona. This “Little Grand Canyon of the Toutle River” is a one-fortieth scale model of the real Grand Canyon.
The small creeks which flow through the headwaters of the Toutle River today might seem, by present appearances, to have carved out these canyons very slowly over a very long time period, except for the fact that the erosion was observed to have occurred extremely rapidly! Geologists should thus have learned that the long timescales they have been trained to assign to the erosion of deep canyons are obviously erroneous, and that deep canyons found elsewhere must likewise have formed very rapidly, including the Grand Canyon of Arizona.
Toutle River Canyon (Photo courtesy USGS)
3. Rapid Formation of Fossil Deposits
The volcanic blast of May 18, 1980, destroyed the surrounding forests. By late that afternoon one million logs were floating on nearby Spirit Lake. Many of these logs were actually floating upright. Even though the roots had been broken off, the logs were thicker at the root end and the wood obviously denser so that the root ends sank before the tops of the logs. Indeed, thousands of upright, fully submerged logs were subsequently observed sitting on the floor of the lake, looking as though they were a forest of trees. Investigations showed many had become buried by more than 3 feet of sediment, while others were still resting on the floor of the lake.
Geologists could easily have misinterpreted these upright buried logs as representing multiple forests that had grown on different levels over periods of many thousands of years. This is in fact how the petrified upright logs at Specimen Ridge in Yellowstone National Park had been interpreted, as successive forests growing over many thousands of years. However, the lesson from Mount St. Helens is that fossilized upright logs had to be buried rapidly.
4. Rapid Formation of a Peat Layer
The enormous log mat floating on Spirit Lake lost its bark and branches, rubbed off by the abrasive action of wind and waves. Scuba investigations of the lake bottom subsequently revealed that sheets of bark intermingled with volcanic sediments had formed a layer of peat many inches thick. Together with broken branches and root materials, the sheets of bark gave the peat a coarse texture and a layered appearance. This “Spirit Lake peat” resembles, both compositionally and texturally, certain coal beds of the eastern United States.
Geologists suppose that coal beds formed by the accumulation of organic material in vast swamps where the plants grew in place. By slow growth and accumulation, they estimate about 1,000 years was required to form each inch of coal. However, typical swamp peat deposits are very fine, with a texture looking like coffee grounds or mashed potatoes. They are homogeneous because of the intense penetration of the roots which dominate swamps. Thus root material is the dominant coarse component of modern swamp peats, while sheets of bark are extremely rare. This is the exact opposite of what was found in the “Spirit Lake peat.” Yet the Spirit Lake peat is texturally and compositionally similar to coal. Thus the lesson from Spirit Lake at Mount St. Helens is that this first formation stage of coal beds is rapid, and due to catastrophic destruction of forests, not the slow and gradual growth of plants in swamps.
Conclusion
Mount St. Helens provided a rare opportunity to study geologic processes that within a few months produced changes that geologists assumed required many thousands of years. Mount St. Helens served as a miniature laboratory for catastrophism! The eruption and its aftermath challenged the timescales most geologists attach to geologic processes and changes that are used to construct the long geologic ages underpinning Darwinian evolution. Thus the Mount St. Helens catastrophe challenged, and still challenges, the slow and gradual interpretation of the accumulation of the geologic record and provides the stepping stone to help us imagine catastrophism on a global scale during the cataclysmic Genesis Flood.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
44 Geologic Evidences of a Global Flood
Have you ever been tongue-tied when asked to provide geologic evidence that the Genesis Flood really did occur, just as the Bible describes? Then what follows is for you.
This article provides an overview of six geologic evidences for the Genesis Flood. Together, they will provide you with ammunition and a teaching tool for you and others.
This article provides an overview of six geologic evidences for the Genesis Flood. Together, they will provide you with ammunition and a teaching tool for you and others.
Why is it that many people, including many Christians, can’t see the geologic evidence for the Genesis Flood? It is usually because they have bought into the evolutionary idea that “the present is the key to the past.” They are convinced that, because today’s geological processes are so slow, the rock strata and the earth’s rock layers took millions of years to form.
Why is it that many people can’t see the geologic evidence for the Genesis Flood? Because many have bought into the evolutionary idea that “the present is the key to the past.”
However, if the Genesis Flood really occurred, what evidence would we look for? We read in Genesis 7 and 8 that “the fountains of the great deep” were broken up and poured out water from inside the earth for 150 days (5 months). Plus it rained torrentially and globally for 40 days and nights (“the floodgates [or windows of heaven] were opened”). No wonder all the high hills and the mountains were covered, meaning the earth was covered by a global ocean (“the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished,” 2 Peter 3:6). All air-breathing life on the land was swept away and perished.
So what evidence would we look for? Wouldn’t we expect to find billions of dead plants and animals buried and fossilized in sand, mud, and lime that were deposited rapidly by water in rock layers all over the earth? Of course! That’s exactly what we find. Indeed, based on the description of the Flood in Genesis 7–8, there are six main geologic evidences that testify to the Genesis Flood.
Six Evidences for the Genesis Flood
Evidence #1—Fossils of sea creatures high above sea level due to the ocean waters having flooded over the continents.
We find fossils of sea creatures in rock layers that cover all the continents. For example, most of the rock layers in the walls of Grand Canyon (more than a mile above sea level) contain marine fossils. Fossilized shellfish are even found in the Himalayas.
Evidence #1—Fossils of sea creatures high above sea level due to the ocean waters having flooded over the continents.
We find fossils of sea creatures in rock layers that cover all the continents. For example, most of the rock layers in the walls of Grand Canyon (more than a mile above sea level) contain marine fossils. Fossilized shellfish are even found in the Himalayas.
Evidence #2—Rapid burial of plants and animals.
We find extensive fossil “graveyards” and exquisitely preserved fossils. For example, billions of nautiloid fossils are found in a layer within the Redwall Limestone of Grand Canyon. This layer was deposited catastrophically by a massive flow of sediment (mostly lime sand). The chalk and coal beds of Europe and the United States, and the fish, ichthyosaurs, insects, and other fossils all around the world, testify of catastrophic destruction and burial.
We find extensive fossil “graveyards” and exquisitely preserved fossils. For example, billions of nautiloid fossils are found in a layer within the Redwall Limestone of Grand Canyon. This layer was deposited catastrophically by a massive flow of sediment (mostly lime sand). The chalk and coal beds of Europe and the United States, and the fish, ichthyosaurs, insects, and other fossils all around the world, testify of catastrophic destruction and burial.
Evidence #3—Rapidly deposited sediment layers spread across vast areas.
We find rock layers that can be traced all the way across continents—even between continents—and physical features in those strata indicate they were deposited rapidly. For example, the Tapeats Sandstone and Redwall Limestone of Grand Canyon can be traced across the entire United States, up into Canada, and even across the Atlantic Ocean to England. The chalk beds of England (the white cliffs of Dover) can be traced across Europe into the Middle East and are also found in the Midwest of the United States and in Western Australia. Inclined (sloping) layers within the Coconino Sandstone of Grand Canyon are testimony to 10,000 cubic miles of sand being deposited by huge water currents within days.
We find rock layers that can be traced all the way across continents—even between continents—and physical features in those strata indicate they were deposited rapidly. For example, the Tapeats Sandstone and Redwall Limestone of Grand Canyon can be traced across the entire United States, up into Canada, and even across the Atlantic Ocean to England. The chalk beds of England (the white cliffs of Dover) can be traced across Europe into the Middle East and are also found in the Midwest of the United States and in Western Australia. Inclined (sloping) layers within the Coconino Sandstone of Grand Canyon are testimony to 10,000 cubic miles of sand being deposited by huge water currents within days.
Evidence #4—Sediment transported long distances.
We find that the sediments in those widespread, rapidly deposited rock layers had to be eroded from distant sources and carried long distances by fast-moving water. For example, the sand for the Coconino Sandstone of Grand Canyon (Arizona) had to be eroded and transported from the northern portion of what is now the United States and Canada. Furthermore, water current indicators (such as ripple marks) preserved in rock layers show that for “300 million years” water currents were consistently flowing from northeast to southwest across all of North and South America, which, of course, is only possible over weeks during a global flood.
We find that the sediments in those widespread, rapidly deposited rock layers had to be eroded from distant sources and carried long distances by fast-moving water. For example, the sand for the Coconino Sandstone of Grand Canyon (Arizona) had to be eroded and transported from the northern portion of what is now the United States and Canada. Furthermore, water current indicators (such as ripple marks) preserved in rock layers show that for “300 million years” water currents were consistently flowing from northeast to southwest across all of North and South America, which, of course, is only possible over weeks during a global flood.
Evidence #5—Rapid or no erosion between strata.
We find evidence of rapid erosion, or even of no erosion, between rock layers. Flat, knife-edge boundaries between rock layers indicate continuous deposition of one layer after another, with no time for erosion. For example, there is no evidence of any “missing” millions of years (of erosion) in the flat boundary between two well-known layers of Grand Canyon—the Coconino Sandstone and the Hermit Formation. Another impressive example of flat boundaries at Grand Canyon is the Redwall Limestone and the strata beneath it.
We find evidence of rapid erosion, or even of no erosion, between rock layers. Flat, knife-edge boundaries between rock layers indicate continuous deposition of one layer after another, with no time for erosion. For example, there is no evidence of any “missing” millions of years (of erosion) in the flat boundary between two well-known layers of Grand Canyon—the Coconino Sandstone and the Hermit Formation. Another impressive example of flat boundaries at Grand Canyon is the Redwall Limestone and the strata beneath it.
Evidence #6—Many strata laid down in rapid succession.
Rocks do not normally bend; they break because they are hard and brittle. But in many places we find whole sequences of strata that were bent without fracturing, indicating that all the rock layers were rapidly deposited and folded while still wet and pliable before final hardening. For example, the Tapeats Sandstone in Grand Canyon is folded at a right angle (90°) without evidence of breaking. Yet this folding could only have occurred after the rest of the layers had been deposited, supposedly over “480 million years,” while the Tapeats Sandstone remained wet and pliable.
Rocks do not normally bend; they break because they are hard and brittle. But in many places we find whole sequences of strata that were bent without fracturing, indicating that all the rock layers were rapidly deposited and folded while still wet and pliable before final hardening. For example, the Tapeats Sandstone in Grand Canyon is folded at a right angle (90°) without evidence of breaking. Yet this folding could only have occurred after the rest of the layers had been deposited, supposedly over “480 million years,” while the Tapeats Sandstone remained wet and pliable.
Conclusion
Jesus Christ our Creator (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:16–17), who is the Truth and would never tell us a lie, said that during the “days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37; Luke 17:26–27) “Noah entered the Ark” and “the Flood came and took them all away” (Matthew 24:38–39). He spoke of these events as real, literal history, describing a global Flood that destroyed all land life not on the Ark.
Therefore, we must believe what Christ told us, rather than the ideas of fallible scientists who weren’t there to see what happened in the earth’s past. Thus we shouldn’t be surprised when the geologic evidence in God’s world (rightly understood by asking the right questions) agrees exactly with God’s Word, affirmed by Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ our Creator (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:16–17), who is the Truth and would never tell us a lie, said that during the “days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37; Luke 17:26–27) “Noah entered the Ark” and “the Flood came and took them all away” (Matthew 24:38–39). He spoke of these events as real, literal history, describing a global Flood that destroyed all land life not on the Ark.
Therefore, we must believe what Christ told us, rather than the ideas of fallible scientists who weren’t there to see what happened in the earth’s past. Thus we shouldn’t be surprised when the geologic evidence in God’s world (rightly understood by asking the right questions) agrees exactly with God’s Word, affirmed by Jesus Christ.
Friday, May 14, 2010
43 Does the age of the earth really matter?
While each of these evidences previously presented reveals reasons why the earth cannot be billions of years old, the real issue is not the age of the earth.
Instead, the real issue is authority.
God’s infallible Word must be our ultimate authority, not the unstable foundation of human reasoning. Are we trying to fit our interpretations of the world (e.g., evolution) into Scripture, or will we simply let God speak for Himself through His Word?
If we can’t trust the first chapters of Genesis, why should we believe when Scripture says that faith in Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation? (Romans 10:9; Acts 4:12; John 14:6)
But when we take Scripture as written, it’s clear that the earth can’t be more than a few thousand years old—and from a biblical worldview, the scientific evidence agrees!
Instead, the real issue is authority.
God’s infallible Word must be our ultimate authority, not the unstable foundation of human reasoning. Are we trying to fit our interpretations of the world (e.g., evolution) into Scripture, or will we simply let God speak for Himself through His Word?
If we can’t trust the first chapters of Genesis, why should we believe when Scripture says that faith in Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation? (Romans 10:9; Acts 4:12; John 14:6)
But when we take Scripture as written, it’s clear that the earth can’t be more than a few thousand years old—and from a biblical worldview, the scientific evidence agrees!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
42 Young Earth Evidence #6
Geology: Tightly Folded Rock Strata
When solid rock is bent, it normally cracks and breaks. Rock can only bend without fracturing when it is softened by extreme heating (which causes re-crystalization) or when the sediments have not yet fully hardened.
There are numerous locations around the world (including the famous Grand Canyon) where we observe massive sections of strata that have been tightly folded, without evidence of the sediments being heated.
This is a major problem for evolutionists who believe these rock layers were laid down gradually over vast eons of time, forming the geologic record. However, it makes perfect sense to creationists who believe these layers were formed rapidly in the global, catastrophic Flood described in Genesis.
When solid rock is bent, it normally cracks and breaks. Rock can only bend without fracturing when it is softened by extreme heating (which causes re-crystalization) or when the sediments have not yet fully hardened.
There are numerous locations around the world (including the famous Grand Canyon) where we observe massive sections of strata that have been tightly folded, without evidence of the sediments being heated.
This is a major problem for evolutionists who believe these rock layers were laid down gradually over vast eons of time, forming the geologic record. However, it makes perfect sense to creationists who believe these layers were formed rapidly in the global, catastrophic Flood described in Genesis.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
41 Young Earth Evidence #5
Anthropology: Human Population Growth
It’s amazing what basic mathematics can show us about the age of the earth. We can calculate the years of human existence with the population doubling every 150 years (a very conservative figure) to get an estimate of what the world’s population should be after any given period of time.
A biblical age of the earth (about 6,000 years) is consistent with the numbers yielded by such a calculation. In contrast, even a conservative evolutionary age of 50,000 years comes out to a staggering, impossibly high figure of one to the 99th power—greater than the number of atoms in the universe!
Clearly, the claim that humans have inhabited the earth for tens of thousands of years is absurd!
It’s amazing what basic mathematics can show us about the age of the earth. We can calculate the years of human existence with the population doubling every 150 years (a very conservative figure) to get an estimate of what the world’s population should be after any given period of time.
A biblical age of the earth (about 6,000 years) is consistent with the numbers yielded by such a calculation. In contrast, even a conservative evolutionary age of 50,000 years comes out to a staggering, impossibly high figure of one to the 99th power—greater than the number of atoms in the universe!
Clearly, the claim that humans have inhabited the earth for tens of thousands of years is absurd!
- For a better look at these calculations, see Billions of People in Thousands of Years?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
40 Young Earth Evidence #4
Biology: Dinosaur Soft Tissue
In recent years, there have been many findings of “wondrously preserved” biological materials in supposedly ancient rock layers and fossils. One such discovery that has left evolutionists scrambling is a fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex femur with flexible connective tissue, branching blood vessels, and even intact cells!
According to evolutionists, these dinosaur tissues are more than 65 million years old, but laboratory studies have shown that there is no known way—and likely none possible—for biological material to last more than thousands of years.
Could it be that evolutionists are completely wrong about how recently these dinosaurs lived?
In recent years, there have been many findings of “wondrously preserved” biological materials in supposedly ancient rock layers and fossils. One such discovery that has left evolutionists scrambling is a fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex femur with flexible connective tissue, branching blood vessels, and even intact cells!
According to evolutionists, these dinosaur tissues are more than 65 million years old, but laboratory studies have shown that there is no known way—and likely none possible—for biological material to last more than thousands of years.
Could it be that evolutionists are completely wrong about how recently these dinosaurs lived?
- To learn more, see the article Fossilized Biomaterials Must Be Young by Brian Thomas of ICR.
Monday, May 10, 2010
39 Young Earth Evidence #3
Geology: Earth's Decaying Magnetic Field
Like other planets, the earth has a magnetic field that is decaying quite rapidly. We are now able to measure the rate at which the magnetic energy is being depleted and develop models to explain the data.
Secular scientists invented a “dynamo model” of the earth’s core to explain how the field could have lasted over such a long period of time, but this model fails to adequately explain the data for the rapid decay and the rapid reversals that it has undergone in the past. (It also cannot account for the magnetic fields of other planets, such as Neptune and Mercury.)
However, the creationist model (based on the Genesis Flood) effectively and simply explains the data in regard to the earth’s magnetic field, providing striking evidence that the earth is only thousands of years old—and not billions.
Like other planets, the earth has a magnetic field that is decaying quite rapidly. We are now able to measure the rate at which the magnetic energy is being depleted and develop models to explain the data.
Secular scientists invented a “dynamo model” of the earth’s core to explain how the field could have lasted over such a long period of time, but this model fails to adequately explain the data for the rapid decay and the rapid reversals that it has undergone in the past. (It also cannot account for the magnetic fields of other planets, such as Neptune and Mercury.)
However, the creationist model (based on the Genesis Flood) effectively and simply explains the data in regard to the earth’s magnetic field, providing striking evidence that the earth is only thousands of years old—and not billions.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
38 Young Earth Evidence #2
Astronomy: Recession of the Moon
The gravitational pull of the moon creates a “tidal bulge” on earth that causes the moon to spiral outwards very slowly. Because of this effect, the moon would have been closer to the earth in the past. Based on gravitational forces and the current rate of recession, we can calculate how much the moon has moved away over time.
If the earth is only 6,000 years old, there’s no problem, because in that time the moon would have only moved about 800 feet (250 m). But most astronomy books teach that the moon is over four billion years old, which poses a major dilemma—less than 1.5 billion years ago the moon would have been touching the earth!
The gravitational pull of the moon creates a “tidal bulge” on earth that causes the moon to spiral outwards very slowly. Because of this effect, the moon would have been closer to the earth in the past. Based on gravitational forces and the current rate of recession, we can calculate how much the moon has moved away over time.
If the earth is only 6,000 years old, there’s no problem, because in that time the moon would have only moved about 800 feet (250 m). But most astronomy books teach that the moon is over four billion years old, which poses a major dilemma—less than 1.5 billion years ago the moon would have been touching the earth!
Friday, May 7, 2010
37 Young Earth Evidence #1
Without millions and billions of years, evolutionary history completely falls apart. Here are just a few of many credible evidences from various branches of science that tell of a world much younger than evolutionists claim.
Geology: Radiocarbon in Diamonds
Far from proving evolution, carbon-14 dating actually provides some of the strongest evidence for creation and a young earth. Radiocarbon (carbon-14) cannot remain naturally in substances for millions of years because it decays relatively rapidly. For this reason, it can only used to obtain “ages” in the range of tens of thousands of years.
Scientists from the RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth) project examined diamonds that evolutionists consider to be 1–2 billion years old and related to the earth’s early history. Diamonds are the hardest known substance and extremely resistant to contamination through chemical exchange.
Yet the RATE scientists discovered significant detectable levels of radiocarbon in these diamonds, dating them at around 55,000 years—a far cry from the evolutionary billions!
Geology: Radiocarbon in Diamonds
Far from proving evolution, carbon-14 dating actually provides some of the strongest evidence for creation and a young earth. Radiocarbon (carbon-14) cannot remain naturally in substances for millions of years because it decays relatively rapidly. For this reason, it can only used to obtain “ages” in the range of tens of thousands of years.
Scientists from the RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth) project examined diamonds that evolutionists consider to be 1–2 billion years old and related to the earth’s early history. Diamonds are the hardest known substance and extremely resistant to contamination through chemical exchange.
Yet the RATE scientists discovered significant detectable levels of radiocarbon in these diamonds, dating them at around 55,000 years—a far cry from the evolutionary billions!
- For more information, see Radiocarbon in Diamonds Confirmed. To learn more about diamonds and their formation, read this article by Dr. Andrew Snelling.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
36 Putting the Bible Back In Schools
In 1963 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government schools cannot sponsor Bible reading. However, it did not restrict teaching about the Bible. In fact, Time magazine (April 2, 2007) recently reported efforts to return the Bible to public schools, and endorsed the liberal textbook published by the group known as the “Bible Literacy Project.”
But there is an alternative. The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBCPS), a nonprofit educational organization based in North Carolina, exists to promote the study of the Bible as an elective in junior- and senior-high classrooms nationwide. Its president Elizabeth Ridenour says tremendous progress has been made in this effort but that they have faced opposition from organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and People for the American Way, which oppose even the mention of God in the classroom.
The NCBCPS publishes a 300-page teachers’ curriculum, The Bible in History and Literature, which uses the Bible as the textbook. Through study of the Old and New Testaments, the curriculum familiarizes students with the content of the Bible and compares it to other literature. Following constitutional guidelines, the course emphasizes that the Bible is the foundational document of our society and the single most influential book in shaping American culture, laws, history, and even language.
NCBCPS elective course materials have now been adopted by over 382 schools in 37 states. And these schools have yet to face a legal challenge in court.
Visit the NCBCPS website at http://www.bibleinschools.net/.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
35 Made In His Image: Balancing Body Temperature
Average normal body temperature for a human is 98.6 degrees.
Ever wonder how that temperature is maintained? How does it stay the same with varying conditions outside the body as well as the constant onslaught we face from bacteria, viruses, and disease? How does the body know when to cool off or heat up?
Keep reading...
Ever wonder how that temperature is maintained? How does it stay the same with varying conditions outside the body as well as the constant onslaught we face from bacteria, viruses, and disease? How does the body know when to cool off or heat up?
Keep reading...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
34 Evolution Can't Explain Dancing Babies
One of my favorite things to see is dancing babies. No inhibition, no embarassment, and sometimes more rhythm than most adults I know.
But where does that rhythm come from?
Keep reading...
But where does that rhythm come from?
Keep reading...
Monday, May 3, 2010
33 Antibiotic Resistance of Bacteria: Evolution in Action?
The extraordinary ability of certain bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics—which are otherwise useful in speeding recovery from some illnesses—has been a hot topic on the minds of doctors, hospital staff, reporters, and the general public for several years. It is also heralded as a textbook example of evolution in action.These bacteria are being studied by evolutionary scientists with the hope that they will reveal secrets as to how molecules-to-man evolution could have happened.
But are bacteria really evolving?
Saturday, May 1, 2010
32 E.T. Phone Home
ABC News reports:
Alien encounters may seem like sure-fire winners to Hollywood, but one of the world's most famous scientists thinks they may be "too risky" be be worth seeking.
Steven Hawking discusses the risks he says alien life poses to humans.
In a new Discovery Channel documentary, which premiered Sunday night, British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking said that communicating with aliens could be a threat to Earth. Hawking said it is likely that alien life exists, but a visit from extraterrestrials might be similar to Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas.
"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said. "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet."
Oops! Too late! It seems that we have been broadcasting messages into outer space already for years, some intentional, others not so much. Four NASA deep space probes — Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 — carry plaques and recordings that say hello from Earth and give directions on how to get here.
You may be asking, Why? How did we get to this? Why is our government spending millions of dollars listening for signals from space when we are in such a budget crisis? Forget the budget crisis, WHY ARE WE SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS LISTENING FOR SIGNALS FROM SPACE?!?
One word...evolution. Read the above quote from Stephen Hawking again. See the last line?
"We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet."
If evolution on our planet led to intelligent life, namely humans, than evolution could have led to intelligent life on other planets as well. All we have to do is find them.
With a biblical worldview, this is not possible. The earth was created unique amongst the entire universe. The stars, sun, and moon were set up not to support life on other planets but to be a benefit for our planet (Genesis 1:14-15).
Alien encounters may seem like sure-fire winners to Hollywood, but one of the world's most famous scientists thinks they may be "too risky" be be worth seeking.
Steven Hawking discusses the risks he says alien life poses to humans.
In a new Discovery Channel documentary, which premiered Sunday night, British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking said that communicating with aliens could be a threat to Earth. Hawking said it is likely that alien life exists, but a visit from extraterrestrials might be similar to Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas.
"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said. "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet."
Oops! Too late! It seems that we have been broadcasting messages into outer space already for years, some intentional, others not so much. Four NASA deep space probes — Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 — carry plaques and recordings that say hello from Earth and give directions on how to get here.
You may be asking, Why? How did we get to this? Why is our government spending millions of dollars listening for signals from space when we are in such a budget crisis? Forget the budget crisis, WHY ARE WE SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS LISTENING FOR SIGNALS FROM SPACE?!?
One word...evolution. Read the above quote from Stephen Hawking again. See the last line?
"We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet."
If evolution on our planet led to intelligent life, namely humans, than evolution could have led to intelligent life on other planets as well. All we have to do is find them.
With a biblical worldview, this is not possible. The earth was created unique amongst the entire universe. The stars, sun, and moon were set up not to support life on other planets but to be a benefit for our planet (Genesis 1:14-15).
Friday, April 30, 2010
31 Has Noah's Ark Been Found?
Every few years we hear of claims that Noah’s Ark (or what may remain of it) has been found on the mountains of Ararat in Turkey. Over the weekend, a press conference was held in Hong Kong where it was announced that explorers were almost certain they had found the remains of the Ark.
While it is an amazing find, without knowing the scientific methods, Christians have to be careful about jumping to conclusions about discoveries such as this. Far to often these events turn out to be hoaxes. Without corroboration from leading creationist organizations, we must be hesitant about running through the streets shouting "The Bible is true! Noah's ark has been found."
The Bible is true with or without scientific evidence. The Bible is true because God says it is (Psalm 19 and Psalm 119).
While it is an amazing find, without knowing the scientific methods, Christians have to be careful about jumping to conclusions about discoveries such as this. Far to often these events turn out to be hoaxes. Without corroboration from leading creationist organizations, we must be hesitant about running through the streets shouting "The Bible is true! Noah's ark has been found."
The Bible is true with or without scientific evidence. The Bible is true because God says it is (Psalm 19 and Psalm 119).
Thursday, April 29, 2010
30 Parents (and Grandparents) - Don't Leave Teaching to the Church
The church is not the only place our children should be taught biblical truth. Parents can do many practical things to combat the evolutionary indoctrination their children face.
In addition to ensuring that their children receive meaningful instruction from church, parents are responsible to build a biblical worldview in their children on a daily basis.
Parents, you can become more involved in many ways.
Get Involved in the Classroom
Frequently drop by your children’s school. The teachers will allow you to sit in the classroom and listen. That way, you are able to monitor what your children are being taught and discuss it with them after school.
Checking the textbooks your children bring home is also helpful. Note antibiblical philosophies and discuss them with your children at the appropriate time in the school year. Contrast what the textbooks teach with the Word of God. Show them how science confirms biblical truth.
Look for Everyday Moments
When your child asks about finding a baby bird killed by a cat, rather than brushing it off as the “natural order of things,” you could use this opportunity to explain the connection between Adam’s (and our) sin and death in the world.
Road cuts exposing many rock layers provide ample opportunities to discuss how the global Flood of Noah’s day (and its aftereffects) left its mark on the world—the watery catastrophe most likely caused the layers. When you marvel at a mountain peak, teach your children how God brought such beauty out of judgment. Today’s mountains were not all a direct creation of God; most came as a result of God’s judgment in the Flood.
Watch What Your Children Watch
Even supposedly “innocent” media have a message to convey. The cartoons SpongeBob Squarepants and Bugs Bunny, popular movies such as Ice Age, Jurassic Park, and the Star Wars series, and innocuous television programs like Gilligan’s Island have reinforced the idea of millions of years of evolution.
As you watch such programs with them, teach discernment by pointing out anti-God philosophies.
Minister to Other Children
Barb Martin used the Seven C’s of History with her neighborhood children (ages 2–13) during a summer Bible club. (See Backyard Evangelists from Answers in Genesis for more details on how to conduct a backyard club.) Invite other children to your house for a snack and a fun lesson.
Supplement Their Learning
You don’t have to homeschool your children to educate them at home. Parents can supplement what their children are learning in school (in science, history, math, etc.) with brief daily or weekly lessons at home. The lessons don’t need to be long. A half-hour session on a different subject area each week can go far, over the course of a year, to help your children connect the Bible to the real world.
Study as a Family
The dinner table and bedtime provide opportunities to spend time as a family studying God’s Word every day. You can use this family devotion time to teach your children ways to answer the questions of the world and to think biblically.
Of course, children need to do more than read the Bible; they need to learn how to study the Bible and how to use the Bible when confronted with skeptical attacks on the Word of God and Christianity.
Ask your children what negative comments they’ve heard others say about the Bible or Christianity, and then teach them how to respond during your family time over the next days or weeks (after you’ve had time to learn the answers). News accounts also make great springboards for discussing a biblical perspective on such things as global warming, war, etc.
In all of this, encourage a true passion for the Lord and His Word (this starts with you!). Children are never too young to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8) and to see that the Bible is worthy of our trust and obedience.
In addition to ensuring that their children receive meaningful instruction from church, parents are responsible to build a biblical worldview in their children on a daily basis.
Parents, you can become more involved in many ways.
Get Involved in the Classroom
Frequently drop by your children’s school. The teachers will allow you to sit in the classroom and listen. That way, you are able to monitor what your children are being taught and discuss it with them after school.
Checking the textbooks your children bring home is also helpful. Note antibiblical philosophies and discuss them with your children at the appropriate time in the school year. Contrast what the textbooks teach with the Word of God. Show them how science confirms biblical truth.
Look for Everyday Moments
When your child asks about finding a baby bird killed by a cat, rather than brushing it off as the “natural order of things,” you could use this opportunity to explain the connection between Adam’s (and our) sin and death in the world.
Road cuts exposing many rock layers provide ample opportunities to discuss how the global Flood of Noah’s day (and its aftereffects) left its mark on the world—the watery catastrophe most likely caused the layers. When you marvel at a mountain peak, teach your children how God brought such beauty out of judgment. Today’s mountains were not all a direct creation of God; most came as a result of God’s judgment in the Flood.
Watch What Your Children Watch
Even supposedly “innocent” media have a message to convey. The cartoons SpongeBob Squarepants and Bugs Bunny, popular movies such as Ice Age, Jurassic Park, and the Star Wars series, and innocuous television programs like Gilligan’s Island have reinforced the idea of millions of years of evolution.
As you watch such programs with them, teach discernment by pointing out anti-God philosophies.
Minister to Other Children
Barb Martin used the Seven C’s of History with her neighborhood children (ages 2–13) during a summer Bible club. (See Backyard Evangelists from Answers in Genesis for more details on how to conduct a backyard club.) Invite other children to your house for a snack and a fun lesson.
Supplement Their Learning
You don’t have to homeschool your children to educate them at home. Parents can supplement what their children are learning in school (in science, history, math, etc.) with brief daily or weekly lessons at home. The lessons don’t need to be long. A half-hour session on a different subject area each week can go far, over the course of a year, to help your children connect the Bible to the real world.
Study as a Family
The dinner table and bedtime provide opportunities to spend time as a family studying God’s Word every day. You can use this family devotion time to teach your children ways to answer the questions of the world and to think biblically.
Of course, children need to do more than read the Bible; they need to learn how to study the Bible and how to use the Bible when confronted with skeptical attacks on the Word of God and Christianity.
Ask your children what negative comments they’ve heard others say about the Bible or Christianity, and then teach them how to respond during your family time over the next days or weeks (after you’ve had time to learn the answers). News accounts also make great springboards for discussing a biblical perspective on such things as global warming, war, etc.
In all of this, encourage a true passion for the Lord and His Word (this starts with you!). Children are never too young to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8) and to see that the Bible is worthy of our trust and obedience.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
29 Ida: The Missing Link At Last?
Last year a new fossil discovery led to a flurry of evolutionary assumptions when a team of scientists revealed “Ida,” the latest and greatest supposed missing link. But does Ida actually support “the evolution of early primates, and, ultimately, modern human beings,” as ABC News reported?
Another reporter raved, “The search for a direct connection between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom has taken 200 years—but it was presented to the world today at a special news conference in New York.”
Formally identified as Darwinius masillae (in honor of Charles Darwin), the fossil originated in Germany and is purportedly 47 million years old. One scientist gave the find the nickname Ida (after his daughter).
Unfortunately (for evolutionists), Ida has become just another in a long line of missing links that are still missing. It turns out that Ida is just an ancestor of current day lemurs.
Better luck next time!
Another reporter raved, “The search for a direct connection between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom has taken 200 years—but it was presented to the world today at a special news conference in New York.”
Formally identified as Darwinius masillae (in honor of Charles Darwin), the fossil originated in Germany and is purportedly 47 million years old. One scientist gave the find the nickname Ida (after his daughter).
Unfortunately (for evolutionists), Ida has become just another in a long line of missing links that are still missing. It turns out that Ida is just an ancestor of current day lemurs.
Better luck next time!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
28 Earth Day: A Creationist Perspective
There is more behind what has been designated as Earth Day (April 22) than planting trees, reducing pollution, and conserving natural resources.
Of course, a lot of what is promoted on this day certainly sounds admirable. Furthermore, Christians are to be good stewards in caring for the earth (Genesis 1:28).
But there is a lot more to Earth Day than meets the eye.
Keep reading...
Of course, a lot of what is promoted on this day certainly sounds admirable. Furthermore, Christians are to be good stewards in caring for the earth (Genesis 1:28).
But there is a lot more to Earth Day than meets the eye.
Keep reading...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
27 Where Are The Gaps?
One of the arguments against a young view of the earth is gaps in the genealogies from the book of Genesis. This is used as evidence to support millions and billions of years. Llet's see if we can't get a time line on when this all happened.
Well we know from a literal reading of Genesis 1 that it took six days. From the creation of the universe to the creation of man was six days.
What about those who say that the six days are not 24 hour days? Do you know the best answer to this? The Ten Commandments. Surprised? Look at the 4th commandment as recorded in Exodus 20:
8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
11 "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Do you believe God wrote the Ten Commandments? Deuteronomy 9:10 says so:
The LORD gave me [Moses] the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.
God said He made the heavens and the earth in six days. Still a doubter?
Starting in Genesis 5, we see Adam’s age when Seth was born and how old Adam was when he died. This continues all the way to Noah. He lived so many years and he had a son, and he lived so many years and he had a son, he lived so many years and he had a son.
Six days, 1656 years, and 225 years...so something under 2000 years and you're at Abraham.
Start in Genesis 12 with Abraham and go through the Old Testament historical books...Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles. Just proceed through those books and you have the chronology from Abraham to the New Testament:
From the creation to Abraham is about 2000 years. From Abraham to the New Testament is about 2000 years. And from the beginning of the New Testament to now is about 2000 years.
Tell me again where the millions and billions come in?
Well we know from a literal reading of Genesis 1 that it took six days. From the creation of the universe to the creation of man was six days.
What about those who say that the six days are not 24 hour days? Do you know the best answer to this? The Ten Commandments. Surprised? Look at the 4th commandment as recorded in Exodus 20:
8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
11 "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Do you believe God wrote the Ten Commandments? Deuteronomy 9:10 says so:
The LORD gave me [Moses] the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.
God said He made the heavens and the earth in six days. Still a doubter?
| From the creation of the universe to the creation of man: | 6 days |
Starting in Genesis 5, we see Adam’s age when Seth was born and how old Adam was when he died. This continues all the way to Noah. He lived so many years and he had a son, and he lived so many years and he had a son, he lived so many years and he had a son.
| You add up those from the first man, Adam, to the Flood: | 1656 years |
| Genesis 11 gives you the chronology from the Flood to Abraham: | 225 years |
Six days, 1656 years, and 225 years...so something under 2000 years and you're at Abraham.
Start in Genesis 12 with Abraham and go through the Old Testament historical books...Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles. Just proceed through those books and you have the chronology from Abraham to the New Testament:
| Israelites in Egypt: | 430 years |
| Israelites in the wilderness: | 40 years |
| Israelites conquering Canaan: | 7 years |
| Time of the Judges: | 350 years |
| United Kingdom (Saul, David, and Solomon): | 110 years |
| Divided Kingdom of Judah and Israel: | 350 years |
| Babylonian captivity: | 70 years |
| Return and rebuilding of Jerusalem: | 140 years |
| Years of silence between Old and New Testament: | 400 years |
From the creation to Abraham is about 2000 years. From Abraham to the New Testament is about 2000 years. And from the beginning of the New Testament to now is about 2000 years.
Tell me again where the millions and billions come in?
Friday, March 12, 2010
26 Day-Age Inconsistencies Part 2
A day is as a thousand years...
Some refer to 2 Peter 3:8 which tells us: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” This verse is used by many who teach, by inference at least, that the days in Genesis must each be a thousand years long. This reasoning, however, is quite wrong.
Turning to Psalm 90:4 we read a similar verse: “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” In both 2 Peter 3 and Psalm 90 the whole context is that God is neither limited by natural processes nor by time. To the contrary, God is “outside” time, for He also “created” time. Neither verse refers to the days of creation in Genesis, for they are dealing with God not being bound by time. In 2 Peter 3, the context is in relation to Christ’s second coming, pointing out the fact that with God a day is just like a thousand years or a thousand years is just like one day. He is outside of time. This has nothing to do with the days of creation in Genesis.
Further, in 2 Peter 3:8 the word “day” is contrasted with “a thousand years.” The word “day” thus has a literal meaning which enables it to be contrasted with “a thousand years.” It could not be contrasted with “a thousand years” if it didn’t have a literal meaning. Thus, the thrust of the Apostle’s message is that God can do in a very short time what men or “nature” would require a very long time to accomplish, if they could accomplish it at all.
It is interesting to note that evolutionists try to make out that the chance, random processes of “nature” required millions of years to produce man. Many Christians have accepted these millions of years, added them to the Bible and then said that God took millions of years to make everything. However, the point of 2 Peter 3:8 is that God is not limited by time, whereas evolution requires time (a very great deal of it!).
Some refer to 2 Peter 3:8 which tells us: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” This verse is used by many who teach, by inference at least, that the days in Genesis must each be a thousand years long. This reasoning, however, is quite wrong.
Turning to Psalm 90:4 we read a similar verse: “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” In both 2 Peter 3 and Psalm 90 the whole context is that God is neither limited by natural processes nor by time. To the contrary, God is “outside” time, for He also “created” time. Neither verse refers to the days of creation in Genesis, for they are dealing with God not being bound by time. In 2 Peter 3, the context is in relation to Christ’s second coming, pointing out the fact that with God a day is just like a thousand years or a thousand years is just like one day. He is outside of time. This has nothing to do with the days of creation in Genesis.
Further, in 2 Peter 3:8 the word “day” is contrasted with “a thousand years.” The word “day” thus has a literal meaning which enables it to be contrasted with “a thousand years.” It could not be contrasted with “a thousand years” if it didn’t have a literal meaning. Thus, the thrust of the Apostle’s message is that God can do in a very short time what men or “nature” would require a very long time to accomplish, if they could accomplish it at all.
It is interesting to note that evolutionists try to make out that the chance, random processes of “nature” required millions of years to produce man. Many Christians have accepted these millions of years, added them to the Bible and then said that God took millions of years to make everything. However, the point of 2 Peter 3:8 is that God is not limited by time, whereas evolution requires time (a very great deal of it!).
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
25 Day-Age Inconsistencies Part 1
There are many inconsistencies in accepting the days in Genesis as long periods of time.
For instance, we are told in Genesis 1:26–28 that God made the first man (Adam) on the sixth day. Adam lived through the rest of the sixth day and through the seventh day.
We are told in Genesis 5:5 that he died when he was 930 years old. (We are not still in the seventh day as some people misconstrue, for Genesis 2:2 tells us God “rested” from His work of creation, not that He is resting from His work of creation.)
If each day was, for example, a million years, then there are real problems. In fact, if each day were only a thousand years long, this still makes no sense of Adam’s age at death either.
For instance, we are told in Genesis 1:26–28 that God made the first man (Adam) on the sixth day. Adam lived through the rest of the sixth day and through the seventh day.
We are told in Genesis 5:5 that he died when he was 930 years old. (We are not still in the seventh day as some people misconstrue, for Genesis 2:2 tells us God “rested” from His work of creation, not that He is resting from His work of creation.)
If each day was, for example, a million years, then there are real problems. In fact, if each day were only a thousand years long, this still makes no sense of Adam’s age at death either.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
24 Does Distant Starlight Prove the Universe is Old?
Critics of biblical creation sometimes use distant starlight as an argument against a young universe.
The argument goes something like this: (1) there are galaxies that are so far away, it would take light from their stars billions of years to get from there to here; (2) we can see these galaxies, so their starlight has already arrived here; and (3) the universe must be at least billions of years old—much older than the 6,000 or so years indicated in the Bible.
Many big bang supporters and old earth creationists consider this to be an excellent argument against the biblical timescale.
Do you know how to answer these questions?
Read this for help answering this common objection.
The argument goes something like this: (1) there are galaxies that are so far away, it would take light from their stars billions of years to get from there to here; (2) we can see these galaxies, so their starlight has already arrived here; and (3) the universe must be at least billions of years old—much older than the 6,000 or so years indicated in the Bible.
Many big bang supporters and old earth creationists consider this to be an excellent argument against the biblical timescale.
Do you know how to answer these questions?
Read this for help answering this common objection.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
23 Genesis 1 versus the Big Bang
Many Christians attempting to compromise with modern science propose that God used the Big Bang to create the universe. There are several things wrong with this idea. Most importantly, it is absolutely contrary to the plain reading of Scripture in Genesis 1.
The big bang story from the beginning to now:
Do we trust in God's account of origins or man's story?
Which are you going to believe?
The big bang story from the beginning to now:
- The entire universe is contained in a point.
- This point rapidly expands like a balloon.
- Energy becomes matter - hydrogen and helium.
- The matter condenses into stars and galaxies.
- Stars make heavier elements which become dust.
- Dust condenses to form planets.
- On one such planet, chemicals happen to form life.
- Life evolves into you.
How does this compare to the Bible?
| Big Bang | The Bible | |
| Cause of the universe | Quantum fluctuation, nothing, can’t know | God |
| Timescale | Billions of Years | Thousands of Years |
| Order | Stars before the Earth | Earth before stars |
| Order | Fish before trees | Trees before fish |
| Order | Dinosaurs before birds | Birds before dinosaurs |
| The future | Heat death | Judgment / restoration |
| ETs | Life likely evolved elsewhere, too | Earth created specifically for life |
| Original Earth | Molten rock | Created as a paradise |
Do we trust in God's account of origins or man's story?
| God's Word | Man's Guess |
| God was actually there | Man wasn't there |
| Never makes mistakes | Man makes mistakes |
| Knows everything | Limited knowledge |
| Always correctly interprets evidence | Can often misinterpret the evidence |
| Never lies | Sometimes dishonest |
| Actually responsibile for creation | Had nothing to do with creation |
Which are you going to believe?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
22 Class Materials
Below I have linked to the materials to past few class sessions. Feel free to modify or use them however you like.
Don't forget to share this site with your friends and relatives who may have questions.
February 14th - notes and powerpoint
February 21st - notes and powerpoint
February 28th - notes and powerpoint (Coming soon)
Don't forget to share this site with your friends and relatives who may have questions.
February 14th - notes and powerpoint
February 21st - notes and powerpoint
February 28th - notes and powerpoint (Coming soon)
21 If it has sharp teeth, it must eat meat right?
When viewing fossils such as this one, all sharp teeth tell us is that the animal had sharp teeth.
There are several examples of animals with razor sharp teeth that need them to eat...are you ready for this?...plants! Pandas, fruit bats (like the one in the picture), and even bears have sharp teeth that are used to eat plants.
You can also read here about a lion that during its entire lifetime of nine years never ate meat!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
20 Isn't Evolution Wonderful? - 4
In the past, we have often marveled at little beasties who, with (literally) incredibly foresight and ingenuity, designed chemical and physical changes to themselves that defy belief.
Today, it's a plant.
The tropical acacia plant exudes a drug that controls the minds of the ants that live on it. The drug both motivates the ants aggressively to attack anything — from spider to giraffe — hapless enough to try to feed on it. Then, when it serves the plant's purposes (?), it also drives the ants away from its flowers.
If we believe that all is nothing but matter in motion, purposeless and blind... what a lucky plant.
Otherwise, just imagine the countless generations of veggi-scientists, luring species after species of ant, running chemical and behavioral diagnoses, then hitting the lab for innumerable chemical combinations and experiments, looking for that perfect mixture of elements. And of course, the vast generatiosn of acacia plants dying without the ants' protection.
Clever herb, eh?
Not really.
Psalm 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Today, it's a plant.
The tropical acacia plant exudes a drug that controls the minds of the ants that live on it. The drug both motivates the ants aggressively to attack anything — from spider to giraffe — hapless enough to try to feed on it. Then, when it serves the plant's purposes (?), it also drives the ants away from its flowers.
If we believe that all is nothing but matter in motion, purposeless and blind... what a lucky plant.
Otherwise, just imagine the countless generations of veggi-scientists, luring species after species of ant, running chemical and behavioral diagnoses, then hitting the lab for innumerable chemical combinations and experiments, looking for that perfect mixture of elements. And of course, the vast generatiosn of acacia plants dying without the ants' protection.
Clever herb, eh?
Not really.
Psalm 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
19 The Bible Was Written By Men...
Nonbelievers, specifically atheists, are very predictable in their arguments.
Somehow, atheists have garnered a reputation of intelligence and reason.
This article will help you prepare for a discussion where the tiresome argument of the Bible being written by men is brought up.
Be prepared!
Somehow, atheists have garnered a reputation of intelligence and reason.
This article will help you prepare for a discussion where the tiresome argument of the Bible being written by men is brought up.
Be prepared!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
18 Where Did Cain Get His Wife?
Spend enough time interacting with those who believe evolution and the issue of Cain’s wife is bound to come up. As you defend the idea that all people came from the union of Adam and Eve and this question will arise.
If you have ever seen the movies Inherit the Wind or Contact, you will remember that this question and the believers’ lack of an answer is a turning point. Could you answer this question?
Why is this important? Many skeptics have claimed that for Cain to find a wife, there must have been other “races” of people on the earth who were not descendants of Adam and Eve. To many people, this question is a stumbling block to accepting the creation account of Genesis and its record of only one man and woman at the beginning of history. Defenders of the gospel must be able to show that all human beings are descendants of one man and one woman (Adam and Eve) because only descendants of Adam and Eve can be saved. Thus, believers need to be able to account for Cain’s wife and show clearly she was a descendant of Adam and Eve.
Since the Bible describes all human beings as sinners, and we are all related (“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth,” Acts 17:26), the gospel makes sense only on the basis that all humans alive and all that have ever lived (except for the first woman) are descendants of the first man Adam. If this were not so, then the gospel could not be explained or defended.
Thus, there was only one man at the beginning—made from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).
This also means that Cain’s wife was a descendant of Adam. She couldn’t have come from another race of people and must be accounted for from Adam’s descendants.
In Genesis 5:4 we read a statement that sums up the life of Adam and Eve: “After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.”
During their lives, Adam and Eve had a number of male and female children. In fact, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote, “The number of Adam’s children, as says the old tradition, was thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters.”
Scripture doesn’t tell us how many children were born to Adam and Eve, but considering their long life spans (Adam lived for 930 years—Genesis 5:5), it would seem logical to suggest there were many. Remember, they were commanded to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).
If we now work totally from Scripture, without any personal prejudices or other extrabiblical ideas, then back at the beginning, when there was only the first generation, brothers would have had to marry sisters or there wouldn’t have been any more generations!
We’re not told when Cain married or many of the details of other marriages and children, but we can say for certain that Cain’s wife was either his sister or a close relative.
Many people immediately reject the conclusion that Adam and Eve’s sons and daughters married each other by appealing to the law against brother-sister marriage. Some say that you can’t marry your relation. Actually, if you don’t marry your relation, you don’t marry a human! A wife is related to her husband before they are married because all people are descendants of Adam and Eve—all are of one blood. This law forbidding close relatives marrying was not given until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18–20). Provided marriage was one man for one woman for life (based on Genesis 1–2), there was no disobedience to God’s law originally (before the time of Moses) when close relatives (even brothers and sisters) married each other.
Remember that Abraham was married to his half-sister (Genesis 20:12). God’s law forbade such marriages, but that was some four hundred years later at the time of Moses.
Today, brothers and sisters (and half-brothers and half-sisters, etc.) are not currently permitted by law to marry and have children.
Now it is true that children produced in a union between brother and sister have a greater chance to be deformed. As a matter of fact, the closer the couple are in relationship, the more likely it is that any offspring will be deformed. It is very easy to understand this without going into all the technical details.
Each person inherits a set of genes from his or her mother and father. Unfortunately, genes today contain many mistakes (because of sin and the Curse), and these mistakes show up in a variety of ways.
The more closely related two people are, the more likely it is that they will have similar mistakes in their genes, inherited from the same parents. Therefore, brother and sister are likely to have similar mistakes in their genetic material. If there were to be a union between these two that produces offspring, children would inherit one set of genes from each of their parents. Because the genes probably have similar mistakes, the mistakes pair together and result in deformities in the children.
Conversely, the further away the parents are in relationship to each other, the more likely it is that they will have different mistakes in their genes. Children, inheriting one set of genes from each parent, are likely to end up with some of the pairs of genes containing only one bad gene in each pair. The good gene tends to override the bad so that a deformity (a serious one, anyway) does not occur. Instead of having totally deformed ears, for instance, a person may have only crooked ones. (Overall, though, the human race is slowly degenerating as mistakes accumulate generation after generation.)
However, this fact of present-day life did not apply to Adam and Eve. When the first two people were created, they were perfect. Everything God made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). That means their genes were perfect—no mistakes. But when sin entered the world because of Adam (Genesis 3:6), God cursed the world so that the perfect creation then began to degenerate, that is, suffer death and decay (Romans 8:22). Over a long period of time, this degeneration would have resulted in all sorts of mistakes occurring in the genetic material of living things.
But Cain was in the first generation of children ever born. He, as well as his brothers and sisters, would have received virtually no imperfect genes from Adam or Eve, since the effects of sin and the Curse would have been minimal to start with. In that situation, brother and sister could have married (provided it was one man for one woman, which is what marriage is all about, Matthew 19:4–6) without any potential to produce deformed offspring.
By the time of Moses (about 2,500 years later), degenerative mistakes would have accumulated to such an extent in the human race that it would have been necessary for God to bring in the laws forbidding brother-sister (and close relative) marriage (Leviticus 18–20).
If you have ever seen the movies Inherit the Wind or Contact, you will remember that this question and the believers’ lack of an answer is a turning point. Could you answer this question?
Why is this important? Many skeptics have claimed that for Cain to find a wife, there must have been other “races” of people on the earth who were not descendants of Adam and Eve. To many people, this question is a stumbling block to accepting the creation account of Genesis and its record of only one man and woman at the beginning of history. Defenders of the gospel must be able to show that all human beings are descendants of one man and one woman (Adam and Eve) because only descendants of Adam and Eve can be saved. Thus, believers need to be able to account for Cain’s wife and show clearly she was a descendant of Adam and Eve.
Since the Bible describes all human beings as sinners, and we are all related (“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth,” Acts 17:26), the gospel makes sense only on the basis that all humans alive and all that have ever lived (except for the first woman) are descendants of the first man Adam. If this were not so, then the gospel could not be explained or defended.
Thus, there was only one man at the beginning—made from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).
This also means that Cain’s wife was a descendant of Adam. She couldn’t have come from another race of people and must be accounted for from Adam’s descendants.
In Genesis 5:4 we read a statement that sums up the life of Adam and Eve: “After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.”
During their lives, Adam and Eve had a number of male and female children. In fact, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote, “The number of Adam’s children, as says the old tradition, was thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters.”
Scripture doesn’t tell us how many children were born to Adam and Eve, but considering their long life spans (Adam lived for 930 years—Genesis 5:5), it would seem logical to suggest there were many. Remember, they were commanded to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).
If we now work totally from Scripture, without any personal prejudices or other extrabiblical ideas, then back at the beginning, when there was only the first generation, brothers would have had to marry sisters or there wouldn’t have been any more generations!
We’re not told when Cain married or many of the details of other marriages and children, but we can say for certain that Cain’s wife was either his sister or a close relative.
Many people immediately reject the conclusion that Adam and Eve’s sons and daughters married each other by appealing to the law against brother-sister marriage. Some say that you can’t marry your relation. Actually, if you don’t marry your relation, you don’t marry a human! A wife is related to her husband before they are married because all people are descendants of Adam and Eve—all are of one blood. This law forbidding close relatives marrying was not given until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18–20). Provided marriage was one man for one woman for life (based on Genesis 1–2), there was no disobedience to God’s law originally (before the time of Moses) when close relatives (even brothers and sisters) married each other.
Remember that Abraham was married to his half-sister (Genesis 20:12). God’s law forbade such marriages, but that was some four hundred years later at the time of Moses.
Today, brothers and sisters (and half-brothers and half-sisters, etc.) are not currently permitted by law to marry and have children.
Now it is true that children produced in a union between brother and sister have a greater chance to be deformed. As a matter of fact, the closer the couple are in relationship, the more likely it is that any offspring will be deformed. It is very easy to understand this without going into all the technical details.
Each person inherits a set of genes from his or her mother and father. Unfortunately, genes today contain many mistakes (because of sin and the Curse), and these mistakes show up in a variety of ways.
The more closely related two people are, the more likely it is that they will have similar mistakes in their genes, inherited from the same parents. Therefore, brother and sister are likely to have similar mistakes in their genetic material. If there were to be a union between these two that produces offspring, children would inherit one set of genes from each of their parents. Because the genes probably have similar mistakes, the mistakes pair together and result in deformities in the children.
Conversely, the further away the parents are in relationship to each other, the more likely it is that they will have different mistakes in their genes. Children, inheriting one set of genes from each parent, are likely to end up with some of the pairs of genes containing only one bad gene in each pair. The good gene tends to override the bad so that a deformity (a serious one, anyway) does not occur. Instead of having totally deformed ears, for instance, a person may have only crooked ones. (Overall, though, the human race is slowly degenerating as mistakes accumulate generation after generation.)
However, this fact of present-day life did not apply to Adam and Eve. When the first two people were created, they were perfect. Everything God made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). That means their genes were perfect—no mistakes. But when sin entered the world because of Adam (Genesis 3:6), God cursed the world so that the perfect creation then began to degenerate, that is, suffer death and decay (Romans 8:22). Over a long period of time, this degeneration would have resulted in all sorts of mistakes occurring in the genetic material of living things.
But Cain was in the first generation of children ever born. He, as well as his brothers and sisters, would have received virtually no imperfect genes from Adam or Eve, since the effects of sin and the Curse would have been minimal to start with. In that situation, brother and sister could have married (provided it was one man for one woman, which is what marriage is all about, Matthew 19:4–6) without any potential to produce deformed offspring.By the time of Moses (about 2,500 years later), degenerative mistakes would have accumulated to such an extent in the human race that it would have been necessary for God to bring in the laws forbidding brother-sister (and close relative) marriage (Leviticus 18–20).
Friday, February 12, 2010
17 Evidence For A Young World
D. Russell Humphreys, Ph.D. has written a great article with "a dozen natural phenomena which conflict with the evolutionary idea that the universe is billions of years old."
Have you ever been stumped by evolutionists when asked to show evidence that evolution could not have happened? Here is your answer.
Have you ever been stumped by evolutionists when asked to show evidence that evolution could not have happened? Here is your answer.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
16 What is Progressive Creationism?
Progressive Creationism is another attempt by Christians to accomodate the evolutionary idea of billions of years into Scripture. Here are a few of its basic teachings:
- The ‘Big Bang’ origin of the universe occurred 16-billion-years ago; death, bloodshed, and disease existed before Adam & Eve.
- The days of Creation were long periods.
- Noah’s Flood was a local event.
- Sin has only a regionally limited effect on the world.
- Man-like creatures that behaved much like us—and painted on cave walls—existed before Adam and Eve, but didn’t have a spirit and thus had no salvation.
- The record of nature is just as perfect as the Word of God.
- Over millions of years, God created new species as others kept going extinct.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
15 Arguments Creationists Should NOT Use - 3
If we evolved from apes, apes shouldn’t exist today.
In an evolutionary worldview, mankind did not evolve from apes but from an apelike ancestor, from which both humans and apes of today supposedly evolved.
In an evolutionary worldview, mankind did not evolve from apes but from an apelike ancestor, from which both humans and apes of today supposedly evolved.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
14 Arguments Creationists Should NOT Use - 2
NASA’s Discovery of the Missing Day
It is an urban legend that NASA computers verified the “long days” recorded in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Kings 20:11. According to this popular story, scientists noticed that today’s positions of the sun and moon were not quite where they belonged, but they can be corrected by making allowance for the biblical events.
This story was never reasonable. Modern astronomers cannot know the exact positions of the sun and moon prior to these biblical events. So it is impossible for computers to calculate changes from such unknown positions.
Here is an article that refutes the story.
Thankfully we do not need clever stories to believe the Bible.
We have an eyewitness account!
2 Peter 1:16-17
16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
It is an urban legend that NASA computers verified the “long days” recorded in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Kings 20:11. According to this popular story, scientists noticed that today’s positions of the sun and moon were not quite where they belonged, but they can be corrected by making allowance for the biblical events.
This story was never reasonable. Modern astronomers cannot know the exact positions of the sun and moon prior to these biblical events. So it is impossible for computers to calculate changes from such unknown positions.
Here is an article that refutes the story.
Thankfully we do not need clever stories to believe the Bible.
We have an eyewitness account!
2 Peter 1:16-17
16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Monday, February 8, 2010
13 Class Materials
Here are the notes and powerpoint from our class last night, February 7 2010. The numbers in brackets correspond to the slides in the powerpoint. Feel free to email me if you have any questions about the materials.
familybronson@yahoo.com
familybronson@yahoo.com
12 Problems with the Gap Theory – 2
It puts death, disease, and suffering before the Fall, contrary to Scripture.
Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” From this we understand that there could not have been human sin or death before Adam. The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 15 that Adam was the first man, and as a result of his rebellion (sin), death and corruption (disease, bloodshed, and suffering) entered the universe. Before Adam sinned, there could not have been any animal or human death. Note also that there could not have been a race of men before Adam that died in Lucifer’s flood because 1 Corinthians 15:45 tells us that Adam was the first man.
Genesis 1:29–30 teaches us that animals and man were originally created to eat plants, which is consistent with God’s description of His creation as “very good.” But how could a fossil record, which gives evidence of disease, violence, death, and decay (fossils have been found of animals apparently fighting and certainly eating each other), be described as “very good”? For this to be true, the death of billions of animals (and many humans) as seen in the fossil record must have occurred after Adam’s sin. The historical event of the global Flood, recorded in Genesis, explains the presence of huge numbers of dead animals buried in rock layers, laid down by water all over the earth.
Romans 8:22 teaches that “the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.” Clearly the whole of creation was, and is, subject to decay and corruption because of sin. When gap theorists believe that disease, decay, and death existed before Adam sinned, they ignore that this contradicts the teaching of Scripture.
Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” From this we understand that there could not have been human sin or death before Adam. The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 15 that Adam was the first man, and as a result of his rebellion (sin), death and corruption (disease, bloodshed, and suffering) entered the universe. Before Adam sinned, there could not have been any animal or human death. Note also that there could not have been a race of men before Adam that died in Lucifer’s flood because 1 Corinthians 15:45 tells us that Adam was the first man.
Genesis 1:29–30 teaches us that animals and man were originally created to eat plants, which is consistent with God’s description of His creation as “very good.” But how could a fossil record, which gives evidence of disease, violence, death, and decay (fossils have been found of animals apparently fighting and certainly eating each other), be described as “very good”? For this to be true, the death of billions of animals (and many humans) as seen in the fossil record must have occurred after Adam’s sin. The historical event of the global Flood, recorded in Genesis, explains the presence of huge numbers of dead animals buried in rock layers, laid down by water all over the earth.
Romans 8:22 teaches that “the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.” Clearly the whole of creation was, and is, subject to decay and corruption because of sin. When gap theorists believe that disease, decay, and death existed before Adam sinned, they ignore that this contradicts the teaching of Scripture.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
11 Problems With The Gap Theory - 1
Believing in the gap theory presents a number of problems and inconsistencies, especially for a Christian.
It is inconsistent with God creating everything in six days, as Scripture states.
Exodus 20:11 says, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Thus the creation of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and the sea and all that is in them (the rest of the creation) was completed in six days.
Is there any time for a gap?
Stay tuned for more in the coming days.
It is inconsistent with God creating everything in six days, as Scripture states.
Exodus 20:11 says, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Thus the creation of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and the sea and all that is in them (the rest of the creation) was completed in six days.
Is there any time for a gap?
Stay tuned for more in the coming days.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
10 What is the Gap Theory?
Christians have made many attempts over the years to harmonize the Genesis account of creation with accepted geology and its teaching of billions of years for the age of the earth. Examples of such attempts include the views of theistic evolution, progressive creation, and the gap theory. Because of the accepted teachings of evolution, many Christians have tried to place a gap of indeterminate time between the first two verses of Genesis 1.
Genesis 1:1–2 states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
There are many variations of the gap theory. According to the author Weston Fields, the theory can be summarized as follows,
“In the far distant dateless past, God created a perfect heaven and perfect earth. Satan was ruler of the earth which was peopled by a race of ‘men’ without any souls. Eventually, Satan, who dwelled in a garden of Eden composed of minerals (Ezekiel 28), rebelled by desiring to become like God (Isaiah 14). Because of Satan’s fall, sin entered the universe and brought on the earth God’s judgment in the form of a flood (indicated by the water of 1:2), and then a global ice age when the light and heat from the sun were somehow removed. All the plant, animal, and human fossils upon the earth today date from this ‘Lucifer’s flood’ and do not bear any genetic relationship with the plants, animals, and fossils living upon the earth today.”
-Fields, Unformed and Unfilled, 7
There are many different versions as to what supposedly happened during this gap of time, but most versions of the gap theory place millions of years of geologic time (including billions of animal fossils) between the Bible’s first two verses.All versions of the gap theory impose outside ideas on Scripture and thus open the door for further compromise.
Friday, February 5, 2010
09 Successful Predictions by Creation Scientists
Two tests for a good scientific model to explain historical science are:
1. the model is simple. The fewer the assumptions the better.
2. the model makes many, correct, specific predictions.
The model used by creation scientists based on Genesis 1-11 meets these two criteria. Look at this article to see some the many scientific proofs to show the validity of the creation model.
1. the model is simple. The fewer the assumptions the better.
2. the model makes many, correct, specific predictions.
The model used by creation scientists based on Genesis 1-11 meets these two criteria. Look at this article to see some the many scientific proofs to show the validity of the creation model.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
08 Isn't Evolution Wonderful? - 3
The Guardian's pictorial is titled Masters of Disguise. But, lest anyone imagine any intelligence behind all this (— what? no! no, of course not!), the text helpfully explains that "natural selection has crafted some remarkable lookalikes."
Now, turn that over in your mind.
"Natural selection," a mindless, impersonal, purposeless process.
"Crafted," a purposeful, intelligent, personally-guided procedure.
But it's only scientific to believe that these things Just Happened.
ht: Dan Phillips
Now, turn that over in your mind.
"Natural selection," a mindless, impersonal, purposeless process.
"Crafted," a purposeful, intelligent, personally-guided procedure.
But it's only scientific to believe that these things Just Happened.
ht: Dan Phillips
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
07 The Incredible Evangelistic Egg
What does an egg say about evolution and creation?
Is an egg a simple container for a chick?
Is there evidence within an egg to support an intelligent creative God?
Absolutely!
Check out this article.
Is an egg a simple container for a chick?
Is there evidence within an egg to support an intelligent creative God?
Absolutely!
Check out this article.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
06 Genesis 1-11 in the New Testament
Over the past century, evolution has become more entrenched in our schools as supposedly a scientific fact. As a result, the first eleven chapters of Genesis have slowly become an embarrassment to many Christian churches and seminaries. Few people in these churches and seminaries have stopped to consider just how foundational these chapters are to the New Testament. Every New Testament writer and Jesus Christ Himself frequently referred to these early chapters of Genesis. What happens to their credibility if these early chapters are incorrect? Listed below are the seventy one direct references in the New Testament which refer back to these foundational chapters of Genesis.
Note:
1. Every New Testament writer refers to the early chapters of Genesis (Genesis 1-11).
2. Jesus Christ referred to each of the first seven chapters of Genesis.
3. All New Testament books except Galatians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and 2 and 3 John have references to Genesis 1-11.
4. Every chapter of Genesis 1-11 except chapter 8 is referred to somewhere in the New Testament.
5. Every New Testament writer apparently accepted these early chapters of Genesis as being historically accurate.
| N T Reference | Topic | Genesis Reference |
| Matthew 19:4 | Created male and female | 1:27, 5:12 |
| Matthew 19:5-6 | Cleave to his wife; become one flesh | 2:24 |
| Matthew 23:35 | Righteous Abel | 4:4 |
| Matthew 24:37-39 | Days of Noah | 6:3-5 |
| Mark 10:6 | Created male and female | 1:26-27, 5:2 |
| Mark 10:7-9 | Cleave to his wife, become one flesh | 2:24 |
| Mark 13:19 | Creation which God created | 1:1, 2:4 |
| Luke 3:34-36 | Genealogies: Abraham to Shem | 11:10-26 |
| Luke 3:36-38 | Genealogies: Noah to Adam to God | 5:3-29 |
| Luke 11:51 | Blood of Abel | 4:8-11 |
| Luke 17:27 | The flood came and destroyed them all | 7:10-23 |
| John 1:1-3 | In the beginning God | 1:1 |
| John 1:10 | World was made through Him | 2:3 |
| John 8:44 | Father of lies | 3:4-5 |
| Acts 14:15 | Who made the heaven and the earth | 2:1 |
| Acts 17:24 | God made all things | 1:1-31 |
| Acts 17:26 | All nations of mankind from one | 9:19, 10:32 |
| Romans 1:20 | The creation of the world | 1:1-31, 2:4 |
| Romans 4:17 | Calls into being that which does not exist | 1:1-31 |
| Romans 5:12 | Death entered the world by sin | 2:16-17, 3:19 |
| Romans 5:14-19 | Death reigned from Adam | 2:17 |
| Romans 8:20-22 | Creation corrupted | 3:17-18 |
| 1 Corinthians 6:16 | Two will become one flesh | 2:24 |
| 1 Corinthians 11:3 | Head of the woman | 3:16 |
| 1 Corinthians 11:7 | In the image of God | 1:27, 5:1 |
| 1 Corinthians 11:8 | Woman from man | 2:22-23 |
| 1 Corinthians 11:9 | Woman for the man | 2:18 |
| 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 | By a man came death | 2:16-17 |
| 1 Corinthians 15:38-39 | To each…seeds of its own (kind) | 1:11, 1:21, 1:24 |
| 1 Corinthians 15:45 | Adam became a living soul | 2:7 |
| 1 Corinthians 15:47 | Man from the earth | 3:23 |
| 2 Corinthians 4:6 | Light out of darkness | 1:3-5 |
| 2 Corinthians 11:3 | Serpent deceived Eve | 3:1-6, 3:16 |
| Ephesians 3:9 | Created all things | 2:3 |
| Ephesians 5:30-31 | Cleave to his wife, become one flesh | 2:24 |
| Colossians 1:16 | All things created by Him | 2:1-3 |
| Colossians 3:10 | Created in His image | 1:27 |
| 1 Timothy 2:13-14 | Adam created first | 2:18-23 |
| 1 Timothy 2:14 | Woman deceived | 3:1-6 |
| 1 Timothy 4:4 | Everything created by God is good | 1:10-31 |
| Hebrews 1:10 | Heavens and earth in the beginning | 1:1 |
| Hebrews 2:7-8 | All things in subjection under Him | 1:26-30, 9:2-3 |
| Hebrews 4:3 | Works were finished | 2:1 |
| Hebrews 4:4 | Rest on the seventh day | 2:2 |
| Hebrews 4:10 | Rest from His works | 2:3 |
| Hebrews 11:3 | Creation of the universe | 1:1 |
| Hebrews 11:4 | Abel offered a better sacrifice | 4:3-5 |
| Hebrews 11:5 | Enoch taken up | 5:21-24 |
| Hebrews 11:7 | Noah’s household saved | 7:1 |
| Hebrews 12:24 | Blood of Abel | 4:10 |
| James 3:9 | Men in the likeness of God | 1:27, 5:1 |
| 1 Peter 3:20 | Construction of the Ark, eight saved | 6:14-16, 7:13 |
| 2 Peter 2:5 | A flood upon the ungodly, eight saved | 6:8-12, 7:1-24 |
| 2 Peter 3:4-5 | Earth formed out of water and by water | 1:5-7 |
| 2 Peter 3:6 | The world destroyed by water | 7:17-24 |
| 1 John 3:8 | Devil sinned from the beginning | 3:14 |
| 1 John 3:12 | Cain slew his brother | 4:8, 4:25 |
| Jude 11 | The way of Cain | 4:8, 4:16, 4:25 |
| Jude 14 | Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam | 5:3-24 |
| Revelation 2:7 | Tree of life | 2:9 |
| Revelation 3:14 | Beginning of the creation of God | 1:1-31, 2:1-4 |
| Revelation 4:11 | Created all things | 2:3 |
| Revelation 10:6 | Who created heaven…and the earth | 2:1 |
| Revelation 12:9 | Satan the serpent | 3:1, 3:14 |
| Revelation 14:7 | Who made the heaven and earth | 1:1, 2:1, 2:4 |
| Revelation 20:2 | The serpent of old, who is the devil | 3:1, 3:14 |
| Revelation 21:1 | First heaven and first earth | 2:1 |
| Revelation 21:4 | No more death, sorrow, crying or pain | 3:17-19 |
| Revelation 22:2 | Fruit of the tree of life | 3:22 |
| Revelation 22:3 | No more curse | 3:14-19 |
| Revelation 22:14 | The tree of life | 2:9 |
Note:
1. Every New Testament writer refers to the early chapters of Genesis (Genesis 1-11).
2. Jesus Christ referred to each of the first seven chapters of Genesis.
3. All New Testament books except Galatians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and 2 and 3 John have references to Genesis 1-11.
4. Every chapter of Genesis 1-11 except chapter 8 is referred to somewhere in the New Testament.
5. Every New Testament writer apparently accepted these early chapters of Genesis as being historically accurate.
*Based in part on the original work of
Dr. Henry M. Morris as contained in his
book The Remarkable Birth of Planet Earth.
Dr. Henry M. Morris as contained in his
book The Remarkable Birth of Planet Earth.
Friday, January 29, 2010
05 Arguments Creationists Should NOT Use - 1
We want to honor God and represent Christ well when we defend His Word. This means using honest, intellectually sound arguments that are based in Scripture, logic, and scientific research.
Because there are so many good arguments for a recent creation (which the Bible clearly teaches), we have no need to grasp at straws—arguments using questionable logic and tenuous or no evidence. We should not be willing to distort evidence or resort to bad logic to defend the Bible.
Furthermore, there is little harm in avoiding questionable arguments—or, at least, stating that certain interpretations of evidence are doubtful—since there are plenty of valid arguments with well-documented evidences against molecules-to-man evolution, atheism, and the like. Using bad arguments allows evolutionists to easily “refute” creationists by sidestepping the actual case for biblical creation. Even one instance of using a faulty argument can lead someone to write off creationism as pseudoscientific and dismiss creationists as shoddy researchers—or charlatans!A final reason for avoiding flawed arguments is that it leads to faulty thinking. We do not just want to defend a young-earth creation; ultimately, we want to teach people to start from Scripture and think biblically in all areas of life. The Bible explains the world around us, and since the Bible’s description of earthly things is true, its gospel message is also true. Too Little Moon Dust
Only a thin layer of dust covers the moon’s surface. However, this does not prove a young age for the moon. Before the Apollo lunar missions, a few scientists had predicted that a yards-thick layer of dust should have settled on the moon over billions of years.
Those predictions got a lot of press, yet further satellite measurements of dust in space indicated a much smaller rate of accumulation than previously assumed. This does not mean the moon is billions of years old; modern scientists cannot know the rate of dust accumulation in the past or the amount of dust originally on the moon. Therefore moon dust cannot be used as an age indicator one way or the other.
During the 1960s and 1970s many creationists adopted the “moon dust” argument based on early calculations by some secular scientists, but more accurate information is now available.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
04 Isn't Evolution Wonderful? - 2
It's fascinating to think of the generations of moth-researchers dedicated to figuring out how to thwart a bat's sonar. Then of the production of bodily tools to do just that — all the millions of brave experimenters who died, yet someone passed along their findings to successors.
And then, finally, they "learned" (the word is used) to thwart the bats. Smart little bugs.
Or...brilliant Designer.
ht: Dan Phillips
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
02 Isn't Evolution Wonderful?
The language in this article is simply amazing.
I am not making this up: a type of butterfly "learned" to mimic the scent of ants, and to imitate the sound a queen makes, to get ants to raise — and give preferential treatment to! — its young.
The mind boggles.
How many billions of generations of butterflies died working on their impressions?
How did they "learn" to exude a fragrance? Can you?
How did they get in there and survive to hear the imperceptible sound a queen makes, much less work on their Rich Little groove? And, having "learned" all that, how did they communicate this acquired characteristic and learning to their offspring?
All that's just for starters.
Amazing.
I do think there is a better explanation:
Psalm 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
ht: Dan Phillips
I am not making this up: a type of butterfly "learned" to mimic the scent of ants, and to imitate the sound a queen makes, to get ants to raise — and give preferential treatment to! — its young.
The mind boggles.
How many billions of generations of butterflies died working on their impressions?
How did they "learn" to exude a fragrance? Can you?
How did they get in there and survive to hear the imperceptible sound a queen makes, much less work on their Rich Little groove? And, having "learned" all that, how did they communicate this acquired characteristic and learning to their offspring?
All that's just for starters.
Amazing.
I do think there is a better explanation:
Psalm 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
ht: Dan Phillips
01 The Rights of Christian Students in Public Schools
Do Christian students have any rights in public schools?
May a student wear a tee-shirt or button with a religious slogan, Bible verse, or anti-abortion message printed on it?
May a student give out Gospel tracts or religious literature to his classmates?
May a student witness to his classmates about Jesus or pray with other students on the school campus?
May a student read the Bible during the school day?
May public schools teach about religion?
For the answers to these questions and more, Answers in Genesis has a great article here.
May a student wear a tee-shirt or button with a religious slogan, Bible verse, or anti-abortion message printed on it?
May a student give out Gospel tracts or religious literature to his classmates?
May a student witness to his classmates about Jesus or pray with other students on the school campus?
May a student read the Bible during the school day?
May public schools teach about religion?
For the answers to these questions and more, Answers in Genesis has a great article here.
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