Friday, December 28, 2007

What's EDEN at you kid?


What do you do with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil?

A) Eat the fruit

B) Run

C) Have a snake sandwich


ed n ed n ed n ed n ... ... ...


Pre-Fall EDEN:

** no safety meetings

** no taxes

** no stubbed toes

** no lawyers

** no insurance premiums

** no lost kids at the department store


ed n ed n ed n ed n ... ... ...


SIN-opsis: apple -> 2 bites -> bad news


ed n ed n ed n ed n ... ... ...


Who fooled man to loose his SANITY?

Y SATIN of course!


ed n ed n ed n ed n ... ... ...


A&E unique traits:

Never said, "Thanks mom!"

No mysteries to solve like, "Who made Stonehenge?"


ed n ed n ed n ed n ... ... ...


Name Game:

Adam Adam mo Madam, fe fi fo fadam

Because you sinned, we're all badam, Adam


Eve Eve mo Meve, fe fe fo feve

You ate the fruit, we all grieve, Eve

INTELLIGENT DESIGN IS CREATIONISM


There is an intimate connection between the modern intelligent design framework and traditional creationism. According to a book about Albert Einstein’s theories at the popular level (with a forward by Einstein himself), the laws of thermodynamics imply a beginning to the universe. [1] This would leave room for a single moment of creation, but not multiple creation events throughout time.
Many intelligent design advocates assume that essential types of life do not transform into new organisms with vastly different body plans. [2] If we assume biological fixity and a single creation, then all basic types of life must have existed at the beginning.
Given the stasis of essential types of life throughout time, the only reasonable interpretation of the fossil record is that it represents a singular epoch of rapid geologic activity. That is, the extinction of trilobites and the first appearance of dinosaurs was not separated by millions of years since they existed in the beginning. A catastrophe of sufficient size would destroy and fossilize a diverse group of major biological classes. According to Wikipedia’s article on “Deluge Mythology” there are numerous global flood legends among widespread cultures concerning a cataclysm that occurred within the not too distant past. [3]
Wikipedia’s piece on “Tollmann’s Hypothetical Bolide” shows that at least some geologists hold that legends of a global catastrophe found in cultures throughout the world point to an actual event that happened thousands of years ago. [4] If we assume that most of the fossil record was produced by a great catastrophe, this would require a revision of mainstream geochronology.
Many intelligent design advocates hold to fixity of essential types of life which leads to proposing a singular epoch of rapid geologic activity. This, in turn, gives rise to a condensed version of earth history, including a global catastrophe that occurred thousands of years ago. So, this constellation of views about origins fits the creationist paradigm precisely: biological stasis, a global catastrophe and a highly shortened timescale for natural history. Intelligent design and creationism are similar at many points. However, intelligent design advocates hold that their view is not creationism since they base their position on scientific evidence rather than religious scripture. [5]

1) The Universe and Dr. Einstein by Lincoln Barnett, forward by Albert Einstein, 2nd Rev. Ed.,
(Bantam Books, 1957) pp. 102-106.
2) “The Cambrian Explosion: The Fossil Record and Intelligent Design” by Robert DeHaan and John Wiester in Signs of Intelligence ed. By William Dembski and James Kushiner, (Brazos Press, 2001) pp. 151-154.
3) Noah’s Flood by William Ryan and Walter Pitman, (Simon & Schuster, 1998) pp. 24, 28, 29,238-259.
4) http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=4268982
5) The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design by Jonathan Wells, (Regnery Publishing, 2006) p. 8.

Adam's Blog [stardate 013,718.157]


Sishmo came to visit yesterday carrying a rectangular prism with a cover on it. I assumed it must be a belated Creation/Marriage Anniversary gift. Not only do I not have a navel [recall the orange joke], but I don't have a birthday. Inside the box were covers for my feet made from hadrosaur skin. It took me about 0.3 seconds to think up the name "hadrosaur." I hope your like it.

Shishmo was not bringing a gift; he wanted to exchange his foot covers for some property of mine of equal value. Just last moon, Eve put some slate in a bamboo frame and she used colored chalk to draw pictures on it. We traded these items [shoes & chalkboard] and we were both satisfied at the result.

I think I will name this "free enterprise."

An Open Letter to Walter Bradley (Flood)














Dr. Walter Bradley:
I enjoyed your article “The Trustworthiness of Science in Areas Relating to Natural Science.” Your work on the origin of life and the impotence of mutations is great. My printer took 28 pages for your article and I will refer to these.  In the appendix Geisler claims (p. 23) that Flood Geology requires a “complete revision of geological science.“ In contrast, Stokes and Lee state in their Geology text Introduction to Geology (pub. by Prentice-Hall), that, "A catastrophist might contend that the twisting and breaking of strata, the transportation of huge blocks of rock, the violent cutting of canyons, and the wholesale destruction of life is within the power of a great universal flood--and he would be right." [1]

On page 18 you mention evaporites as a non-rapid formation, yet in Simon and Schuster’s Guide to Rocks and Minerals we read, “Rock salt... is formed by direct sublimation from volcanic exhalations.” [2] A similar claim is in the film “Creation or Evolution?“ produced by Plain Truth Ministries. They favor the progressive creationist view and offer mud cracks in the rock record as evidence against Flood Geology. Elaine Kennedy of Loma Linda comments, “Mud cracks are nearly always presented as problematic. For some reason people have the mistaken idea that there could be no dry ground during the entire flood year and... there are synaresis [UK: synaeresis] cracks which can be mistaken for mud cracks.” [3] Synaresis cracks (shrinkage cracks) which look like mud cracks are caused by changes in salinity which would be expected during the Flood.
You provide the oft used quotation by David Kitts concerning gaps in the fossil record (p. 8). Dr. Kitts taught History of Science and stated in class that the supposed explanation for "overthrusts” where strata are in the “wrong” order by the traditional Geologic Column have very insufficient grounding.  As you may know, he debated Gish and Morris and is not a Flood Geologist.

You claim that the days of creation may be “multiple and/or sequential” (p. 12). The “waw” (and) consecutive in such phrases as “and [waw] God said” and “and [waw] it was evening” in reality requires the termination of one action before the next begins. [4] Overlapping days are not allowed. You suggest that the days may be “indefinite time periods.” The scripture uses large numbers on occasion (10K^2, Rev. 5:11) and could have expressed millions or billions of years if that were the intent. Daniel 2:21-45 is an example of sequential indefinite time periods - why was not Genesis written in like fashion if this is the true message? You can have your millions or billions of years just so long as they are post-NOW. I see no limit on the date of the Parousia. If you wanted to express six normal days, how would you do it?

Your arguments from R. J. Snow for a long sixth day are lacking (p. 12). Adam named all the animals in Eden Preserve that commonly interact with man. We are dealing with kinds, not modern species. Also, recall that Adam was unfallen and probably had higher intellectual potential than you or me. Fast talkers may speak as many as 650 wpm and one can think around 1,000 wpm! Adam’s exclamation “now at length” can also be translated “now at last” - if you had spent your time in intense thought while naming the animals you would be ready for a pleasant surprise and might say “now at last!” In this regard, Bert Thompson points to 1 Timothy 2:13, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” [5]

The word “then” is eita in Greek and means “next; after that.”  Jesus “girded himself. Then [eita] he poured water into the basin” (Jn. 13:5) and Christ said “woman, behold your son! Then [eita] he said to the disciple...” (Jn. 19:26,27). There was no long time gap between the creation of Adam and Eve.

You mention some Church Fathers and Josephus as holding to a non-literal day yet their overall position does not support progressive creation. Augustine held to creation in an instant, not multiple creations over millions of years. In The City of God, Augustine places 2,262 years between Adam and Noah’s Flood. [6] One Chinese chronology gives a date for creation of 6157 B.C. Josephus gave a date of 5481 B.C. Kepler held to a date of 3993 B.C. Luther’s date was 3961 B.C. [7] Many Church Fathers held to the pattern that Adam was made on the sixth day so the Second Adam would appear in the 6,000th year: Clement of Alexander, Origen, Eusebius, Lactantius, Theophilus and others. The traditional Jewish calendar places creation at 3761 B.C. The Mayans timed creation on Feb. 10, 3641 B.C. [8]

You mention 10,000 years as the young earth position (p. 13); many hold to the basic accuracy of Ussher’s date of 4004 B.C. whose Annals of the World has been translated into modern English.

Your reference to dust on the moon (p. 14) neglects the fine work of Andrew Snelling who cautions against using this argument. Many advocates of Young Earth Science (YES) no longer bring forth the lunar approach.

You mention radiometric dating (p. 14) which may have beta decay rates that are a billion times faster under certain conditions. [9] The RATE group has found a diamond with C14 supposedly hundreds of millions of years old. This implies that the diamond is less than 50K years old - truly a platinum bullet for the YES position. Diamonds are not subject to contamination due to their tight crystal structure. The RATE group also found C14 throughout the rock record which implies that the entire sum of deposits are less than 50K years. [10] As Don Batten has pointed out concerning coal, some of which is traditionally dated at hundreds of millions of years, “No source of coal has been found that completely lacks 14C.” [11]

Magnetic reversals are mentioned (p. 14) yet there is evidence that this can occur quite rapidly. Prevot and Coe have concluded from their work on lava flows of Steens Mountain in Oregon that the field may rotate as much as 6o per day! [12] This would produce a reversal in one month. Russell Humphreys has a model of the field that allows for decay and reversals.
The coral growth required to form Eniwetok atoll would have supposedly taken 175K years (p. 14). Coral growth based on soundings is as fast as 414 mm per year and thus Eniwetok atoll could have been formed in less than 3,500 years.
In 1972, Cyclone Bebe formed a transported “reef” 3.5 m high in a few hours. [13] This work is supported by growth rings (p. 15), but this is also suspect. According to some astronomical data tidal friction was twice what is now one thousand years ago. Some living shelled creatures have total yearly growth rings from 283 to 425. [14]

You claim sediments formed from shells on the sea floor must take long ages (p. 15). You may be familiar with the whale fossil in the diatomite beds in Lompoc, CA. These beds are tilted and at one time was reported as being in a vertical position yet even horizontally this whale vindicates a catastrophic origin. The present day accumulation of diatoms give no clue to this process. [15] You refer to multiple layers as indicators of great age; however, Mt. St. Helens created many layers in a short time.

The Lord knows the thoughts of man;
he knows that they are futile.
Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord,
the man you teach from your law
-- Psalm 94:11,12 (NIV)

Notes:
1) Stokes, William Lee and Judson, Sheldon 1968. Introduction to Geology: Physical and Historical: Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, p.296.
(this reference was provided by Dr. Elaine Kennedy of Loma Linda Univ.)
2) Annibale Mottana et al, Simon and Schuster’s Guide to Rocks and Minerals, 1978, Simon & Schuster, item 47 - Halite.
3) Personal communication, 2004.
4) “Understanding the Hebrew of Genesis One: Star Formation and Genesis 1” by James Stambaugh, www.ldolphin.org/waw.html
5) “Too Much Activity on Day Six?” by Bert Thompson, www.apologeticspress.org/rr/reprints/daysix.pdf
6) Kelly, Douglas, 1997. Creation and Change. Mentor, p. 128, 129.
7) “Old-earth or young-earth belief” by Don Batten, www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v24/i1/belief.asp
8) “Estimates on the Biblical Date of Creation” by B. A. Robinson, www.religioustolerance.org/ev_date.htm
9) www.answersingenesis.org/docs2001/0321acc_beta_decay.asp
10) www.answersingenesis.org/docs2003/0821rate.asp
11) Batten, Don, Does Carbon Dating Disprove the Bible?, AiG
12) “The ‘Principle of Least Astonishment’!” by Andrew Snelling, www.answersingenesis.org/docs/3397.asp
13) “How long does a coral reef take to grow?”
www.answersingenesis.org/docs/1224.asp
14) “An Eveluation of the use of Growth Lines in Geochronology, Geophysics, and Paleoecology” by Conrad Clausen, www.grisda.org/origins/01058.htm
15) “The Whale-on-its-Tail Fossil”
www.science-frontiers.com/sf104/sf104p11.htm

Young Earth Science (YES) in the news >> Dr. John Baumgardner (Ph.D. Geophysics & Space Physics) was profiled in U.S. News World Report and invented TERRA (a program to model plate tectonics).  They described him as "the world's pre-eminent expert in the design of computer models for geophysical onvection."  Check out Richard Bell's brass dino here.  Neanderthals were no simpletons and even invented a form of super glue.  Young Age of the Earth supported by oil formation off Baja.

Adam's Blog [stardate 183,745.017]



I had some very strange visitors today. They called themselves the "Galactic Journey Team." Their leader was known as #5. A floating gray cube was named Eniak Junior. Ngoszrke was straining from the weight of two rectangular boxes with rounded edges that he was carrying. Yo-yoe-Nah was outfitted in white with a wristband that displayed a red cross. He also had a belt which held a number of medical gadgets. Jen Mod had arms, legs and a head like a human, but was clearly artificial. She was finished in gold and platinum.

"Greetings my children," I said as they approached.

"We are from the year 2382 and have spent 3 days looking for Eden," #5 explained.

I pointed to the boxes Ngoszrke was hauling, "What are those?"

He answered plainly, "Those are Temporal Spectrum Stabilizers; they enable us to come to your time."

Yo-yoe-Nah asked solemnly, "What do you do to prevent disease Father Adam?"

"Eat vegetables mostly and be careful around mushrooms!"

All the team members looked fuzzy and flickered to a dimmer hue periodically. I attempted to touch the metal of Jen Mod's arm, but my hand passed right through!

Eniak Junior asked, "Is your last name Smith?"

"No" I said with a laugh.

For a few seconds they were speaking in baby-talk and I could not make out a word they were saying.

Then #5 held up an oblong disk-like object and remarked, "Our Lingui-Matic translator was on the fritz."

Jen Mod asked, "What do you do when your pet T-Rex seems uneasy?"

"Tell it to chase my pet kangaroo, Hoppy," I replied.

After several hours of conversation we said our goodbyes.

ADAM COULD WRITE!

Could Adam write? Were Adam and Eve capable of writing as soon as they were created? Could they read the mark of Cain?
First, keep in mind that Adam was made perfect and was very intelligent. He named all the “beasts of the field” and birds in one day (Gen. 2:19)! This involves kinds, fundamental types of organisms, and not modern “species.” In the words of folk poet Bob Dylan, “Man gave names to all the animals, in the beginning, long time ago” (*Slow Train Coming*).
We read in Genesis 5:1, “This is the written account of Adam’s line.” Who better than Adam, who lived 930 years, to compile the earth’s primeval history - he was an eyewitness! The New Testament explicitly states that Moses wrote quotations from the last four books of the Pentateuch, but not Genesis. Maybe Moses edited Genesis from previously existing sources.
What was the mark of Cain? Cain slew Abel, so he was a marked man. God protected Cain by putting a mark on him (Gen. 4:15). God told Cain that if anyone harms him then the attacker will suffer “seven times over.” It seems this was the basic message of the mark which would reasonably have been put on his forehead (cf. Ez. 9:4). A tattoo on his shoulder would not have been seen before a spear pierced his heart. Try to put this message in symbols! My attempt is XC=>OX7x (kill Cain implies God, the circle means infinity, kills you seven times). Thus, the children of Eve were able to read the mark God put on Cain.
Writing does not take thousands of years to develop. Sequoyah, who could neither read not write in English, developed the Cherokee syllabary in four years![1] These include H=“mi” and A=“go.”
Writing in the ancient world was quite widespread. The Native Americans of Alaska had a kind of “picture writing.”[2] A horizontal line with two slants above and two below represent a boat with two people and two oars.
The Mayan alphabet contains 27 symbols and was made known to the Western world in the 1500‘s.[3] This system was not deciphered until the 1950’s through the work of Yuri Knorosov and others.[4] This just shows how advanced the ancients were since it took so long to unravel it! Some letters require more than one symbol. This may be analogous to the fact that we use two letters for the “th” sound but in Greek one letter is used (theta).
A recent discovery at Blombos Cave, 200 miles east of Cape Town, South Africa showed a culture that used “symbolic marks.”[5] They also found ocher, probably used for body paint. What is amazing is that this site is dated at 70,000 years old! We do not accept this date, but wish to emphasize that early cultures used writing. The lack of Stage 3 supernova remnants indicates that our galaxy is roughly seven thousand years old.[6]
The origin of writing began with Adam. Eve and Adam could write! Adam was indeed literate. The history of writing starts with the mark of Cain. The first literacy program was God given.

NOTES:
1) A Study of Writing by I. J. Gelb, Univ. of Chicago Press, 2e, 1963, pp. 206, 207.
2) Ibid., p.34.
3) Ibid., p.54.
4) “The History of Writing“ www.quillandmouse.com/qm0798.htm
5) “Tools, engraving may change human timeline” - New York Times News Service, The Dallas Morning News 12/2/2001, p. 5A.
6) “Exploding Stars Point to a Young Universe” by Jonathan Sarfati,
www.answersingenesis.org/docs/248.asp