To Dembski with Love

William Dembski, the well known ID advocate, has written a book promoting the view that the death, destruction and disease seen in the fossil record are the retroactive punishment of the Fall. The book is called The End of Christianity and Terry Mortenson (of Answers in Genesis) has provided an excellent response to Dembski’s thesis. Dembski accepts the standard geochronology where man appeared on the planet many millions of years after the lower animals. Such scripture twisting is not kosher.

The beginning of creation and the advent of man are not separated by millions or billions of years, “But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female’” (Mk. 10:6). God asked Job, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? … while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4,7). That is the angels were around when the earth was created, but why are the angels around anyway? “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14). That is man and angels are contemporaries and not separated by millions of years. So man has been around since the creation of the earth (Day Six of Creation Week).

Satan was a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). Cain slew Abel and did not resist demonic influences (Ge. 4:6,7). Murder implies man was around – angels don’t die.

Scripture’s first verse tells us that the earth existed at the beginning and not billions of years after the alleged Big Bang. “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands” (Ps. 102:25).

Prophets have existed since the world began: “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Lk. 1:70, KJV). Was not Adam speaking prophetically in Genesis 2:23 when he called Eve “bone of my bones.” Did not Adam make a prediction when he indicated that Eve would be the mother of all living (Ge. 3:20)? Enoch was definitely a prophet (Jude 14). So, human prophets and the beginning of the earth are not separated by billions of years, “… which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:21, KJV). Isaiah concurs:

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in (Is. 40:21,22).

Consider the witness of general revelation: “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19,20). Bert Thompson rightly comments,

Who observed and perceived these things that were made from the beginning of the world? If no man was there for billions of years, because man “is a relatively new comer to the Earth,” who was observing - with rational, human intelligence - these phenomena? An amoeba? A dinosaur? Without question Paul is contending that man has existed since the creation of the world… [1]

“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (Jn. 3:12).

All quotes are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

Note:
1) Creation Compromises by Bert Thompson, (Apologetics Press, 1995, Montgomery, AL), p. 180, emphasis in original.

- - - +++
Just say “YES” (Young Earth Science)!

QED

MOL = Math Out Loud

Darwin Worship

Some atheists treat Darwin as an infallible god. To adapt (evolve?) a phrase from Chris Mooney, “Today, some evolutionists regard Darwin as little short of deity.” [1] Was Darwin there at the beginning (cf. Job 38:4)? Did he witness the six days of Creation Week? Was Darwin a time traveler like Dr. Who (TARDIS). Time cannot go backwards. We have not yet invented a history viewer (similar to the film “Paycheck”).

Are you willing to bleed for the Evolution Creed? Evo Creed: “Evolution is a fact, but we don’t exactly know how it happened and the evidential links are still missing.” If Darwinists don’t worship Darwin, then who do they idolize? Mathematician David Berlinski (who appeared in the film Expelled, http://expelledthemovie.com/) provides the answer, “… evolutionary dogmatists [Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens] …have conjured up a kind of god. Unlike the God of old, who ruled over everything, this god rules over lapses in argument or evidence. … He may be called the god of the gaps [emphasis added].” [2]

Don’t bow down to the Darwin Idol. Consider again the words of Berlinski:

In talking of the mathematician’s skepticism, I mentioned Von Neumann [a Darwin skeptic and leader in the early development of computers] because his name was widely known. I might have mentioned Gian-Carlo Rota. He despised the enveloping air of worship associated with Darwin; he thought biology primitive and dishonest [emphasis added]. [3]

Here is an enlightening video on Darwin worship: http://www.youtube.com/CreationStation23

NOTES:
1) Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney, (2005, Basic Books, New York), p. 35.
2) “The God of the Gaps” by David Berlinski, Commentary, Vol. 125, No. 4 (April 2008), p. 37.

3) http://www.evolutionnews.org/2009/11/darwin_and_the_mathematicians.html

Bible Astronomy for Brainiacs

Jeremiah indicates that the cosmos is expanding: “He has stretched out the heavens” (Jer. 10:12). There are a number of verses that indicate that the universe is expanding. [1]

Psalm 89:37 speaks of the moon as “a faithful witness in heaven.” That is, the moon is a witness to the sun’s light. The moon reflects light; it is not a lightsource itself.

"Just as you can’t number the stars in the sky nor measure the sand on the seashore, neither will you be able to account for the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who serve me" (Jer. 33:22, Message). The total number of stars is about 10^22 to 10^24 stars. This fits in well with the number of sand grains on earth (cf. Ge 22:17). [2]

Job apparently refers to the rotation of the earth: "Hast thou commanded morning since thy days? Causest thou the dawn to know its place? To take hold on the skirts of the earth, and the wicked are shaken out of it. It turneth itself as clay of a seal and they station themselves as clothed" (Job 38:12-14, YLT).

Jude 13 speaks of planets as “wandering stars.”

Job 38:31 asks, “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?” thus indicating that the Pleiades are gravitationally bound which is scientifically accurate. The Pleiades are also mentioned in Job 9:9 and Amos 5:8.

Ezekiel 1:16 speaks of a “wheel inside a wheel.” This reminds us of a gyroscope which provides stability. So, it makes sense that the planets travel around the sun. If the Milky Way did not rotate, it would collapse due to gravitational attraction of the center.

Psalm 84:11 tells us that the Lord is a sun and shield. The sun gives light and heat and helps plants grow. It makes sense that the sun is the center of the solar system. James 1:17 is also consistent with a relatively fixed sun.

Aristarchus (c. 310-230 BC) proposed the heliocentric view and calculated that the moon was 1/3 the size of the earth (actual = ¼) and that the sun was seven times the size of the earth (actual = 109). Objects fall to the earth due to gravity. So, the sun must have more attractive power since it is bigger. The planets revolving around the sun is a very reasonable theory. [3]

Calvin and Luther both rejected heliocentrism. [4] However, Kepler, a firm Bible believer, accepted the Copernican theory. The middle graphic above by Lucas Cranach illustrates the geocentric model. It appeared in the “Luther Bible” of 1534.

Francis Schaeffer points out that the opposition to the Copernican theory was not based on scripture but on Aristotle’s views:

When the Roman Church attacked Copernicus and Galileo (1564-1642), it was not because their teaching actually contained anything contrary to the Bible. The church authorities thought it did, but that was because Aristotelian elements had become part of church orthodoxy, and Galileo’s notion clearly conflicted with them. In fact, Galileo defended the compatibility of Copernicus and the Bible, and this was one of the factors which brought about his trial. [5]

A good synopsis of the Galileo affair may be found in chapter ten of Dinesh D’Souza’s What’s so Great about Christianity?

Compare these amazing affirmations of the Bible’s accuracy with the following statements from the Qur’an:
“…when he reached the setting–place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring…” (sura 18:86, Pickthal).
“The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain” (sura 54:1).

Is there evidence within the solar system that supports Young Earth Science (YES)? YES, there is. Huge dust rings go around the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. According to Frank Low (Univ. of Arizona), “Particles this small can only survive in stable orbits for a few ten-thousands of year before they are pulled apart by the sun.” [6]

Consider the words of Nobel laureate in physics, Arthur Compton, who said,

For myself, faith begins with the realization that supreme intelligence brought the universe into being and created man. It is not difficult for me to have faith, for it is incontrovertible that where there is a plan there is intelligence – and orderly, unfolding universe testifies to the truth of themost majestic statement ever uttered – “In the beginning God.” [7]

You agree, don’t you, that God is in charge? He runs the universe—just look at the stars! (Job 22:12, Message)


Notes:
1) Starlight and Time by Russell Humphreys, 1994, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, p. 66.
2) Astronomy and the Bible by Don DeYoung, 1989, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, pp. 120, 121.
3) Universe by Design by Danny Faulkner, 2004, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, p. 11.
4) “Some Misconceptions of the Impact of the ‘Enlightenment’ on the Doctrine of Scripture” by John Woodbridge in Hermeneutics, Authority and Canon ed. by D.A. Carson and John Woodbridge, 1986, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, pp. 259, 260.
5) Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer by Francis Schaeffer, 1982, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, Vol. 5: p. 156.
6) quoted in It’s a Young World After All by Paul Ackerman, 1986, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 46.
7) DeYoung, pp. 114, 115.

Of Squids and CAT Planets

In an interview with Astrobiology Magazine, David Grinspoon of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado said this concerning catastrophism (CAT) on Venus:

If you use the word catastrophic it rubs some people the wrong way, but something dramatic happened on Venus which wiped out almost all signs of an older surface. The planet got re-paved, basically, 600 or 700 million years ago. … the planet seems to have been flooded with basaltic lavas in a geologically short period of time, simultaneously around the planet. … If Venus has episodic plate tectonics, where nothing happens for a while, the heat builds up in the interior. Eventually it can't stand it any more, and you have this rapid overturning. …what we're seeing on Venus is the evidence of the last of those great episodes of global resurfacing. …

Venus and Earth both show evidence of rapid geologic activity. Mars has also experienced geological catastrophes. Why not consider Global Catastrophic Plate Tectonics (GCPT) as an explanation the for the Flood of Noah’s day?

Writing in the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Victor Baker with the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Arizona, Tucson states:

In the 1920s, J Harlen Bretz demonstrated that the Channeled Scabland [of Washington state] formed by cataclysmic erosion and deposition from Pleistocene megaflooding derived from the margins of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, particularly glacial Lake Missoula in western Montana and northern Idaho. Studies of this region and the high-energy flood processes that generated it are stimulating discoveries of similar megaflood-related landscapes around the world and on Mars…

There is a resurgence of catastrophism in the geologic community. Should we not at least explore the option that most of the rock structures were produced by one great cataclysm? Venus, Mars and Earth are all CAT planets!

If the Flood really happened, then traditional geological dating must be in error. Squid ink has been found in a fossil dated at 150 million years in Brittain. Dr. Phil Wilby of the British Geological Survey said:

It is difficult to imagine how you can have something as soft and sloppy as an ink sac fossilised in three dimension, still black, and inside a rock that is 150 million years old.

The illustration above was drawn with the same ink. An independent study has confirmed that protein fragments, including collagen and hemoglobin, have been found in the T. rex made famous in 2007. Surely this protein is not 65 million years old! So dinos and squid show that the rock record is not old and this is consistent with the view that the Flood was the event the produced most of the fossils.

Some argue that since different creatures are found in distinct layers of the rocks, then this supports evolution. This conclusion is unwarranted. Consider the tiny shelled creatures called foraminifera (forams) that live on the ocean bottom (benthic) and also on the surface (pelagic). Evolutionists consider the surface forms to have evolved from the benthic types since the fossils are found in different strata. The discovery of a surface foram that is the same species as a benthic type calls this into question. Just because different forms of life are found in different sections of the geologic record this does not mean that they existed in periods separated by millions of years. This example with forams shows us that some organisms have a wide ecological range and that their fossil remains are consistent with the Global Flood. That is, Noah’s Flood deposited many ecological zones and not ancestor-descendent sequences as Darwin supposed.

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name. (Jn. 20:30, 31)

A Response to Don’t Know Much About the Bible by Kenneth C. Davis (Part 2)

Don’t Know Much About the Bible by Kenneth C. Davis (part of the “Don’t Know Much” series) is a thoughtful work, but takes a negative attitude toward Scripture. One reviewer claims "Davis writes like Isaac Asimov." According to Davis, “The vivid biblical description of the cruel treatment of the Canaanites in Ai and other cities comes wrapped in the cloak of divine approval, pointing up one of the great ethical contradictions of the Bible. When a supposedly ‘evil’ people is eradicated at God’s direction, does that justify it” [1]? The Israelites did not initiate these conquests on their own accord. When they fought the Amalekites on their own they were defeated (Num. 14:39-45)! God sent the global Flood, Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the New Testament predicts a future judgment where the heavens and the earth will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:7,10). The Lord is a God of justice as well as love. The conquest of Canaan is a supreme example of God’s patience in judgment! The Canaanites were polytheistic, practiced child sacrifice, temple prostitution and divination. Yet God waited 400 years before the punishment came - thus fulfilling his promise to Abraham (Gen. 15:16).

Davis claims that the conquest of Canaan by the Jews was a long process of “settlement.” But what do the facts indicate? The Amarna tablets discovered in Egypt in 1887 include letters form Palestine and Syria. These writings complain about the attacking “Habiru” and mention that Gezer, Ashkelon, Lachish and other cities were conquered. This matches up with Joshua’s conquest of Canaan in 1400-1380 BC. Abdi-Hiba, governor of Jerusalem, wrote to Pharaoh Akhnaton (1387-1366 BC) with great urgency, “The Habiru plunder all lands of the king ... if the archers [from Egypt] are not here, then the lands of the king, my lord, are lost” [2]. This level of desperation makes no sense unless the conquest of Canaan lead by Joshua really happened.

Davis asks “Is mocking a bald man any reason to kill children” [3]? This is in reference to when Elisha called down a curse on a crowd of youths who called him “baldy” and were killed by bears (2 Kings 2:23,24). Disrespecting a prophet was a serious offense and was part of the reason why the Jews were exiled to Babylon (2 Chron. 36:16,20). Remember Samson? Lots of hair is symbolic of strength, so reference to baldness is almost like saying, “your God has no power.” If 42 youths were actually killed, how big was the original mob? Would this qualify as a riot? Was Elisha in danger of his life? The fact that it was a miracle proves that it was God’s decision not an angry whim of Elisha!

Regarding the discovery of the Book of the Law during Josiah’s reign, Davis maintains his tirade, “There is a discrepancy between the Kings account and a later account in Chronicles, which states that King Josiah began his reforms before the ‘Book of the Law’ was found. This is typical of the contradictions between the versions of the ’history’ of Israel and Judah presented in Kings and Chronicles...” [4]. Josiah was devoted to the Lord before the discovery of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:1,2). In the twelfth year of his reign he began to destroy Judah’s idols (2 Chr. 34:3). This work continued more vigorously after the discovery of the Book of the Law as Chronicles so states: “Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites...” (2 Chr. 34:33).

Davis critiques the promise of the virgin born Messiah in Isaiah 7:14, “Isaiah’s original words clearly refer to a ‘young women’ or ‘maiden’ and not a virgin” [5]. The first gospel in Genesis 3:15 states that the Messiah will be the “offspring of the woman,” uses “he” and says nothing of Adam and so intimating a virgin birth of a male child. In the unusual case where a woman gives birth without intercourse the child is always a girl. If Is. 7:14 is not a virgin birth, how could it be a “sign” (miracle)? Every singular use of “almah” (young woman in Is. 7:14) in the Old Testament refers to a virgin! In Gen. 24:43 “betulah” (virgin) and “almah” are both applied to Rebekah!

Davis next attack is on poor old Jonah, “the tale of Jonah is another familiar legend... Historical records from ancient Assyria contain no reference to the event described in Jonah” [6]. Jesus took Jonah literally, so should we (Matt. 12:40). Jonah 4:11 mentions a very specific historical fact: more than 120,000 people inhabited Nineveh. Do you find such details in legends? An inscription of King Ashur-nasir-pal II mentions a banquet at Nimrud, 20 miles from Nineveh, attended by 70,000 people [7]. During the reign of Adad-nirari III (811-783 BC) there was a movement toward monotheism; there were plagues in 759 and 756 BC also a solar eclipse in 763 BC [8]. Could these events have been providential preparations for Jonah? James Bartley in 1891 was swallowed by a sperm whale - his skin was bleached and looked like parchment and never turned back to its former color [9]. If someone like that showed up today we would probably call them an “alien!” The Assyrians had a god that was part man and part fish. Berosus, a Babylonian historian of the fourth century BC called the fish-god “Oannes.” This is exactly the same name for Jonah in the Septuagint and the New Testament (with “I” at the beginning) [10]!

Davis claims that the Song of Solomon is, “not overly concerned with marriage” and wonders how this book could “make it into the Bible in the first place” [11]? First of all, this love song involves one man and one woman which is the basis of marriage. God created sex for pleasure and procreation. Deut. 17:17 warns kings not to multiply wives. Solomon’s work gives no attention to his harem. In fact, Solomon’s polygamy turned his heart away toward other gods (1 Kings 11:1-4). Therefore, the Song of Solomon supports marriage in every way!

Davis doubts that Daniel wrote the prophecy by that name [12]. Jesus accepted that Daniel was the author (Mt. 24:15) - if Christ lied, he’s not God! Daniel himself claims to be the author in 7:1-2, 15, 28; 8:1,15,27; 9:2,21,22; 10:1,2; 12:5. The lack of Greek loan words indicates that Daniel was written before the time of Alexander the Great. Daniel usually places the verb later in the clause in contrast to what was practiced centuries later as in the Qumran manuscripts [13].

Davis places doubt on the traditional authorship of the Gospels [14]. The second century writer Papias (c. 130-140 AD) said, “Matthew compiled the Logia [oracles]...” [15]. Matthew was a tax collector and so was good with numbers. Isn’t it interesting the he gives Christ’s genealogy in three groups of 14 in the first chapter?

Regarding Mark, Papias wrote: “Mark having been the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately all that he mentioned, whether sayings or doings of Christ; not, however, in order” [16]. Mark mentions the healing of Peter’s Mother-in-law in the first chapter! Why this emphasis?! Luke waits till ch. 4 and Matthew ch. 8. Peter refers to “my son Mark” (1 Peter 5:13). The inner circle consisted of Peter, James and John - the most detailed account of the healing of Jairus’ daughter is in Mark and was attended by only the inner three (Mk 5:22, 23, 37-43). So, Peter is the most likely candidate for the ultimate source of Mark. The streaker in Mk. 14:51,52 is probably Mark and thus he may have been an eyewitness of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Luke was a doctor (Col. 4:14). Luke mentions technical medical terms in Acts 3:7,9,18; 12:23; 13:11; 28:8 etc. [17]. Only Luke mentions Malchus’ ear (Lk 22:51) and Christ sweating drops of blood (Lk 22:44). There are many “we” sections in Acts: 16:10-17, 27:1 - 28:16 etc. Silas and Timothy are mentioned so they could not be the author (Acts 15:22, 17:14). Titus was with Paul before the “we” sections began (Gal 2:3). Luke appears as a companion of Paul in the later epistles (Col 4:14, Philemon 24, 2 Tim 4:11). Luke was with Paul in Rome (cf. Acts 28:16, Col 4:10,14,18). Acts speaks of a former book - both addressed to Theophilus (Lk 1:3, Acts 1:1). Who else but a doctor would take the scientific analytical approach of a research historian (Lk 1:1-4)?

The fourth gospel was clearly written by the Apostle John. The upper room discourse in John chapters 13-17 was clearly written by one of the inner circle (Peter, James and John). John 12:16 states, “at first his disciples didn’t understand all this...” which indicates the narration of one of the inner circle. The core of the inner circle was Peter and John, who made preparations for the Last Supper (Lk 22:8). If Peter was the source of Mark, it makes perfect sense that John is indeed the author of the fourth evangelist. John 21:20, 24 eliminates Peter as the author. James was martyred in 44 A.D. (Acts 12:2). John is specifically named as the author of Revelation (Rev 1:1,4,9; 22:8). Note the reference to Jesus as “the Word” in John 1:1,14; 1 John 1:1 and Rev. 19:13. The word “true” (alethinos) occurs eight times in John, four times in 1 John and ten times in Revelation! The word meaning “to overcome” (nikao) is found in John 16:33, seven times in 1 John and seventeen times in Revelation [18]. John’s mother was a witness to the crucifixion (Mt. 27:56). Note carefully, Christ spoke to Mary first - not his beloved disciple (Jn. 19:26, 27). If Jesus spoke to John first then his intended meaning would have been lost, since his own mother was present as well! According to Dorothy Sayers, “... St. John’s [gospel] is the only one that claims to be the direct report of an eyewitness. And to one accustomed to the imaginative handling of documents, the internal evidence bears out this claim” [19].

Davis makes the assertion that, “the authorship of the New Testament books remains clouded in mystery... as the first generation of ’apostles’ who were spreading the ’good news’ started to die off... it seemed like a good idea to set these words down” and claims that Paul’s letters were first collected around 90 A.D. [20]. On what basis can this be backed up? John Robinson, leader of the ’death of God’ movement, dates ALL of the New Testament between 40 and 70 A.D. William Albright, the famous archaeologist, dated the writing of the New Testament between 50 and 75 A.D. [21]. The last book written, Revelation, clearly describes the temple still standing in Jerusalem (Rev 11:1, 8). The scriptures of the new covenant community were written by eyewitnesses, not decades later (Heb 2:3, Lk 1:2, 1 Cor 15:6, Jn 21:24). Paul quotes Luke as scripture (1 Tim 5:18). 2 Peter 3:15, 16 refers to Paul’s letters as scripture! According to Eusebius, Peter and Paul were both martyred during the reign of Nero around 67/68 A.D. [22]. Jude cites 2 Peter: compare Jude 4-12 with 2 Peter 2:1,4,9,10,12,13,15 and 17. Now Jude 5-7 mentions several divine acts of judgment against the Canaanites, fallen angels and Sodom and Gomorrah. If this was written after the destruction of Jerusalem, this event would have fit perfectly in this context! So Peter was before Jude and Jude is prior to 70 A.D. John 5:2 states that there is a pool near the Sheep Gate which indicates that the author wrote before 70 A.D.

The general paradigm in redemptive history is that prophecy and inscripturation are contemporary phenomena (Jer 36:27,28). Paul himself wrote the closing of his letters (Gal 6:11, 1 Cor 16:21, Col 4:18, Philemon 19). “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters... (2 Thes 3:17). Paul claimed that his writing had authority (2 Thes 2:15). Paul said, “... what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command” (1 Cor 14:37).

Carsten Peter Thiede has studied the Magdalen Papyrus (Greek 17 and p64) which contains 24 lines from Matthew 26:7-33. He concluded that the paper, ink, style of letters and line length demonstrate that the fragments were written around 60 A.D. [23]. Josephus tells us that James, the half-brother of Jesus, was stoned to death in 62 A.D. [24]. Thus, the book of James must have been written before 62 A.D.! Jose O’Callahan, a paleographer, announced in 1972 that he discovered a fragment of the Gospel of Mark from Qumran [25]. Several fragments from Mark are dated around 50 A.D.! A fragment from Acts is dated c. 60 A.D. Fragments from Romans, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter and James are dated c. 70 A.D.!

Remember that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life and he is our only source of true truth and salvation from sin, both now and forevermore!

NOTES:
1) Davis, Kenneth C., Don’t Know Much About the Bible, William Morrow
& Co., 1998, p.152.
2) McDowell, Josh, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Vol. 2), Here’s Life Publ., 1981, p. 336.
3) Davis, p. 199.
4) ibid. p.205.
5) ibid. p. 226.
6) ibid., p. 258.
7) “Digging up Nineveh” found here
8) “Jonah” by Al Maxey found here
9) “Swallowed by a Whale” found here
10) “Christian Evidences” found here
11) Davis, p. 303.
12) ibid. p. 314.
13) Archer, Gleason, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, Zondervan, 1982, p. 283.
14) Davis, p. 332.
15) Bruce, F. F., The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable? (6th ed.), Inter-Varsity Press, 1981, p. 38.
16) ibid., p.35.
17) Dummelow, J. R. (ed.), A Commentary on the Holy Bible, Macmillan, 1908 (1955 reprint), p. 815.
18) Hailey, Homer, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, Baker, 1979, pp. 24, 25.
19) Bruce, p. 49.
20) Davis, p.336.
21) Geisler, Norman & William Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (rev.), Moody Press, 1986, p. 213.
22) Bruce, F. F., New Testament History, Doubleday-Galilee, 1980, p. 367.
23) Book Review of Eyewitness to Jesus by Carsten Peter Thiede and Matthew d’Ancona , rev. by Bob Passantino,found here
24) “History, Archaeology and Jesus” by Paul Maier found here
25) Geisler, Norman, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker
Books, 1999, p. 530.

Don't Know Much About the Bible - Review (Part 1)

Don’t Know Much About the Bible by Kenneth C. Davis (part of the “Don’t Know Much” series) is a very fascinating volume; however, it is often flawed in its general approach to Holy Writ. Davis has some clever chapter titles: Hebrew 1 - Lions 0 (Daniel) and Jesus is Coming - Look Busy (Acts of the Apostles). He also rightly points out that Noah’s Ark was a box and that The Bible Code is bogus. Davis also presents many provocative quotes such as this from Mark Twain: “The Bible has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies” [1]. But is this really the case? Davis’ sub-evangelical view of scriptural authority is unrelenting: “for centuries, scholars and thinkers... have been raising legitimate doubts about the Bible” [2]. Davis asks, “How strong is a faith that can’t stand up to a few honest questions” [3]? Do we have the chutzpah to be skeptical about doubt and fight the future of despair by realizing that the truth is out there? TORAH TORAH TORAH! In a trial the accused is innocent until proven guilty. Are we at least open to the evidence for the Bible’s accuracy?

Davis claims that “the Bible is a book of faith, not history, biology, biography, science, or even philosophy” [4]. Says who? Is not faith founded on fact? And isn’t the Resurrection the greatest event of history? Until archaeological verification in the 1800’s, many scholars doubted the very existence of the Hittites mentioned in the Old Testament. The Bible predicts history! Daniel foretold that Rome would rule the world, but they did not capture Jerusalem until 63 B.C. (Dan. 2:40, 41). No scholar dates Daniel this late. Luke was a great historian (Lk. 1:1-4). Leviticus 17:11 tells us that “the life is in the blood” yet for many years people practiced “bloodletting.” The life stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Peter show both their glory and their shame. This demonstrates the brute honesty of scripture. Job said, “speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you” (Job 12:8). The Word tells us that the earth is spherical and that it hangs in space (Is. 40:22, Job 26:7). The number of stars are “countless,” yet Ptolemy in the second century said there were 1056 luminaries (Heb. 11:12). Solomon said, “Go to the ant, your sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Pr. 6:6).

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite-wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34 NIV).

Solomon was a scientist and also wrote a work of philosophy called “Ecclesiastes” (qoheleth means “teacher“).

Davis believes that the present versions of the Bible “are only recent links near the end of a long chain of troubled, sometimes badly garbled, and often conflicting translations” [5]. The Isaiah A scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) is complete and is dated around 100 B.C. The earliest previous text of Isaiah was around 900 A.D. which is a gap of a millennium! The differences are insignificant and are listed in the margins of the NIV. The Isaiah B scroll from the Dead Sea (illustrated above) is incomplete, but is more in agreement with the Masoretic text.

Davis doubts the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch [6]. Davis claims that the kings of Edom listed in Gen. 36:31-39 lived after Moses died [7]. The passage does not give the years of each reign, so how can they be dated? Moses stated that these kings ruled Edom before an Israelite king ruled over them. This may seem like an odd expression, yet Moses anticipates the Jews’ desire for a king in Deut. 17:140-20. The Hebrews were in Egypt for 430 years; maybe this was the period during which these kings reigned.

What evidence is there that Moses wrote the Torah? “So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord , and to all the elders of Israel” (Deut. 31:9 NIV). “At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey...” (Num. 33:2 NIV). Every seven years the Law was to be read (Deut. 31:10,11). Those who knew Moses wrote the Law would still be alive. Moses was the prince of Egypt, so obviously he knew how to write. “These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me [Moses] to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess” (Deut. 6:1 NIV). The Israelites were commanded to write the scriptures on their door (Deut. 6a,9). They knew what Moses said and could write it down. Joshua copied the law of Moses on stones (Joshua 8:32). Jesus accepted the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch (Lk. 24:27). Trees and plants are mentioned in the Pentateuch that are common to Egypt but not Palestine [8].

While Abraham was in Canaan, why does Gen. 13:10 refer to a place in Egypt unless it was composed by an Egyptian resident to those who had lived in Egypt, possibly Moses? Numbers 13:22 tells us that Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. Doesn’t this imply knowledge of Egypt by the author and audience? The emphasis on the tabernacle, a mobile tent for the worship Yahweh, in Exodus 25-40, is exactly what we’d expect if the Jews were in a transition period from leaving Egypt and entering into the Promised Land. Gleason Archer states that, “a far greater number of Egyptian names and loan words are found in the Pentateuch than in any other section of Scripture” [9]. If the Pentateuch was composed at a late date, why is Jerusalem, the future capital, not mentioned by name? Genesis 14 speaks of the “king of Salem” but there is no hint given that this town would one day be an important city. “The Lord of Hosts” is mentioned 67 times in Isaiah, 83 times in Jeremiah yet not once in the books of Moses! The extreme optimism about the complete conquest of the Promised Land indicates its pre-conquest date (Deut. 7:5, 12:2,3). The law demands stoning for idol worshipers (Deut. 13:6-11), yet later in Israel’s history this was tolerated. If this law were enforced long after Moses a large portion of Israel would have been wiped out. Such idealism belongs to the early stages of the Jewish nation.

Davis claims that Genesis 1 and 2 contain two different versions of Creation Week [10]. Read both chapters carefully - there are no contradictions. The entire book of Genesis starts with the general and moves to the specific. Genesis starts out the cosmic origins, then presents Abraham, the twelve tribes of Israel and finally concentrates on Joseph. This is the same literary device in the first two chapters of the Bible. Genesis 2 does not mention the number of days, but this does not mean that it’s unimportant since the six days are even part of the Ten Commandments (Ex20:11)!

Davis points out that the Hebrews may have drawn on earlier accounts of creation [11]. God may have directed Moses to use what was true from previous records. Using source material does not imply error (Lk. 1:1-4). The descendants of Adam and Eve spoke to Noah, and the descendants of Noah spoke to Abraham etc. This is one source of true truth (cf. Francis Schaeffer). In contrast to ancient myths, the Bible gives predictive prophecy and historical details that have been verified by archaeology.

According to Davis, “in eating from the tree, Adam and Eve acquire the capacity for rational and ethical judgments...” [12]. Man was made in the image of God. God is rational, so is humanity. “God made mankind upright” (Eccl. 7:29). Eve knew ethics. Adam and Eve were rational and ethical before they ate the fruit. Davis claims that Paradise was boring and devoid of science and art [13]. The first couple was given charge of taking care of the garden (Gen. 2:15). Science is not a sin. Adam the taxonomist named the animals, as Bob Dylan points out in “Slow Train Coming” (Gen. 2:20). Technology is not evil. Elisha performed a techno-miracle when he made the ax-head float (2 Kings 6:5,6).

Davis says, “the Scriptures contain no explanation for Cain’s wife” [14]. However, Genesis 5:4 plainly states that Adam had “other sons and daughters.” Clearly, Cain married his sister.

Davis rightly points out that, “almost every ancient culture has some sort of flood, or deluge, myth that shares much with the biblical Flood” [15]. Nevertheless, the Bible’s account has many important details: Noah’s Ark is seaworthy, but the Babylonian cube of the Gilgamesh epic is not. The date of the Flood is given and number of people in ark is specified in Genesis which shows its account to be superior to the mythical versions.

These global accounts are evidence for a universal flood, not a local one as Davis supports. “...All the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered” (Gen. 7:19). According to Davis, “...no one has discovered evidence of a flood that could have covered the whole earth” [16]. Oh, really? The majority of the geological column was deposited during a singular epoch of rapid geologic activity, i.e. the Flood! In his book The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record, Derek Ager concluded that, “Sedimentation in the past has often been very rapid indeed and very spasmodic. This may be called the phenomenon of the catastrophic nature of much of the stratigraphical record” [17]. Ager illustrates: “in the late Carboniferous Coal Measures of Lancashire, a fossil tree has been found, 38 feet high and still standing in its living position. Sedimentation must therefore have been fast enough to bury the tree and solidify before the tree had time to rot” [18]. In the following edition of Ager’s book he takes pains to point out that he rejects the Deluge theory, despite the facts he presents. If each formation was made episodically (catastrophically) and there is no global unconformity (time gap), then most of the deposits of the world must have been formed during one great deluge of planet earth - Noah’s Flood! Studies of isotopes by Robert Gentry in coalified wood indicate that the geologic periods may be 10,000 times shorter than the orthodox estimates [19]. Certain geologic formations interpreted as deposited in a gradual manner by wind may now be considered to have formed under water due to new evidence [20]. Radioactive dating methods often pose problems: the volcanic explosion of Mount St. Helens in 1986 deposited rocks that have been dated from 200,000 to 400,000 years old using the potassium-argon method [21].

Kenneth Davis claims that eyewitness reports of sightings of Noah’s Ark are false [22]. Ed Davis, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, was stationed in Hamadan, Iran and saw Noah’s Ark in the summer of 1943 while escorted there by a group of Kurds. Ed Davis was the friend of George, the Shah’s brother. The book The Painful Mountain contains a photo of Ed Davis with Ayatollah Khomeni’s cousin and a notation in his Bible from 1943: “Went to Ararat with Abas we saw a big ship up on a ledge ...” [23]. Many reliable witnesses have claimed to have seen Noah’s Ark [24]. It is interesting to note that the center of the earth is near the capital of Turkey - Ankara, not all that far from Ararat [25]. How convenient for Noah and his family to repopulate the planet!


NOTES:
1) Davis, Kenneth C., Don’t Know Much About the Bible, William Morrow
& Co., 1998, p.1.
2) ibid., p.xxiii.
3) ibid.
4) ibid.
5) Davis, p.15.
6) Davis, p.17.
7) ibid.
8) Archer, Gleason, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, Zondervan, 1982, p.46.
9) ibid. p.48.
10) Davis, pp. 42, 43.
11) ibid., p.45.
12) ibid., p.54.
13) ibid.
14) ibid., p.58.
15) ibid., p.62.
16) ibid., p.63.
17) Ager, Derek, The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record, Halsted Press,
1973, p.42 (all caps and italics removed).
18) ibid. p.41.
19) Kazmann, Raphael, “It’s about time: 4.5 billion years,” Geotimes, Sep.
1978, vol. 23 no. 9, p. 19.
20) Brand, Leonard, “Field and Laboratory Studies on the Coconino sandstone (Permian) vertebrate footprints and their paleoecological implications,“ Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 1979, vol. 28, p.25.
21) Austin, Steven, “Excess Argon within Mineral Concentrates from the New Dacite Lava Dome at Mount St. Helens Volcano,” found here.
22) Davis, p. 63.
23) Shockey, Don, The Painful Mountain, Pioneer Publ., 1986, pp. 51, 56.
24) ibid., pp. 109, 110.
25) Morris, Henry et al eds., Creation: Acts Facts Impacts, Creation-Life Publ., 1974, p. 121.

True Truth for NOW!

All we see is color, right? How do we know that our sorrows, fears, joys and passions are nothing but a dream (as in "Row Row Row Your Boat") or someone else's memory? The King of the Jews, the Messiah said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me... If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (Jn. 14:6, 7:17). We can know - to say otherwise or leave it to the philosophers or new-agers is a copout. 

Why do we yearn for Utopia? Where does our hunt for ET and UFO’s come from? Are we annihilated when our heart stops? Is there a land called Heaven? As C. S. Lewis, of Shadowlands fame, points out, "Surely a man's hunger does prove that he comes of a race which repairs its body by eating and inhabits a world where eatable substances exist. In the same way, though I do not believe (I wish I did) that my desire for Paradise proves that I shall enjoy it, I think it a pretty good indication that such a thing exists and that some men will. A man may love a woman and not win her; but it would be very odd if the phenomenon called 'falling in love' occurred in a sexless world."

If life is void, hopeless, and pointless what keeps us from offing ourselves? Consider Leo Tolstoy's wisdom: "I can now see that if I did not kill myself it was because of some vague awareness that my ideas were mistaken. No matter how convincing and irrefutable I felt my train of thoughts to be, as well as that of the wise ideas that had led us all to the conclusion that life is meaningless I still had some obscure doubts..." Maybe, just maybe, there is a reason for the season.

Did I create Time? Am I the Author of History? Am I a little or big "god?" Is a stone my savior? Think about what Augustine said: "And what is this? I asked the earth, and it answered me, 'I am not He'; and whatsoever are in it confessed the same... I asked the heavens, sun, moon, stars, 'Nor (say they) are we the God whom you seek.' ... And I turned myself unto myself, and said to myself, 'Who are you?' And I answered, 'A man.' ... I asked the whole frame of the world about my God; and it answered me, 'I am not He, but He made me.'" 

The reliability of scripture can be seen in the book of Isaiah. A complete copy of Isaiah from the Dead Sea Scrolls is dated to about 100 B.C. The second oldest complete manuscripts of Isaiah are from around 900 A.D. The differences between them are few and minor. If you look at an NIV version of Isaiah you can see these for yourself in the footnotes. This is hard evidence that God has protected the transmission of his word for a thousand years!

Evolution is not true truth. Every supposed "ape-man" has fallen and been debunked when investigated with closer scrutiny. This is precisely the case with Donald Johanson's "Lucy." Other primate fossils found in the same area as "Lucy" in Ethiopia have long and curved hands and feet - a characteristic of tree climbers. The pelvis of "Lucy" is more similar to chimps than humans. The angle at the knee between the upper and lower leg is high for "Lucy." But this is also true of orangutans and spider monkeys. 

Through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit you can have forgiveness of your sins, friendship with God and be empowered to do the righteous thing. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord... He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness...For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (Rom. 6:23, 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18). Read the gospel of John and ask Jesus to forgive your sins and change your life through his blood shed on the cross!

Any Questions?   Write to us at the email in our profile. References: C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (Eerdmans) p. 6  Leo Tolstoy, A Confession (Penguin) p. 47  The Confessions of St. Augustine (Collier) pp. 156&7 Duane Gish, Evolution: The Challenge of the Fossil Record (Creation-Life) pp. 158-62  

SciAm Jan 2009 (PC podcast)

The January 2009 issue of Scientific American (SciAm) was dedicated to evolution.
Bacteria-to-Brainiac evolution and atheism are highly correlated (see prior post).
You can hear our response to this issue of SciAm in our latest Perfectly Clear podcast here.

Scientific American - Jan 2009

The January 2009 issue of Scientific American (SciAm) was dedicated to evolution (page references are from this issue). One article rightly attacks the errors of evolutionary psychology (p. 74). Supposed “talking with the dead” is also debunked (p. 36). Eugenie Scott and Glenn Branch, both from the National Center for Science Education, write an attack piece on creationism (pp. 92-99).

Throughout this issue, good and evil, morality and ethics are mentioned. Yet, without a Moral Lawgiver and an ultimate Judgment Day (not the NOVA episode) morality makes no sense. Even Immanuel Kant (d. 1804) held that we must accept the existence of God for morality to have meaning. [1]

Atoms-to- Adam evolution and atheism are strongly linked. Darwin doubted the reality of God, “This very old argument from the existence of suffering against the existence of an intelligent first cause seems to me a strong one…” (Autobiography p. 90). Darwin no longer doubts the reality of God (see prior post).

How is it that most of the world accepts God’s existence if evolution is so obvious? Consider these statistics of global adherents:
Christians 33.3%
Muslims 21.0%
Jews 0.2%
Total who believe in a Creator 54.5%
Atheists 2.3% [2]
Darwin was not fazed by these facts, “This argument would be a valid one if all men of all races had the same inward conviction of the existence of one God…” (Autobiography p. 91). How many people believe that the Apollo landings on the moon were a fraud? Or consider prisoners who rationalize their crimes. Truth is not determined by universal assent.

A number of articles in this issue focus on natural selection. Edward Blyth, a creationist, published a paper on natural selection in 1835 long before Darwin’s The Origin of Species. Natural selection is a conservative process. What is needed for Bacteria-to-Brainiac evolution to take place is new information in the genetic code and Darwinists cannot explain this. New info is needed to make eyes, wings and other complex organs.

John Rennie, the editor in chief of SciAm, mentioned Stephen Jay Gould’s Wonderful Life on the Burgess Shale which contains the remains of many strange and unique creatures (p. 6). However, this issue has little of the provocative thought that Gould shares. Gould states that, “The history of life is… not the conventional tale of steadily increasing excellence, complexity, and diversity.” [3] Gould points out that the organisms represented in the Burgess Shale in British Columbia belong in 15 to 20 phyla (basic body plans) most of which are now extinct. Some estimates of life in the modern world reach up to 32 phyla. [4] Most of these phyla exist in the Cambrian and yet there is little in the Pre-Cambrian showing intermediate transitional forms from single-celled organisms. This Cambrian Explosion is a major problem for evolution. Both Gould and Darwin admitted that this is a major difficulty. [5] [6]

In an ad on page 11, Paul Davies is mentioned. Davies wrote Cosmic Jackpot that describes the fine-tuning of the universe. If certain physical constants were just slightly different, life itself would be impossible. Davies appeared in the pro-Intelligent Design film Privileged Planet, even though he is not an ID advocate. SciAm overlooks the evidence that the cosmos was made for life and scientific investigation.

SciAm should take Darwin’s advice and allow a creationist response. Darwin states in his intro to The Origin of Species that, “A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question…” [7]

Here are some great sites from the “other side”:
Creation Moments
Creation Research Society (creationresearch dot org)
Institute for Creation Research (icr dot org)
Answers in Genesis (answersingenesis dot org)
Creation Ministries International (creation dot com)

SciAm may be contacted by email or snail mail:
editors@SciAm.com
Letters to the Editor
Scientific American
415 Madison Ave
NYC NY 10017


Notes:
1) Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by Norman Geisler (Baker, Grand Rapids, 1999), p. 498.
2) Time Almanac 2008 (Encyclopædia Britannica , Chicago, 2008), pp. 600, 601.
3) Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould (W.W. Norton, New York, 1989), p. 25.
4) Ibid., p. 99.
5) Ibid., pp. 56, 57.
6) On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (Mentor, New York, 1958 ed.), pp. 308-312, ch. 10.
7) On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (Mentor, New York, 1958 ed.), p. 28.

In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind. With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding. (Job 12:10, 13)

Adam’s Blog [stardate 256,527.128] - Hell Never Dies

When will Cain receive his punishment? It must be after this life. That is, there must be a bad place after death. The other day Mal-Lor tripped and cracked his skull. As he lay there dying, he cried “Oh the darkness, the fire, save me father Adam!” I have heard of similar experiences.

I am a soul man and a soul lasts forever [cf. Deut. 6:5]. We have all sinned against our Creator who is Almighty and infinite. This treason deserves an infinite punishment [cf. Ps. 51:4]. So, the bad place after death must last forever. If one of my children steals one apple and another steals ten apples, the penalty must fit the crime. Thus, the afterlife’s domain of darkness must have degrees of punishment [Gen. 4:11-16, Mt. 11:22, Rev. 20:12-14]. Annihilation has no degrees of punishment.

A hull is a cover and a cover separates. The bad place after death is disconnection from our glorious Creator that never ends. This destiny is E-ternal, so I think I will call it “hell.” Hell never dies. Hell is separation from all the blessings of creation and is the ultimate quarantine. God separated Eve and I from Paradise and Cain went out from the presence of the Lord [Gen. 4:16]. In hell there is no playtime – joy has been subtracted. Hell is a loveless place without exits.

Last week my pet ceratosaurus, “Punky,” wandered near Lava Hill. She was being chased by a T-Rex and fell off the cliff and into the boiling lava. The roars and the screams were so frightening that I had nightmares for three days straight! Could this be anything like the torments of hell? When Eve (aka “Eva”) makes beautiful clothes she takes the scraps of material and puts them in the fire. Are there not many of my children who have scrapped their lives by rejecting the Almighty? Will most of my children reach this final doom? As a rough estimate, 66.6% may reach this dreaded destination [cf. Mt. 13:18-23, Lk. 13:23-28, Mt. 7:13,14].

The Creator has promised that the coming seed of Eve will crush the serpent’s head and provide salvation [Gen. 3:15, cf. John 3:16, Gen. 3:21].

******
Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord GOD, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live? (Ez. 18:23).

Is Evolution Weak during Evolution Week?

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin is Feb. 12th, 2009, so the week of Feb. 8-14 may be dubbed “Darwin Week” (I’m sure St. Valentine is rolling in his grave).

Recently the Texas State Board of Education has tentatively voted (the final decision is expected in March) to reject the requirement for public school teachers to present the weaknesses of evolution.

Many media outlets have made a great error by making a primary connection between doubting Darwin and Intelligent Design (or Creationism). Many evolutionists and atheists are also willing to admit that Darwinism has numerous weaknesses (missing links anyone?).

Pierre Grasse (d. 1985), considered the “most distinguished of French zoologists” by Theodosius Dobzhansky (a leading evolutionist), wrote the following in 1977 [1]:

Today, our duty is to destroy the myth of evolution, considered as a simple, understood, and explained phenomenon which keeps rapidly unfolding before us. Biologists must be encouraged to think about the weaknesses of the interpretations and extrapolations that theoreticians put forward or lay down as established truths. The deceit is sometimes unconscious, but not always, since some people, owing to their sectarianism, purposely overlook reality and refuse to acknowledge the inadequacies and the falsity of their beliefs (emphasis added).

Grasse was Chair of Evolution at Sorbonne University for thirty years and was ex-president of the French Academy of Sciences. Grasse’s book Evolution of Living Organisms is available from Amazon and was published by Academic Press (not an ID or creationist company).

One of the clearest weaknesses of evolution is the origin of life itself. The unexpected accident of life arising by chance has been compared to the creation of a jumbo jet due to a tornado plowing through a junk yard. Hubert Yockey, writing in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, said, “…contrary to the established and current wisdom, a scenario describing the genesis of life on earth by chance and natural causes which can be accepted on the basis of fact and not faith has not yet been written.” [2]

Well-known geologist Derek Ager (former president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science) concluded that “…nearly all the evolutionary stories I learned as a student … have now been debunked.” [3]

David Kitts was my History of Science professor at the University of Oklahoma and admitted that the gaps in the fossil record are real. Kitts had been a professor of Geology and had debated Duane Gish and Henry Morris (creationists). Kitts admitted that Aristotle’s biological essentialism (fixity of basic types of life) was a legitimate scientific stance. Hear my interview with Dr. Kitts at the top of this blog.

Consider the gap between dinos and birds. John Wilford, in an article in the New York Times, made the following striking confession: “Ornithologists… have long disputed the dinosaur-bird link, contending that dinosaurs and birds probably shared an ancestor among pre-dinosaur reptiles.” [4]

Physicist H.S. Lipson (fellow of the Royal Society), writing in Physics Bulletin, admits that, “I have always been slightly suspicious of the theory of evolution because of its [lack of] ability to account for any property of living beings (the long neck of the giraffe, for example). I have therefore tried to see whether biological discoveries over the last thirty years or so fit in with Darwin’s Theory. I do not think that they do … To my mind, the theory does not stand up at all.” [5]

Even atheists deny evolution and hold to stability of essential types of life. G. H. Harper is an example of this view and he was published in the UK’s School Science Review.

God tells us to speak to the earth, “But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you; let the birds tell you what’s going on. Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics. Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree that GOD is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand — Every living soul, yes, every breathing creature?” (Job 12:7-10, The Message). This is a mandate for scientific investigation.

Notes:
1) Pierre Grasse, Evolution of Living Organisms (Academic Press, 1977), p. 8.
2) Hubert Yockey, “A Calculation of the Probability of Spontaneous Biogenesis by Information Theory,” Journal of Theoretical Biology, vol. 67 (1977): p. 396.
3) Derek Ager, “The Nature of the Fossil Record,” Proceedings of the British Geological Association, vol. 87, no.2 (1976): p. 133.
4) Nicholas Wade (ed.), The Science Times Book of Fossils and Evolution (The Lyons Press, 1998), pp. 66, 67.
5) H.S. Lipson, “A Physicist Looks at Evolution,” Physics Bulletin, vol.31 (1980): p. 138.

Notes 2, 3 and 5 were taken from Creative Defense by Nicholas Comninellis M.D. (Master Books, 2001), pp. 68, 217, 220.