Posted on 08/28/2002 9:36:04 AM PDT by gdani
Making Monkeys Out of Evolutionists
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
By Cal Thomas
Tribune Media Services
It's back-to-school time. That means school supplies, clothes, packing lunches and the annual battle over what can be taught.
The Cobb County, Ga., School Board voted unanimously Aug. 22 to consider a pluralistic approach to the origin of the human race, rather than the mandated theory of evolution. The board will review a proposal which says the district "believes that discussion of disputed views of academic subjects is a necessary element of providing a balanced education, including the study of the origin of the species."
Immediately, pro-evolution forces jumped from their trees and started behaving as if someone had stolen their bananas. Apparently, academic freedom is for other subjects. Godzilla forbid! (This is the closest one may get to mentioning "God" in such a discussion, lest the ACLU intervene, which it has threatened to do in Cobb County, should the school board commit academic freedom. God may be mentioned if His Name modifies "damn." The First Amendment's free speech clause protects such an utterance, we are told by the ACLU. The same First Amendment, according to their twisted logic, allegedly prohibits speaking well of God.)
What do evolutionists fear? If scientific evidence for creation is academically unsound and outrageously untrue, why not present the evidence and allow students to decide which view makes more sense? At the very least, presenting both sides would allow them to better understand the two views. Pro-evolution forces say (and they are saying it again in Cobb County) that no "reputable scientist" believes in the creation model. That is demonstrably untrue. No less a pro-evolution source than Science Digest noted in 1979 that, "scientists who utterly reject Evolution may be one of our fastest-growing controversial minorities . . . Many of the scientists supporting this position hold impressive credentials in science." (Larry Hatfield, "Educators Against Darwin.")
In the last 30 years, there's been a wave of books by scientists who do not hold to a Christian-apologetic view on the origins of humanity but who have examined the underpinnings of evolutionary theory and found them to be increasingly suspect. Those who claim no "reputable scientist" holds to a creation model of the universe must want to strip credentials from such giants as Johann Kepler (1571-1630), the founder of physical astronomy. Kepler wrote, "Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature, it befits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."
Werner Von Braun (1912-1977), the father of space science, wrote: " . . . the vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science."
Who would argue that these and many other scientists were ignorant about science because they believed in God? Contemporary evolutionists who do so are practicing intellectual slander. Anything involving God, or His works, they believe, is to be censored because humankind must only study ideas it comes up with apart from any other influence. Such thinking led to the Holocaust, communism and a host of other evils conjured up by the deceitful and wicked mind of uncontrolled Man.
There are only two models for the origin of humans: evolution and creation. If creation occurred, it did so just once and there will be no "second acts." If evolution occurs, it does so too slowly to be observed. Both theories are accepted on faith by those who believe in them. Neither theory can be tested scientifically because neither model can be observed or repeated.
Why are believers in one model -- evolution -- seeking to impose their faith on those who hold that there is scientific evidence which supports the other model? It's because they fear they will lose their influence and academic power base after a free and open debate. They are like political dictators who oppose democracy, fearing it will rob them of power.
The parallel views should be taught in Cobb County, Ga., and everywhere else, and let the most persuasive evidence win.
Maybe you should hang out with Clinton. He likes using odd humidors. LOL!
If he used those genomes as the tools of His work there would be, would there not? IOW, (and forgive me if this sounds 'adorably childish' ; * ) In laying out the design of a monkey, he then goes on to the gorilla using the design of the monkey, then on to the chimpanzee, etc. until finally...man. Could that not explain the existance of the the 'tree'. (And please don't get technical about the order in which I placed those creatures. I have no idea which came first.)
Ok, since you seem to be the mind reader today ... please explain to me how I need someone telling me what to do all dall the time?
I most certainly didn't say that, or anything a cognizant person would consider to mean that. If I have that need, to be told what to do all day, I would really like to know about it.
Or maybe the situation here is that you can't seem to read, or are unable to understand what you read? Public school, I presume?
Uh, it is absolutely in my mind. Even if Last Thursdayism were correct, my reason tells me I've been on this earth for thirty some odd years. So I'm working from that angle. Last Thursdayism is no different than the question 'Is reality real'. When you get into those scenarios, your not dealing with reality. IMHO.
Confusion over this also prompts some grownups to ask adorable questions such as, "if life evolved from simpler life forms such as cyanobacteria, why are there still cyanobacteria". And sometimes they think they've hit upon an answer and it gets published, like a recent Aug 16 article in Science.
but it also means that a species, separated into two or more non-interbreeding populations, can develop into two or more different (but closely related) species. It NEVER happens that a species has two or more independent "parent" species; the branching is always in the "downstream" direction.
It DOES happen. And it's called lateral gene transfer. And it's the reason everything at the bottom of the phylogenetic tree looks very fuzzy. And it's the reason that trees don't match when different genes are used.
I'm scratching my head... I do believe I told you these things some time ago.
You'll have to consult an ontlogist for that.
My ponderances are more in the epistomological areas.
Because Newtonian physics, electron clouds, etc. are true or false, regardless whether there is a God or not. Electron cloud theory does tend to imply that there are no angels whose job it is to hang on to the atoms with their feet & grab the other atoms nearby to make molecules. Newtonian physics does tend to imply that there are no angels whose job it is to push objects with mass towards each other, etc. etc.
The job & competence of science is to explain the natural world in terms of its observed facts & regularities. It just doesn't "care", right from the get-go, about the existence or nonexistence of God, ghosts, goblins, sprites, gremlins, fairies, or any other supernatural entities that, at their whim, sometimes suspend the laws of nature.
If science did assume such people existed, then it wouldn't be science, it'd be psychology: Science would consist of trying to understand the personalities & motivations of these various supernatural tricksters. And engineering would become politics: Trying to manipulate these supernatural people into suspending the laws of nature to help us accomplish our specific goals. But we already have a name for that class of endeavor. It's called "Religion".
If He created us, He is the only way we'll ever find out how or why we exist.
The last question answered will be Him.
BWAAAAHAHA! Not always - ask a mathematician and a mechanic to define a "manifold". [That was my initial thought anyway. It's like asking a biologist to define "life" or a physicist to define "force".]
Physicist and others covered this but I wanted to come back to this idea because it's important to the discussion.
Street talk, slang, technical jargon, specialist engineering lingo, overly specific scientist writings, and even wine-tasters-speak all tend to evolve their own little subdialects of the standard language within their fields of discussion. As these definitions become useful and/or widespread, they move into general use and another "definition" is added to the common word in a standard dictionary. As a really "bad" example, just look up denotation and connotation in your dictionary while thinking about the word "bad" in today's popular culture.
Anyway, the way a mathematician thinks about a "theory" or "law" is somewhat different that the way a physicist or a geologist or an "evolutionist" would interpret the word and that is probably completely unrelated to the connotation that a Creationist would attach to the word on a forum like this one.
Oops, slightly ungrammatical there. Let me fix that:
Because Newtonian physics, electron clouds, etc. are true or false, irregardless whether there is a God.
They're Cubans! They're illegal. I can't smoke them here in the USA so I give them away. Besides, I'm almost out.
But maybe I'll be going back to Canada next month...
Maybe because it contradicts the Bible?...
Although stupid design can be a form of evolution.
Speaking of which, a science based on Intelligent Design would look more like art appreciation studies, where the "scientist's" methodology is to try to discover the Designer's esthetic motivations in designing the world & living things as He did.
I read Christian apologists to back up my beliefs, and from your profile page I gather that you read those that back up yours. I also read those that are in disagreement with my beliefs. Do you allow the 'other side' equal time? 8 * )
Irregardless?? And I was about to give you my last cigar!
I recall similar mythology being presented when I was in grade school and junior high. Such presentations were not offensive, and I would have no objection to alternative views being presented in this fashion today. The difficulty I have is with representing Creationism (or ID) as science, when clearly it takes faith to believe in something unverifiable.
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