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Biology textbook hearings prompt science disputes [Texas]
Knight Ridder Newspapers ^ | 08 July 2003 | MATT FRAZIER

Posted on 07/09/2003 12:08:32 PM PDT by PatrickHenry

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To: Virginia-American
We agree, creationism cannot be tested...neither can evolution. -me

False. Every time a fossil is dug up, it is a test of evolution, in the sense that it has the potential to disprove it. (eg, a precambrian rabbit). So far, it's never happened.

Not false at all. Evolution cannot be tested (although the has been no lack of trying...witness what's been done to the unfortunate fruit fly). The fact that fossils exist in no way proves evolution is the best explanation of the bone yard. Proof is the issue.

Regarding your other posts, why God chose to create man with certain similar or even exact copies gene subsets in no way proves transformation between species. Perhaps one day you can ask Him why he chose to use similar building materials in His various designs.

2,141 posted on 07/14/2003 6:46:54 AM PDT by HalfFull
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To: Stultis
Seriously, HalfFull, why would God separately create specific, diagnostic, and otherwise piddling and unnecessary details in human and ape chromosomes for no discernable reason but to make it look like two ape chromosomes had fused into one human chromosome?

I trust that I will be able to ask Him one day.

2,142 posted on 07/14/2003 6:52:08 AM PDT by HalfFull
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To: VadeRetro
Gives you a real flavor for the education we'll be getting if this freak show ever takes over.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

2,143 posted on 07/14/2003 6:53:45 AM PDT by balrog666 (When in doubt, tell the truth. - Mark Twain)
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To: VadeRetro; balrog666
Gives you a real flavor for the education we'll be getting if this freak show ever takes over.

All one has to do for a preview is go to a Pakistani or Iranian highschool to see for themselves. Same junk, different continent.
2,144 posted on 07/14/2003 6:58:07 AM PDT by whattajoke
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To: HalfFull; Virginia-American
False. Every time a fossil is dug up, it is a test of evolution, in the sense that it has the potential to disprove it. (eg, a precambrian rabbit). So far, it's never happened.

Not false at all. Evolution cannot be tested (although the has been no lack of trying...witness what's been done to the unfortunate fruit fly). The fact that fossils exist in no way proves evolution is the best explanation of the bone yard. Proof is the issue.

Make up your mind. Which is the issue, "testing" or "proof"? If the later, please cite an example of a scientific theory, preferably (for purposes of comparison) a biological one, that you consider to have been "proven".

2,145 posted on 07/14/2003 7:02:23 AM PDT by Stultis
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To: bondserv
The PEACE THAT PASSES UNDERSTANDING

will likely be what keeps many hearts from failing in the traumas ahead!

God's Grace and abundance to you,
2,146 posted on 07/14/2003 7:15:24 AM PDT by Quix (LIVE THREAD NOW STARTED. UFO special Tues eve & share opinions)
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To: Piltdown_Woman
Do I detect the faint aroma of brimstone, or are you genuinely concerned?

I apologize if my post had a tone of attack; I had not intended it in that way. It is my strong personal belief that Jesus loves you intensely, and that He would want a disciple of His to see you with the same eyes as He does. By faith I am able to sincerely have a genuine concern for your well being. This in my estimation is in no way a competition where I relish your defeat or destruction.

But as an aside, when you replied I was deeply engrossed in researching the differences between the Hebrew words, "sheqets" and "tow'ebah" and their usage in various Old Testament verses contrasted with the Greek equivalent used in two verses found in Matthew and Mark.

This statement gives me reason to rejoice in that I truly believe the scriptures are a love letter written in blood on a wooden cross about our Creator. Any exposure to His message will not return void.

Non sequitur..."truth" is the realm of philosophers and theologians, "facts" are pursued by scientists.

I wish what you say was true, if it were I would probably know if eating eggs will kill me at 40, or if drinking coffee is risky behavior, or if the planet is suffering from global warming, or if the geologic record displays massive catastrophes associated with the flood or if the massive amounts of fossil beds can be attributed to minor local catastrophes unassociated with one another.

Any analysis of data is a clear dive into the realm of truth, otherwise we would never say things like "Is that a fact?".

I hope you continue to reanalyze the truth about the information that our liberal University system pawns off as "fact".

I am sure you would be more comfortable if we were assured that a majority of the analysis of the data was given into the hands of conservative oriented individuals who are repulsed by the antics of their liberal colleagues. Until the science departments make clean breaks with their Lie spewing compatriots I will question the integrity of their analysis.

It doesn't surprise me how the private sectors attempts at analysis of the genetic data are looked at with disdain by the academic set. The Genome Project was an enlightening view of the emotional condition of the persons who have been stuck in school with adolescents since kindergarten.

2,147 posted on 07/14/2003 7:17:27 AM PDT by bondserv
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To: Stultis
I have no problem with creationism, or intelligent design, or any other theory being in textbooks and curricula provided only that it EARN its way in there the same way any other theory has done or would be expected to do.

Kinda hard to "EARN" its way into textbooks when the evolutionists are writing the textbooks, and controlling the secular learning environment. It's the same problem that occurs when history is re-written by the liberals.. The liberals and their athiestic friend control most colleges and the majority of the secular media.

For a theory to be included in the science curricula, this means that it must FIRST earn standing in the market place of scientific ideas. It must prove its worth to working scientists such that they begin to test, implicate and employ the theory in their ongoing research. There is even an objective manner of determining if and when this has occured, since there is a professional literature in which scientists describe their research.

In the case of evolution, the theory is included because the vast majority of the scientific literature is controled by the evolutionists who so desparately want to believe their theory, regardless of the problems. . Do you seriously believe that if textbooks and secular journals were contolled by folks like Vade, PH, or Aric2000, then the Creation argument would get a fair shake? Don't think so...

You've got to do the one thing creationists have never successfully done, and very, very seldom even try to do. (Because they can't. Duh!) You have to put together a coherent theory or body of theory, build a scientific research program around it, and produce some results.

There is a coherent theory and scientific research organizations like ICR. That evolutionists openly hold these organizations in distain, clearly shows the problems with your argument.

If you do that -- if scientists are actually using a theory -- it will eventually be included in curricula as a matter of course.

Not if evolutionists and secular media control the field of play...

2,148 posted on 07/14/2003 7:17:33 AM PDT by HalfFull
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To: JesseShurun; ALS

LOL....Now that's the best evidence of evolution that I've seen on these threads!

2,149 posted on 07/14/2003 7:21:09 AM PDT by HalfFull
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To: VadeRetro
Color me reassured. You scared me by putting filet mignon and BBQ in the same sentence.

I think he means grilled. then again, I'm not sure filets benefit much from grilling. They need to be seared, then finished over low heat. Some grills can do this, others can't.

2,150 posted on 07/14/2003 7:37:40 AM PDT by js1138
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To: ALS
Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropaedia (1974)...

Ah, the good old 1974 Britannica. That was the one where they thought it would be a good idea to have articles on Eastern Europe written by Eastern Europeans -- read Communists. I'm surprised you don't rely on the one true Britannica, the 1911 edition.

2,151 posted on 07/14/2003 7:41:18 AM PDT by js1138
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To: ALS
"I have read the links on my articles and they are there for good reason."

ditto

Anyone who checks our little exchange on the Duke study will form their own opinion as to whether you had read the article, and anyone who reads the article will form their own opinion as to whether it casts doubt on evolution. I recommend the article.

2,152 posted on 07/14/2003 7:47:16 AM PDT by js1138
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To: Stultis
The evidence supporting them simply did not exist in the original sources, although compelling evidence for their contradiction often did.

That's why some of the original sources found in the designeduniverse links are so precious. Anyone who reads the original source, then the "interpretation" will get an education.

2,153 posted on 07/14/2003 7:54:24 AM PDT by js1138
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To: Piltdown_Woman; Stultis; Aric2000
Precisely! Any God powerful enough to will the Universe into being would not need to be tinkering about with His creation. He would have thought it all out ahead of time and known what would happen, where it would happen, and when it would happen...and herein lies the irony of the entire Christian-Creationist dogma. Christians are very big on claiming omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience as characteristics of God...but in reality, they do not believe it...for in their world, God must act directly from time-to-time to "fix" His creation, insert a species here, or take one out there.

To paraphrase Darth Vader, I find their lack of faith disturbing.

Snowballing along.

2,154 posted on 07/14/2003 8:00:09 AM PDT by js1138
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To: bondserv
Back pain, bad knees, cancer, 35 year old heart attacks... doesn't look like tinkering on Gods part and especially not natures part.

Unless Adam walked on all fours, back pain is the result of the original design -- a suspension systen designed for a horizontal posture, incompletely modified for an upright posture. You can thank the designer for hernias also. As for life winding down due to thermodynamic degredation, hasn't worked well for those pesky bacteria.

2,155 posted on 07/14/2003 8:07:54 AM PDT by js1138
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To: whattajoke
"But I thought Intelligent Design had nothing at all to do with fundamental christianity but for a few hundred posts all I see are bible verses and 'Praise Be's,' etc Placemarker."

It will be truely interesting to see the reaction of the IDers if they get their wish. Within five minutes after their doctrine is approved for teaching in public schools, the Wicans wil be knocking on the door, demanding that their science be taught.

2,156 posted on 07/14/2003 8:15:15 AM PDT by js1138
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To: HalfFull
Thank you so very much for your post and for sharing your views!

I would like to make some comments, not to convince you to change your mind, but to explain further my musings on the subject of the age of the universe. You wrote:

However, I do not believe God would have had the creation account written from a perspective of time He only understands. Clearly the context of Gen makes it clear to me the the writer was talking 24 hour days.

I understand from the following passage that God is the speaker of Scripture and that He expects us to apply logic to what He says. In this passage, Jesus is using logic to explain to the Sadducees, that there is a resurrection of the dead.

But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. – Matthew 22:31-32

The same passage makes it clear that God is outside of our space/time, i.e. I am. The sentence, I am, is also one of God's names.

So by applying logic to Genesis, with regard to 24 hour days, I deduce that since God had not created solar system until day 4, that He is not speaking of actual solar days at our space/time coordinates --- but the equivalent of solar days from the space/time coordinate of inception - as the Creator, the only observer and revealer of the creation process.

Also, the underlying meaning of the Hebrew words goes to this interpretation as well, showing the evening and the morning are a bringing of order. As Schroeder explains in Age of the Universe

Nachmanides says the text uses the words "Vayehi Erev" - but it doesn't mean "there was evening." He explains that the Hebrew letters Ayin, Resh, Bet - the root of "erev" - is chaos. Mixture, disorder. That's why evening is called "erev", because when the sun goes down, vision becomes blurry. The literal meaning is "there was disorder." The Torah's word for "morning" - "boker" - is the absolute opposite. When the sun rises, the world becomes "bikoret", orderly, able to be discerned. That's why the sun needn't be mentioned until Day Four. Because from erev to boker is a flow from disorder to order, from chaos to cosmos. That's something any scientist will testify never happens in an unguided system. Order never arises from disorder spontaneously. There must be a guide to the system. That's an unequivocal statement. You continued…

Additionally, why would God have something written that had a totally different meaning then what is read in the text? If God wanted to say a billion years, I strongly believe He would have had the writer clearly state a billion years..

I have two observations. First, God obscures meaning intentionally:

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. – I Corinthians 1:19

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. I Corinthians 1:27-29

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. – Matthew 13:10-13

Secondly, there are secrets in the Word which are to be revealed in the final days. Perhaps this aspect of Creation is one of them, since the age of the universe is so frequently used to debunk the Word of God:

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. – Daniel 12:4

And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. – Daniel 12:9-10

You continued…

Not only that, Jesus makes it clear how the time frames should be understood by his own statement on the subject.

I’m not aware of the Scripture you are speaking about. Would you please give me a reference?

2,157 posted on 07/14/2003 8:18:38 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: Stultis
Make up your mind. Which is the issue, "testing" or "proof"? If the later, please cite an example of a scientific theory, preferably (for purposes of comparison) a biological one, that you consider to have been "proven".

Except in the realm of math and pure logic, test is a synonym for proof. Consider that gasoline is sold as "test" and whisky is sold as "proof". Same concept.

2,158 posted on 07/14/2003 8:23:17 AM PDT by js1138
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To: Stultis
In fact, most of the usages of the word "proof" involve testing rather than the operation of pure logic:


2,159 posted on 07/14/2003 8:30:20 AM PDT by js1138
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To: HalfFull
Kinda hard to "EARN" its way into textbooks when the evolutionists are writing the textbooks, and controlling the secular learning environment. It's the same problem that occurs when history is re-written by the liberals.. The liberals and their athiestic friend control most colleges and the majority of the secular media.

Poor baby! Christians don't own any printing presses, don't have any schools or colleges, and can't afford to do any basic research. That must be why they can't spell atheist.

Of all the excuses for lack of ideas this is the lamest. Even without money, you could at least propose a course of research and outline what you would hope to find.

2,160 posted on 07/14/2003 8:34:44 AM PDT by js1138
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