Posted on 06/22/2006 1:28:41 PM PDT by Tim Long
600 dissenters sign on challenging claims about support for theory
More than 600 scientists holding doctoral degrees have gone on the record expressing skepticism about Darwin's theory of evolution and calling for critical examination of the evidence cited in its support.
All are signatories to the Scientific Dissent From Darwinism statement, which reads: "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged."
The statement, which includes endorsement by members of the prestigious U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences, was first published by the Seattle-based Discovery Institute in 2001 to challenge statements about Darwinian evolution made in promoting PBS's "Evolution" series.
The PBS promotion claimed "virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true."
The list of 610 signatories includes scientists from National Academies of Science in Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, India (Hindustan), Nigeria, Poland, Russia and the United States. Many of the signers are professors or researchers at major universities and international research institutions such as Cambridge University, British Museum of Natural History, Moscow State University, Masaryk University in Czech Republic, Hong Kong University, University of Turku in Finland, Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Mexico, University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, Institut de Paleontologie Humaine in France, Chitose Institute of Science & Technology in Japan, Ben-Gurion University in Israel, MIT, The Smithsonian and Princeton.
"Dissent from Darwinism has gone global," said Discovery Institute President Bruce Chapman. "Darwinists used to claim that virtually every scientist in the world held that Darwinian evolution was true, but we quickly started finding U.S. scientists that disproved that statement. Now we're finding that there are hundreds, and probably thousands, of scientists all over the world that don't subscribe to Darwin's theory."
The Discovery Institute is the leading promoter of the theory of Intelligent Design, which has been at the center of challenges in federal court over the teaching of evolution in public school classes. Advocates say it draws on recent discoveries in physics, biochemistry and related disciplines that indicate some features of the natural world are best explained as the product of an intelligent cause rather than an undirected process such as natural selection.
"I signed the Scientific Dissent From Darwinism statement because I am absolutely convinced of the lack of true scientific evidence in favor of Darwinian dogma," said Raul Leguizamon, M.D., pathologist and professor of medicine at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Mexico.
"Nobody in the biological sciences, medicine included, needs Darwinism at all," he added. "Darwinism is certainly needed, however, in order to pose as a philosopher, since it is primarily a worldview. And an awful one, as Bernard Shaw used to say."
Trying to lump me in with Ahma...jad actually illustrates Onelifetogive's point very well. Thanks for the ping.
I think the evidence offered for the earth being between 6-10 thousand years old, is based on the genealogies in the Bible, from Jesus, back to Adam, coupled with the idea of a 6 day 24 hour day time frame of creation...
I dont know of any strictly scientifc evidence or argument for an Earth of only 6-10 thousand years of age...
I have received radiocarbon dates in the 10-11,000 year range. My immediate colleagues have some even older.
Anything else?
Ann Coulter doesn't cut the darwiniacs (her word) much slack in her latest book.
The honest ones might consider that the "day of Man" is about 6000 years according to Genesis (and a bit of counting,) and the dishonest ones who refuse to look at that text will continue to say things that it does not really say.
S.J. Gould at least had that part correct when it came to people actually refusing to look inside of a horse's mouth in order to determine how many teeth were inside of it.
According to John, the "Logos" was there in the beginning.
Of course nobody reads that thing anyhow.
Everybody is waiting around for the next 400 hitter in Major League Baseball to show up, because everybody knows that things are always getting better. Another S.J. Gould gem.
The 6,000-10,000 date has always seemed to me to be a closer depiction of how old the Jewish religion was thus how old the bible is and right about when the first worshippers of yahweh started writing down their beliefs.
I could be wrong but its just the way that rubbed me when I first heard about a "young earth theory".
That's my point. A literal interpretation of Genesis is irreconcilable with scientific observations. If you want to say that the Bible trumps the evidence from geology, paleontology, and physics, that's fine. I disagree, but at least it's a coherent position. It's when people start misrepresenting the evidence that I have a problem.
Prhaps you should read this article from the Lodon Times.
I've found God, Says Man Who Cracked the Genome - The Sunday Times
God just appeared out of nothing, and created Satan, who in turn created logic.
Oh never mind, that is the Big Bang theory.
Actually, a literal interpretation might make things go a lot easier among reasonable persons.
Just as we can't say if the chicken or the egg came first, we can acknowledge that the Bible clearly states that Adam and Eve were created as a man and a woman. None of that puberty stuff for those two.
By rationalizing that, one might be able to stipulate that the entire planet was made as a mature entity and indeed never had to go through the Pleistocene, Precambrian ages, and all that other stuff evidentialized by strata.
Hey, if I were going to make an argument about the matter, thats probably the position that I'd prefer to hold in a debate.
It can't really be argued as I see it.
On the other hand, something coming from nothing seems pretty far fetched to me.
WOW!! That's a landslide in favor of evolution. Empressive.
Has to be fact!!!
OK It's the meaning of "theory" and "scientific method" that you're shaky on.
I see Gods hand at work through the mechanism of evolution. If God chose to create human beings in his image and decided that the mechanism of evolution was an elegant way to accomplish that goal, who are we to say that is not the way, he [Collins] says.
Religious prosyletizers are often very cruel. They claim that their belief allows them to transgress every element of privacy and common decency. I think that if they are content with THEIR souls, they should leave mine alone.
And trying to turn a difficulty or tragedy into a 'missionary moment' is unethical and unChristian.
Thank you for a thoughtful and heartfelt post.
Itsahoot...I have to agree with Doctor Stochastic, that your last paragraph in your post #48 does NOT represent the view of Francis Collins....
I myself went to the link your provided in your post #129, and from there I quote Collins who says..."I see Gods hand at work through the mechanism of evolution. If God chose to create human beings in his image and decided that the mechanism of evolution was an elegant way to accomplish that goal, who are we to say that is not the way, he says."
In other words, Collins himself, by his own words, never says he supports Intelligent Design...in fact, he says he supports evolution...there is no other way to read this quote...
Another quote from the article that you linked to reads, "Among Collins most controversial beliefs is that of 'theistic evolution', which claims natural selection is the tool that God chose to create man. In his version of the theory, he argues that man will not evolve further"
Again, Collins asserts his support of evolution...
How you arrived at the conclusion that Collins supports Intelligent Design, is something I wonder about...your own links to that article show just the opposite...that Collins was an atheist until he was 27, and then after that, due to various experiences, he came to a belief in God...but nowhere in this article, does it ever say that he believes in Intelligent Design...your own linked article, shows that Collins supports evolution, proven by his own words...
This is going to upset the darwin fundamentalists.
Ah, you beat my reply to Itsahoot by a few minutes...please see my post #137....you and I think alike, regarding this matter...we even posted the very same quotes...
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