Posted on 06/25/2007 5:55:14 PM PDT by Alien Syndrome
In the United States the old but bitter debate between evolution and creationism is heating up again.
Three of the Republican presidential candidates do not believe in evolution and a high-tech creation museum recently opened in Kentucky.
Much of the debate has been fuelled by a book claiming the Grand Canyon, one of America's most well-known landmarks, was carved by Noah's flood rather than erosion.
Every national park has at least one gift shop - usually more - selling t-shirts, snow domes, mugs, postcards and books.
At the Grand Canyon you will find books on the canyon's history, the canyon's animals and even the canyon's deaths.
One book, Grand Canyon: A Different View, contains the following excerpt:
"Grand Canyon is not just an icon of beauty. It is a solemn witness to the mighty power of God who is not only the omnipotent creator of all things but also the avenging defender of his own holiness."
It is amazing to think a humble river was able to carve such a mighty canyon. Of course, a geologist will tell you that reflects the power of time rather than the power of the river - the canyon is millions of years old.
But Grand Canyon: A Different View presents a different perspective.
The book is compiled by Tom Vail, who has been guiding rafting trips down the Colorado River for 25 years.
He says for the first 15 years he was an evolutionist.
"In 1994 I became a Christian and started looking at the canyon as my book says, from a different view, and I started exploring the creationist model of the formation of the canyon," he said.
"What I found was all those little questions I had as an evolutionist had answers, and pretty logical answers as I looked at it."
Mr Vail's book is not some cheap pamphlet. It is a full colour coffee-table book, featuring expensive paper, sophisticated layout, spectacular photos, scientific language and lots of quotes from the Old Testament.
Not surprisingly, it is generating debate.
The gulf between creationists and mainstream scientists is as wide as the canyon itself.
The American Geological Institute and other groups demanded the book be removed from the national park.
The debate only fuelled sales of the book and Tom Vail says there is plenty of evidence inside the canyon to back his belief.
"We see some very large folding in the canyon where sedimentary layers, which are laid down horizontally, have been curved or carved in big bends, some of them 300 feet tall, and this is done without cracking the rock. How do you do that with hard rock?" he said.
"I'm definitely going against the tide here, but when you look at the evidence, there are major flaws in the dating methods, for example.
Much to the horror of mainstream scientists, creationism seems to be making a comeback in the United States.
A multi-million dollar creation museum recently opened, at least three of the Republicans running for President do not believe in evolution and Tom Vail's rafting trips are welcoming customers from as far away as Australia.
Opinion polls suggest 43 per cent of Americans believe God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years. Only 14 per cent believe humans evolved without divine involvement.
I don’t want creationism taught, either, because it substitutes some Christians’ religious dogma for actual science.
Exactly: I don’t see what (some) darwinists have against the teaching of empirical evidence against darwinism? Shouldn’t ALL the evidence be looked at, not just that (btw many of the early darwinist evidence has been debunked as hoaxes, and/or bad science) that uphold their worldview..?
If someone is honest they won’t take ANYONE’S word for it and will openly, but honestly explore empirical evidence for themselves, it seem so many don’t want to do this though (not just evolutionists, btw).
But all evidence should be looked at openly, not just that that favors “one side”.
(Censorship) is what happens most often!
If God created everything, why couldn’t God create evolution?
At the moment the public schools are forced to adhere to the religious standards current in the Episcopal church. Not sure that's right. Could be we'll get to see what the Catholic standards are like.
All right, some me that you are right. Show that evolution is not the scientific fraud I and so many others know it is. Show me that evolution isn’t morally bankrupted. Show that evolution does not promote atheism and the bigotry that accompanies it.
I’m waiting…
Are you seriously saying that ALL of the other 57% of us, including those of us who believe God created the universe billions of years ago and then implemented rules by which His universe was to develop, have turned our backs on God? If not, you need to rephrase. If so, you need to reconsider your hubris in speaking as if you know the mind of God.
I predict 550 posts or more.
They are all equally true to their respective true believers.
So what makes you think your beliefs are more "true" than those of the 4,000 other extant world religions? And what is your evidence?
Not opinion, not revelation, not scripture, not belief, but verifiable evidence! (And you folks criticize the theory of evolution for "lacking evidence"!)
A lot of us in the 57 percent are among the faithful who believe God created the universe over a slightly longer period of time. (A day is as a thousand years, etc.)
Why axe why?
Try Bud Dry!
Cerially even a broken watch tells the correct time twice a day. Serial liars will often tell the truth, to give themselves credibilty! Is-Slime is from satan! It is an affront to mankind and all of Gods creation! What good has come from the mohamicidals?
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” --Albert Einstein
You made the statement:
The “facts” of evolution, however, come from an assortment of inaccurate date testing, hoaxes and outright lies.I called you on that statement. Don't you think you are under some obligation to support your statement?
For example, can you name five hoaxes in evolution? I'll give you a hint: Piltdown Man was a hoax. Now all you need is four! Are you up to it? There are 150 years of fossils, so from your statement it should be easy, right?
Find four more genuine hoaxes and we can go from there.
Making a comeback? Since when did it ever go away? Them saying so didn't make it happen. They're really just horrified to find out they were wrong.
Where do they get off thinking they can make demands like that? Do they own the park? Nobody is forcing anyone to buy the books. Mind control police.
You are the one came here promoting evolution, the burden of proof is on you. I more than supported the need for competent science in the class room.
And if you want more hoaxes I’ll give you more than you asked for (keep in mind that this is only the beginning of the deceit of evolution): Neanderthal man, carbon 14 dating, sediment layers, dinosaurs and humans living in different time periods, Lucy.
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