Prove Evolution: Win $250,000!

Creation Science Evangelism ^ | N/A | Dr. Ken Hovind

[handk]

Dr. Hovind's $250,000 Offer
formerly $10,000, offered since 1990

I have a standing offer of $250,000 to anyone who can give any empirical evidence (scientific proof) for evolution.*  My $250,000 offer demonstrates that the hypothesis of evolution is nothing more than a religious belief.

 

Observed phenomena:

Most thinking people will agree that--
1. A highly ordered universe exists.
2. At least one planet in this complex universe contains an amazing variety of life forms.
3. Man appears to be the most advanced form of life on this planet.

Known options:

Choices of how the observed phenomena came into being--
1. The universe was created by God.
2. The universe always existed.
3. The universe came into being by itself by purely natural processes (known as evolution) so that no appeal to the supernatural is needed.

Evolution has been acclaimed as being the only process capable of causing the observed phenomena.

Evolution is presented in our public school textbooks as a process that:

1. Brought time, space, and matter into existence from nothing.
2. Organized that matter into the galaxies, stars, and at least nine planets around the sun. (This process is often referred to as cosmic evolution.)
3. Created the life that exists on at least one of those planets from nonliving matter (chemical evolution).
4. Caused the living creatures to be capable of and interested in reproducing themselves.
5. Caused that first life form to spontaneously diversify into different forms of living things, such as the plants and animals on the earth today (biological evolution).

People believe in evolution; they do not know that it is true. While beliefs are certainly fine to have, it is not fair to force on the students in our public school system the teaching of one belief, at taxpayers’ expense. It is my contention that evolutionism is a religious worldview that is not supported by science, Scripture, popular opinion, or common sense. The exclusive teaching of this dangerous, mind-altering philosophy in tax-supported schools, parks, museums, etc., is also a clear violation of the First Amendment.

 

How to collect the $250,000:

Prove beyond reasonable doubt that the process of evolution (option 3 above, under "known options") is the only possible way the observed phenomena could have come into existence. Only empirical evidence is acceptable. Persons wishing to collect the $250,000 may submit their evidence in writing or schedule time for a public presentation. A committee of trained scientists will provide peer review of the evidence offered and, to the best of their ability, will be fair and honest in their evaluation and judgment as to the validity of the evidence presented.

If you are convinced that evolution is an indisputable fact, may I suggest that you offer $250,000 for any empirical or historical evidence against the general theory of evolution. This might include the following:

1. The earth is not billions of years old (thus destroying the possibility of evolution having happened as it is being taught).
2. No animal has ever been observed changing into any fundamentally different kind of animal.
3. No one has ever observed life spontaneously arising from nonliving matter.
4. Matter cannot make itself out of nothing.

 

My suggestion:

Proponents of the theory of evolution would do well to admit that they believe in evolution, but they do not know that it happened the way they teach. They should call evolution their "faith" or "religion," and stop including it in books of science. Give up faith in the silly religion of evolutionism, and trust the God of the Bible (who is the Creator of this universe and will be your Judge, and mine, one day soon) to forgive you and to save you from the coming judgment on man’s sin.

* NOTE:
When I use the word evolution, I am not referring to the minor variations found in all of the various life forms (microevolution). I am referring to the general theory of evolution which believes these five major events took place without God:

1. Time, space, and matter came into existence by themselves.
2. Planets and stars formed from space dust.
3. Matter created life by itself.
4. Early life-forms learned to reproduce themselves.
5. Major changes occurred between these diverse life forms (i.e., fish changed to amphibians, amphibians changed to reptiles, and reptiles changed to birds or mammals).

[Doctor Stochastic]

Search for p-adics. They are the only completion of the rationals other than the reals. The act like reversed decimals.

[general_re]

Phew - for a minute there, I thought you were going to start channelling Archimedes Plutonium ;)

[Capitalist Eric]

This is not an answer. You want to take on the challenge, then fine.

Define pi, to the last digit.

If you can't, then just say so, instead of trying to BS me with p-adics or p-issingonmyshoesandtryingtotellmeitsraining.

[Motherhood IS a career]

I don't bully, I teach : )

Ahhh... a teacher. That explains everything.

So far, the only thing you've taught us is that you're here to pick on one particular individual - JediGirl. She is too bright to sound like a child, but IF she is a child, and you're the adult, then you've just been plowed over by a child.

Perhaps you need to learn a thing or two before you try teaching.

[Motherhood IS a career]

'perpetual motion brick'

LOL!!! That's VERY funny.

[general_re]

Easy, there. He really did answer your question, just not quite in the way you were looking for. I'll vouch - go and look up p-adics, and his answer will make more sense to you. It's taking advantage of the vagueness of your question, but it really is a valid answer to "what is the last digit of pi?" - I promise. ;)

[RadioAstronomer]

here is a link: :-)

http://www.math.niu.edu/~rusin/known-math/98/p-adics

[PeaceBeWithYou]

I disagree, p-adics are only useful for rational numbers of which Pi isn't.

[general_re]

...i.e., Eric is still getting snow-jobbed, just not quite in the way he thinks ;)

[general_re]

I don't think it really matters what they are practically useful for - I strongly suspect that the good doctor did not intend his answer to be taken all that seriously ;)

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Now with that I can agree ;-).

[savedbygrace]

Might as well ask, "Prove reality exists and win a million dollars."

Reminds me of the old Steve Martin routine: "How to become a millionaire. First, get a million dollars . . . "

[tortoise]

Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Life is what you make of it. Having faith or not does not stack the deck any differently, and in the end, we end up like all the others. What I don't understand though, is what kind of person is it that finds life utterly devoid of purpose without faith? I wake up in the morning with the desire to do great things and to build the future, faith or no faith. Of course, the very concept of "purpose" is biased by the subjective; purpose is what you make of it. I find purpose in exercising my abilities to push the envelope of human existence. It may seem purposeful to me, and perhaps to other humans with the same experiential context, but I don't for a minute believe that what anyone does has a purpose that is objectively meaningful in the universe. The very concept of "meaning" is implies the subjective.

I take it you didn't have a source to support your something from nothing addendum to the Casimir Effect?

The Casimir effect was the only valid example I could think of off the top of my head that someone could relate to without digging into the nasty technical stuff. Transient photons are not the most intriguing particles, though it is a valid example of the behavior in question (things spontaneously popping in and out of existence). Part of the problem is that we don't really know much about this particular class of phenomena, nor how to manipulate it. Of course, by the very definition of spontaneous creation we can't "cause" it to happen, but we can filter the behavior. Its all deep weird physics that would allow us to plumb the very nature of the universe if we could ever figure it out, but unfortunately these types of particle fields have many properties that make them all but undetectable by direct methods which has hindered research.

[longshadow]

space-time place-moment marker (a "placemarker" post by any other name)

[RickyJ]

If you can prove it then go present your evidence and collect your money. LOL!

[RickyJ]

There is more proof that Jesus Christ existed then there is that Darwin, Shakespeare, and Socrates existed. You'll know without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the Lord of lords and King of kings very soon. You will meet him soon.

I pray you're ready.

[stainlessbanner]

Perhaps you need to learn a thing or two before you try teaching

Thanks for the advice - the learning process is continual. I'll try not to be plowed over anymore! Funny : )

[stainlessbanner]

BTW, Welcome to FR!

Motherhood IS a career

member since April 10th, 2002

[RadioAstronomer]

Are you saying Christ didn't exist?

Not at all. I am implying that the scrutiny that is focused on evolution is not reciprocated with the Bible. Outside of the Bible itself (or other religious works), there is very little (contemporary) written about him. So to rephrase the question; how do you know that Jesus was not a fictional character or a myth fostered by a religious sect?