Free Republic

Neo-Darwinian Theory Fails the Mutation Test by Brian Thomas, M.S.* Darwin’s original conception of simple-to-complex evolution maintained that nature selected certain individuals with superior features, and in this way gradually, one tiny feature at a time, an entirely different creature could eventually form. The source of new features or feature fragments for nature to select, however, eluded evolutionists for decades. To answer this, the Geological Society of America in 1941 formulated a new version of Darwinian evolution. They decided that genetic mutations should be considered the source of new information for nature to select, and thus the Neo-Darwinian Theory was...

... We can now formulate two fundamental properties of information: Property 1: Information is not the thing itself, neither is it a condition, but it is an abstract representation of material realities or conceptual relationships, such as problem formulations, ideas, programs, or algorithms. The representation is in a suitable coding system and the realities could be objects or physical, chemical, or biological conditions. The reality being represented is usually not present at the time and place of the transfer of information, neither can it be observed or measured at that moment. Property 2: Information always plays a substitutionary role. The...

Not wise.

The meaning of yôm in Genesis 1:1–2:4 by Francis Humphrey Some preliminary considerations The question often arises as to the correct meaning of ‘day’ in the opening verses of Genesis. There are those who argue that the word signifies a long period of time (e.g. progressive creationists like Hugh Ross). Others contend that the passage in question (Genesis 1:1–2:4) is not meant to be an actual historical account of the creation but is rather a theological reflection on God’s creative power and His sovereignty over the created order (e.g. the ‘framework hypothesis’ of Meredith Kline, Henri Blocher et al.). In...

AUSTIN – In a decision watched by science educators across the nation, the State Board of Education on Thursday narrowly turned aside a last-ditch effort by social conservatives to require that "weaknesses" in the theory of evolution be taught in science classes in Texas. Board members deadlocked 7-7 on a motion to restore a longtime curriculum rule that "strengths and weaknesses" of all scientific theories – notably Charles Darwin's theory of evolution – be covered in science classes and textbooks for those subjects ... Voting for the requirement were the seven Republican board members aligned with social conservative groups. Against...

‘But the New Testament does not make a big deal out of the Age of the Earth…’ by Peter Milford ... The issue of the age of the earth parallels circumcision. In my experience, the first response from Christians who do not accept the age of the earth that the Scriptures indicate, is to say something like “The New Testament does not make a big deal out of the age of the earth” or “It is not the purpose of the Bible to give the age of the earth”. Their point is that (1) the issue of the age of...

March 26, 2009 — Quick! When was the Age of Fishes? If you said “Devonian,” you were correct according to the textbooks and museums, but where’s your evidence? Look at this diorama in the Smithsonian depicting the seas of the Silurian, the period preceding the Devonian: crinoids, trilobites, corals and nautiloids, but no fish. It may be time to change the artwork and the textbooks. A fully-finned fish, jaws and all, has been found in Silurian rock in China. .... The collapse of a mythology – the fishless Silurian sea – occurring before our eyes. Evolutionists like to quote the...

The Honourable Gary Goodyear has not been having a good year. He is the Member of Parliament for Cambridge ON and federal Minister for Science and Technology. The research community attacks him for the Government's reduced funding that will cripple scientific work in Canada. He at first declined to answer a Globe and Mail editorial board question as to whether or not he believed in evolution. That, he said, was an unwarranted inquisition into his religious beliefs. Then he told CTV's "Power Play" that "Of course, I believe in evolution but (that) is an irrelevant question". Irrelevant, that is. to...

Anyone familiar with the creation/evolution debate should know that anti-creationists love to lob the accusation that creationists are “anti-science” or that they “reject science.” Evolutionists frequently label creationists “flat-earthers” and even go as far as suggesting that consistent creationists should deny the law of gravity!

The First and Best Biotechnician by Brian Thomas, M.S.* Mankind’s attempts at bioengineering have yet to match the precision of some techniques already found in nature: cloning, tissue culturing, and gene therapy. Recent studies have explored how these processes operate in amoebas, aphids, and parasitic wasps, respectively...

Old-Earth Creationism by Henry Morris, Ph.D. Many evangelical leaders today, unfortunately, have capitulated to the evolutionary timescale of modern unbelieving geologists and astronomers. They feel that they must somehow reinterpret the Genesis record of creation to allow for billions of prehistoric years, which the evolutionists must have in order to make cosmic evolution and biological evolution seem feasible. This compromise is necessary, they say, in order to win scientists and other intellectuals to the Lord...

Darwin’s illegitimate brainchild If you thought Darwin’s Origin was original, think again! by Russell Grigg, Australia The concept of evolution by natural selection is sometimes referred to as Charles Darwin’s brainchild, and indeed he often referred to it in his letters to his friends as his dear ‘child’. However, this is a far cry from the facts. At best it was an adopted child; at worst an illegitimate child...

Is a Hippo a Pig or a Whale? March 24, 2009 — Two teams of evolutionists are having a spat over whale evolution. Thewissen and team (Northeastern Ohio U) say the hippo is close to the pig, but Jessica Theodor (U of Calgary) and Jonathan Geisler (Georgia Southern U) say it’s in the whale family tree. Their arguments and counter-arguments were published in Nature last week...

Deadly Waters No Problem for Well-Equipped Algae by Brian Thomas, M.S.* Arsenic is a common toxic component in pesticides and herbicides, and one place it is found naturally is in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. The arsenic in the water there would be deadly to many living creatures, yet the Cyanidioschyzon algae thrive in it because they are specially equipped to detoxify arsenic through chemical modification. Some bacteria, marine worms, and lichens are also known to convert between different forms of arsenic, but new research details how the algae do it....

An Overview of Day-Age's Errors by Larry Vardiman, Ph.D. Many Bible scholars today are buying into the day-age theory of origins. They seem to believe that their biblical views must conform to their mental image of how the world functions today and must be confirmed by members of the non-Christian world, whose minds are darkened (Ephesians 4:17-19). The basis of the day-age interpretation of long ages rests on a flawed understanding of the use of the word yom in Genesis 1 and 2. Here, I will discuss briefly the theory's five main errors...

On March 16, 2009, the Templeton Foundation announced the winner of its annual 1 million pound sterling (1.42 million USD) prize, an amount that exceeds the payoff of the prestigious Nobel Prize...Dr. d’Espagnat was awarded the prize for his work using theoretical physics to predict the reality of a hypercosmic god, who exists outside of the physical universe...

Focusing on Darwin and his theory doesn't further scientific progress. Experimental biology has dramatically increased our understanding of the intricate workings within living organisms that account for their survival, showing how they continue to function despite the myriad assaults on them from their environments. These advances in knowledge are attributable to the development of new methodologies and instruments, unimaginable in the preceding centuries, applied to the investigation of living organisms. Crucial to all fruitful experiments in biology is their design, for which Darwin's and Wallace's principles apparently provide no guidance. In 1942, Nobel Laureate Ernst Chain wrote that his discovery...

... On the last evening, a young ministerial student approached the ICR booth and listened to our description of ICR’s mission and ministry. "Oh, I really don't see it that way," he stated. "My church teaches that the Bible may be inspired, but it's not inerrant. It's all about man's description of God." I couldn't keep my jaw from dropping at this very matter-of-fact admission. This was supposed to be an "evangelical" pastors conference, sponsored by one of the largest Christian publishers in the world--a Bible publisher, no less...

'Live Evolution' Not Witnessed After All by Brian Thomas, M.S.* Some science media outlets are hailing a recent study as “live evolution witnessed,” but what researchers at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique actually saw isn’t evolution at all. They observed, over the course of 300 generations, predator bacteria adapting to overcome certain defenses erected by its prey. The kinds of minor changes that these bacteria experienced, however, do not support the broad Darwinian philosophy that life continually evolves upward...

Remember the film “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” in which Pee Wee Herman visited a California roadside attraction that featured giant concrete dinosaurs? Well, that roadside attraction on Highway 10 near Cabazon, formerly known as “Claude Bell’s Dinosaurs,” has now been bought out by fanatics who’ve turned it into a creationist museum. Long time LGF reader “Ringo the Gringo” visited this place recently, and filed a must-see photo essay at Ringo’s Pictures: The Lion, The Lamb and The Velociraptor - Cabazon, March 2009.