The Bottom Line in Debate of Design (2)

Posted by Jim on Mar 27, 2009
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What facts must be explained by natural processes or the entire theory of evolution collapses? Previously we looked at four of them. Here are five more.
5) The earth (the entire universe in fact) must be very old. In order to account for enough random accidents to occur to produce life as we know it, vast amounts of time must pass. (In fact, in a previous article, we saw that no amount of time could account for it, statistically.) The earth does indeed appear to be old, if only natural processes are taken into account. However, a world-wide catastrophe would cause the earth to appear much older than it is and evidence for a catastrophe, such as a world-wide flood, abounds. Examples include sedimentary rock found on Mount Everest, the formation of petrified wood, and polystrate fossils. The amount of meteoritic dust on earth, the quantity of sediment on the moon, the deltas at the end of rivers, radiocarbon dating, and many other dating methods point, in fact, to a very young earth.
6) Irreducible complexity. Parts of nearly all of life must be present for that life form to have continued. Only fig wasps pollinate fig blossoms, for example. The whole process of reproduction, whether in plant, animal, or man, must be in place as it is for the species to continue. If one part were missing, the organism would be extinct.
7) A process must be presented that explains how one life form can change genetically into another. Obviously chromosomes did not increase with life form complexity. Dogs have 39 pairs of chromosomes, a fern 240 pairs, while we have 23. Further, as we saw in the previous article, when the chromosome numbers don’t match, sterility results. Even Downs syndrome adults are almost always sterile and that is a mismatch of only one. If mutations are used to explain the change in chromosome numbers, it raises a serious problem. No mutation has ever been observed to change one species into another, and, in fact, mutations are nearly always detrimental to the offspring.
8) The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. Simply put, this law states that, though the total amount of matter and energy in the universe is constant, its usefulness continually decreases. Things move from order to disorder, from a higher energy state to a lower. Reversing this requires the input of more energy. Albert Einstein called this “the premier law of science” upon which all other processes are based. And yet evolution demands that life moves accidentally from a lower energy level to a higher, exactly contrary to this law.
9) Population growth. In a previous article we examined this in some detail. Simply put, the present world population is only explainable if mankind has been around a few thousand years. If we have been here a million years, we would be overrun with people, or skeletons, and if a short time, how did we become so complex through accidents?
Each of these points, if not explained adequately, is a nail in the coffin of Evolution. More evidence for design will be discussed next time.

The Bottom Line in Debate of Design (1)

Posted by Jim on Mar 20, 2009
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Imagine for a moment that you are stranded part way down a cliff on a small ledge. It is impossible to climb up and to go down would mean certain death. A person comes along and, spotting you, lowers a steel chain just long enough to reach you. As you grab the welcome aid, you look up and notice that, half way up the chain is one link made of paper. More than 99% of the links are strong so 1% can’t matter, can it?
For over two years, these articles have examined various evidences for the handiwork of a Creator in nature. The only alternative to this idea is evolution. Either life evolved by random accidents or it was designed and created. Therefore, if evolution doesn’t work, design is the only alternative. Creationists can explain the unknown easily: God did it that way. Evolutionists must explain everything for natural processes demand an explanation. The question is, do paper links exist in the explanation of the chain of events that supposedly evolved life as we know it? I maintain there are at least ten and we will be outlining these in the next three articles. Note that Darwin himself recognized the first four and said if they can’t be explained, his whole theory would collapse. One hundred and fifty years have passed since he presented his godless ideas. Have satisfactory explanations followed?
1) Transitional forms must be found in the fossil record. If life changed gradually from one form to other, then part way forms must have existed. This is the so-called missing link. However, no such transitional forms have been found. Indeed, we don’t have one mission link but thousands of missing links in connecting life in one continuous chain. What about amphibians? Aren’t they half fish and half air breather? No, they continue to reproduce the same species century after century. They are not gradually changing into only air breathers. Neither does adaptation explain evolution for an adapting specie does not change into another specie. Desperate attempts have been made to create human transition forms from bone fragments, such as Nebraska man and Piltdown man but these have eventually met with embarrassment. After 150 years of searching, the shocking absence of transitional forms demands an explanation.
2) The incredible complexity of organs like the eye. Someone suggested to Darwin that perhaps the eye evolved through three separate branches of the evolution tree. He replied, “I have enough trouble explaining how the eye could evolve at all.” After 150 years, far from explaining it, we marvel more than ever at the eye’s complexity. How many random accidents would be needed to produce it? The eye was Darwin’s example but with the advancements of science, we now know that every part of the human body is amazingly complex. This is true of all of life. Even bacteria perform complex chemical reactions to accomplish specific goals.
3) Instincts in animals. How can knowledge be acquired and then passed on to offspring without instruction? For example, how does the Magnolia Warbler know how to navigate by the stars?
4) Sterility of cross breeding in animals. One example is the mule, the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. (The offspring of a male horse and a female donkey is called a hinny but are much rarer.) “Mules and hinnies are almost always sterile. The sterility is attributed to the differing number of chromosomes of the two species: donkeys have 62 chromosomes, whereas horses have 64.” (Wiki) If cross breeding of similar species almost always produces sterile offspring, how can we explain the vast differences between all the animals and man? (More next time)

Sheep (2)

Posted by Jim on Mar 13, 2009
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What sports team is named the Lambs? We have Lions, Tigers, Bears, Eagles, even the Rams, but not the Lambs. We like to be identified with the aggressive, invulnerable, macho types of animals.
Several years ago Candid Camera hid their camera in a high school counselor’s office. Students had taken an aptitude test and were brought in one at a time to learn what the test revealed. Each one was told, “The test shows you would excel as a shepherd.” The camera focused on their shocked looks! Who wanted to spend their life taking care of dumb sheep! Yet God says we are like sheep and He likens Himself to a loving Shepherd (Psalm 23). In part one (#74) we saw that sheep are and always have been dependent creatures. Abel, the second generation, was a keeper of the sheep.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:2) Sheep will not lie down in green pastures until dangers and annoyances are past and until their stomachs are full. They take in large quantities of grass, then lie down in the pasture to ruminate. This is the process of bringing up from the rumen (first part of the stomach) that which was swallowed, and chewing it more thoroughly. Once it is chewed, the food passes through the other parts of the stomach to be digested. This is beautiful picture of what God wants us to do with His Word. We are to read and memorize it, then mull it over in our minds throughout the day. This is Biblical meditation and God promises special blessings for those who meditate on His Word and heed what it says. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:97; 1 Timothy 4:15, etc.)
Being fearful creatures, sheep can easily be frightened by swirling water. Yet, they don’t like stagnant water either. Interestingly, in some areas sheep don’t need to drink for weeks at a time because they get sufficient water through the still, morning dew on the grass. “He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Because sheep tend to eat until they damage a pasture, the shepherd must move them regularly. In mountainous areas, the lowlands have the early grass. As summer arrives, shepherds move their flock up into the cooler higher pastures. Of course, where there are hills, there are valleys and valleys can be dangerous. The shepherd is aware of this and keeps each sheep on the safe path. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”
Animals have a variety of ways to protect themselves. Some dig, some run, some stink, some poke, some claw, some fly, some are strong and fight, etc. But sheep have no means of protection. They are totally dependent on the shepherd to keep them away from predators. He will use a rod and a staff to protect them. The staff is long and the rod short. They are used both to ward off enemies, and to discipline stubborn sheep. The same instrument can be both welcome and feared, depending on the sheep’s situation. “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
It is humbling to be likened to sheep by our Creator. But it is comforting to know we have a strong and loving Shepherd. (John 10:11, 14).

The Marvels of Flight Feathers

Posted by Jim on Mar 06, 2009
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While visiting the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson, I was not surprised to find a model depicting the evolution of birds from reptiles. Made of welded copper (if I remember correctly), the model showed how gradually reptiles developed wings and eventually learned to fly as birds. It was all so clearly presented showing six or eight transition forms, how could anyone doubt it? Of course, no one there explained that the transition forms were imaginary. They have never been observed and nothing in the fossil record indicates that reptiles changed into birds over long periods of time. This is from dinosaur-world.com- “Wings evolved over many, many millions of years.  Scientists have extensively studied the wings of modern-day birds and have identified many important anatomical details. Especially important are those not found on the ‘arms’ of non-birds.  Major efforts have gone into finding early occurrences of such details in the fossil record, but unfortunately it is far from complete.” This is saying transition forms just aren’t there. Yes, both reptiles and birds hatch from eggs but similarities end quickly. For example, reptiles are cold-blooded whereas birds are warm-blooded, with a body temperature slightly above humans (104º-108º).
In an article in animals.about.com, the author shows the mystery of the evolution of flight. “All animals that fly have wings. To understand the evolution of flight, it helps to consider how wings may have evolved: wings may have evolved from forelimbs used in the capture of small prey; wings may have evolved to assist animals as they jumped up from the ground; wings may have evolved as part of sexual display features; wings may have evolved to help animals glide efficiently.” Besides the fact that each of these theories is fraught with problems, consider the marvel of the feather.
Feathers play a crucial role in the life of birds besides allowing them to fly. Wiki says, “They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates.” Feathers are used for flight, thermal insulation, waterproofing, and coloration that helps in communication and protection. “Every feather is a marvel of engineering design. A single pigeon feather is composed of more than a million individual parts. Barbs extend from each side of a center shaft. Smaller barbules grow out of both sides of these barbs, which in turn are made with tiny microscopic barbicels. These barbicels are tiny hooks which interlock with barbules, weaving each feather together like the teeth on a zipper. If the barbs are pulled apart, the bird hooks them back together by simply running its beak through the feathers. For their weight, feathers are stronger than any man-made structures.”
Evolutionists claim that feathers evolved from reptile scales. “There is virtually no similarity between scales and feathers, nor is there any fossil evidence showing the transition from scale to feather.” (It Couldn’t Just Happen, p. 106)
We can give evolutionists credit for a great imagination and creative ways to present their theory. However, when they are not based on the facts, they are deceptive. The truth is that feathers, like all other marvels of our world, point to a masterful design by a Creator!