Saturday, November 21, 2009

Nation & World

God and Country by Dan Gilgoff

Ray Comfort Responds to Genie Scott on Creationist 'Origin of Species'

November 02, 2009 12:57 PM ET | Dan Gilgoff | Permanent Link | Print

In the third installment of a debate between creationist Ray Comfort and scientist Eugenie Scott, Comfort defends his new version of Darwin's On the Origin of Species against a critique from Scott. Scott will rebut tomorrow. And just a reminder: Neither God & Country nor U.S. News necessarily endorses their views. -Dan Gilgoff

By Ray Comfort

A major concern of Genie Scott was that the copy of On the Origin of Species sent to her by my publisher was missing "four crucial chapters," as well as Darwin's introduction. She will be pleased to know that the second printing of 170,000 copies (the one that we will give to students) is the entire book. Not one word will be omitted.

Scott quoted a famous geneticist, who said, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." I would like to drop one word, so that the quote is true. It should read, "Nothing in biology makes sense in the light of evolution." For example, evolution has no explanation as to why and how around 1.4 million species of animals evolved as male and female. No one even goes near explaining how and why each species managed to reproduce (during the millions of years the female was supposedly evolving to maturity) without the right reproductive machinery.

Nor does any evolutionary believer adequately address the fact that all those 1.4 million species managed to evolve into maturity together in our lifetime. Nothing we have in creation is half evolved. The cow has a working udder to make drinkable milk. The bee has working apparatus to make edible honey. We don't find a half-evolved cow or bee. None of the 1.4 million species on the Earth has half an eye. All have the necessary functioning equipment, from the brain, to the teeth, to the eye, to limbs, to reproductive necessities. Everything that we see in creation is in full working order—from the sun, to the mixture of the air, to the seasons, to fruit trees and vegetables, to the animal kingdom—from the tiny ant right up to the massive elephant.

But not only do we see this mature completion in creation; we see it displayed in the fossil record. It reveals that each animal was complete. Historical and present creation stands as a stark testimony to the folly of Darwinian evolution.

Darwin was certainly on to something when he said, "Often a cold shudder has run through me, and I have asked myself whether I may have not devoted myself to a fantasy."

My second point is that Scott is happy for students to read the first eight and the last 10 pages of the Introduction, but she doesn't want them to waste their time on the meat in the sandwich. She says that this portion is my weakest, most tasteless of arguments. If that is true, shouldn't she then encourage students to read that portion to prove the weakness of my case? Instead, she says not to read it. I wonder why?

Scott continues, "There are more specimens of 'Ardi' (the newly described Ardipithecus ramidus) than there are of Tyrannosaurus . . . We and modern chimpanzees shared a common ancestor millions of years ago . . . ." But that's another evolutionary "Oops!" if you believe the learned scientists on the Discovery Channel. In a recent two-hour documentary about Ardi, the scientists said, "Ever since Darwin, we have bought into the idea that humans evolved from ancient chimplike creatures. That's because modern chimps seemed to share a lot of anatomy and modern behavior with humans. So the idea that we evolved from something like chimps seemed to make sense. But now, the discovery of Ardipithecus shows that this idea is totally and completely wrong." Did you hear what they said? This idea that we evolved from ancient chimplike creatures is totally and completely wrong.

I am aware that it is the learning process of evolutionary "science" to continually discover itself to be wrong. So there can never be a time when believers can claim they have the truth. This is just as well, because each new and believed hypothesis, like the crazy fashions of a superficial teenager, is in time discarded in favor of the new.

After addressing my arguments from the portion of the Introduction she doesn't want students to read, Scott says, "More fossils will provide more details, but this outline of human evolution is not in serious doubt among scientists." Hear her own words: "More fossils will provide more details." In other words, they still don't have the undisputed fossils. That's what Darwin lamented 150 years ago! He said that when a skeptic "may ask in vain, 'Where are the numberless transitional links?' " Darwin's answer was that the missing links "may lie buried under the ocean." They are still buried somewhere, 150 years later. Scott said that "human evolution isn't in serious doubt among scientists." But I say, it should be.

She also says, "There are splendid fossils of dinosaurs that have feathers and of whales that have legs—and even feet." But she doesn't give me any details of such splendor. Where are they? Instead, she quotes the Bible: "Oh foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not." However, Jeremiah is speaking of Israel's rejection of the message of the Gospel (not Darwinian evolution), something Scott dismisses as "rather heavy-handed evangelism."

She then encourages doubters to consider museums where "you will find transitional fossils galore." I went to the Smithsonian to see the fossils galore, and they were there—millions of fossils that were evidence of special creation. The Smithsonian didn't have any transitional fossils that proved evolution (staunch believers claim that they have them, but not on display). I also visited the evolution museum in Paris (Grande Galerie de L'Evolution). I took a camera crew, and we spent an hour looking for the evolution exhibit. It didn't have one. All it had were millions of fossils of fully formed animals that God created.

There are so many gaps and holes in the theory of evolution that you could drive a fleet of a thousand fully laden 18-wheelers through them. The irony is that I can see them, and I'm not an expert on the subject of evolution. So, what does that say about the theory's experts, whoever they are? It says (as a wise man once said) that man will believe anything . . . as long as it's not in the Bible.

Tags: religion | evolution | Charles Darwin

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Reader Comments

Huh?

BRAD:

"Im sick of evos they are all talk and no action lets do something about them before they ruin society a bit more with there poison."

Your incoherent diatribe reminded me of something I had seen before, in the Creation Science Association for Mid-America vol 25 July 2008 to be precise. And I quote:

"The arrogance displayed by the evolutionist class is totally

unwarrented. The facts warrent the violent expulsion of

all evolutionists from civilized society. I am quite serious that their danger to society is so great that, in a sane society, they would be, at a minimum, denied a vote in the administration of the society, as well as any job where they might influence immature humans, e.g., scout, or youth, leader, teacher and, obviously, professor."

Not only do you seem to share the views of Tom Willis but apparently also his spellchecker. You say you have met a lot of people, I assume only once. Most people I meet, whatever their outlook still hold democracy dear. Not your bag obviously.

KEITH:

You must let me know where I can get hold of some of these evolution inc. shares, they sound like a goer. Bizarre comparison with Microsoft BTW, surely the bible with its incalculable worldwide sales would have been more apt, especially since Christians DO actually employ spin doctors for real, have ten TV channels where I am and are strangely exempt from taxation - now that's popular.

COBBER:

You have correctly noted that life can only exist when conditions are just right, obviously. I can't help feeling that a little study of the order of chickens and eggs might help you with some of your questions.

CHRIS:

I can't believe you missed the sarcasm there

Incredulity is still not an argument

Cobber. This is exactly your problem - your incredulity. What's more, the Big Bang theory deals with the expansion of the universe. This has little to do with the theory of the diversity of biological organisms on Earth.

<<<"I cannot fathom the minds that believe that the multiples of animals,insects,birds,fish,flowers,trees,water,blood,ice,oxygen,and sexual organs all came together with a big bang!">>>

Please do be careful when combining euphemisms in this manner.

<<<"How did the food chain happen at the same time to feed the living creation,water,food ,oxygen,climate ,all had to happen immediately for anything to survive.">>>

It is not necessary for all to be their at the same time, just to be there before life arrived.

<<<"Blood and flesh,lungs and heart, etc. All beating together at an instant.">>>

Is that what happened with you? Or did you develop over a number of months from your beginnings as a single-celled organism?

<<<"Earth at right distance to the Sun which came from the big bang along with Moon ,stars,planets and Universe of 50 billion galaxys.">>>

And in a universe with billions of galaxies and trillions of stars, I'm sure there are many planets out there which "just so happen" to be at the right distance from their stars.

<<<"Come on you evolutionists (evilutionists).Youv'e ALL BEEN BRAINWASHED FAR TOO LONG.">>>

No, that would be those who think that an all-powerful invisible magic person somehow created the entire universe with billions of galaxies and trillions of stars, and is personally interested in them, living on a tiny insignificant planet, and is also personally interested in their social life.

Please be aware, that neither biological evolution nor the Big Bang are anti-theistic - unless one prefers to place (unreasonable) limits on (their) all-powerful universe-creating God.

Creation vs Evolution

I cannot fathom the minds that believe that the multiples of animals,insects,birds,fish,flowers,trees,water,blood,ice,oxygen,and sexual organs all came together with a big bang! Why a Big Bsng why not a small whisper? Who was present when this big bang went off ? How did the food chain happen at the same time to feed the living creation,water,food ,oxygen,climate ,all had to happen immediately for anything to survive. Blood and flesh,lungs and heart, etc. All beating together at an instant. Earth at right distance to the Sun which came from the big bang along with Moon ,stars,planets and Universe of 50 billion galaxys . Come on you evolutionists (evilutionists).Youv'e ALL BEEN BRAINWASHED FAR TOO LONG.

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Dan Gilgoff covers religion for U.S. News & World Report. He is the author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War, and is a former politics editor at beliefnet. E-mail Dan at godandcountry@usnews.com.

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