The Hummingbird
The hummingbird is the smallest bird --- some species weigh no more than a dime. It has the highest rate of metabolism (at rest, about 50 times faster than man's) and thus must consume enormous amounts of nectar to avoid starvation. Not adapted for nightfeeding, it must stretch its food stores from dusk to dawn. To accomplish this, nature has equipped the hummingbird with a unique energy-saving design: the ability to hibernate overnight.
"During the night, the hummingbird's metabolic rate is only 1/15th as rapid as in the daytime, and its body temperature drops to that of the surrounding air. the bird is completely still, scarcely able to move. When it does stir, it moves as though congealed. By daybreak, the hummingbird's body spontaneously resumes its normal temperature and high metabolic rate, ready once again to dart off in search of food."
Isn't it amazing how "nature" was able to create such wonderful and complex mechanisms in our world? Isn't it too bad that men have to resort to the word "nature" because they are too embarrassed to say "God"?
Question: If evolution occurred over millions of years, how did the hummingbird survive while this handy little metabolic regulator was gradually evolving? "Nature's" blind and random process of evolution could never have solved such a problem. In truth, the all powerful and intelligent Almighty God wisely designed the bird to fit into his assigned habitat.
May 1989, ”Reason & Revelation,'Nature or God?'," Wayne Jackson.
Please e-mail me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com or 253-396-0290 for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.
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Ape Men?
Is there really evidence that man descended from the apes? Many people believe that the ancestry of mankind has been outlined faithfully and nearly completely. They have heard about “missing links,” and regard them as scientific proof of man’s evolution. However, no ancestor for man has ever been convincingly documented. The “missing links” are still missing!
Here is a summary of the facts relating to some of the best known fossils.
Homo sapiens neanderthalensis (Neanderthal man) --- 150 years ago Neandertal reconstruction’s were stooped, very much like an “ape-man.” Many now admit that the stooped posture was due to disease (such as rickets) and that Neandertals were human, fully able to speak, artistic, and religious.
Ramapithecus ---- once widely regarded as the ancestor of humans, it has now been recognized as merely an extinct type of orangutan (an ape).
Eoanthropus (Piltdown Man) --- a hoax based on a human skull cap and an orangutan’s jaw. It was widely publicized as the missing link for 40 years, and was not even a competent forgery.
Hesperopithecus (Nebraska Man) --- based on a single tooth of a type of pig now living only in Paraguay.
Pithecanthropus (Java Man) --- now regarded as human and called Homo erectus (see below)
· Australopithecus africanus --- this was at one time promoted as the missing link. It is very ape-like and evolutionists no longer consider it to be transitional.
Sinanthropus (Peking Man) --- has now been reclassified as Homo erectus, of the human kind.
Australopithecus (Lucy) --- various species of these have been proclaimed at times as human ancestors. One remains: Australopithecus afarensis, popularly known by the fossil “Lucy.” However, detailed studies of the inner ear, skulls, and bones indicate the “Lucy” and her like are not part-human transitions. For example, they may have walked differently from most apes, but not in the human manner. Australopithecus afarensis is very similar to the pigmy chimpanzee, or bonobo.(see
LUCY)
Homo habilis --- there is a growing consensus among most palaeoanthropologists that this is a “junk” category. It actually includes bits and pieces of various other types --- such as Australopithecus and Homo erectus. It is therefore an “invalid taxon.” Such a creature never existed. This was formerly claimed as the “clear link” between apes and humans, but is no longer valid.
Homo erectus --- many remains of this type have been found around the world. This classification now includes Java man (Pithecanthropus) and Peking man (Sinanthropus), which were once promoted as “missing links.” Their skulls have prominent brow ridges, similar to Neadertals; their bodies were just like those of people today, only more robust. Their brain size is within the range of people today and studies of the inner ear have shown that Homo erectus walked just like us. Both Morphology and associated archaeological/cultural findings in association suggest that Homo erectus was fully human. Some evolutionists now agree that erectus is fully human and should be included in Homo sapiens.
Conclusion
There is no clear fossil evidence that man evolved from apes. The supposed evidence for evolution does not withstand critical examination. The whole chain of “missing links” never existed. The Bible clearly states, “Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) The "Ape man" turns out to be a a series of mistakes and/or hoaxes which perpetuate the religion of Darwinism.
Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com, or 253-396-0290 (cell) for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.
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The Fossil Records
If the theory of evolution is a true account of the origin and development of life on the Earth, it is obvious that
the record of gradual development of plants and animals to higher forms should be embedded in the crust of the Earth in successive layers. This record should then directly correspond to the evolutionary development of the various species up to the present time.
Evolutionists have claimed that there was a "missing link" in the fossil records to account for the lack of fossil records to show the gradual transition from one species to another that evolution needs to support their theory. It is no longer possible to blame the absence of transitional forms on the imperfection or poverty of the fossil record. These transitional forms are not there, as the evidence clearly indicates. All gradual changes are restricted to small changes “within” species, and have little or nothing to do with changes between species.
The fossil records show two things:
1) “Stasis” (no change): Most species exhibit no directional change. They appear in the fossil record looking much the same as when they disappear; morphological (form) change is usually limited and directionless.
2) “Sudden appearance”: In any local area, a species does not arise, gradually by a steady transformation of its ancestors; it appears at once.
The fossil records support creation as set forth in the Bible; “sudden appearance” and “little” change support creation by God, not evolution.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).
WE WELCOME YOU
Following the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile any differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement.
Please e-mail me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com or text 253-396-0290 for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.
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Doesn't Carbon Dating Prove the Earth is Billions of Years Old?
When people ask about “carbon-14 dating” they are usually really wanting to know about radiometric dating methods that are claimed to give millions and billions of years --- carbon dating can only give thousands of years! People wonder how millions of years could be squeezed into the Biblical account of history. Clearly, such huge time periods cannot be fitted into the Bible without compromising what the Bible says about the dating of the genealogies of the Patriarchs, and the goodness of God and the origin of sins, death, and suffering ---the reason Jesus came into the world.
Christians, by definition, take the statements of Jesus Christ seriously. He said, “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female” (Mark 10:6). This only makes sense with a time-line beginning with the creation week thousands of years ago, since the Bible clearly gives the ages of all the patriarchs from Adam to Jesus, which allows us to calculate the time elapsed since the creation of Adam. It also makes no sense if man appeared at the end of millions or billions of years, because of the death, suffering that would have had to occur before the “curse” caused by the sin of Adam and Eve.
· How the Carbon Clock Works
Carbon has unique properties that are essential for life on earth. Familiar to us in several forms, or isotopes: as the black substance in charred wood, coal and the graphite in “lead” pencils: and in the “girl’s best friend”, diamonds. One rare form has atoms that are 14 times as heavy as hydrogen atoms: carbon-14, or radiocarbon.
Carbon-14 is made when cosmic rays knock neutrons out of atomic nuclei in the upper atmosphere. these displaced neutrons now moving fast, hit ordinary nitrogen (N-14) at lower altitudes, converting it into C-14. Unlike common carbon (C-12), C-14 is unstable and slowly decays, changing back into nitrogen and releasing energy. This instability makes it radioactive.
Ordinary carbon (C-12) is found in the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air, which is taken up by plants, which in turn are eaten by animals. So, a bone or a leaf of a tree, or even a piece of wooden furniture, contains carbon. When C-14 has been formed, like ordinary carbon (C-12), it combines with oxygen to give carbon dioxide (CO2-14), and so it gets cycled through the cells of plants and animals.
We can take a sample of air, count how many C-12 atoms there are for every C-14 atom, and calculate the C-14/C-12 ratio. Because C-14 is so well mixed up with the C-12, we expect to find that this ratio is the same if we sample a leaf from a tree, or a part of your body. In living things, although C-14 atoms are constantly changing back to Nitrogen (N-14), they are still exchanging carbon with their surroundings, so the mixture remains about the same as in the atmosphere. However, as soon as a plant or animal dies, the C-14 in that once-living things decreases as time goes by. In other words, the C-14/C-12 ratio gets smaller. So, we have a “clock” which is ticking the moment something dies. Obviously this works only for things which were once living. It cannot be used to date volcanic rocks, for example
The rate of decay of C-14 is such that half of an amount will convert back to N-14 in 5,730 (+- 40) years. This is the “half-life.” So, in two half-lives, or 11,460 years only one-quarter will be left. Thus is the amount of C-14 relative to C-12 in a sample is one-quarter of that in living organisms at present, then it has a theoretical age of 11,460 years. Anything over about 50,000 years old, should theoretically have no detectable C-14 left. That is why radiocarbon dating cannot give millions of years. In fact, if a sample contains C-14, it is good evidence that it is not millions of years old! Sounds good so far, right? But, in reality things are not that simple:
· Is It Reliable? What Does Carbon Dating Really Show?
First, plants discriminate against carbon dioxide containing C-14. that is they take up less than would be expected, so they test older than they really are. Furthermore, different plants discriminate differently. All this has to be “corrected” for, which is a subjective call based on your “world-view” (i.e. evolution or creation).
Second, the ratio of C-14/C-12 in the atmosphere has not been constant --- for example, it was higher before the industrial era when the massive burning of fossil fuels released a lot of carbon dioxide that was depleted in C-14. This would make things which died at that time appear older in terms of carbon dating. Then there was a rise CO2-14 with the advent of atmospheric testing of atomic bombs in the 1950’s. This would make things carbon-dated from that time appear younger than their true age.
Measurement of the C-14 in historically dated objects (E.g. seeds in the graves of historically dated tombs) enables the level of C-14 in the atmosphere during the industrial era to be estimated, and so partial calibration of the “clock” is possible. Accordingly, carbon dating carefully applied to items from historical times can be useful. However, even with historical calibration, archaeologists do not regard C-14 dates as absolutes because of frequent anomalies. They rely more on dating methods that link into historical records Outside the range of recorded history, calibration of the “C-14 clock” is not possible.
· Other Factors Affecting Carbon Dating
The amount of cosmic rays penetrating the earth’s atmosphere affects the amount of C-14 produced and therefore the dating system. The amount of cosmic rays reaching the earth varies with the sun’s activity, and with the earth’s passage through magnetic clouds as the solar system travels around the Milky Way galaxy.
The strength of the earth’s magnetic field affects the amount of cosmic rays entering the atmosphere. A stronger magnetic field deflects more comic rays away from the earth. Overall, the energy of the earth’s magnetic field has been decreasing, so more C-14 is being produced now than in the past. This will make old things look older that they really are. In all these variables a subjective “yardstick” is used, based on the world-view of the person(s) assigning dates..
Also, the Genesis flood (“world-view” --- see “The Great Flood”) would have greatly upset the carbon balance. The flood buried a huge amount of carbon, which became coal, oil, etc., lowering the total C-14 in the biosphere (including the atmosphere --- plants regrowing after the flood absorb CO2, which is proportionately lowered at this time, but whereas no terrestrial process generates any more C-12. C-14 is continually being produced, and at a rate which does not depend on carbon levels.(it comes from nitrogen). Therefore, the C-14 level relative to C-12 increases after the flood. So, the C-14/C-12 ratio in plants/animals/the atmosphere before the flood had to be lower than what it is now. Unless this effect (which is additional to the magnetic field issue) is corrected for, carbon dating of fossils formed in the flood would give ages much older than their true ages.
Volcanoes emit much CO2 depleted in C-14. Since the flood was accompanied by much volcanic activity (see Genesis), fossils formed in the early post-flood period would give radio-carbon ages older still, than they really are.
The Carbon-14 method when corrected for the effects of the flood, and all the other variables can give useful results, but needs to be applied carefully. This still does not eliminate the possibility of error because of the possible effects of other unknown variables. It does not give dates of millions of years, and can fit well with the Biblical flood.
· What About Other Radiometric Methods?
There are various other radiometric dating methods used today to give ages of millions or billions of years for rocks. These techniques, unlike carbon dating, mostly use the relative concentration of parent and daughter products in radioactive decay chains. For example, potassium-40 decays to argon-40; uranium-238 decays to lead-206 via other elements like radium; uranium-235 decays to lead 207; rubidium-87 decays to strontium-87; etc. These techniques are applied to igneous rocks, and are normally seen as giving the time since solidification.
The isotope concentrations can be measured very accurately, but isotope concentrations are not dates. To derive ages from such measurements, unprovable assumptions have to be made such as:
1) The starting conditions are known (for example, that there was no daughter isotope present at the start, or that we know how much there was).
2) Decay rates have always been constant.
3) Systems were closed or isolated so that the parent or daughter isotopes were lost or added..
There is plenty of evidence that the radioisotope dating systems are not the infallible techniques many think they are, and that they are not measuring millions of years.
When a “date” differs from that expected, researchers readily invent excuses for rejecting the results. The common application of such posterior reasoning shows that radiometric dating has serious problems. The forms issued by radioisotope laboratories for submission with samples to be dated commonly ask how old the sample is expected to be. Why? If the techniques were absolutely objective and reliable, such information would not be necessary.
If the long-range dating techniques were really an objective means of finding the ages of rocks, they should work in situations where we know the age. Furthermore, different techniques should consistently agree with one another.
· There are many examples where the dating methods give “dates’ that are wrong for the rocks of a known age:
1. K-Ar “dating” of five historical and site lava flows from Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand. Although one lava flow occurred in 1949, three in 1954, and one in 1975, the “dates” ranged from less than 0,27 to 3.5 Ma! Again, using hindsight, it is argued that “excess” argon from the magma (molten rock) was retained in the rock when it solidified. The secular scientific literature lists many examples of excess argon causing dates of millions of years in rocks of known historical ages. This excess appears to have come from the upper mantel, below the earth’s crust. This is consistent with a young world --- the argon has had too little time to escape. If excess argon can cause exaggerated dates for rocks of known ages, then why should we trust the method for rocks of unknown age?
2. Using four different “dating” methods (potassium-argon model, rubidium-strontium, rubidium-strontium isochron, and lead-lead isochron) for basaltic rocks from the Uinharet Plateau of the Grand Canyon (which most geologists believe to be only thousands of years old) got variations of “dates” ranging from 10,000 years to 2,600 Ma!
3. Geologist Dr. Steve Austin sampled basalt from the base of the Grand Canyon strata and from lava that spilled over the edge of the canyon. By evolutionary reckoning the latter should be a billion years younger than the basalt from the bottom. Standard laboratories analyzed the isotopes. The rubidium-strontium isochron technique suggested that the recent lava flow was 270 Ma older than the basalt beneath the Grand Canyon --- an impossibility!
4. In Australia, some wood found in Tertiary basalt was clearly buried in the lava flow that formed the basalt, as can be seen from the charring. The wood was “dated” by radiocarbon (C-14) analysis at about 45,000 years old, but the basalt was “dated” by the potassium-argon method t 45 million years old!
5. Isotope ratios of uraninite crystals from the Koongarra uranium body in Northern Territory of Australia gave lead-lead isochron ages of 841(+-140) Ma. This contrasts with an age of 1550-1650 Ma based on other isotope ratios, and ages of 275, 61, 0, 0, and 0 Ma from thorium/lead (Th-232/PB--208) ratios in five uraninite grains. The latter figure are significant because thorium-derived dates should be the more reliable, since thorium is less mobile than the uranium minerals that are the parents of the lead isotopes in the lead-lead system.
The “zero” ages in this case are consistent with the Biblical accounts.
Is There Evidence That The Time Elapsed Since Life Began Should be Measured in Thousands, Instead of millions or Billions of Years?
Many of the “problems” we have discussed with the current “millions and billions of years” dating methods point to the possibility of a young earth. Let’s now look at some of the evidence that suggests a “young earth” (less than 10,000 years).
· Laboratories that measure C-14 would like a source of organic material with zero C-14 to use as a blank to check that their lab procedures do not add C-14. Coal is an obvious candidate because the youngest coal is supposed to be millions of years old, and most of it is supposed to be tens of millions of years old. Such old coal should be devoid of C-14, but it isn’t. No source of coal has ever been found that completely lacks C-14!
· Red blood cells and hemoglobin have been found in some unfossilized dinosaur bone. But these could not last more than a few thousand years --- certainly not the 65 Ma since the last dinosaurs lived according to evolutionists!
· The earth’s magnetic field has been decaying so fast that it looks like it is less than 10,000 years old. Rapid reversals during the flood year and fluctuations shortly thereafter would have caused the field energy to drop even faster!
· Radioactive decay releases helium into the atmosphere, but not much is escaping. This helium originally escaped from rocks. This happens quite fast, yet so much helium is till in some rocks, that it has not had time to escape --- this corresponds to a earth of about 10,000 years old.
· A supernova is an explosion of a massive star --- the explosion is so bright that it briefly outshines the rest of the galaxy. The supernova remnants (SNRs) should keep expanding for hundreds of thousands of years, according to the physical equations. Yet there are no very old, widely expanded SNRs, and few moderately old ones in our galaxy, the Milky Way, or in its satellite galaxy the Magellanic Clouds. This is just what we would expect for “young” galaxies that have not existed long enough for wide expansion.
· The concentrations of elements and compounds in the ocean (i.e.: uranium, sodium, nickel, cesium, potassium. copper, gold, tin, aluminum, etc.) that flow from the rivers should be much higher that they are now if the earth were very old. These concentrations indicate the earth is less than ten thousand years old.
· The sun is shrinking at a rate of 0.1% per century. Why is this important? Because this means that 100,000 years ago the sun would be twice the size it is now. Any life on the earth would have been impossible. At 20 million years BC the earth would have been inside the sun! Rather harsh environmental conditions, don’t you think?
· Population statistics, calculated for the world’s population based on the number of years man has been on the earth: with 10,000 years comes out to 4.34 billion people; with just one million years comes out to enough people to fill the known universe with 10 to the 2900 people left over (that’s 10 with 2900 zeros after it!
· Cosmic dust is currently filtering down from outer space at a rate of 14 million tons per year. based on it’s high nickel content, it is possible to measure this cosmic dust. There is only enough cosmic dust to yield an estimated age of a few thousand years for the earth. The same applies to the moon. The “moon-walkers” should have sank in hundreds of feet of cosmic dust when they stepped out on the moon --- - if the universe were millions of years old!
· Hydrogen is constantly being converted into helium throughout the universe. The universe is almost entirely made up of hydrogen. However hydrogen cannot be produced in any significant amounts through the conversion of other elements. This conversion is a one-way process. If the earth were millions or billions of years old there would be very little hydrogen left in the universe. This indicates a young universe.
References
1) The Revised & Expanded Answers Book, Ken Hamm, Jonathan Sarfati, & Carl Wieland, pp. 75-94, 2002, Creation Science Foundation, Master Books, Inc, PO Box 726, Green Forest, AR. 72638.
2) Reason and Revelation, Bert Thompson, Phd, Wayne Jackson, MA, Apologetic Press, 230 Landmark Dr., Montgomery, AL 36117
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).
WE WELCOME YOU
Following the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile any differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement.
Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com, or 253-396-0290 (cell) for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.
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The Law of Cause and Effect
Indisputably, the most universal, and the most certain, of all scientific laws is the law of cause and effect, or as it is commonly known, the law (or principle) of causality. Put simply, the law of causality states that every material effect must have an adequate cause.
Professor W.T. Stace, in his classic work, “A Critical History of Greek Philosophy”, commented that: “Every student of logic knows that this is the ultimate canon of the science, the foundation of them all. If we did not believe the truth of causation, namely everything which has a beginning has a cause, and that in the same circumstance the same things invariably happen, all science would at once crumble to dust. In every scientific investigation this truth is assumed.” (x/6).
Richard Von Mises has observed: “We may only add that almost all philosophers regard the law of causality as the most important, the most far reaching, and the most firmly founded of all principles of epistemology.” (y/159)
Effects do not happen without adequate causes. We also know that the effect is never quantitatively greater, or qualitatively superior to the cause. In other words: “Every material effect must have an adequate cause.” The river did not turn muddy because the frog jumped in; the book did not fall from the self because the fly landed on it. These are not adequate causes. Whatever effects we observe, for those effects we must postulate adequate causes. (z/14)
The universe is here. Some cause prior to the universe is responsible for its existence. That cause must be greater than, and superior to, the universe itself. Admittedly there is no natural cause sufficient to explain the origin of matter, and thus the universe. Dr. R. L. Wysong comments on this problem: “Everyone concludes naturally and comfortably that highly ordered and designed items (machines, houses, etc.) owe their existence to a designer. It is unnatural to conclude otherwise. But evolution asks us to break from what is natural to believe and then believe in that which is unnatural, unreasonable, and ... unbelievable.” (a/412)
Dr. Wysong presents an interesting historical case to document this point. Some years ago, scientists were called to Great Britain to study, on the Salisbury Plain at Wiltshire, orderly patterns of concentric rocks and holes. This find came to be known as Stonehenge. As studies progressed, it became apparent that these patterns had been specifically designed to allow certain astronomical predictions. The question of how the rocks were moved into place, how these ancient peoples were able to construct an astronomical observatory, how the data derived from their studies were used, and many other remain unsolved.
But one thing is clear: the cause of Stonehenge was intelligent design. Stonehenge could not have been produced by the erosion of a mountain, or by catastrophic natural forces (like tornadoes or hurricanes) working in conjunction with meteorites to produce rock formations and concentric holes. But, what person with any common sense would ever believe such a suggestion?
Now, says Dr. Wysong, compare Stonehenge to the situation paralleling the origin of life. We study life, observe it’s functions, contemplate its complexities (which defies duplication even by the most intelligent men with the most advanced methodology and technology), and what are we to conclude? With the creation of life --- the intricate design of which makes Stonehenge look like something a three-year-old child put together on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of a blinding rainstorm using Mattel building blocks --- we are asked to believe that such can be explained by blind, mindless, accidental, physical processes without any intelligent direction whatsoever?
No one, after examining the evidence, would ever be convinced that Stonehenge “just happened”. That is not an adequate cause, and everyone recognizes this. Yet we are being asked every day to believe that life “just happened”. Such a conclusion is both unwarranted and unreasonable. The cause is not adequate to produce the effect. (z/14) Since the universe exhibits design, it must have a designer; since it exhibits intelligence, the Designer must be intelligent; since it exhibits life, the Designer must have been living; since it exhibits morality, the Designer must have been moral, and so on. When the Bible records, “In the beginning, God ...”, it makes known to us this first cause.
That Designer is God said Paul in Hebrews 3:4, “Every house is built by someone; but He that built all things is God”. And in Romans 1:20, “For the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse.”
References
x) Stace, W.T., “A Critical History of Greek Philosophy”, London, 1934.
y) Von Mises, Richard, “Positivism”, New York: Dover, 1951.
z) Thompson, Bert, Ph.D., Reason & Revelation, Vol. X, #3, “The Bible and the Law of Science, the Law of Cause and Effect”, Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press, Inc.
a) Wysong, R. L., “The Creation-Evolution Controversy”, East Lansing: MI: Inquiry Press
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).
WE WELCOME YOU
Following the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile any differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement.
Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com, or 253-396-0290 (cell) for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.
Read more!
