Did you 'really' learn about evolution in high school bio? Many current students don't

Did you 'really' learn about evolution in high school bio? Many current students don't:

We really do not need laws passed to promote the logical fallacy of evolution. Teachers are many times avoiding the issue for their conscious sake. Creation and intelligent design remain popular topics.

Cee Lo Green changes words of John Lennon's athiest song

Imagine there's no Lennon… | Face to faith | Paul Handley | Comment is free | The Guardian

Richard Dawkins' Children book

Column: This atheist tried to steal Christmas – USATODAY.com

Emory Prof. Endorses Teach Both Views

Emory University Professor of Pedagogy Endorses Teaching the Evolution Controversy - Evolution News & Views

New Hampshire Lawmakers Battle Evolution in Schools

How do you think children should learn in public schools? Should Creation be taught in a Biology classroom? How about evolution? What are the limits of a School District and the privileges of teachers?

Two anti-evolution bills are to be discussed and potentially voted upon in New Hampshire. See New Year Brings New Attacks on Evolution in Schools by Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer.

New Hampshire House Bill 1148 would mandate evolution only to be referred to as a theory with relationship to other views including atheism. Another Proposal related to evolution is HB 1457. Teachers would be required to promote a non committal attitude toward a theory or hypothesis due to potential challenging new evidence. While not mentioning "evolution", it is obvious that this bill's intention is to create suspicion over Darwinian evolution.

“Republican State Rep. Gary Hopper, who with his Republican district mate John Burt introduced HB 1457, told the Concord Monitor that the theory of evolution teaches students that life is nothing but an accident.”
This statement is a smoke screen to reality. Evolution beliefs do not suggest children are accidents. . Obviously most parents today are delighted in the life of their children. Life is precious and embraced by both atheists and theists. One should not be threatened by conclusions derived from evolution theory. Representatives Hooper and Burt are fighting the wrong battle.

The biggest threat to our educational system is not mandatory evolution teaching but the elimination of a teacher’s free speech. By mandating a script for teacher’s to follow is nothing more than creating robot zombies as teachers of children. Hooper and Burt are urging teachers to simply follow a script instead of their own burden of instruction.

Creation should be taught in public school but not mandated specifically. Supernatural creation is a topic that the majority of teenagers ponder. It should be addressed in a way as all issues are in the area of critical thinking. This is where the battle rages-freedom for critical inquiry and expression in our class rooms.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Great Things Will Happen in 2012!

 The topic of origin of life is discussed on a large scale in academia without reference to a God. This is paradoxical in that Western culture founded academia on Christian principles. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The Christian faith inspired scientists to study the world around them.  Every university founded before 1900 was founded on Christian principals.

Today we should honor and revere Christian principals especially the true foundation of life.  The palmist says “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  Psalms 11:3. It is not disingenuous to assume God ordained life as we know it. The patriach Job was challenged by God "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding."  Job 38:4.

This blog is about the foundations that are important to everyone. Discussions about intelligent design and creation are important topics. Recent discoveries in science should not be a threat to Christians but be a discussion point not to be avoided. God’s word does not contain specifics of science but it does inform on topics of foundations of life. The Apostle Peter states “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. “ 1Peter 1:25. God has a message involving his creation.  We should appreciate the universe around us knowing this fact. 

What Does Artificial Intelligence Mean for Intelligent Design?

What Does Artificial Intelligence Mean for Intelligent Design?

On this episode of ID the Future, Anika Smith interviews CSC senior fellow Jay Richards, who explains what the artificial intelligence of computers, like IBM's Watson, mean for intelligent design.

Dr. Richards is an author and editor of several books, including Are We Spiritual Machines?: Ray Kurzweil vs. the Critics of Strong A.I.

Fourth Horseman in Egypt ???? Really??

 

I do not normally comment on prophecy references in this blog, but the latest supernatural horse sighting in Egypt needs attention. Some say it is a pale horse or a fiery horse and rider. Really? 

 

I think this is just a glare the camera picked up. I do not put a lot of faith in spiritual photography. the late cult leader William Branham had photos of glares above his head supposed to be angelic representation. In most all these cases the cameras picked up the image and no one saw it in person. If we followed this reasoning then we should constantly be taking videos and photos every waking moment to identify supernatural presences. 

 

I think the Christian community needs to be careful for following signs and allow signs and wonders to follow us. 

Associated Press Almost Gets Intelligent Design Right

Evolution News & Views February 16, 2011 8:53 AM | Permalink

The writers for the Associated Press recently claimed that ID is a position that "contends life can be so complex it must have been created by an intelligent being, as opposed to evolving through natural selection."

This statement is ALMOST right. Unfortunately, it reflects the AP's propensity to continually get things wrong when it comes to ID and then perpetuate the myth in a mindless Darwinian fashion. It should say that intelligent design is a position that "contends that the complexity of life is best explained by intelligence, as opposed to evolving *mindlessly* through natural selection."

http://www.evolutionnews.org/2011/02/associated_press_almost_gets_i043941.html

It is important to understand each side of an argument. To understand important issues such as evolution and creation we must understand the significance of language used.

Intelligent Design is not based upon Creationism

This week I have been looking through several blogs regarding intelligent design, creation and evolution. I am going to create a longer blog post describing the media's false assumptions regarding creation. One of the biggest arrogant voices spewing false information is PZ Myers. People like Myers first create a straw man argument relating to the Intelligent Design Movement. Intelligent design is not about biblical creation necessarily. Many of the people who write and speak for intelligent design are not conservative Bible Christians. Some are agnostic or secular Jews.

So one of the biggest myths promoted is that intelligent design equates Bible literalist creation. This is a false assumption.

Darwin Endorsed Intelligent Design At One Time

Charles Darwin is credited for making evolution credible without the need of a creator God. There is a myth that Darwin repented of his views of God and evolution on his deathbed, but he died a self-proclaimed agnostic. Sadly Darwin admitted in his letters of a conviction of God’s existence in creation. From the book published by his son Francis Darwin, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, he stated,

"Formerly I was led by feelings […] to the firm conviction of the existence of God and of the immortality of the soul. […] I will remember my conviction that there is more in man than the mere breath of his body. But now the grandest scenes would not cause any such convictions and feelings to rise in my mind.”

Charles Darwin admitted that he held a view of an intelligent designer. By only considering natural options for life's origins he closed himself off to the notion of special creation. This inward compass Darwin had at one time focused his attention to the greatness of God. Scientific studies document observations at times through site, touch, hearing, and taste. Darwin admitted that there was an inward pull recognizing God.

Paul spoke in Romans about the existence of God being known to all. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools." Romans 1:19-22. NKJV.

Clay Farris Naff: Rocks in our Heads

Intelligent Design is not Intelligent Preservation

 A response to Clay Farris Naff: Rocks in our Heads

It is amazing the number of people who write articles about intelligent design without a clue on what it teaches. Take for example Clay Farris Naff: Rocks in our Heads in the Huffington Post who posted a photo of stars and a asteroid.

Did God make the little red dot in this picture? If you buy intelligent design -- the idea the God, oops, sorry, an intelligent designer to be named at a later date, created everything in the universe with a plan for human life in mind -- well, you'd have to say yes.

Scientists that work in conjunction with the Discovery Group do not focus on intelligent preservation but intelligent design. Creationist on the other hand like those scientist working with the Institute of Creation Research, ICR, have an answer to the asteroid question.

But that little red dot cries out for explanation. It is an asteroid whose orbit more or less intersects with ours, one of countless near-earth objects that potentially threaten civilization. A newly launched satellite called WISE discovered it earlier this month.

I do not have the habit of listening to asteroids as they pass by Earth. It goes without saying that their is obvious evidence of asteroids hitting the Earth and Moon. What does the existence of asteroid impacts have anything to so with intelligent design? It does not. Blogs like this Huffington Post article create a straw man argument for dismissing the study of intelligent design. Intelligent design does not suggest anything regarding preservation of life, just the existence.

Then ask yourself, why have we been so lucky? This is one of those places where science and religion intersect. You might be tempted to picture the hand of God swatting away killer asteroids to keep his favorite creatures safe. But why, we have to ask, would God need to do that? If he custom-built the universe, why didn't he simply make a cleaner job of it?

Most Scientists who advocate either intelligent design or evolution do not ask the question of Why? Religion takes information from scientists and then asks the question why. The Christian religion which is based on the Bible has an answer for why is there chaos. Sin. When sin entered the universe then humanity began to suffer. In Christian theology not only is their a need for humanity to be redeemed, but the universe as well.

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Rom 8:20-22) NIV

When Adam and Eve sinned a chaos entered the world. They did not have the same physical benefits of longevity of life. Conservative theology teaches that humanity would experience suffering because of this sin. The Bible is primarly a book about redemption. Not only do humans need to be redeemed, there is scripture that tells of the universe needing to be changed.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2Pe 3:9-10) NKJV

While their are certainly qualities of life that preserve life, it does not meet the original plan of God. Storms, earthquakes and even asteroid impacts are evidence that the universe is chaotic. While questions remain of why their are tragic losses of human lives due to nature, the Bible is clear that this world needs to be changed.

Have it your way ... or God's way

Norman Rockwell's Creation of The Ideal

The Bible indicates that we are created in the image of God. If this is true then we will have similar aspects on a different level. For example in the Bible we read that humans are created disticntly from the animals and plants. Humans were given the abilty to think and express that thinking.

North America has Norman Rockwell recreated it, is only an ideal of the past. Family togetherness is realized by social scientists today as ideal. Then why is their not a concerted effort to reach back to this ideal? Why is the search for life on Mars a higher priority than working on family relationships?

When evolution teachings are promoted than morals are compromised eventually. Evolution teaches a selfish philosophy of look at the world for your limited time only.

Burger King's  Have it Your Way

Evolution philosophy erodes God's plan for an ideal life. Culture is just an evolved entity. The slogan for Burger King is Have It Your Way. Beer Commericals speak of the ideal life of the individual and not of family relationships. Political focus is on the almighty dollar. With all of this said...The Bible gives guidance for an ideal family life. But this is ignored.

When those who promote the idea of Intelligent Design or Biblical creation it is because of faith in God's word and present reality. Like produces like. An orange tree produces oranges for other orange trees to grow. Evolution philosophy ignores this common reality and also the reality of moral values declining. If we are to see true success in North America it is not in promoting evolution but the reality of the world around us. This reality involves morals and God's word has answers for ailing morals.

The Special Creation of Protozoans

Yet Another Insignificant Attack on Intelligent Design. From:
Even a Protozoan does not believe in intelligent design | Science news | TechEye - All the technology news unfit for print

According to the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, which we get for the Spot the Amoeba competition, protozoans do not need a creator to have existed.

Intelligent Design theorists claim that the Cambrian explosion 545 million years ago cannot be explained by Darwinian evolution – because it happened too fast.

Is their not something obnoxious with this statement? How could empirical science suggest protozoa evolved? It cannot. Not every scientist who embraces ID are against evolution totally. But for the sake of the argument lets maintain the writer is not giving a non-truth.

Another ID argument that Protozoans disprove is that no one has ever seen the development of a new species.

However Farmer and Habura have seen a case where amoebae became symbiotically dependent upon infecting bacteria. If the symbotically dependent amoebae subsequently tried to interbreed with the parent stock, the parent stock died of the bacterial infection. Thus the two became genetically isolated.

This is the same old argument for evolution that has been used over the decades. Those that disagree with evolution do not discount that genetic changes do take place. This is common Mendelian Genetics at work. The distinct genetic populations do not show an increase in genomic information, but a loss.

Lastly the ID argument that that the fossil record does not show transitional species do not apply to protozoans as there is a detailed fossil record of protists does exhibit just such intermediate forms.

Once again different species of protozoa in a fossil does not declare evolution any more than fossils of dog and a horse in the same rock layer.

Looks like a protozoa can make a monkey out of intelligent design theory.

ummmm I don't think so.

This is a test.

No Intelligence Allowed is now available on DVD in the United Kingdom

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed  












 
now available on DVD in the United Kingdom in a newly expanded edition with 44 minutes of never-before-seen interviews.

Interest in intelligent design is growing in Britain. Earlier this month, Stephen Meyer, who appears in Expelled, defended both the film and ID in a debate with atheist Peter Atkins, which you can listen to here.

The "Bad Boy UK Version" promises to be a hit in a market that has been dominated by the likes of Richard Dawkins, whose appearance in the film and startling admission that intelligent design exists — coming from aliens, of course — might raise a few eyebrows in his native land.

What's the old saying about prophets and honor in their homeland?

 From Discovery Institute.
http://www.evolutionnews.org/2010/01/expelled_now_available_in_the.html

When Creationism and The Origin of Species Mix

Modified Charles Darwin's Origin of Species
50,000 plus copies to be distrubuted on university campuses

Father Cantalamessa and Biblical Creation

From Catholicnews.com
Papal preacher says intelligent design is truth of faith, not science. By Cindy Wooden. Catholic News Service.Mar-13-2009

While some proponents of intelligent design claim that it is a scientifically valid theory, most scientists dismiss it as pseudoscience.The arguments, Father Cantalamessa said, are due to the fact that, "in my opinion, there is not a clear enough distinction between intelligent design is due mainly to a confusion between scientific theory and the truths of faith.

The Bible makes statements that have scientific implications. When the Bible says "in the begininig God created" there is an undeniable first cause insisted. Evolution science (sic) suggests that all things seen are the result of chance. Even when one focuses upon biological evolution there will always be a focus upon inorganic evolution.

Those that advocate a belief in the Bible and macro evolution cannot find congruency. Father Cantalamessa is incorrect in his article to deny the Bible's explicit doctrine of special creation. It is interesting that he would focus on Paul's writing to the Romans regarding physical properties taking place now.

Father Cantalamessa's Lenten reflection focused on a verse from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans: "All creation is groaning in labor pains even until now."
The text, he said, is an indication that St. Paul believes that the entire cosmos -- not just humanity -- is waiting to be saved and restored to its original beauty by Christ.

Father Cantalamessa made a scientific statement quoting Paul's letters. Everything is waiting to be restored to an original beauty. Evolution suggests that all life came from a primordial pool of ooze. Is this the original beauty that we should look forward to? I think another passage of Paul's writing to Romans should be examined.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.Romans 1:20.

Macro evolution when taken to it's conclusion denies the existence of God. Those that follow it's teachings are forced to deny what is clearly revealed to their conscious.

Obama Chooses to Kill Unborn Babies

While most of the country is worried about thier own nickles and dimes, President Barak Obama has chosen to allow funding for embryonic stem cell research. An embryo is an unborn human. By endorsing research into the lives of unborn children, the value of life is deminished. The psalmist wrote:

My flesh was made by you, and my parts joined together in my mother's body. Psa 139:13

Obama is allowing our tax money to be spent destroying the gift of life granted to every unborn child. Evolution philsophy has shown in it's grotesque nature in ignoring the gift of God. Below is an action alert email from the American Family Association. Visit http://www.afa.net/. for more information.


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Please help us get this information into the hands of as many people as possible by forwarding it to your entire e-mail list of family and friends.

Obama OKs embryonic stem cell research; actions are immoral and ineffective
March 10, 2009

Dear Nancy,

President Obama has given the ok to destroy human life in the name of scientific research.Embryonic stem cell research is immoral and ineffective. It is immoral because it destroys human life at its earliest stage of development by harvesting the stem cells for body parts. It is ineffective because it has yet to be used a single time in any therapeutic application.Researchers must get their funding from taxpayers for embryonic stem cell research because they can't convince private sources to invest. Private investors know there are no proven uses for embryonic stem cells. It's all hype, hope and theory.But adult stem cell research, on the other hand, is ethically benign and is already being used to treat over 70 diseases and conditions. If taxpayer dollars are going to be spent on stem cell research, that's where it ought to go.By reversing funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, Pres. Obama is making every American taxpayer complicit in immoral, life destroying research. This is a terrible example of political ideology trumping sound science.

Take Action!
Send an e-mail to President Obama telling him you are disappointed in his decision to allow the destruction of human life.

California High Court Reviews Gay Marriage Ban. Response

Once again there is a promotion of same-sex marriages in California. The battle is ever raging against God's original created design of man and a woman. California High Court Reviews Gay Marriage Ban. Thursday, March 05, 2009.

SAN FRANCISCO — Same-sex marriage advocates are pinning their hopes on California's highest court as it prepares to hear arguments on a trio of lawsuits seeking to overturn the state's voter-approved ban on gay unions.

The promotion of evolution has assisted in creating a societal climate against God's creative purpose of marriage. Cultures have never embraced same-sex marriages publiclly. Why? Because it is an innate understanding that marriage is between males and females. Jesus endorsed the purpose of marriage as being between a man and a woman. Jesus said:

. . .Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? (Matthew 19:5-6)

How does evolution philosophy contribute to same-sex marriage proponents ? Evolution promotes that species have choices to make regarding their environment as they see fit. If their is no moral guidelines in life than homosexuality is a choice based against the moral codes of civilizations past and present and more importantly God himself.

Charles Darwin and Worm Research

I have been reading on the life of Darwin and noticed that discussion is given to Darwin's publication about earthworms. "The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms, With Observations on Their Habits, published in 1881, sold even better than On the Origin of Species during Darwin's lifetime."

It is interesting that NPR in mentioning this trivia point did not refer to a similar work published almost 100 years earlier. The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne. Published by Gilbert White. (18 July 1720 – 26 June 1793) White was a pioneering naturalist and ornithologist.who wrote about the significance of earthworms.

Earthworms, though in appearance a small and despicable link in the chain of nature, yet, if lost, would make a lamentable chasm [...] worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would proceed but lamely without them...

Some scholars think Darwin was the first major observer of the benefit of earthworms. in NPR.org's article Darwin's Earthworm Experiments Broke New Ground.by Joe Palca we read:

"At the time when Darwin started looking at the worms, no one appreciated the role they had in agriculture," says Alun Anderson, a journalist who became interested in Darwin's worm work.In fact, Anderson says, in the mid 19th century, most people thought earthworms were pests.

Could it be that because White was a Christian clergyman who held a bias in creationism, his work is ignored? I think so.