Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Do you ever wonder why there is so much uproar when someone suggests that conflicting ideas about evolution be discussed in the classroom?

Since evolution is just a theory and not a verifiable fact, other equally valid theories should be presented and debated. It is intellectually dishonest to present only evolution and suppress facts that contradict it. All students should learn the various theories and the supporting facts, and then decide for themselves which theory best fits the facts.

Evolution has many skeletons in its closet. Nebraska Man was the “proof” of evolution for many years until the fact came out that he had been created from only a pig’s tooth! Another supposed human ancestor was Piltdown Man. Only years later did it come out that he had been fabricated from only a human skull cap and an orangutan’s jaw, stained to make them appear older than they were.

Another example of evolutionary fraud is Haeckel’s embryonic recapitulation. Sadly, the deception that humans go through animal-like stages before birth (gill slits, tails, etc.) is still being taught today in many schools even though it was shown to be fraudulent over 130 years ago. Modern biologists and embryologists can demonstrate that Haeckel’s drawings bear little resemblance to real embryos.

Blindly accepting evolution can lead to serious scientific errors. Evolutionists once claimed that every person had more than 100 vestigial (useless) organs left over from evolution! Now that list is zero; every organ does have a specific purpose.

Now I would like to reply to some of the claims raised by Mr. Duran in his Feb. 4 letter. The Bible does not have “errors” and “absurd claims.” It is not a science book; however, when it refers to such matters, it is 100 percent accurate! Consider the following (all references come from the King James Version, published in 1611 while modern science was still in its infancy):

Isaiah 40:22, Job 26:7 — a circular earth hung upon nothing; Job 36:27-28, Ecclesiastes 1:7, Amos 5:8 — the water cycle; Isaiah 51:6, Psalm 102:26 — the second law of thermodynamics; Psalm 8:8 — ocean currents; Leviticus 17:11 — blood is vital for life; Hebrews 11:3 — the universe is composed of invisible things (atoms); Job 22:12, Genesis 15:5 and 22:7, Jeremiah 33:22 — the stars are innumerable and are extremely distant from the earth; Ecclesiastes 1:6 — wind currents; Job 38:12 and 14 — the earth rotates on its axis; Genesis 2:7 and 3:19, Psalm 103:14 — people are composed of the same elements as the earth.

The claim that the earth is “the center of all” was promoted by Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer. (Even today we continue to use the terms sunrise and sunset, geocentric terminology!) Kepler, a devout Christian, agreed with Copernicus that the earth revolves around the sun and also discovered that the orbits of the planets are elliptical.

Many do not understand the difference between operational science (like the Mars missions and DNA testing), which can be tested, observed, and repeated, and origins science (both evolution and creation). There’s a huge difference between the two!

No one will ever be able to scientifically prove evolution or creation because the beginning of the universe occurred in the past, no human observers were there, and the event cannot be repeated for observation.

Astronaut Rick Husband, the Columbia mission commander, was a Christian. His faith did not prevent his accomplishments, nor does others’ faith in God suppress space exploration or other scientific discovery, as Mr. Duran implies. In fact, knowledge about DNA and the orderliness of our world supports intelligent design.

There are many natural phenomena that conflict with the evolutionary assumption that the earth is billions of years old. The atmosphere today has just 0.05 percent of the helium that it should have if the earth were really 5 billion years old. Although comets also are also supposed to be about 5 billion years old, they disintegrate too quickly to survive much longer than about 100,000 years, but 10,000 years is a typical age. Also, there is not enough mud on the sea floor or enough sodium in the sea to support billions of years.

Calling Ms. Cox a “fool” and those who question evolution’s scientific validity “yahoo[s]” and “intellectually dishonest” is indicative of one who is “unable to articulate a clear and persuasive statement.”

I do not personally know Ms. Cox, nor do I agree with everything that she does, but name-calling does not convince me that her proposals are wrong. (Ad hominem attacks and straw-man arguments are logical fallacies and do not promote a clear understanding of the issues. Using “President Carter’s dismay and outrage” as a reason against Ms. Cox’s proposal is a logical fallacy known as an appeal to a false authority.)

Appeal to fear (used when someone makes you fear the consequences of not doing what he wants) is a propaganda technique. Debate does not transport us back to the Dark Ages or stop scientific pursuits; neither does it “doom [graduates’] chances of better lives, good job prospects, and the joy of truly wondrous intellectual pursuits.” Many who believe in the Bible have become doctors, scientists, lawyers, and other professionals.

“Georgian students [are] dumber than dumb,” says Mr. Duran, but it is not because students have been deprived of the ardent teaching of evolution for more than 30 years. I am a 17-year-old student and believe that debate would improve students’ critical thinking skills, thereby promoting a better education.

Many rely on the fallacy of “separation of church and state” to suppress opposing views. (How is Ms. Cox’s proposal in any way related to promoting “church”?) Where is this phrase found in the Constitution? Doesn’t the First Amendment guarantee freedom of speech?

“Intelligent debate and thought” in the classroom, as Mr. Duran proposes, is not possible as long as intelligent design cannot be presented as a legitimate theory and evolution is taught as absolute, undisputed fact.

Jeremy Conley

Peachtree City, Ga.