Evidence for God from Science Newsletter October, 2001

Greetings in the name of the Lord! This is the latest edition of the update for the Evidence for God from Science website. Here is the news and recent additions to the site.

News

The big news last month, of course, was the terrorist attack on the United States. Atheists claim that such acts of terrorism are the result of religion and belief in God. As Christians, we understand that there will always be people that claim to be doing the will of God, while doing exactly the opposite. These acts are just another example to support the Christian worldview that sin is a basic character trait of all people. The non-Christians at my workplace wanted immediate revenge, including those who suggested that we attack all Arab nations in the Middle East. The New Testament says that we should pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44). The events of the last month made our complaints and "important" matters seem rather insignificant in comparison. Some of my thoughts on "where was God" can be found below:

Where was God During the World Trade Center Attack?
http://www.GodAndScience.org/apologetics/worldtrade.html

On the local front, Mark got his cast off, two weeks before school started. He had broken both bones in his lower right arm by falling off some playground equipment in June (at Vacation Bible School). We all like to spare our children from pain, but even through these "negative" experiences, we learn important lessons for life. Mark learned what it was like to be physically disabled, and how even the simple things in life, like getting dressed were difficult without the use of both hands. One day, Andy complained about how long Mark was taking to get dressed (we were waiting to go out), so I suggested that he try getting dressed using only one hand. Andy subsequently discovered that the task was much more difficult than it sounded.

Apologetics

Humanists claim that people are "basically good." However, a great experiment performed in the last century definitively demonstrated the sinfulness of entire generations among an entire people group. The experiment was called Communism. The basic tenet of Communism is that all people would share equally in the resources of the country. On the surface, that sounds good. In fact, this is what was practiced by the Christian church during the first century. The problem with Communism was not the philosophy per se, but the realization by the people that they would not be rewarded for hard work. It didn't matter how you worked, you got the same reward. At this point, the sinfulness of man stepped into the picture and everybody in the Soviet Union became lazy and indifferent to their responsibilities. This lack of accountability has led to an alcoholism rate of 40% and an abortion rate of nearly 70%! The sinfulness of all humans was definitely demonstrated in an entire society, so much so, that it led to the eventual economic collapse of the Soviet Union. Communism failed because humans are basically sinful, lazy, and self-centered. Included in the essay are other examples, plus some comments on the recent attack on the United States.

'People are Basically Good' - Proof to the Contrary
http://www.GodAndScience.org/apologetics/peoplegood.html

"Does Prayer Influence the Success of in Vitro Fertilization–Embryo Transfer? Report of a Masked, Randomized Trial" is a new study that examines the effect of intercessory prayer on in vitro fertilization. According to the authors, "In planning and conducting this trial in as rigorous a fashion as possible, we set out with the expectation that we would show no benefit of IP. None of the authors are employed by religious organizations, and we were not asked by any religious groups to conduct this trial, nor did we seek religious advice at any time." However, when the data was finally unmasked, the prayer group had nearly a doubling in their success rate (50%), which was extremely significant (p = 0.0013). The authors did not attempt to explain the Cause of the prayer effect.

Scientific Evidence for Answered Prayer
http://www.GodAndScience.org/apologetics/prayer.html

Evidence for God from Science has been blessed through the addition of some new ministry volunteers. Van Fisher has been answering correspondence and doing some writing for the ministry. In his recent piece, Van examines the roles of reason and faith in Christianity:

Reason And Faith by Van Fisher
http://www.GodAndScience.org/apologetics/reasonfaith.html

Evolution/Design

Many news sites have played up the idea that NASA scientists have made objects similar to cell membranes. As one site says, "They have succeeded in creating cell-like structures spontaneously from simple chemical ices in conditions that simulate the frigid vacuum of deep space." Is this claim really true? This paper examines the original article to see if it measures up to the claim. Have scientists really discovered how life can be spontaneously assembled in outer space or is this yet another example of scientific intelligent design under contrived conditions?

Cell Membrane-Like Organic Vesicles Formed in Conditions Mimicking Interstellar Clouds?
http://www.GodAndScience.org/evolution/astrobiology.html

It has been argued that the presence of apparently copied, non-functional Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA The order of nucleotides in a DNA or RNA molecule, or the order of amino acids in a protein molecule.sequences (known as Sequence of DNA that are very similar to normal genes but that has been altered so they are not expressed.pseudogenes) support the theory of evolution and invalidate the idea that an intelligent Agent created life on earth. This article examines some of the ways in which Sequence of DNA that are very similar to normal genes but that has been altered so they are not expressed.pseudogenes do not support evolutionary theory and some of the underlying assumptions implicit in the argument that God would not design Sequence of DNA that are very similar to normal genes but that has been altered so they are not expressed.pseudogenes.

Sequence of DNA that are very similar to normal genes but that has been altered so they are not expressed.Pseudogenes- Argument for Evolution and Against Design?
http://www.GodAndScience.org/evolution/pseudogenes.html

Free Online Greeting Cards

A new feature has been added to the site - online greeting cards. Now you can send your favorite skeptic (or friend or loved one) a beautiful Hubble image with a note. It is an easy way to introduce your friends to some of the information on this site.

Out of This World E-Cards
http://www.godandscience.org/cards.html

Feature

     Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/doctrine/halloween.html
     Christians light up the neighborhood on Halloween (Christian Times)

This and previous newsletters are now available online. Go to the URL below to read the current and past e-mail newsletters:

http://www.GodAndScience.org/newsletter.html

Those are the most recent updates and changes since the last e-mail update. If you would like to see anything in particular at Evidence for God from Science, let me know. Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.

In Christ,
Rich Deem

GodAndScience.org respects your privacy and online time and plans to send updates no more frequently than once every two months. If you wish to be removed from this list, click the link at the bottom of this page.

Evidence for God from Science
Website: http://www.GodAndScience.org/

http://www.godandscience.org/newsletters/2001-10.html
Last Modified October 23, 2001