Evidence for God from Science Newsletter December, 2002

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

Contents

News

I received an invitation from Reasons To Believe to give a two hour class at King's College and Seminary on the origin of man and the races. Doing the research was great and I prepared a 110-slide PowerPoint presentation for the talk. As I get time, I will add some new pages to the creation/evolution section using some of this information. Probable new pages include:

The PowerPoint presentation is available. (Be sure to view it in Slideshow mode, since there are a number of animations that cover up content unless the presentation is played.)

    The Origin of Man and the Races
    /ppt/originofman.ppt (The Origin of Man and the Races PowerPoint Presentation, 5 MB)

Mark Ritter (SwordAndSpirit.com) presented a two hour talk at the same lecture series on  "hope, purpose, and destiny," which presents evidence for design and the purpose and destiny of the universe. If you haven't visited Mark's site, it's great.

    hope, purpose, and destiny
    http://swordandspirit.com/_STUDY/PRES_hope_pur_des/hopepurposedestiny.ppt (The Origin of Man and the Races PowerPoint Presentation, 5 MB)

SwordAndSpirit.com

The series will probably be repeated next year at King's College. At some point, probably next year, Reasons To Believe plans to turn the three days of talks at King's College into a video product for teaching creation/evolution issues. I will keep you informed about the availability of the video series.

Answers for atheists

I have been corresponding with an atheist professor from the UK. One of the things that he thought undermined the reliability of the Bible was the supposed similarity of the Epic of Gilgamesh and the biblical flood account. Superficially, there are some similarities. However, the vast number of similarities between the two accounts would have been expected from any flood account during that time. It turns out that the differences are quite remarkable.

     Is the Biblical Flood Account a Modified Copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh?
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/apologetics/gilgamesh.html

I recently received an e-mail claiming that Christians are intolerant because we are always trying to push our ideas on others and claiming that only our beliefs are true. The e-mail demonstrates a growing trend among secular people to assume that "tolerance" means that we accept other people's views as being true, regardless of what those views are. Of course, tolerance has nothing to do with accepting all worldviews as truth, but just being willing to allow others the right to express their own views. Actually, those who say that Christians should not express their religious views are being intolerant according to the real definition of tolerance.

     Christianity and Intolerance- Why are Christians So Intolerant?
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/apologetics/intolerance.html

Design vs. Evolution

Previous genetic studies have shown that chimpanzee and humans Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA differs by about 1.5%. Preliminary results from the chimpanzee All the DNA contained in an organism or a cell, which includes both the chromosomes within the nucleus and the DNA in mitochondria.genome confirm previous results regarding Two nucleotides on opposite complementary DNA or RNA strands that are connected via hydrogen bonds.base pair Replacement of one nucleotide in a DNA sequence by another nucleotide or replacement of one amino acid in a protein by another amino acid.substitutions (estimated at 1.4%). However, the Determining the order of nucleotides in a DNA or RNA molecule, or the order of amino acids in a protein molecule.sequencing results reveal that Chromosomal abnormalities in which a DNA sequences are inserted into genes, disrupting the normal structure and function of those genes.insertions and deletions result in another 3.4% difference between human and chimp Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA. Therefore, the overall difference between chimp and human Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA is nearly 5%, which represents an almost insurmountable amount of rapid evolution.

     Recent Problems in Evolution - 2002
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/evolution/evol2002.html

Walter Rothe, an RTB Apologist volunteer has authored a rebuttal to the claim that evolution can produce specified complexity. A computer program written by an evolutionist, Schneider, produces an amazing amount of specified complexity. Schneider smuggles in specified complexity through his fitness selection and by limiting Permanent structural alterations in DNA, consisting of either substitutions, insertions or deletions of nucleotide bases.mutations to one per generation. Since The functional and physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.gene duplication is the supposed method by which new Functional and physical units of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.genes arise, Rothe challenges evolutionists to produce potentially new Functional and physical units of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.genes in the making that fit the parameters required to produce a functional new The functional and physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.gene.

     Response to "Dissecting Dembski's 'Complex Specified Information'"
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/evolution/specifiedcomplexity.html

Biblical Creation

Young earth creationists claim that Paul placed a figurative passage about the creation in the middle of Romans chapter 8. However, the context indicates that the passage is really referring to unredeemed creatures and not the non-rational creation. The young earth figurative interpretation results in the contradiction of other creation passages by this passage.

     Does Romans 8:19-22 Refer to the Cursed Creation?
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/youngearth/romans8.html

Young earth creationists claim that Genesis 3:17 represents a curse that God placed upon the entire Earth as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. However, a careful examination of this passage reveals that weeds probably already existed prior to the Fall (or else Adam would have nothing to tend in the garden), and that the curse of the ground was a curse on Adam as he was being kicked out of the garden into the real world.

     Does Genesis 3:17 Really Say That God Cursed the Ground of the Entire Earth?
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/youngearth/genesis3.html

Aberrant Theology

I met with some Mormon missionaries last month (and a second set this month), which prompted the writing of another article. If you haven't met with Mormon missionaries recently, you should be aware that they have changed their tactics considerably. They aren't bringing their Book of Mormon, but are bringing KJV Bibles, and are trying to push Mormonism as a Christian denomination. However, their concept of God is still the classic Joseph Smith version ("a body of flesh and bones"). They were shocked when I showed them the Philippians 2 passage that indicates that Jesus "took on the form of a man." I don't think they had ever seen that before. Needless to say, they are still Mormons, however.

     Does God the Father Have a "Body of Flesh and Bone"?
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/cults/body.html

Christian Life Issues

In October, I was invited by Leslie Wickman, Center for Research in Science at Azusa Pacific University, to talk before her bioethics class. I was originally expecting to talk about abortion, sanctity of life, cloning, or something similar. However, the way the schedule worked out, it was the week that they were discussing stewardship and human sexuality. As a result, I got to do a lot of research about what the Bible says about human sexuality, which has not been covered before to any degree on this site. Find out what the Bible says about stewardship and responsibility of people regarding sexuality.

     The Biblical Design for Human Sexuality
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/doctrine/sexuality.html

Newsletter Info

This and previous newsletters are 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. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

In Christ,
Rich Deem

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Last Modified December 12, 2002

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