@Geanna Dane: THere are something close to 3000 species in …

Comment on Board requests progress reports from LSU administration by BobRyan.

@Geanna Dane:

THere are something close to 3000 species in the world of which maybe 600 are venomous. Venom has apparently evolved multiple times in this group, including within the actractaspidids, colubrids, elapids, and viperids (these are venomous families). One elapid group the sea snakes has about 60 species,, and occurs only in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Apparently only one species has crossed the Pacific to the New World, so it must be difficult out on the sea. They have many fascinating adaptations different from all other snakes. I can’t see this as “degeneration”.

Observing variation within a genome and then claiming that one cannot see degeneration from the flying serpent in Eden – is kind of like saying “I see many varieties of Canine today due to the breeding efforts of man – I can’t see that as degeneration”.

It misses the point entirely.

degeneration in a single genome is represented by lower life spans, increased disease etc.

In the case of the snake we have a genome that was initially designed for flight – how in the world it does not “evolve back up to the level of it’s starting point” is hard to explain for an evolutionist.

Perhaps the group that interests many the most, is the rattlesnakes. Loma Linda University has some interesting research on them and their venom, as sometimes feature on television. There are about 30 species, and all are confined to the New World. How did they get here from Mt. Ararat (I dont think they swam)?

Several options.

1. In the days of Peleg “the earth was divided”.
2. Land bridges began to sink as continental drift slowed
3. Both of the above.

Herpetologists say the earliest snake was about 130 million years ago (I don’t know how accurate this information is). The earliest viper was maybe 10 million years ago and the earliest rattlesnake was more than a million years ago (I could’nt find precise times).

Hard to be a creationist as you have claimed here – with all genomes created in 6 literal days and the Bible as an accurate historic record – and not know that the 130 million year figure above is at least “a little” innaccurate.

So while evolutionists believe 30+ rattlesake species evolved in more than 1 million years (roughly one new species every 33,000 years), we insist that all of it happened in a MERE 4000 years,, unless some came off the ark (but there are none in the Old World). So who are the true evolutionists- us or them? Think about it!

Evolutionists are “dead in the water” if you limit them to “Snake — makes more SNAKES”.

Eolutionists need “birds came from reptiles” for thier story telling to fly.

The LSU biologists are not in the spotlight for arguing “hey evolution has brought us a bunch of different kinds of snakes – from the parent snakes that came from the Ark”. Assuming one pair (or pair of pairs) for each truly unique genome.

If you limit evolutionism to “finch beaks may vary over time as well as the colors of the feathers but that is pretty much the limit” there is no LSU evolutionist, nor atheist evolutionist that is going to argue that you have given them “birds came from reptiles”.

Obviously WE believe more fervently in evolution- at extraordinarily fast rates- than any so called evolutionist. Static genome? Lets get real!

1. Obviously dog variations happen in much less time than 4000 years – and so again “obviously” we are not going call such variation within a genome an example of “new coding genes being added to the canine family”.

2. The argument you keep making requires equivocation between variation within a static genome – vs actually creating new genomes (hint: “birds came from reptiles”) with new coding genes is the “difference” that you miss.

This “birds came from reptiles” storytelling would fair much better IF the argument were to show how serpents who lost their flight ability – regained what they already had to start with – over time.

Failing to do even that – evolutionism never gets off the dime.

in Christ,

Bob

BobRyan Also Commented

Board requests progress reports from LSU administration

@Bravus:

1. Recent creationism (with variants depending on which god/s did it)
2. Ancient creationism (ditto)
3. Theistic evolutionism (ditto)
4. Deism
5. Atheistic evolutionism
6. Panspermia of one kind or another

…So of the positions I don’t have, recent creationism that specifically uses the 6000 year age is the one that seems most problematic to me. Recent creationism that allows for something in the 20,000 year range is much less so.

Almost leads you to believe that Bravus is behind that 20,000 year idea.

Oh but WAIT!

OK, so I guess my position is that I find it difficult or impossible,, looking at both the scientific and the Biblical evidence, to absolutely accept recent creationism, ancient creationism, theistic evolutionism or deism.

Leaving us with TWO of the 6 that Bravus has not ruled out.

So in the ever twisting story behind Bravus’ oft repeated SIX — I guess we are down to two kinds of evolutionism.

(Unless Bravus wants to spin one of them as having a real 7 day week of Creation where all genomes appear)

@Bravus:

Could Moses understand the concept of a billion? It’s important to understand what ‘highly educated’ meant at that moment in history, rather than to read Bronze Age texts with literalistic Information Age minds.

Thus the recent creation 20,000 years ago idea is clearly being ruled out as yet another red herring?

in Christ,

Bob


Board requests progress reports from LSU administration

@Bravus:

God has the power to do absolutely anything. That’s not the question. But (1) he is not capricious – he doesn’t do things, especially major things like this, for no reason and (2) the claim made here repeatedly is that he told us everything he did in the Bible… and there is no mention there of any event like this, or even a hint.

Where did you come up with THAT straw man???

The only claim that is repeatedly made here is that of the LITTLE God told us about creation week – the details He did give slam the door shut on the atheist-centric doctrine on origins found in evolutionism. The SEVEN DAY fact is one of the few things we ARE given for dead sure.

It is not the Creationists – but rather the Evolutionists that then want to make the wild claim that IF we are to believe God on the 7day fact that He keeps insisting on – THEN God has to first “TELL US ALL” about how He created a world in 7 days then 1600 years later – destroyed it in single year with a flood.

BTW – you never did answer the question of why you think Moses would be confronted with a “Billion year” problem — when you claim to believe that life on earth has only been here for 20,000 years.

in Christ,

Bob


Board requests progress reports from LSU administration

@Lydian Belknap:

In the “News update” section I notice that the accreditation board told LSU if they messed with the way teachers taught in their classrooms they could lose their accreditation. I tried to find the information itself but somehow lost the connection. When I tried to find it again there was nothing listed under the “News Updates”. I would appreciate someone showing me how I can see the article itself or at least tell all of us what is going on. Thanks

Well it is a PRIVATE school not a public school so the whole point is NOT to have things going on the classroom that go on in public universities.

Still – it would be nice to know the source of that tweet. Is it true life or is it memorex?

in Christ,

Bob


Recent Comments by BobRyan

Academic Freedom Strikes Again!

george:
By definition, I don’t believe in miracles or apocryphal, anthropomorphic stories about same.Why aren’t scientists observing them today if they occur?

Circular argument. If they were naturally occurring we would expect scientists to see that they are still occurring today. If they are singular events caused by an intelligent being – that being would be under no obligation to “keep causing world wide floods” as if “to do it once you must continually do it”. Armstrong went to the moon.. shall we argue that unless he keeps going to the moon so each new generation can see it … then it did not happen?

Your argument is of the form “all eye witness evidence to some event in the past is no evidence at all unless that event keeps repeating itself so we too can witness it”. Seems less than compelling.

“Could it be that science is better able to detect hoaxes and false claims?” As a rule for dismissing every eye witness account in the past – it is less than compelling. (even when that event cannot be repeated)

Evolutionists “claim” that dust, rocks and gas (in sufficient quantity and over sufficient time and a lot of luck) self organized into rabbits via prokaryote-then-eukaryote-then-more-complexity. But such self-organization cannot be “observed” today.

(What is worse – such a sequence cannot even be intelligently manipulated to occur in the lab)

By your own argument then you should not believe in evolution.


Academic Freedom Strikes Again!
@Sean Pitman:

Suppose you were at a crime scene … there is a tree limb on the ground and a bullet hole in the victim — “all natural causes”? or is one ‘not natural’? Those who say that nothing can be detected as “not naturally occurring in nature” – because all results, all observations make it appear that every result “naturally occurred without intelligent design” seem to be missing a very big part of “the obvious”.


Academic Freedom Strikes Again!

george:
Gentlemen,

What just God would allow an innocent child to be born guilty for the sins of a distant ancestor? …What if there was only One Commandment? Do Good. ‘Kant’ see a problem with that.

An atheist point of view is not often found here – but this is interesting.

1. God does not punish babies for what someone else did – but I suppose that is a reductionist option that is not so uncommon among atheists. The “details” of the subject you are commenting on – yet according to you “not reading” – is that humans are born with sinful natures. A “bent” toward evil. That is the first gap right out of the gate between atheism and God’s Word..

2. But still God supernaturally enables “free will” even in that bent scenario, the one that mankind lives in – ever since the free-will choice of the first humans on planet earth – was to cast their lot in with Satan and rebellion..(apparently they wanted to see what a wonderful result that poor choice would create). John 16 “the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment”. And of course “I will draw ALL mankind unto Me” John 12:32. (not “just Christians”). Thus supernatural agency promotes free will in a world that would otherwise be unrestrained in its bent to evil.

3.God says “The wages of sin is death” — so then your “complaint” is essentially “that you exist”. A just and loving God created planet Earth – no death or disease or suffering – a perfect paradise where mankind could live forever … and only one tiny restriction… yet Adam and Eve allowed themselves to be duped by Satan… tossing it all away. The “Just God” scenario could easily just have let them suffer the death sentence they chose. He did not do that… hence “you exist” – to then “complain about it”.

4. Of course you might also complain that Satan exists – and Satan might complain that “you exist”. There is no shortage on planet earth of avenues for complaint. But God steps in – offers salvation to mankind at infinite cost to himself – – and the “Few” of Matthew 7 eventually end up accepting that offer of eternal life. The rest seem to prefer the lake of fire option… sort of like Adam and Eve choosing disease and death over eternal life (without fully appreciating the massive fail in that short-sighted choice).

In any case – this thread is about the logic/reason that should be taken into account when a Christian owned and operated institution chooses to stay faithful to its Christian mission — rather then getting blown about by every wind of doctrine. Why let the alchemy of “wild guessing” be the ‘source of truth’ when we have the Bible?? We really have no excuse for that. As for science – we can be thankful that it has come as far along as it has – but no matter how far back you rewind the clock of our science history – we should always have chosen the Bible over wild guessing.


Newly Discovered Human Footprints Undermine Evolutionary Assumptions

Ervin Taylor:
Perhaps Dr. Pitman would enlighten his readers what on earth “the neo-Darwinian story of origins” might be. Darwin did not address origins.

Origins of what?? the first eukaryote??
Or “origins of mankind”??

Darwin himself claimed that his own false doctrine on origins was totally incompatible with Genesis and that because of this – Genesis must be tossed under a bus.

hint: Genesis is an account of “Origins” as we all know — even though “bacteria” and “amoeba” are terms that don’t show up in the text.

The point remains – Darwin was promoting his own religion on origins totally counter to the Bible doctrine on origins. He himself addresses this point of the two views.


Newly Discovered Human Footprints Undermine Evolutionary Assumptions

Ervin Taylor:
Here we go again.If the footprints upon close examination, are determined not to be from a hominim/hominid, I wonder if Educate Truth (sic) will announce that determination.Or if the date of the surface is determined to be much younger, will there be a notice placed on fundamentalist web-sites.If you believe the answer to these questions are yes, I have a big bridge that I would like to sell you for pennies on the dollar.

Here we go again … hope piled upon hope…no matter the “observations in nature” that disconfirm the classic evolutionary hypothesis

Reminds me of “What we still don’t know” by Martin Reese and Leonard Suskind