Comment on La Sierra “outraged” over Educate Truth article by Ervin Taylor.
After reading a number of Sean’s postings, I have come to the regrettable conclusion that he seems to belong to a school of thought that proclaims that if you say something that is factually erroneous over, and over, and over, again, again, again, this process of repeating the factual error many times will somehow turn that untruth into the truth. This technique seems to be very effective with certain kinds of individuals who are unfamiliar with evidence and predisposed for some reason to want to believe some factual untruth. Some of us recall that the technique was used quite effectively in a certain European country in the 1930s with very dramatic results.
Sean keeps repeating what has become something of a mantra for him. In response to a recent posting of Carl which stated “To argue for a six-day creation can be only speculative, not scientificâ€
Sean responded as follows: “The idea of a recent creation of life on this planet is consistent with the currently available weight of physical data . . . [T]he real scientific understanding or the most reasonable interpretation of the data is anything other than a recent formation of all life on this planet and a catastrophic model of rapid formation for the geologic column and fossil record.â€
This assertion, and similar statements by him which he repeats over and over again, are simply factually wrong. Even GRI scientists, as pointed out by others who have posted on this site, have essentially admitted that the overwhelming weight of the current scientific evidence and most reasonable interpretation of the current scientific data points to life being very old on this planet. On this point, Carl is absolutely correct.
As Carl suggests, the best that the GRI group can do is to present “a few reasons to be skeptical about the prevailing long-history model. (That is also what you [Sean] have accomplished) . . . Weaknesses in evolutionary theories in no way suggest that life on the earth is young.†Carl has got this right.
The point is that any weaknesses in how evolutionary biology reconstructs how organisms have developed over time has little to do with the nature of the massive amount of data supporting the essential accuracy of the current geochronological framework used in the earth sciences.
I am reasonably certain that Sean will continue to insist that the 1-2% of the geochronological data which support his views should be accepted instead of the 98-99% which do not.
Table of Contents
Recent Comments by Ervin Taylor
What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist?
I just noticed Sean’s comment some time ago that “John’s “Revelation” has very little to do with the Roman Empire.”
Perhaps Sean was just trying to be funny or something. If he was serious, then I guess I will have to revise my assumption about his knowledge of the Bible. That was the entire context of the Book of Revelation. But I guess someone who rejects evolution must also have some problems with history.
La Sierra University Hires Another Darwinist
LSU should be congratulated for standing-up against the reactionary forces who wants to turn it into a Bible College. May LSU live long and prosper — as it is doing now with enrollments continuing to increase and new buildings going up.
What does it take to be a true Seventh-day Adventist?
It would appear that Dr. Pitman aspires to be the modern Adventist version of Girolamo Aleandro.
For those a little hazy about the history of the Reformation, Girolamo was the individual appointed as papal nuncio by the Pope to be the theological point person opposing Martin Luther and his theology at the Diet of Worms. (The Diet of Worms was an assembly of churchmen and political elites of the Holy Roman Empire in Germany which met in 1521, not a list of things to eat to reduce your weight. And Worms was not an item on the menu, it was a town).
Girolamo argued that Luther had no right to challenge the church’s theology. That theology had been settled for hundreds of years and had been agreed upon by scores of theologians. It was the truth.
Girolamo wrote the denunciations of Luther that were embodied in the Edict of Worms which declared Luther to be a heretic.
After attending the Diet of Worms, Girolamo went to Brussels and was instrumental at having two monks who had adhered to the teachings of Luther burned at the stake.
Sean, like Girolamo, appears to view his role is to root our heresy where ever he finds it in the Adventist Church.
Fortunately for the rest of us, Sean,
unlike Girolamo, has no power to carry out what he would to see happened to those he denounces as Adventist heretics.
Southern Adventist University opens Origins Exhibit
I’m sure that the vast majority of scientifically-informed Adventists will thank Dr.Kent for his every effective and rational approaches to the views expressed by Dr. Pitman and others on this misnamed web site. There is little that needs to be added. Dr. Kent has done a masterful job of exposing the misunderstandings of scientific data dealing with geology and evolutionary biology that has been offered by Dr. Pitman on this and his own web site.
Southern Adventist University opens Origins Exhibit
I see that Professor Kent has been casting pearls of logic and reasonableness before certain types of individuals on the educate truth (sic) web site again. I share with him my amazement at the new insights about inspiration revealed here.
