LSU, Pacific Union Conference and North American Division Sued
Sean I do not understand what you mean by “blind” faith.

When I say I believe the creation account in Genesis I accept it by-INTELLIGENT faith because my God has proven over and over and over again that He knows what He is talking about. Anyone who can give prophecy after prophecy after prophecy and have it come about with 100% accurateness every time when it came time for the prophecy to be fulfilled–unless it was conditional prophecy based on the action of the people it was talking about–such as Nineveh.

He told Abraham to circumcise all the male babies when they were 8 days old. (Gen.17:12) Abraham did not have one shred of “scientific evidence” to to back up this command–but he did know his God and by faith (INTELLIGENT faith)he did what God told him to do. And orthodox Jews to this day still do it.

But you know what–it took science up until a few years before I was born in 1924 before they figured that one out. That’s several thousand years, Sean. Meanwhile millions of women died from cervical cancer–but this didn’t happen to Jewish women whose husbands had been circumcised even tho they lived in the same neighborhoods and pretty much lived the same life styles.

But what if Abraham has said, “Well, I believe you God–but since science hasn’t OK’ed it yet I’m not going to put these innocent little boys through all that pain just yet.” But he believed God and “it was accounted unto him for righteousness.”

The plague of leprosy that swept through Europe in the 1600’s was finally brought to an end when some monk (probably in reading his Bible) learned that God had told Moses to put people with that terrible disease “out of the camp.” Then the church stepped in and did just that and the plague came to a halt. And that’s not even prophecy. I could go on and on and on about God’s superior wisdom but space prohibits and we can never plum the depth of it–not even in eternity, although we will understand a lot more than we can now.

Believe what you want to and why you want to “But as for me and my house” our intelligent faith is NOT “blind.” It is firmly rooted in the vastly superior wisdom and knowledge of our God and that will NEVER change–regardless of what may or may not be said by modern scientists!

I hope I haven’t misunderstood your true position. If I have, please forgive me.

Lydian

LSU, Pacific Union Conference and North American Division Sued
“Adventist Kid:” Believe it or not a LOT of us old folks were “Adventist Kids” at one time–and., yes, some of us were also rather “cocky” ourselves back then.. We “knew” how to “save the world” and we were the generation that was going to do it–no questions allowed. But, guess what! Afer graduation we entered the “real world” and had to sink or swim on our own. Then we began very rapidly to learn that we weren’t as brilliant as we thought we were. And we rapidly learned that some of the older folks “out there’ were a whole lot smarter than we gave them credit for! Many were even smarter than we were. (Unthinkable but, alas, very true.)The world you will face is, in many respects, a lot worse–and harder to survive in–today than it was then. Technology has increased but morality has decreased much faster. The world is no longer the relatively safe place we grew up in. There are good people out there but today there are far more “not so good” ones.

After graduation we entered what my Dad use to call “the University of Hard Knocks.” The class motto was “HELP! The class colors were “black and blue” and the class “yell” was “ouch!!!” It didn’t take very long for most of us to learn that we weren’t as smart as we thought we were and the “real world” wasn’t waiting with bated breath for our appearance.

Many wonderful adults gave a big sigh, took us under their wing and proceeded to try to knock some common sense into our heads. (There were some who never learned it and most of them had a miserable life.) There are a lot of “smart” people out there but very few human beings are “smart enough” to really realize how small and ignorant we really are.

So calm down, Adventist Kid, Read your Bible with prayer and an open mind and God will give you the wisdom and strength to become a truly noble person who will make the world a better place to live in and be ready to meet Jesus when He returns and that just may be a whole lot sooner than you think!

(We love you–we truly do, and want the very best in life for you and your young companions! But–sigh!–you have to give us a chance to help you grow up and see life as it really is.)

LSU, Pacific Union Conference and North American Division Sued
Professor Kent: You said: (7-30-11): “How would the fossil record and geological column look any different today, Sean, if a flood covered, say 65% or 85% or 95% of the earth’s surface instead of 100%? Does size really matter?
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My response:The thing that matters (to me anyway)is not what the man-made geological column or fossil records says–it is what GOD says in His holy Bible. GOD says it covered the earth and that settles it for me. As I see it, anyone who can predict the future centuries in advance with unerring accuracy can be trusted to tell us what happened in the past–or don’t you believe that?

As far as I am concerned, anyone who cannot accept ALL of the Bible just as it reads has absolutely no business teaching in one of our institutions or preaching in any of our pulpits. (And I do not believe it is being “intolerant” or “unChristlike” to take this stand.) We are either absolutely “the people of the Book” or we are not. There is no middle ground! You (and others) may consider this “unChristlike” if you wish but I consider it to be the only way a genuine, Bible believing Christian can operate. We are either FOR God 100% or we are AGAINST Him 100%. Again, there is no middle ground.

God is the Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe. He is the Creator of TRUE science and TRUE science will ALWAYS agrees with the Creator God! And, again, there is no middle ground!

There is no way we mortals can always clearly understand every single thing in the Bible this side of eternity. Then, and only then, will all things be made fully clear so there are a lot of things we simply have to take by faith–but that faith has many things we can understand to enable us accept it by an intelligent faith and leave it in God’s hands until that time comes. That’s what Joseph did, that’s what Moses did, that’s what many other Bible characters did–and that’s what we will have to do. We must never forget that all of us are fallen human beings and as such very prone to make many mistakes. I don’t care how many degrees a human being has after his/her name they are still fallen human beings and none of us are infallible. Only God is–that is the one and only unshakable “fact” we can accept and believe in this old sinful and suffering world. And, you know what, that is enough!

A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
So here I sit–a “very old lady”–totally confused and not having a clue as to whether to donate or not–or where to donate if I should.

As things stand now I think I will just continue putting my own little amount to my current “missionary out reach” of buying “Steps to Christ” and “Who Do You Think You Are?” and passing them on to the clerks in the stores where I shop or other people I meet that I think would like them.

If and when you folks decide on what, how and where to help in this very worthy project let me know and I’ll do what I can then.

A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
I just noticed that there is such a program in place in northern California but I would want one that is nation wide. After all, if our kids aren’t already in danger here in the southern union also (as well the rest of the US) it’s most likely only a short matter of time till they will be.

A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
I am far from a wealthy person who could and gladly would donate large sums of money to such a program but I could and would gladly donate some if such assurances were solidly in place. I’m sure there are many “old folks” like me “out there” who feel the same way. (Is there already such a program in place? If so please post all needed information.)

The God of the Gaps
While browsing my rather voluminous file of articles to “save” I ran across this jewel—I think it is worth saving and thinking about–especially the last statement by Darwin himself:
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Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

While Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a relatively young archetype, the evolutionary worldview itself is as old as antiquity. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Anaximander postulated the development of life from non-life and the evolutionary descent of man from animal. Charles Darwin simply brought something new to the old philosophy — a plausible mechanism called “natural selection.” Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of a species developed a functional advantage (it grew wings and learned to fly). Its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior (disadvantaged) members of the same species would gradually die out, leaving only the superior (advantaged) members of the species. Natural selection is the preservation of a functional advantage that enables a species to compete better in the wild. Natural selection is the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding. Over the centuries, human breeders have produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed. Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time. Similarly, natural selection eliminates inferior species gradually over time.
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Darwin’s Theory of Evolution – Slowly But Surely…

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a slow gradual process. Darwin wrote, “…Natural selection acts only by taking advantage of slight successive variations; she can never take a great and sudden leap, but must advance by short and sure, though slow steps.” [1] Thus, Darwin conceded that, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” [2] Such a complex organ would be known as an “irreducibly complex system”. An irreducibly complex system is one composed of multiple parts, all of which are necessary for the system to function. If even one part is missing, the entire system will fail to function. Every individual part is integral. [3] Thus, such a system could not have evolved slowly, piece by piece. The common mousetrap is an everyday non-biological example of irreducible complexity. It is composed of five basic parts: a catch (to hold the bait), a powerful spring, a thin rod called “the hammer,” a holding bar to secure the hammer in place, and a platform to mount the trap. If any one of these parts is missing, the mechanism will not work. Each individual part is integral. The mousetrap is irreducibly complex. [4]

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a theory in crisis in light of the tremendous advances we’ve made in molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics over the past fifty years. We now know that there are in fact tens of thousands of irreducibly complex systems on the cellular level. Specified complexity pervades the microscopic biological world. Molecular biologist

Michael Denton wrote, “Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world.” [5]

And we don’t need a microscope to observe irreducible complexity. The eye, the ear and the heart are all examples of irreducible complexity, though they were not recognized as such in Darwin’s day. Nevertheless, Darwin confessed, “To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.” [6]

Footnotes:
1. Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,” 1859, p. 162.
2. Ibid. p. 158.
3. Michael Behe, “Darwin’s Black Box,” 1996.
4. “Unlocking the Mystery of Life,” documentary by Illustra Media, 2002.
5. Michael Denton, “Evolution: A Theory in Crisis,” 1986, p. 250.
6. Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,” 1859, p. 155.

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I don’t think Sean could have said it better himself!

Walla Walla University: The Collegian Debates Evolution vs. Creation
Sean, I guess I “bit off more than I can chew” when I subscribed to some of your other options.
All I can handle is the ^way it used to be”–like this column still is. Please put me back to this mode of information and I will be very happy. Thanks.