Comment on The ANN Highlights LSU’s Dr. Lee Grismer – An Evolutionary Biologist by Lydian Belknap.
5-9-11
Dear Kent (and anyone else who cares to read it.)
I really do appreciate your kind words. Having just lived through some real “tornados†I’m beginning to feel like I’m in the middle of a “scientific-religious†one and that everything I try to say is just blown out of my mouth and disappears into nothingness.
I just cannot accept the–to me, anyway–helpless “science doesn’t support it….â€,You just have to take it by faith…â€, etc I hear over and over again on this site. As if our God isn’t “smart enough†to give us ample evidence of what He did in SIX DAYS! There are GOOD SCIENTIST “out there†who are shaking their heads and laughing at us for our stupidity!
I’m not a “scientist†in any sense of the word (my late husband was but he passed away in ‘05, just 3 months and eight days before our 60th anniversary) but I don’t think I’m a “dummy†either. I can still read and think and I not only read a lot on the internet but I also subscribe to two Creationist magazines as well as having bought several books on the subject. However, I’ll be the first to admit that a lot of it goes over my ancient head but I can understand enough to see the logic behind the things in their writings that I can understand.
And another thing–Years ago I bought a book called “None Of These Diseases†by S. I McMillen, M.D. (now deceased) and it was one of those “wow!†books you don’t run across very often. It doesn’t deal with creation or evolution but he gives incident after incident where God gave Abraham and Moses–(that’s the Abraham and Moses of the Bible!) health instruction that “science†didn’t “discover†for centuries!
Just one example: Cancer of the cervix:
Two Doctors in two different hospitals began to study the lives of the women who had died from this disease to see if they could find anything in common. They were desperate to find a common cause.
Suddenly it dawned on them that there were very few Jewish women among those who had died! This was in the early 1900’s– years after I was born!. What made the difference? Medical researchers now agree that the practice of circumcision among Jewish men is responsible for the difference.
Open your Bible and see what God told Abraham CENTURIES earlier! Genesis 17:9-12. And please notice that God told Abraham the exact day when a baby boy was to be circumcised–the 8th day. (Hundred of modern workers labored at great expense over a number of years to discover the safest day for the circumcision. They finally discovered it was the 8th day–the very day God told Abraham over 4,000 years earlier that it should be done on!
I won’t go into all the details as to why it is the best day–suffice it to say that is the first day in a baby’s life that it is safe to perform any kind of an operation because that is the first day that all of the necessary safeguards are in place in the little body. One is over 100% in place and on the 9th day it starts to fall back to “normalâ€.) Even as we appreciate all the hard work of so many for so long we can almost hear the pages of the Bible rustling. They would like to remind us that over 4,000 years ago when God initiated circumcision He said, “he that is eight days old shall be circumcised..;.’
Just think of the thousands upon thousands of lives that have been lost because “science†was over 4,000 years “lateâ€in their discovery. And this is only ONE of the diseases that have killed millions before “science†discovered a way to stop them–many of which could have been prevented by listening to the wonderful God who created us!
I firmly believe mankind will discover some day in the not-to-far distance–future that the “scientist’s†at whose altar so many “worship†today will see that they are worshiping at the wrong one. I just hope they won’t discover this truth too late!
If you are interested, the name of the book is “None of these Diseases.†I believe it was out of print for a number of years but is now available at Amazon and a few other places. Get the one he authored alone–not the one I think his grandson (or maybe son-in-law) revised. (It may be very good but I’ve never read it. And get the hard cover–the paper covered ones have very small margins and smaller print. (I think you will be amazed at what you learn.)
We truly worship an awesome God. If He knows enough to give good medical advice–and is able to give us so many prophecies in the Bible that have been proven accurate in every detail He certainly can be trusted to tell us the real truth about origins!!!
Lydian Belknap
Lydian Belknap Also Commented
The ANN Highlights LSU’s Dr. Lee Grismer – An Evolutionary Biologist
5-15-11
Bill Sorensen said: (5-11-11)
“If you read enough posts, Lydian, on all the SDA forums, you soon see how impossible it is for the “carnal mind†to perceive the word of God and its meaning.â€
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Bill,
Sorry to be so slow getting an answer back to you but we have been through several really rough times here lately. (A prime example took place a week or so ago when a real “killer†of several tornados tore through our area leaving behind many destroyed homes and businesses–and many deaths and serious injuries. Neither the home we live in nor the one our oldest daughter lives in or our oldest son lives in were damaged. (Our other two children don’t live in the area so were never in harm’s way ) None of us were injured in any way although many trees, power lines, and other devastated homes were around Kathy and her husband’s home–including those of some very dear friends. While our hearts ache for those so affected we are very grateful for our blessings.
In some respects I do agree with you 100%! It IS impossible for the CARNAL mind to perceive the Word of God and it’s meaning. But Jesus did not come to this world to suffer and die–then return to heaven without doing anything to lift us out of the pit in which we as sinners are in. His life and death made it possible for us to be changed–He came that we might be changed into His likeness. He came that we might have a new heart and a new mind! And, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it is more than possible that we, as totally unworthy sinners, can be changed into His image and CAN have a new heart and a new mind!
Yes, there are portions of the Bible that ARE difficult (if not impossible) to understand on our own–but there is an abundance we CAN understand and accept with the help of the Holy Spirit–even those of us who aren’t as brilliant as we wish we were! So, in the end, we really have no excuse for not knowing enough to help us understands what God expects of His children–and living up to it!. If that is not the truth, then Jesus lived and died in vain–and I don’t think that is an acceptable conclusion. (But I am really looking forward to some day–after I’ve been with Jesus and my wonderful Father–sitting at the feet of Daniel and John as they discuss the two books they wrote–as well as Moses and the rest of the authors!) I supect I’ll need all of eternity in order to grasp it all!
But listen to what God has said, Bill::
“And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I WILL TAKE THE STONY HEART OUT OF THEIR FLESH, AND WILL GIVE THEM AN HEART OF FLESH: THAT THEY MAY WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND KEEP MINE ORDINANCES, AND DO THEM: AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD. But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.â€
“Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
“When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
“Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
“Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
“Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
“For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.†Ezekiel 18:25-32 (KJV)
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.†Ezekiel 36:26 KJV
(How could God have said it any plainer than this–and what excuse can we possibly have for not understanding Him?)
It is true that these particular verses were originally given for the Israelites at that particular time when they were captives in Babylon–but the God of the Israelites is the God of all time and all flesh. He never changes so the “new spirit†and the “new heart†are ever available to any one and every one who turns to Him in faith. In our own strength we can do nothing to merit salvation–or a true understanding of the Bible–and it is very possible for us to get so wrapped up in “minors†that we ignore the “majors!”
We are all born with “carnal minds”, Bill, but Jesus came to this world to make it possible for us to get rid of out carnal minds and have His mind!.
He did not come to this earth to die that we may live and then return to heaven leaving us in the same state we were in before He came. He came to give us all the resources we need to shed our “carnal minds” and accept the mind of Jesus so we can understand and avail ourselves of all the help we need to obtain eternal salvation. All is available to the repentant sinner who truly seeks Him. God can and will give all the help necessary to such a one. It is our own stubborn, rebellious spirit that keeps us from understanding the way to eternal salvation. At the bar of judgment none can give any excuse for not being ready to meet Jesus when He returns–and I truly believe that time is nearer than we think.
This website was established to call attention to a real problem in our church and to make our great concern known. This issue at LSU–and probably other schools as well–is extremely important but it is very possible for us (who, after all, are on the “sidelinesâ€) to get so heated up and so completely sidetracked that we become simply a bunch of quarreling children. We lose track of what the issues really are, what is really important– and we get immersed in hurling opinions back and forth that are completely “off the track!†and absolutely nothing is said or done that solves any problems–or draws any of us closer to Christ. (Was it Shakespear who said, “What fools we mortals be!” If not, whoever ssid it was right on track!)
And I am not excusing myself and just blaming others. Believe me, I do not consider myself an “example’ of what being a true Christian is all about! I mean well but I often–very often–find myself as one of the “chief of sinners†for I have learned so much, been helped in so many ways by so many wonderful Christian friends so much better and more committed than I am–yet–after all these many years–I still find myself at times doing things I know I should not do, saying thing I know I should not say, and thinking things I know I should not think! But I take courage from my Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy and struggle on. God has been wonderful to me in spite of all of my often not-so-obedient-life
Hope all of you have had a wonderful Sabbath!
Lydian
PS: I hope I don’t confuse anyone by my use of the KJV. It is the Bible I grew up with and which I am most familiar. I’ve tried relearning verses in the newer versions but end up not being able to quote either one correctly. Old habits die hard!
The ANN Highlights LSU’s Dr. Lee Grismer – An Evolutionary Biologist
5-11-11
If you will forgive me, Eddie, I have just one more “parting shot,” to give:
God says:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
“For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
” Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
“Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” Isaiah 55:8-13;9:1,2.
And this:
“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
” And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods (SCIENTISTS) of the (WORLD)Amorites, in whose (TIME YOU LIVE)land ye dwell: BUT FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!” Joshua 23:14,15
Every human being who has ever lived has had to make this choice and the present generation is no exception!
Lydian
The ANN Highlights LSU’s Dr. Lee Grismer – An Evolutionary Biologist
Dear Ron,
Thanks so much for your kind remarks. I really do apprecate them!~
Lydian
Recent Comments by Lydian Belknap
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.
