David Jacobson, your story reminds me of Ronald Numbers’, who …

Comment on Adventist Review examines LSU conflict by David Read.

David Jacobson, your story reminds me of Ronald Numbers’, who also claims to have been convinced by the fossil forest interpretation. But it is a wrong, outdated interpretation, totally destroyed by the Mt. St. Helens event:

http://www.icr.org/article/mt-st-helens-catastrophism/.

http://www.creationism.org/sthelens/MSH1b_7wonders.htm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystrate_fossil.

http://origins.swau.edu/papers/dinos/yellowstone/default.html.

There’s a good article about Ronald Numbers and Yellowstone here (but you have to scroll about 60% of the way down a long page):

http://www.creationsafaris.com/crev200701.htm. Among the highlights:

“In the 1970s, geologists taught that what looked like 30 separate forests had grown on top of each other, one at a time, only to be buried by periodic volcanic eruptions. A sign at Specimen Ridge in the park explained this as a matter of fact. Estimates ranged from 20,000 years minimum to 30,000, or 50,000 years or more were required – in any case, far more than a conservative Genesis timeframe could allow.”
“On May 18, 1980, an explosive event with profound repercussions for geological science took place. Mt. St. Helens erupted. In one day, this event literally overturned the long-age interpretation of Specimen Ridge. In the Roadside Geology book about Yellowstone sold in the park, geologist William Fritz described his reaction to mudflows he witnessed along the Toutle River in Washington. ‘It was just like Yellowstone!’ he exclaimed. Since that widely-observed natural experiment in catastrophic geology, the work of volcanic mudflows has become the leading explanation for how the Yellowstone fossil forests were emplaced, layers and all. The old sign that explained the old theory to millions of park visitors is long gone.”

David Read Also Commented

Adventist Review examines LSU conflict
This is huge. To paraphrase Joe Biden, this is a really big deal. Bob Ryan is right that the article gives LaSierra and particularly Randal Wisbey more credit than they deserve, but on the other hand, they fearlessly reported LaSierra’s retaliation against Louis Bishop for exposing what is going on in their classrooms.

This is absolutely huge! For years, this problem has been simmering under the surface, with everyone being frightened to publicly address it, and now the cat is out of the bag. It is going to be more and more difficult for leadership to duck this issue.


Recent Comments by David Read

The Reptile King
Poor Larry Geraty! He can’t understand why anyone would think him sympathetic to theistic evolution. Well, for starters, he wrote this for Spectrum last year:

“Christ tells us they will know us by our love, not by our commitment to a seven literal historical, consecutive, contiguous 24-hour day week of creation 6,000 years ago which is NOT in Genesis no matter how much the fundamentalist wing of the church would like to see it there.”

“Fundamental Belief No. 6 uses Biblical language to which we can all agree; once you start interpreting it according to anyone’s preference you begin to cut out members who have a different interpretation. I wholeheartedly affirm Scripture, but NOT the extra-Biblical interpretation of the Michigan Conference.”

So the traditional Adventist interpretation of Genesis is an “extra-Biblical interpretation” put forward by “the fundamentalist wing” of the SDA Church? What are people supposed to think about Larry Geraty’s views?

It is no mystery how LaSierra got in the condition it is in.


The Reptile King
Professor Kent says:

“I don’t do ‘orgins science.’ Not a single publication on the topic. I study contemporary biology. Plenty of publications.”

So, if you did science that related to origins, you would do it pursuant to the biblical paradigm, that is pursuant to the assumption that Genesis 1-11 is true history, correct?


The Reptile King
Well, Jeff, would it work better for you if we just closed the biology and religion departments? I’m open to that as a possible solution.


The Reptile King
Larry Geraty really did a job on LaSierra. Personally I think it is way gone, compromised beyond hope. The SDA Church should just cut its ties to LaSierra, and cut its losses.

As to the discussion on this thread, round up the usual suspects and their usual arguments.


La Sierra University Resignation Saga: Stranger-than-Fiction
It is a remarkably fair and unbiased article, and a pretty fair summary of what was said in the recorded conversation.