@Carl: Although there are questions about radiometric dating, I have …

Comment on Readers respond to Adventist Review article by Sean Pitman.

@Carl:

Although there are questions about radiometric dating, I have never heard of any challenge to standard dating that would shorten the time of life on the earth to anything even close to Ussher’s Chronology. Your claim that “you can pretty much get whatever date you want” is simply not true. There is no assumption of radiometric dating or ice-core dating that can be changed to give dates as short as Ussher’s Chronology.

I think you and many at GRI underestimate the subjectivity of radiometric dating – as well as the conflicting data that is available along these lines. All problems are not solved in this area, obviously, but there are many interesting problems that cause the candid mind a great deal of doubt regarding claims of clear reliability when it comes to the assumption of ancient ages for the sedimentary layers of the geologic column.

As an example, consider cosmogenic isotope dating. Cosmogenic nuclides are isotopes that are produced by interaction of cosmic rays with the nucleus of the atom. The various isotopes produced have different half lives. Cosmogenic dating using these isotopes are becoming a popular way to date the time of surface exposure of rocks and minerals to cosmic radiation. While the idea is fairly straightforward, there are just a few problems with this dating method. To illustrate this problem, consider that 3H dating has been used to establish the theory that the driest desert on Earth, Coastal Range of the Atacama desert in northern Chile (which is 20 times drier than Death Valley) has been without any rain or significant moisture of any kind for around 25 million years. The only problem with this theory is that recently investigators have discovered fairly extensive deposits of very well preserved animal droppings associated with grasses as well as human-produced artifacts like arrowheads and the like. Radiocarbon dating of these findings indicate very active life in at least semiarid conditions within the past 11,000 years – a far cry from 25 million years.

Radiocarbon dating is also in striking disagreement with many other forms of radiometric dating when it comes to estimating the ages of coal and oil beds as well as many other fossils that contain organic materials.

http://www.detectingdesign.com/radiometricdating.html

Ice core dating is even more problematic and inconsistent with striking evidences that counter this dating method:

http://www.detectingdesign.com/ancientice.html

All of these dating methods are fraught with subjective elements to include the very subjective process of “tuning” to match pre-concieved patterns. This is especially a problem with Milankovitch cycles used in dating deep ocean sedimentary layers and other geologic features.

http://www.detectingdesign.com/milankovitch.html

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com

Sean Pitman Also Commented

Readers respond to Adventist Review article
@Carl:

My purpose here is not to convince anyone that evolution explains human origin – I don’t believe that. I’m here mostly because your certainty about the science issues needs at least a little balance. I have never met anyone who is so sure about so much.

You don’t come across as being all that unsure of yourself either ; )

I’ve been intensively studying evolutionary theories for over 10 years now. I do indeed think I’ve discovered a few things and what I’ve discovered strongly favors the literal biblical model of origins. I know you don’t agree, and that’s fine. It is just that you are also in fundamental disagreement with the stated goals and ideals of your employer. You are publicly undermining these goals and ideals. That, in my book, is not fine at all because it is not what you are being paid to do…

But, at the very least, your efforts and the efforts of those like you should be open and transparent for all to see. Everyone should know exactly what our schools are really teaching our own young people…

This is the primary goal and purpose of Educate Truth. Transparency…

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com


Readers respond to Adventist Review article
@Carl:

Because my commitment to Adventism is based on a continuing search for the truth. The Bible is our only creed, and that leaves room for a range of interpretation. That’s why the preamble to the Fundamental Beliefs says that they are subject to review and possible change.

So, I hope FB 6 will be revised to widen the search for truth and you demand that we nail it down tight so as to prevent a further search for truth. But, we’re in this thing together.

There are a lot of Christian churches, with very widely divergent interpretations of Scripture, who claim that their beliefs are based on the Bible and the Bible only. Diversity on such a scale, from paid representatives, would lead to chaos, not long term viability. You think we should pay pastors to go around teaching that we should pray to the Virgin Mary or that sinners will burn forever in eternal Hell Fire? Surely not. If a person believes and wishes to be paid to teach such things, that person should seek employment outside of the SDA Church…

The early Church founders, while realizing the potential and even need for change and growth in understanding as new truth came to light also recognized that God does not change and does not counter truths that were clearly revealed by the Holy Spirit during the founding of our Church. New light does not counter older revelations, but compliments it.

When the power of God testifies as to what is truth, that truth is to stand forever as the truth. No aftersuppositions, contrary to the light God has given, are to be entertained. Men will arise with interpretations of Scripture which are to them truth, but which are not truth. The truth for this time, God has given us as a foundation for our faith. He Himself has taught us what is truth. One will arise, and still another, with new light which contradicts the light that God has given under the demonstration of His Holy Spirit…
[Satan] knows that if he can deceive the people who claim to believe present truth, and make them believe that the work the Lord designs for them to do for His people is a removing of the old landmarks, something which they should, with most determined zeal, resist, then he exults over the deception he has led them to believe…
We are not to receive the words of those who come with a message that contradicts the special points of our faith. They gather together a mass of Scripture, and pile it as proof around their asserted theories. This has been done over and over again during the past fifty years. And while the Scriptures are God’s word, and are to be respected, the application of them, if such application moves one pillar from the foundation that God has sustained these fifty years, is a great mistake. He who makes such an application knows not the wonderful demonstration of the Holy Spirit that gave power and force to the past messages that have come to the people of God.

Ellen White, Preach the Word, p. 5. (1905); Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 31-32. (1946)

Also, organizations cannot be maintained if individuals think to move significantly faster or slower than the organization itself. If you think you are so far beyond the organization in your understanding of obvious truth, perhaps it is time you move on instead of continuing to take money from an organization while undermining its stated goals and ideals (which are clearly stated and have been even more clearly restated by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists).

God is leading out a people, not a few separate individuals here and there, one believing one thing, another that. Angels of God are doing the work committed to their trust. The third angels is leading out and purifying a people, and they should move with him unitedly. Some run ahead of the angels that are leading His people; but they have to retrace every step, and meekly follow no faster than the angels lead…

Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church. p. 207. Vol. 1.

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com


Readers respond to Adventist Review article
@Geanna Dane:

“Good News?” What the heck is that? You won’t find talk of Good News here at this website!

Really? – I wonder why I just talked about it then? ; )

The reality of the “Good News” of the Gospel is based, for me anyway, on the demonstrated dependability of those statements of the biblical authors that I can test and evaluate in a potentially falsifiable manner. This has to do with establishing credibility…

For example, remember the time when Jesus was presented with a paralyzed man and told the man that his sins were forgiven? The priests and pharisee around him doubted his claim to be able to forgive sins. So, Jesus asked the question, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” – Luke 5:23.

Let me ask you, what would have happened to Jesus’ claim to be able to forgive sins if, when Jesus said to the man “get up and walk” the man had not been able to get up and walk? That would have been evidence, very good evidence, against Jesus’ metaphysical claims.

In the same way, evidence against the testable physical claims of the biblical writers is also evidence against their credibility in their other metaphysical claims that cannot be directly tested or evaluated.

On the other hand, evidence in support of the physical claims of the biblical authors is also evidence in support of their overall credibility. In other words, the predictive value of their metaphysical claims increases as the predictive value of their physical claims increases.

So, you see the scientific reasoning behind a solid confidence in the Gospel’s “Good News”…

Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com


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