A few days ago I shared some thoughts about the significance of genetic differences that are observed between humans and primates (How Similar is Similar, Part I). I said that it was important that genetic similarity numbers that are frequently used to make a case for genetic uniqueness need to be assessed in the context of... Continue Reading →
A recent paper published by the Answers Research Journal, the research publication of Answers in Genesis, reported a comparison of human and chimpanzee genomes and found that they have, on average, a DNA similarity of  only 70%.  This is a very striking number since the usual numbers you hear thrown about as representing the similarity... Continue Reading →
It has been a while since I've been able write. There has been quite a bit of news the last two weeks and I thought I would briefly comment on a few items that are relevant to my most recent posts: The Salt Chronometer Since I published my series on the salty seas (Part I,... Continue Reading →
I'm taking a bit of a tangent from my usual subject material to have a bit of fun with some material that I recently found as part of this thing called the blogosphere. Ok, maybe not all fun since I'm not sure if this post will make you laugh or cry or maybe both.   My... Continue Reading →
In two prior posts (Creation Science Organizations: Past, Present and Future and The Next Generation of Creation Scientists) I have raised questions about the viability of the creation science movement as measured by the conversion of new scientists to the movement.  Of course there have been many converts to belief in a young earth or at... Continue Reading →
I have to believe that when Henry Morris formed ICR he envisioned hundreds of scientists today actively applying the creation model to the historical sciences not just mouthing support for it. That former obviously hasn't happened despite the proliferation of creation science organizations with their significant financial resources and publishing capacity Creationists list hundreds of PhD scientists who are creation scientists but this is not the same as saying there are hundreds of creation scientists doing creation science.
Over the years I have maintained an eye on the ever-changing organizational structure of several creation science ministries.  The growth and in some cases retraction of some organizations is not unlike what happens to many non-profit or other para-church organizations.  The growth of para-church organizations is frequently caused by one of two main drivers:  a dynamic personality... Continue Reading →
This is part of series of posts on the Sea Salt Chronometer. Other posts in this series are: The Salty Sea and the Age of the Earth: Confirmation Bias The Salty Sea Part II: A Young Earth Salt Chronometer? The Salty Sea Part III: Are the Oceans Getting Saltier Over Time? The Salty sea Part... Continue Reading →
According to young earth creationists, there isn't enough salt in the oceans if the earth is old. Recent references to this argument have spurred me to look a little closer at how it is being used today. What I find is that it appears to have only a purely rhetorical use as the actual data about the ocean'salinity suggests that the amount of salt in the sea is a useless tool for indicating the earth is old or young.
For some time I had been planning to write about the use of Psalm 104 in creationists circles as evidence for a physical description for tectonic events following a world-wide flood. Specifically, versus six through nine of Psalm 104 have been suggested to be not a reflection on creation, as is the traditional reading, but... Continue Reading →
The PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) Â General Assembly includes a number of seminars on a wide variety of topics each year. Â This year one talk received considerable attention prior to the meeting because of the subject matter and the presenter. Â I made the 6 hour drive to Louisville, KY to hear the talk as... Continue Reading →
Not enough moon dust! Â It's the argument for a young earth that just won't die even though many YEC leaders have said it should. I was prompted to think about moon dust two days ago, after a 15 year break, when a colleague of mine stopped by my office and told me that she had... Continue Reading →
I am updating some web traffic data and adding a few new sites.  I was wondering how the traffic of some of the prominent creation evangelism sites such as Answers in Genesis (AIG) and the Institute from Creation Research (ICR) compared to that of other general Christian web sites and reformed Christian organizations. I got... Continue Reading →
A comment on another site captures the essence of where I think Christians who have been told the Bible teaches the earth must be young are putting their confidence. Their confidence is placed in the belief that experts in scientific fields have provided them with not only enough evidence but overwhelming evidence that earth is young. This person is putting his faith in experts which, he admits, have bolstered his faith in the Word of God.
Can you find the gecko in the picture to the right? Yeah, it is that brown leaf-like things toward the top of the image.   I saw this image being used as the profile image for the facebook page "we  CAN and we WILL find 1,000,000 Creationists."    The suggestion of course is that such an amazing... Continue Reading →
Naturalis Historia 