Debate of Creation verses Evolution

Is Genesis Right?

Is the Bible True?

What is the Probability? Chance?

Is Evolution a Religion?

Is Religion a Hoax?

Is the Universe Proof of God's Existence?

Click here to watch a video debate between Dr. Ken Hovind of the Creation Science Institute vs. Dr. Matthew Rainbow, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Antelope Valley College.

Leave comments below.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Why is it a religious statement to suggest that there is a God, but yet it is not a religious statement, or quasi-religious statement to categorically state that there is no supernatural and that nature and matter are all that exists?
Anonymous said…
Anonymous 12/08/2005 6:20 PM: "
Why is it a religious statement to suggest that there is a God, but yet it is not a religious statement, or quasi-religious statement to categorically state that there is no supernatural and that nature and matter are all that exists?"

Any statement made in regard to religion, can be by grammatical rules, considered a religious statement as a topic... However, a religious statement doesn't connote a persons' "belief"...

Talking about "drugs", doesn't make one a junkie...

An Atheist talking about religion, doesn't make them religious...

Religious: "Having or showing belief in and reverence for a deity; "a religious man"; "religious attitude"...
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

A person is religious if they "believe" in the existence of a deity, and their test of religious "faith" is how well they adhere to the "belief" standards, etc...

Religious people talk about Hitler, does that make them all Nazi's?

Is Evolution a religion as Intelligent Designers charge? Does science ever determine that a deity exists, no... is Evolution the product of science, yes... then, its obvious that evolution is not a religious belief...

I don't believe in lying, does that make me a liar, because I talk about it... I also talk about, green cheese on the moon, however, that doesn't reflect my "belief"... gathering information through communication, isn't the "end" result, eventually, one takes the information they obtain and form "beliefs"... Its the religious, who don't seem capable of understanding that there are people in the world who don't have "religion" in their lives...

Its like the question by the detective to the innocent husband... "So, when you beat your wife, do you yell at her?" Yeah, that's not primed question...

The religious can't stand the idea that an Atheist doesn't worship a deity, so, they have to reconcile that "everyone" worships "something", an so, they choose to make a charge that 'everything' on this planet is capable of being worshipped, i.e., banannas, apples, cans, etc., and the real "sin" being committed, because of the myopic view of the religious, is that people are just "worshipping" the wrong Object(s)... because, their invisible objects are better...
Anonymous said…
EVIDENCE FOR CREATION

1. The Fossil Record...Evolutionists have constructed the Geologic Column in order to illustrate the supposed progression of "primitive" life forms to "more complex" systems we observe today. Yet, "since only a small percentage of the earth's surface obeys even a portion of the geologic column the claim of their having taken place to form a continuum of rock/life/time over the earth is therefore a fantastic and imaginative contrivance.1" "[T]he lack of transitional series cannot be explained as being due to the scarcity of material. The deficiencies are real, they will never be filled."2 This supposed column is actually saturated with "polystrate fossils" (fossils extending from one geologic layer to another) that tie all the layers to one time-frame. "[T]o the unprejudiced, the fossil record of plants is in favor of special creation." 3

2. Decay of Earth's Magnetic Field... Dr. Thomas Barnes, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at El Paso, has published the definitive work in this field.4 Scientific observations since 1829 have shown that the earth's magnetic field has been measurably decaying at an exponential rate, demonstrating its half-life to be approximately 1,400 years. In practical application its strength 20,000 years ago would approximate that of a magnetic star. Under those conditions many of the atoms necessary for life processes could not form. These data demonstrate that earth's entire history is young, within a few thousand of years.

3. The Global Flood... The Biblical record clearly describes a global Flood during Noah's day. Additionally, there are hundreds of Flood traditions handed down through cultures all over the world. 5 M.E. Clark and Henry Voss have demonstrated the scientific validity of such a Flood providing the sedimentary layering we see on every continent. 6 Secular scholars report very rapid sedimentation and periods of great carbonate deposition in earth's sedimentary layers..7 It is now possible to prove the historical reality of the Biblical Flood.8

4. Population Statistics...World population growth rate in recent times is about 2% per year. Practicable application of growth rate throughout human history would be about half that number. Wars, disease, famine, etc. have wiped out approximately one third of the population on average every 82 years. Starting with eight people, and applying these growth rates since the Flood of Noah's day (about 4500 years ago) would give a total human population at just under six billion people. However, application on an evolutionary time scale runs into major difficulties. Starting with one "couple" just 41,000 years ago would give us a total population of 2 x 1089. 9 The universe does not have space to hold so many bodies.

5. Radio Halos...Physicist Robert Gentry has reported isolated radio halos of polonuim-214 in crystalline granite. The half-life of this element is 0.000164 seconds! To record the existence of this element in such short time span, the granite must be in crystalline state instantaneously.10 This runs counter to evolutionary estimates of 300 million years for granite to form.

6. Human Artifacts throughout the Geologic Column...Man-made artifacts - such as the hammer in Cretaceous rock, a human sandal print with trilobite in Cambrian rock, human footprints and a handprint in Cretaceous rock – point to the fact that all the supposed geologic periods actually occurred at the same time in the recent past.11

7. Helium Content in Earth's Atmosphere... Physicist Melvin Cook, Nobel Prize medalist found that helium-4 enters our atmosphere from solar wind and radioactive decay of uranium. At present rates our atmosphere would accumulate current helium-4 amounts in less than 10,000 years.12

8. Expansion of Space Fabric...Astronomical estimates of the distance to various galaxies gives conflicting data.13 The Biblical Record refers to the expansion of space by the Creator14. Astrophysicist Russell Humphries demonstrates that such space expansion would dilate time in distant space.15 This could explain a recent creation with great distances to the stars.

9. Design in Living Systems...A living cell is so awesomely complex that its interdependent components stagger the imagination and defy evolutionary explanations. A minimal cell contains over 60,000 proteins of 100 different configurations.16 The chance of this assemblage occurring by chance is 1 in 10 4,478,296 .17

10. Design in the Human Brain...The human brain is the most complicated structure in the known universe.18 It contains over 100 billion cells, each with over 50,000 neuron connections to other brain cells.19 This structure receives over 100 million separate signals from the total human body every second. If we learned something new every second of our lives, it would take three million years to exhaust the capacity of the human brain. 20 In addition to conscious thought, people can actually reason, anticipate consequences, and devise plans - all without knowing they are doing so.
Dave Van Allen said…
Anony,

Copying and pasting stuff from other websites without giving credit is stealing. You stole your post from here:

Regardless, not one the points in this article is evidence of a God. Knocking holes in scientific theories does not by default "prove" that Yahweh and son rule the universe, or if they even exist at all.

All your points demonstrate, if they demonstrate anything at all, is that perhaps there is still more of the natural universe to discover.
Anonymous said…
Anonymous cut and pasted this creationist claptrap;

EVIDENCE FOR CREATION................................................................
1. The Fossil Record...Evolutionists..................................................These data demonstrate that earth's entire history is young, within a few thousand of years....................................................................................

Dan to Anonymous,
First let me say that I don't like to respond to people who are not smart enough to learn how to click on the "OTHER" button and make up a pseudonym. Most of the Christian apologists fall into this category.

They come to this ex Christian website to preach their mythology to some of the most informed people on earth about it, and then can't navigate through the process of inventing a screen name, so that we can distinguish one Anonymous from another Anonymous.

I just want to ask you where you have been for the last couple of years? The "intelligent design, evolution is just a theory," crap is all over.

You simple minded Christian fundamentalist kept repeating your pseudoscience junk, over and over in order to give the impression that there was a real conflict with two real opposing sides or arguments, until you got the attention of real people with real working brains.

One book that you can get and read is "Intelligent Thought," written by some of the most educated people on earth. (Just Google it) Read it, throw your bible in the trash and get on with your life.

I hate to tell you Anonymous, but even most of you whose brains have been held captive by your cult, are embarrassed to suggest the junk science in the article that you cut and pasted is true anymore. Evolution is not a theory anymore, it is a fact.

If you want to play here on ex Christian, do come up with a catchy name like "Cutting and Pasting for Jesus," and I am sure that you will get plenty of attention with your silly, illogical, irrational concepts that are an embarrassment to those who have not given their brains to some hick preacher and his cult.

Dan (Homosapien crusader for rational thought)
Dave Van Allen said…
All this anony has proven with his post is that there are still questions that need to be answered.

I guess the logic here in this person's mind is "If I can't figure it out, then it means Yahweh and son are real."

Sad really.
Anonymous said…
Ok first off if u wanna explain the unexplainable with god of watever u wanna call it then go ahead. But honestly if people always listened to religion then advancements in human race would not exist. Religion always trys to have a counter claim against science. I was a chemistry major and i understand carbon dating and radioactive decay. Its real people stop try to disprove it to try to brainwash the rest of us. Religion is killin people all over the world cuz everyone wanna tell everyone else how to live. Look deep into science and creative design is impossible bottom line.
Anonymous said…
First and formost I am not a educated brainer, But I have a heart for people and a love for God. What God does give us, and even christians fail to look at this is a freedom to be us. We have a freedom to be individuals with a unity for God. "The whole gospel story is that of love for us, Creation story is for the love of us, the bible is for the love of us.' The reason people fight over ideas and thoughts is they are scared of the truth, they want to justify sin in their lives, and even christians who argue over the facts and fail to share the gospel of Jesus. The real issue is the saving grace of Jesus Christ over the laws we will be judged over. Who is to say God did not create the world a billion years old at creation? He created Adam a MAN, and Eve a WOMAN! He created trees and plants, not seeds and babies. He created every living thing in its adult form. Also if evolution theory states a formation of a world running upward towards a purfect naturer, no the world is running downward to and inpurfect world, green house effect, pollution, wars, lack of food, death, ect. which does follow the account of creation from a perfection to a downward spin. Anyway my point is this, the real point to life is if your a human being in need of water do I give you a drink, or if your are hungrey do I give you food, or if you are lonely do I visit you, if your are sick do I help you back to health. We are supose to be the most highly intelgent beings on Earth, but yet we are the most killing bunch of animals on the earth, we would rather stabb someone then help someone, so I chose to put my faith in a God who loves me and will provide for my well being and through His word to be a caring loving person to my fellow man(mankind) then to weither a dust bomb formed and now I have life because a ape mutated. And you are right putting a pig in a dress does not make it a beauty queen, and saying I believe in God does not make you a Christian, Giving up your life for the one who gave you life is the answer. So please forgive me if my uneducated speach is up to any body's education.
Thank you for your time and my name is Steve Hamilton not scared to give out my name.
boomSLANG said…
Giving up your life for the one who gave you life is the answer.

Gee, I think my biological parents would have a really hard time with me giving my life up for them.

Anyway my point is this, the real point to life is if your a human being in need of water do I give you a drink, or if your are hungrey do I give you food, or if you are lonely do I visit you, if your are sick do I help you back to health.

Hey, you're finally making a little sense on this one. Yes, life is more gratifying when you can help your fellow man. But this is a statement about humanity, not religious dogma. What's your point?
Dave Van Allen said…
Steve, you sound like a sincere person.

However, the religion you are talking about, filled with love, compassion, and gentleness, is not Christianity. I think I'd like your religion. It's Christianity I don't like.

I Cor 16:22 — I pray that God will put a curse on everyone who doesn't love the Lord. And may the Lord come soon.

That's Christianity!
Anonymous said…
I was actually on staff at this church when we hosted the debate. I would like to say the following.

1. Many of us on staff were upset that this was held at our church rather than at a neutral site. Clearly our church had an agenda of connecting people to our church.

2. The majority of the staff felt afterwards that Ken not only was rude but simply performed his polished pre-determined speech which he has done thousands of times. The way he conducted himself (including self-promotion) was highly immature.

3. Dr. Rainbow was not set up in anyway. As others have stated Rainbow is simply not a public speaker. He was apoligized to after for the manner Ken conducted himself.

4. Despite Ken being a tool he brought of some good points of an overall lack of data to prove evolution.

5. I understand that lack of information of evolution does not equate to there being a creator to everyone.

6. Instead of a debate I would prefer a dialougue with different worldviews, which is the reason I spend time here.
Anonymous said…
I believe in the creationist theory. I believe that I was created from the hands of God, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb" (Psalm 139:13-15). I also believe that God sent His son to die on the cross, to be the eternal sacrifice, so that I and anyone else you believes in Him could go to heaven and spend eternity with Him. I believe this because I have faith that what I believe is true. Those that believe in the evolution theory, do you have faith? Do you have faith that you evolved from an ape, and that the whole world and everything in it and the entire universe was formed from the explosion of one star? Now, I may not know all the facts of evolution, but I am certain of my beliefs, are you? There is such a small probability for this explanation, being the theory of evolution, to have actually happened that it doesn't even have a chance to be accepted in my mind. I can only hope that you have the same love and the same faith that you have for your beliefs that I have in mine, but if you believe in evolution just because you are confused or just want to believe what society wants you to believe, then I have no respect for you. A belief without faith is no belief at all, it is an excuse.
Anonymous said…
Anonymous,

You are the “poster child” for why this website exists.

Notice how often you have to qualify things with “I believe…”

That’s all it is Anonymous, your belief, which proves ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! You can wish, hope and pray it does, but it never will.

Creationist Theory = bullshit

Bible verse = bullshit

You go to heaven, we go to hell = bullshit

Bible god sent his son, dies, rises, lives on in eternity = bullshit

Here is the sum total of your post Anonymous “I believe this because I have faith that what I believe is true.” That means it’s all real huh? How special!!!
Anonymous said…
Anonymous: "God sent His son to die on the cross,..."

So you believe that Jesus is dead, right? If not, can you please explain in what way it was a sacrifice?

Anonymous: "Do you have faith that you evolved from an ape, and that the whole world and everything in it and the entire universe was formed from the explosion of one star?"

Absolutely not, on both counts. First, the evidence points very strongly to the existence of a common ancestor shared by us and other primates, so we definitely did not evolve from an ape any more than you descended from your millionth cousin. Second, the Big Bang theory does not posit some kind of primal star, but a singularity or a vacuum fluctuation--big difference.

More importantly, "faith" has absolutely nothing to do with either belief. The operative word here is "evidence." The evidence for descent from a common ancestor is simply overwhelming, so my position is that evolution fits the available data better than any other proposed explanation, and is therefore the most likely explanation. Moreover, it makes thousands of predictions that are testable. So far, the theory has not been falsified (i.e. the predictions have been verified), so it is an extremely robust theory. This is in sharp contrast to creationism, which makes but a few predictions, such as the sudden occurrence of mammals in the fossil record, the absence of a nested hierarchy of living things, and the absence of ordering of organisms from simple to complex over time. Of course, all of those have been falsified, so the "theory" isn't doing very well thus far.

Anonymous: "Now, I may not know all the facts of evolution, but I am certain of my beliefs, are you?"

I do know what it is I believe, and I know why I hold those beliefs, yes. I do not hold a single one of them to be irrefutable, however. If new evidence surfaces that shows I've been wrong about one or more of my conclusions, I'm fully prepared to modify them. Can you make that statement too?

Anonymous: "There is such a small probability for this explanation, being the theory of evolution, to have actually happened that it doesn't even have a chance to be accepted in my mind."

Can you please tell me what that probability is and how you arrived at it? I suspect you either heard this "fact" somewhere and are simply repeating it, or else you came across one of those bogus creationist arguments that purport to compute the probability of the assembly of complex molecules or some such thing (which is totally spurious). Either way, please do tell.

Anonymous: "...if you believe in evolution just because you are confused or just want to believe what society wants you to believe, then I have no respect for you."

I have arrived at my beliefs through years of dedicated research, debate, and study. I have assiduously studied arguments from all sides, and weighed the evidence for myself. I do not care one iota what "society" wants me to believe. Can you make any of those statements?

Anonymous: "A belief without faith is no belief at all, it is an excuse."

That makes no sense at all. A belief that is supported by evidence and reason has no need of faith. So, I would assert something very different: Faith is belief without evidence, which is nothing more than a polite name for credulity.
Anonymous said…
Hey. This is anonymous again. To Jim Arvo, I believe that Jesus was tortured and died brutally through the process of crucifixtion. In the old testament of the Bible the people would sacrifice animals to God to repent for their sins. This is why Jesus is called the Lamb of God, because he is the eternal sacrifice. In John 3:16 is states, "For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son, whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Jesus is dead, but after the third day He rose again and returned to the Kingdom of Heaven at the right hand of His Father. This is how we all have the chance to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only through Jesus, because we all sin and sin is not allowed in Heaven. Isaiah 1:19 states, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Jesus washes our sins away so that we can go to Heaven.

Hope that answers your question on Jesus. If you have any more questions, just ask.

Also, I wanted to say that I do respect you. You have done your homework and have really looked into this issue, both sides from what it seems. What frustrates me is the people like warnepiece. Someone who has really no understanding of either of the two sides in this debate. Someone who decides to believe what they are told and have no morals unto their beliefs whatsoever. I pity people like this. But congradulations to you. You have something that most people don't, a grasp on this complex situation. I respect what work you have done, and what work you have yet to do.

There are so many arguments for both sides of this debate, that we could go on for days just debating. But I rely on what I truly feel is right, and I feel Jesus in my heart. If you feel evolution in your heart, more power to you, but if you only believe evolution is true due to theories; and you have even a slightest bit of posibility that the theories might be wrong in your heart, then I feel sorry for you and anyone who struggles with that problem.
Anonymous said…
Anonymous,

My, my, my, your feathers get ruffled when we don’t kowtow to your beliefs. It’s like you are going “believe it because I believe it, dammit!”

That’s quite a judgment you throw out there anonymous, writing that I am “Someone who has really no understanding of either of the two sides in this debate. Someone who decides to believe what they are told and have no morals unto their beliefs whatsoever. I pity people like this”.

Really? And how did you come to the conclusion that I have no understanding of the two sides of this debate, that I decide to believe what others tell me, and have no morals unto my beliefs (whatever that means)? Did god tell you all that, or did you just make it up because you have no backbone to face your beliefs squarely? Enjoy your pity party; you’re the only one there!

You try to sound so sincere and wise, and then write that you “feel right, and feel Jesus in your heart, feel sorry for someone who doesn’t believe like you.” As Morris Albert sang “Feelings, nothing more than feeling…”

I don’t expect you to reply to this, you’re too busy thinking up outrageous nonsense to smear on the next person you don’t agree with. I’d throw in a “I pity you too” but I don’t see the sense in wasting a good pity on you.
Anonymous said…
To Anonymous:

I'm afraid you did not answer my question. Since you believe that Jesus is now alive (again), please explain what the "sacrifice" was when Jesus "died". When an animal is sacrificed, it is dead, and it stays dead. If the animal were to come back to life, it would be considered a botched sacrifice, would it not? So, once again, what was sacrificed by the temporary death of Jesus?

You went on to make some unsavory remarks about warnepiece. You referred to him as "Someone who decides to believe what they are told and have no morals unto their beliefs whatsoever." That's rubbish. While I'm sure you disagree with most of us on fairly fundamental issues, that does not give you license to make such unfounded and inflammatory remarks.

You said "If you feel evolution in your heart, more power to you, but if you only believe evolution is true due to theories; and you have even a slightest bit of posibility that the theories might be wrong in your heart,..."

First, my "heart" has nothing to do with it. If I have an emotional reaction to something (which, I presume, is what you are implying by referring to my "heart"), then it may well motivate me to study it more closely, but I would not consciously base a judgment on it. As for doubting a theory, please read what I wrote above once again. I do not take any theory to be irrefutable. If new evidence shows that a theory is incorrect, then out it goes, like yesterday's trash. By the way, you seem to be a bit unclear about the connection between theories, beliefs, and facts. A scientific theory is not some speculative guess, but an explanation that is well supported by the available evidence, or "facts". A good theory has predictive power, and suggests numerous testable hypotheses. The theory of evolution, for example, fits the available data spectacularly well, and it has made thousands of detailed predictions, many of which have been proven through fields such as molecular biology and genomics. One is justified in "believing" a theory that is well-supported, and even treating it as "fact". This does not imply, however, that theories leave no room for doubt. There is always room doubt (just like Jell-O).

You concluded with "...then I feel sorry for you and anyone who struggles with that problem."

I do not follow you. Are you saying you pity anyone who is skeptical? You consider it a "problem" to harbor any doubt? Perhaps I'm misreading you, but if that's what you intend, then I disagree vehemently. To my way of thinking, doubt indicates an openness to new ideas and to modifying old ones. The lack of such openness means that one cannot grow--one is stuck with whatever errors one has already made--and we all make plenty of errors.
Profound Drivel said…
Dan (Homosapien crusader for rational thought)

Pat yourself on the back a little more why don't you? The fact is you don't have any answers for "anonymous" so you resorted to insulting him and his ideas. Did you disprove intelligent design? No. Nobody has. All they have done is successfully separate religion and science, meaning Intelligent Design is automatically disqualified, if for no other reason than for suggesting that there is a God.
I've debated Creation vs Evolution with smarter people than you and never lost. Have I proved there is a God? Not to their liking. Have I poked the evolution theory so full of holes I've convinced people to look elsewhere? yes.
"Evolution is not a theory anymore, it is a fact."
No self respecting scientist would refer to it as the "law of evolution" and you know it. At least if you're half as smart as you say you are. Get over your delusions of grandeur...
Anonymous said…
Joe wrote:
"At least if you're half as smart as you say you are. Get over your delusions of grandeur..."

Dan to Joe!
I didn't say it was me who has explained why I/D is not science, and indeed is nothing but creationism revisited.

What I said was: "One book that you can get and read is "Intelligent Thought,",
by John Brockman. It is a collection of essays, written by some of the most educated people on earth. (Just Google it) Read it, throw your bible in the trash and get on with your life."

You could also read the Dover Pa. decision.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_District

Evidence for Intelligent design = "GOD DID IT"

Evidence for "Natural Selection" = Thousands of libraries full of evidence, discovered by and written about by virtually the whole scientific community.

I will agree, that if there is a God, whatever "IT" is, is what created "Natural Selection"

I repeat Joe. The argument has been over for a long time. Creationists, and Intelligent Design never got out of the gate.

Dan (Blessed by skepticism)
Anonymous said…
Click here: Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
dano said…
The following satire is circulating in the evolutionary biology community. It refers to the decision this August by the Kansas State Board of Education to strike the theory of evolution from the state standards, apparently because it conflicts with a literal interpretation of the Bible.

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/14_02/dis142.shtml
freethinker05 said…
Jesus is Lord, of the monkey anonymous
Anonymous said…
Why oh why cant you all just belive what you want to believe...some people belive in god,some people belive in science and evolution,what does it matter? we all die eventually so why spend your life trying to convince people that your right and there wrong,when you can be all getting on with your lives normally.

think about it.
Dave Van Allen said…
Anonymous high school student:

Please feel free to come back after you finish your education. Until then, at least read the Site Disclaimer so your posts won't be so asinine.

Thanks.
Anonymous said…
Dear Anonymous,
It only takes me awhile to search in google to see that the decay of magnetic field and radio halos stuff is already rebuked. about human statistic .. I think that it is invalid if you accept that human population is not growing at constant rate. Helium content in earth atmosphere ... Do you ever read about Van Allen belt ?

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