Observations about Science

Science vs. Tradition
Audio MP3

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

James Parkinson

Origin of the Universe: In Genesis 1:1-2, God created the heaven and the earth. Then six creative days each begin with “And God said ...” Thus, the age of the universe can be whatever the evidence suggests — even 13.75 billion years.

If lifeless earth solidified 4.5 billion years ago, it remains to determine the lengths of its subsequent creative “days,” and whether the seventh “day” has yet ended.

Origin of Life: While the Bible itself may not rule out the possibility of non-human evolution, scientific discoveries now cast serious doubt upon it:

• Why are there no obvious transitional forms between species? Why do life forms occur in the geologic record suddenly and abundantly?

• Why has evolution theory had to morph twice, from Variations to Mutations to Punctuated Equilibrium, to look now more like special creation?

• Several complex biological subsystems should not have evolved one step at a time, because a less-than-the-whole subsystem would not be beneficial. (The principle of Irreducible Complexity.)

• Would not evolution violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics? That well-tested law says that randomness increases rather than decreases. If evolution must postulate laws contrary to those we can verify, should it be called “science?”

Origin of Humans: Modern world population growth rates (since ca. 1650) would extrapolate from seven billion persons, back to just two persons, no more than about six thousand years ago. (From a thousand years earlier it would project to over 200 billion today!)

Historical linguistics suggests that virtually all languages in the world (>6,000 of them) branched apart from just one. If Genesis 10 shows there were just 70 languages in Moses’ time (perhaps 3,600 years ago), then it further extrapolates back to just one at less than 7,200 years ago.

DNA mutation-rate measurements suggest the most-recent common male ancestor of all men would be between 3,000 and 30,000 years ago. The most-recent common female ancestor of all women would be 6,000 to 7,000 years ago (±2000).

The chances of a functional protein arising randomly in any primordial mud are no more than one in 10164. The chances of at least 250 such proteins necessary for a simple living cell are one in (10164)250 = 1041,000. The total number of reactions possible in the entire history of the universe is only about 10140. (Stephen C. Meyer, Signature in the Cell, 2009).

Defenses such as, “We don’t need numbers to demonstrate evolution” imply that at least some evolutionists know that if they talk numbers, they’re beaten.

DNA contains tens of millions of bits of essential specified information (and possibly billions). Natural law cannot produce specified information, and random chance could produce less than 500 bits over the history of the universe. The only known source of more specified information is intelligent design. (Meyer, op. cit. All actions: 10141 = 2468 < 2500, which is 500 bits.)

For further information, one may recommend Creation, third edition; East Rutherford, NJ 07073: Dawn (2011). Also accessible at www.dawnbible.com.