Piltdown Superman

Wait, what? Malaria has been eradicated in these parts for decades. Well, not really. In a way, it is not entirely surprising for infections to show up. Folks go to countries where it still exists, get bitten by an infected mosquito, then exhibit symptoms later. What is disconcerting is when malaria is locally acquired. On this big continent, conditions have to be right for it to spread. Someone can be a carrier, get bitten by a mosquito, then that  noxious critter bites someone else and gives the gift of malaria. It is not always fatal, and is a disease involving four different parasites. Plasmodium vivax schizonts, CDC / Dr. Mae Melvin It is apparent that Plasmodium vivax has been designed. This touches on an area where creationists have to be ready to explain themselves. Yes, everything was created, and it was very good  at the end of creation week. When Adam sinned, things began to fall apart. Death and disease showed up. Like other things like viruses and bacteria, Plasmodium  w

Speleology is the study of caves, but seems to be of lesser importance to geology as a whole. These holes come in many shapes and sizes. Secular geologists took the standard uniformitarian view that involves acidic water dripping down, but they are realizing that this view does not address observed evidence. Admittedly, there are several areas where creation science needs more experts and more robust explanations. One of these is speleology. There are a few creationists who explore and discuss caves, and one aspect of the history comes from a rather surprising source. "Church Organ" - Howe Caverns, Flickr / Shelby L. Bell ( CC BY 2.0 ) Exploring caves can be great fun, and being on an organized tour in some of the larger caves keeps people from wandering off and getting lost. Speleology is a younger discipline and based on the idea of water seeping down and carving out the caves. Studying caves began to be taken seriously in Romania. People didn't pay new ideas from the

In American politics, progressive  has different meanings. In modern times, it includes special consideration toward black voters coupled with the "soft bigotry of low expectations" — you cannot succeed without leftists. Woodrow Wilson was a progressive American president who was blatantly racist. Like many today, he "progressed" away from the US Constitution. There are people of the "cancel culture" motivation that want to rewrite history, erasing people who had any racist tendencies whatsoever to be expunged from its pages and pull down their statues. Some people on the left like Wilson as well as Charles Darwin are still adored, inconsistently excused as "products of their times." Woodrow Wilson, 1912, Library of Congress , modified at Pixlr The culture was important, as the Civil War still lingered in the minds of many. Woody was no friend of the Reconstruction efforts, believed in the Lost Cause of the Confederacy , and worked to reverse eff

A spell back, I mentioned that Lisa Myworries from the Darwin Ranch took some time to visit the beach and bring back seashells and sand dollars . Roland Meadows and I were in town yesterday to get a few things. Lisa and other hands from the ranch arrived to get some supplies. We talked for a while and I learned that she likes to do snorkeling, was amazed by the seahorse. She saw a few that had anchored themselves to objects by their tails, and wondered why these things are considered a kind of fish in the first place. Seahorse, Unsplash / David Clode Would you do me the honor of being monogamous throughout the breeding season? Actually looking  like a typical fish is not a requirement to be classified as one. The seahorse has a resemblance to a horse, especially its head. They are not strong swimmers, but use that tail to hitch a ride or stay in place. One of the strangest traits (I wonder if this is an example of the Creator's pranks on naturalists) is that the female deposits the

It is a fact that young people will be indoctrinated in particles-to-professor evolution in schools, whether public or Christian. Indeed, some homeschool curricula are not to be trusted. Some parents may want to shield students from evolution. Bad idea, because they will learn it one way or another — and possibly wonder why their parents are afraid of "the truth." Evolution is not just a biological theory. Instead, many people (especially in science organizations or academia) have evolution as a worldview, guiding their thoughts and actions, then preaching fallacious principles. University lecture, Pixabay / Nikolay Georgiev It may seem like drama, but it is a fact that professors use evolution as a "scientific" way of destroying the faith of students. Well-documented is the fact that students lose their Christian beliefs. Why is that? One simple reason is that parents are unable to answer questions, and just wave them off. They know that creation is true, but their

Something this child believes but cannot prove scientifically is that one example of how our Creator cares about us is that he made many things for our use. He also challenged us, expecting us to use the minds that he also gave us.  Many were, uh, time-released so we would discover and use them as our knowledge and technologies developed in certain areas, while others have been there from the get-go. Clay is something that has been used for millennia, yet it can be easily transformed into materials that are extremely important. Throwing pottery, Unsplash / Courtney Cook Years ago, I had to visit a small pottery shop. You could sign up for pottery classes, purchase wares, and more. I was startled to see a gorilla making a vessel on the wheel, and in response to my quizzical gaze, the proprietor said, "That's our Hairy Potter." Clay is humble geological stuff that can be used to make items that are for short-term use, valuable pieces of art, and more. Add heat and the ceram

Have you ever heard of haliography? (Watch the spelling, it is not about salt.) This was a new word for me, and the definition was regarding somebody writing about lives of the saints. But the next definition fits: someone is the subject of glowing terms in in biographical material. Gregg Jarrett coauthored a book called The Trial of the Century with Don Yaeger, and apparently they want to elevate Clarence Darrow to the level of secular sainthood. Daryl was the hero of the fictionalized version of the Scopes Trial titled  Inherit the Wind.  People have acted like the movie is a documentary, but that is the opposite of the truth. Now secularist jasper's come along and decided to try to sanitize history — again. Neither history nor science are told accurately. Clarence Darrow, 1913, Wikimedia Commons (public domain) How many times is something called "the trial of the century?" Many of these have raised a great deal of attention, but have fallen by the wayside. Clarence w

Written on 10 August 2023.  Lots of waiting in this here hospital bed, but I am getting open-heart surgery on the of the eleventh. Please pray. Although I am ready to see Jesus face-to-face, my wife has medical problems and needs help right now. It is easy to take the heart for granted. When there is a problem (such as learning I could have a heart attack in the next thirty days), we pay more attention to that important organ that keeps us alive. Numerous features are designed to do an extremely difficult job all of our lives. An honest scrutiny shows that the heart defies neutrons-to-nurse evolution and testifies of the Master Engineer. Heart diagram, Pixabay / burlesonmatthew In the linked article, we learn about three obstacles for the heart to overcome. First, yes, it's a pump, but this bad boy is actually two pumps in one. Second, it has to stay put without banging around and overheating. Third, it's always going. Yes, everything was very good  at creation, but Adam's

Movements and philosophies are not the product of spontaneous generation. Instead, they grow from various influences over time until someone pulls things together and makes them popular. Charles Darwin did not create evolution , for example. Modern leftists are attempting to implement global socialism in some form despite its failings. Millions are dead because of it. Do they understand Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote? Probably not. Communism is a goal of socialism. Utopian socialism predated those guys. Order of Victory of Socialism (Romania), Wikimedia Commons / Borodun ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) The Cold War was a period of tension between countries controlled by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Western nations primarily influenced by the formerly United States. Romania, Albania (once self-styled as an atheist nation), and most others formerly dominated by the USSR abandoned socialism and communism. The utopian socialist ideas were coming to the fore in the mid-19th ce

There are a few things that I keep repeating because they are so important, the primary of which is that scientists (and everyone else) operate from their worldviews. These are comprised of presuppositions (things believed without experimental support). Most evolutionists presuppose materialism, creationists presuppose the truth of the Bible. Believers in descent with modifications look at information through their Darwin spectacles, usually rejecting contrary evidence and predictions. Some researchers had numerous assumptions about humans having lost tails through evolution, so they studied the tails of mice. Darwin Spectacles and mouse tail, spectacles image by kkiser at Freeimages A prairie schooner-load of assumptions is involved in the study. First, evolution is not questioned, so that is assumed. Add to that the dogma of humans and apes diverged from a common ancestor millions of years ago. Somewhere in the mix, apes lost their tails. That is historical science — or would be if

When dealing with professing atheists, many make the claim that they can be "good without God." Misotheists can live apparently moral lives for the most part, but they tend to make exceptions for personal benefit. And they cannot explain their foundations. Laws? Laws change. Evolution? Not hardly ! Some atheists accuse creationists of lying about evolution (a ludicrous charge*), but they cannot coherently explain why , if such a charge were true, lying would be wrong in an atheistic worldview! There have been several attempts in secular philosophy to pin down morality without God. Broken foundation, RGBStock / Adrian van Leen Various secular frameworks have been proposed for morality, but they have internal inconsistencies. Some are arbitrary, so good and evil are based on following a set of rules that are incomplete in dealing with human experiences. Some appeal to higher standards outside themselves — when an atheist says that lying about evolution is wrong, they are appeal

Although professing atheists claim that living things only appear to have been designed, people who do not filter their observations through that opinion can easily see that living things were not only designed, but designed by our Creator (Rom. 1:18-23). I will go further: I believe part of his purpose was for our pleasure — and meet our needs. They are like living jewels with an incredible array of colors, but they fade away when their time is done (Isaiah 40:8). One does not have to be a botanist to appreciate them. Pink peonies, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen , modified at PhotoFunia Flowering and reproduction are complicated systems (being a botanist is helpful for understanding these details). Birds, bees, flowers, trees have some connections to it. Many flowers need insects and sometimes animals for pollination, and seed dispersal is done through birds, insects, various animals, the wind, and so on. By the way, believers in particles-to-peonies evolution claim that everything c

It is a fact of life that, barring medical conditions or accidents, people grow old and eventually take a dirt nap. There have been many efforts to try and find ways to stave off aging, and to find out what causes it in the first place. There is a movement to upgrade ourselves with transhumanism , even to the point of living forever. (There are cautionary tales about regretful immortals who long for death.) It is a good thing to cure illnesses and counteract aging, no need for transhumanism. Old Couple , Vladimir Makovsky, 1889 Those of us who believe the Bible know that aging and death entered into the world when Adam sinned. In Genesis 2:17, God told Adam that the day he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die. People have said the Bible is wrong because Adam and Eve didn't die. However, the more literal translation is dying you shall die . The deterioration began and was passed down to everyone, physically and spiritually. Negative effects of all t

One of the strongest evidences for the existence of God is specified complexity, whether on the cellular level or living things. Some sidewinders who claim to believe in science latch onto the unscientific opinion  that things only appear  designed. Frankly (mind if I call you Frank?), that is just plain stupid. Evidence for God is all around (Rom. 1:18-24). A spell back, we looked at how honeybees are clearly engineered . Now we will consider how beehives also show engineering, and that beekeeping is an example of stewardship. Honeybee brood frame at Wright-Patterson AFB (public domain, but endorsement is not implied) A bit of terminology. We hear the word brood  frequently used regarding birds and their nests, but it also applies to bees. A brood refers to the eggs and various stages of the development of the young'uns. Briefly, God gave us dominion over the earth,  we are given stewardship to take care of things (Gen. 1:26, 28). You savvy? While beekeeping may be done as a hobb

Interest in and development of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly increasing, as are considerations of cautions and speculations of its dangers portrayed in science fiction. C.S. Lewis gave a warning in That Hideous Strength back in 1946 that seems almost prophetic in some ways. There are several related and even overlapping ideas working at once. People have used machines since creation (keep in mind that levers, pulleys, and other things are considered machines). Obviously, many sophisticated machines have been made over the years. AI Cyborg adored by mindless masses* People use whatever means are available to better their lives, and also invent things to help in that pursuit. From here, humans add mechanical things to themselves such as replacement limbs. Then it gets darker. Some people want to go trans — transhuman, that is. The transhumanist movement seeks to replace humanity with machines so the consciousness can live forever. People need to think biblically about that . Ar

Many people fear and loathe snakes, which frustrates people who admire them. (I admit that while searching images to use here that those with women trying to look seductive with snakes was...off-putting.) They are fascinating and do snake stuff quite well. Unfortunately, snakes have bad press. Yes, some can kill you. Those with powerful venom are a small fraction of all species. People who feel compelled to kill any on their properties are being stupid, unless they know for certain that those are dangerous. Otherwise, they are harmless or beneficial. Rainbow boa, Pixabay / sipa August Kekulé said he discovered the formula for benzine when he had a dream about a snake eating its own tail. That sort of mystical science may add to people's negative perceptions. People tend to think that a snake is Satan incarnate or his emissary. Snakes were designed by the Creator to fill their ecological niches and are not evil. You savvy? Fun moments time. Hey, ever see  Octopussy  where James Bond

Although the system of taxonomy was initially made by creationist Carl Linnaeus , secularists have made it into their own, rejecting anything biblical out of hand. Creation scientists use taxonomy, of course, but they are developing baraminology,  which is based on the created kinds . The biblical kind is somewhere around  order  or family  in the traditional classification system. Like other fields in science, baraminology has differing views on how it should be developed and applied. Creation science technical journals publish articles where differing views are presented. Crocodile, Pixnio / Steve Hillebrand , USFWS Data from research is often made available to everyone, which is very helpful to both creationist and secular scientists. An examination of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was undertaken to see commonality in relationships in the Crocodylia order. Comparing this information with other data on these reptiles (which have features unlike other reptiles) suggest that they may belon

Obviously, it is human nature to celebrate the arrival of a new life, and to mourn the loss of life. It is interesting that people get emotional over the passing of a celebrity that they never met. People wonder what makes human life have value at all, whether close to us or someone we admire from a distance. Materialists necessarily believe that there is nothing beyond molecules and atoms, but their evolutionary worldview is very self-refuting. They cannot account for logic, thought, love, or any of the preconditions of intelligibility. Standing near Giants Causeway, Unsplash / Steven Roussel It is consistent with his worldview for an atheist to value human life by how much someone contributes to society — using an inconsistent arbitrary standard. Obviously, Christians have a far different worldview and is not utilitarian. Life comes from God the Creator. That alone gives it value. More than that, however, is that God made us in his image ; we are not the product of evolution. The end

The biblical patriarchs lived hundreds of years until after the Genesis Flood, but this is rejected by those who disrespect the Bible,. Even afterward, there were some who had impressive ages. These include Abraham at 175, Isaac was 180, etc. When watching movies like the silent 1923 or the 1956 The Ten Commandments , Moses was not exactly a spring chicken. They were not far off in that detail.  He was around eighty, and afterward led cursed Israel for the forty years of wandering in the wilderness . Moses died at age 120, but he was not decrepit (Deut. 34:7). Moses and the Ten Commandments , James Tissot There are people today that reach the century mark and even beyond, but they are not exactly vigorous. Skeptics, including some professing Christians, reject what the Bible says about Moses' age. They appeal to average lifespans of the time, ignoring evidence of long age from their own extrabiblical sources. (It should be noted that lifespan averages way back yonder or in the Medi

 It is less common today, but one can see orangutan written as orang-utan . In the Malay language, orang  is man  and hutan  is forest. It is the man of the forest (no word on how the females feel about this). These great apes are supposedly related to humans. Because evolution. However, their supposed 94 percent genetic similarity to humans is not discussed because chimpanzees are our closest relative. Because evolution. Orangutans are Asian great apes, and they are gentle giants. They may look comical to us with those long arms and short legs, but they are adroit at tree life. Orangutan image via RGBStock /  Adrian van Leen The intelligence of orangutans has bemused and dismayed some of the people living near them. Also, they were considered to be ape-men before Charles Darwin began his storytelling. Orangutans were created separately from humans, and reveal that they were designed for their lifestyles. As large, tailless primates, orangutans belong, along with chimpanzees, bonobos