Piltdown Superman

Standard models for coal formation have numerous problems, including the curiosity that it is less than one percent of all sedimentary rocks, but there is so much that it is the source of most of the world's electricity. Coal is supposedly formed through the compression of peat. Numerous conditions would have to be just right for peat to form coal. Peat would then have to be buried very deeply, form the coal, and then be uncovered so it could be used. Interesting that dinosaur tracks have been found in it, as well as vertical tree trunks. Coal, RGBStock /  Michal Zacharzewski , modified at  Big Huge Labs Creationists frequently use conditions during the Genesis Flood as the basis for models. Like the models of secular scientists, these use present conditions (such as the movement of water) in forensic science to see if they fit what may have happened in the past. The BEDS model is a good explanation for dinosaur tracks and eggs , and it is also useful to explain the origin of coal

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Regular readers know that I encourage people to ask questions and use critical thinking skills. This time, I will demonstrate that in the first part of this post — regarding a creation science article. Yes, I am questioning one of our own. The article linked below is about a book for younger readers and material taught to them in public schools. It almost got by me because it fit in with my existing information, but I wanted more. The introductory generalities do not rightly set well with me, but the rest has good information. USSR school, Wikimedia Commons / Vyacheslav Argenberg ( CC BY 4.0 ), creepy Darwin added Dr. Jerry Bergman is the author of the article, and there can be no doubt that he is exceptionally well-educated and brilliant. He has written scores of books and articles on creation science and other topics. Answers in Genesis, like other creation science ministries, has editors that check submissions before publication. Those things make certain as

A spell back, we examined characteristics of Noah's Ark and saw that the entire process was not just an series of miracles (see " Noah's Ark and the Miraculous " for those article links). Answers in Genesis has spent considerable time on the logistics of the Ark. Here are two more articles of interest. It has been a dogma of Darwinism that early humans swung down from the trees but had not yet evolved intelligence. Numerous examples of their genius ruins evolutionary presuppositions. That is because humans were created with intelligence from the beginning. Grinding peanuts with ox power, Wikimedia Commons / Michael Gunther ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) Indeed, the Bible mentions skills of people before the Genesis Flood which included metalworking and the like. (Some people speculate that Noah and family could have hired people to help build the Ark, even though they would have thought it was foolishness.) They lived a mighty long time, and after the Flood, Noah reached a total o

Theories, models, worldviews, and other things need to be internally consistent. Atheism fails in this regard and is unliveable, so  professing atheists (Rom. 1:18-19) have to stand on the biblical worldview. Likewise, believers in particles-to-paleontologist evolution often need to borrow from biblical creation science. A student who claimed to believe the Bible lost faith because of fossil dinosaur footprints. He couldn't imagine  a global Flood allowing for footprints. Problem is, he did not check for that internal consistency in creationist models, so he made assumptions instead of doing his homework. Dinosaur tracks at Jurassic Moenave Formation, US Geological Survey (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) I'll allow that it's still something to consider. A flood is a busy time, especially when it's global in scale. Checking on creation models of the Genesis Flood shows a specific model that does a good job of explaining tracks, eggs, scavenging (they

Near Los Angeles (translation: the angels) was an area known as Rancho La Brea  ( la brea  translation: the pitch, or, the tar), and a part of that became Hancock Park. Savvy readers know that it is the location of the famous La Brea Tar Pits. Much research has been done regarding this natural asphalt. The story goes that animals would get trapped by the tar and cry out in distress, attracting predators who would also get trapped. That tale is popular but the reality is quite different. Indeed, there are reasons to doubt current speculations. Mastodon display at La Brea Tar Pits, Flickr / Ingrid Richter ( CC BY 2.0 ), modified at PhotoFunia Study on it a spell. Thousands of fossils recovered from La Brea, many of large plant eaters and carnivores. If those were trapped and pulled down, wouldn't the bones be together? In fact, most skeletons are disarticulated (spread out). Biblical creationists agree with secular scientists that the area shows massive flooding, but creationists go

It is interesting that Darwin's acolytes on social(ist) media tend to show ignorance of their own belief system, or mayhaps they try to steamroll over creationist opponents with hot air. Some have claimed that there are no fossils out of order — which would be news to secular scientists. There are many fossils and artifacts in what evolutionists would consider wrong places, which has caused them no small amount of embarrassment. Still, they cling to their uniformitarian views because the alternative (special creation) is anathema. Monkey fossils are causing loyal evolutionists consternation. Spider monkeys, Wikimedia Commons / Bernard Spragg ( PD ) Both creationists and evolutionists try to work out biogeography — how did that  get over there ? The monkeys in question were found in South America. Fine, nice weather, plenty of things to climb on and play with. But there are no fossils of their ancestors. They seem to have come from Africa. How, prithee? Although secularists laughed

Mockers of Christians and the Bible frequently make inane statements that Christians and creationists do not understand science, or worse, that we are " science deniers ." Some claim that creation scientists are not "real" scientists, as if instead of getting their degrees from actual universities, they came from Billy Joe's Bible Church Academy and Bait Shop. Some take a different tack, ignoring the fact that Christians founded many of the major sciences, then making false statements about history. One is that the Reformation led to attacks on science. Actually, the Reformation accelerated science. Wittenberg church door, Wikimedia Commons /  AlterVista  ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) Remember what has been discussed before: Movements rarely happen overnight, nor are they triggered by one individual. Martin Luther nailed ninety-five theses to the Wittenberg church door on October 31, 1517, and many people consider that the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It was an i

Scientists figure that Wrangel Island, way up north in the Arctic Ocean, was where the woolly mammoths had their last stand. After these elephant-types walked there, water levels rose and marooned them. Research involved obtaining physical samples and sequencing DNA. The results were surprising. It was assumed that the mammoths inbred themselves to death, but that is not exactly so. When a population is radically reduced, it is called a bottleneck . Bad mutations increase. The mammoth bottleneck did not have the presumed deleterious effects. Interestingly, this has implications for Noah and his family. Woolly mammoth cave art from Les Combarelles, France / PD Scoffers of the Genesis Flood point out that the human population would have to be rebuilt from six of the eight individuals on the Ark, so they assume the bottleneck was insurmountable. Humans are more complex than the elephant kind. The implications for the human population after the Flood are supportive of creation science view

In the Southwestern United States, there is a place popular with geologists and paleontologists called the Green River Formation . There are several rivers and tributaries called Green River, and this area is a tributary of the Colorado River. The formation and basins include several states. Since so much research is done in the formation, it is not surprising to get news from there. What may have been surprising to secular scientists is how the new bat fossils they discovered gave no clues to an alleged evolutionary ancestor of bats. Since secularists don't play the hand they're dealt, they reshuffle and deal from the bottom of the deck. In this case, the unevolving bat fossils did not fit their paradigm, so they tacked on two million years to bad origins. Sure, why not? If it helps keep the story going and avoid the fact of recent creation by the God of the Bible, they'll find ways. The Green River Formation is also interesting because of varves (thin layers of sediment).

Last week, I was riding back from a men's conference on creation with some fellows. As I was making the coffee one morning on the campfire (boil the water in the pot, take it off the heat, scoop in ground up coffee, simmer a spell, add clean, crushed eggshells and all that good stuff), one of the boys asked about Noah's Ark. After I had the coffee done right, I joined the conversation. One fellow said there must have been a passel of miracles to get everyone through. Was the whole Flood a series of miracles? Noah's Ark, Pixabay / Jeff Jacobs (modified at PhotoFunia ) Because of uniformitarian science and evolutionism, people have wondered if the Genesis Flood and Noah's Ark are just myths or parables meant to convey spiritual truths. As discussed before, compare biblical accounts with mythology and huge differences are obvious (for example, the  Māori myths vs. the creation narrative ). Indeed, the Bible is a historical record giving names, times, and other details mi

Some people read or watch mysteries for the challenge of solving them, but many have noted that writers withhold information. In reality, detectives have to find and use the evidence they have in the here and now to reconstruct what happened in the past. This is forensic science. In a courtroom, evidence is presented so a verdict can be reached. Both the prosecution and defense may be more interested in winning the case rather than reach the correct conclusion. Distractions, glossy presentations and wording, misleading logic and more can be utilized. Legal work, FreeDigital I mages /  I ndypendenZ Atheists and other believers in universal common ancestor evolution present their case, but do not take all the evidence into account. The secular science industry has biased presentations in museums, documentaries, and so forth. Those can be slick, compelling, and entertaining; they want to win. People who are interested in reaching the truth need both sides of the story. Biblical creationis

When the hand one is dealt is not playing well, cheat. After all, secular scientists seem to be doing that more and more. One example is the definition of archosaur . It has certain physical characteristics and includes crocodilians, dinosaurs, pterosaurs — and birds. Quite a broad category, and includes the tendentious assumption  that birds evolved from dinosaurs. Evidence and logic differ about that last part. A new fossil pseudosuchian (expensive word for crocodile) species was discovered in Nevada. That is counterintuitive, since those critters do not live so far inland. Crocodile, Pixnio /  Steve Hillebrand , USFWS Another species? That's nice. That also fits with biblical creation science models. Of course, like the assumption that birds evolved from dinosaurs and are related to archosaurs, secular scientists assume that crocodiles evolved even though there is no evidence of it. They also have to deal with the location of this one, as well as mixtures of organisms fossilized

Back in 1929, Edwin Hubble realized that the farthest galaxies had a redshift in the spectrums, and those also had the greatest redshifts. That became known as the Hubble Law , and was the beginning of what became the Big Bang origin of the universe story. Based on assumptions and speculations, secular cosmologists and cosmoginists did the math and expected evidence for the Big Bang in the Hubble telescope. It did not happen. The James Webb Space Telescope was built to be bigger and better — perhaps too good for their purposes. Phantom Galaxy M74, Flickr / James Webb Space Telescope ( CC BY 2.0 ) Amazing photographs were produced (but what we see is adjusted because the JWST works in the infrared). Secularists were alarmed because images were not comporting with the Big Bang tale . Worse, information actually supported biblical creationist predictions . The difficulties are compounding for the frequently-Frankensteined Big Bang, which should have been abandoned long ago. Hubble's

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  This article is considerably lighter reading, but is also a mite heavy in graphics. Regular readers may have noticed that I usually post one image, sometimes a second. File sizes are reduced. Most full-sized images  are uploaded to Unsplash . I live in an apartment complex with a longish driveway. This part of it goes over a stream known as Bear Ghat Kill . ( Kill , or kille , is Dutch for stream, among other things.) It is a two miles long, part a sub-basin of the Lower Esopus . It surprises me that it has a name. Driveway in trouble, water is rushing after the brief storm Here in our neck of Upstate New York, there was a not-unusual thunderstorm with plenty of rain. It did not last long. When I came home from the workplace a few hours later, the driveway was damaged. Looks like the stream got angry. The rushing water was surprisingly loud; I had never seen it with that much activity. So I took pictures. My hands were surprisingly steady and I'm glad I didn

Secular geologists wear Deep Time Spectacles, so any data they observe is interpreted to indicate millions or billions of years. Keep in mind that secular, creation, and Intelligent Design scientists all have the same data to work with. It invariably comes down to worldviews and presuppositions. May as well fill those millions of years (that Darwin needs to perform his wonders) with a passel of events. Creationists believe the evidence shows only one Ice Age while secularists believe in many. One of a controversial idea on the secular side is Snowball Earth. Snowball Earth, Flickr /  guano  ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) There is plenty of evidence that the Ice Age happened, but only in a portion of the Northern Hemisphere. Snowball Earth presents glaciation extending all the way down toward the equator. Not all secular geologists ride for that brand, and with good reason: It never ends. Not only are secularists unable to postulate a believable cause for the Ice Age, but they cannot find a way to en

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Although the word iconic  is overused, it does apply to The Rifleman . It ran from 1958-1963 and has been syndicated in the subsequent decades. Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) was a widower raising his son Mark (Johnny Crawford). (I liked it before becoming a widower myself.) The actors had a bond that lasted until Connors died. Another star of the show was that tricked-out Winchester 1892 using 44-40 loads that could be swapped with the right pistols. Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford, Wikimedia Commons / ABC Television , 1960 (PD) In "The Clarence Bibs Story," comedian Buddy Hackett played the part of a "mop boy" for a general store. He was wearing a gun that he cleaned for a customer. Bad idea because he had no skill with it. Clarence wound up killing a tough guy through a stupid accident. Although I have to spoil the ending somewhat, I'll leave out some details in case you want to see it. Shouldn't be too hard, it's even posted o

"Whatcha doing with those logs, Sid?" "Oh, hey, Trevor. I'm lashing them together so I can make a raft and go out yonder on the Atlantic. Gonna bring along some of those rat things for company. Wanna come along?" "It's a mite tempting, but whoever heard of monkeys taking a trip on a raft? I'll stay here. Got evolving and stuff to do." Years ago, I posted about critters rafting, and folks with Atheism Spectrum Disorder used prejudicial conjecture as a ridicule device. While raft  has connotations of a small floating object, the rafts under discussion are often quite massive. Rafts, morgueFile /  stickerstack Biblical creationists have used the ideas of land bridges and rafting as methods of animal dispersal (biogeography) after the Genesis Flood (see " Animal Dispersal by Raft " for example). Secular scientists laughed, but then realized they had their own problems with biogeography. They eventually began using the rafting idea themsel

In the late sixteenth century, it was speculated that continents were not static, but moved. Others considered this, and eventually Alfred Wegener ran continental drift up the flagpole in 1915, but nobody saluted it. Arthur Holmes provided a better version in 1931. Eventually, it evolved into plate tectonics. Biblical creation science takes plate tectonics up several levels. Dr. John Baumgardner proposed catastrophic  plate tectonics. The ocean floor during the Genesis Flood was subducted into the earth's mantle, and it was done much faster than is happening today. Common Cross Section of a Subduction Zone, Wikimedia Commons / Eround1 ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) That's easy to say, especially since rapid subduction is not seen now. Scientists demand evidence for models (or should do so), and creationists even more so because they go against uniformitarian assumptions (slow and gradual processes; the present is the key to the past). Dr. Baumgardner pointed out evidence for his ideas sever

Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Robert Darwin came up with a version of evolution at almost the same time, but Darwin is given most of the credit because he published first. Also, Wallace was an outsider in science circles  and was open to a form of Intelligent Design. Each had an idea of how butterflies evolved, but scientists did not seem interested in pursuing the matter. New research was presented after getting help from studying pictures of birdwing butterflies with machine learning, and both Wallace and Darwin were said to be right. Birdwing butterfly, Flickr / Charles Patrick Ewing ( CC BY 2.0 ) If the researchers were seeking awards or applause by the secular science industry, that probably happened. They use both natural and sexual selection (but not the true meaning of natural selection). People who care about truth and logic in science may have a different view. For one thing, the sample size was far too limited. Another problem is despite praising the puny god of evoluti

There are several areas that have fossilized dinosaur tracks, which is quite remarkable if you think on it. Glen Rose, Texas has a significant number of them. They are easy to see at Dinosaur Valley State Park . Sounds like an interesting place to visit. During a time of drought in 2022, even more tracks were exposed. Paleontologists and other folks were excited to see them. One trackway is impressively long, apparently made by  Acrocanthosaurus atokensis . One tell-tale sign is that it has claws on its feet. Acrocanthosaurus atokensis , Wikimedia Commons / Petr Menshikov ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ), modified Hey, Cowboy Bob! How is  A. atokensis on the beach like Christmas? Because of its sandy claws ! Moving on... Secular scientists have some imaginative stories to tell about how they formed, but like so many other attempted explanations by Darwinists, they do not withstand scrutiny. With a proper understanding of sedimentation during the Genesis Flood, forming and fossilization of the tracks