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Showing posts with the label Logic

Fake Evidence and Phylogenetic Trees

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Every once in a while, a petulant evolutionist will tell a creationist to visit a natural history museum, read a book about evolution, watch a documentary, or do something else approved by the secular science industry. Then the creationist will learn something. That is true, but not in the way evolutionists would expect. Darwin's disciples know how to present opinions as facts. They can also obfuscate evidence, present what they like and ignore inconvenient truths. Charts, drawings, dioramas, and phylogenetic trees are used as evidence for evolution. Not hardly! Enhanced version of Darwin's Tree of Life Sketch (PD) These things arose from those things. The phylogenetic tree proves it. No, the drawing shows what someone believes . It is not factual, but conjectural. It is also illogical to use an illustrated hypothesis (because that's what a phylogenetic tree is) as evidence . Even Papa Darwin himself had the decency to write, "I think" on his drawing. Creationists...

The Rifleman and the Perception of Reality

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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...

The Fantasy of Apes and the Human Heart

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Proponents of universal common descent are highly skilled in the scientific principle of Making Things Up™, and they make lotsa grotzits for it. Peer review approves rubbish , they use bushwa logic to compare human and ape Y chromosomes , etc. The secular science industry is doing a number on hearts. Although they say all life came from a common ancestor, there is a variety of hearts in the animal kingdom. The Creator designed hearts to meet the needs of various creatures. Humans and apes share some similarities in design, so there are similarities in some in hearts as well. Heart diagram, Pixabay /  burlesonmatthew Did they consider other research that says we have heart problems because we evolved from fish ? Asking for a friend. These jaspers first presupposed evolution (and rejected creation), then told a story about the distant past. A few weasel words crept in like may suggest , but ignored the stark differences not only between heart styles. The physical differences between ...

Invalid Comparisons of Human and Ape Y Chromosomes

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Chromosomes contain a great deal of information, far more than just eye color, height, stature, and all that good stuff. Some of Darwin's disciples decided to compare the Y chromosomes of humans and several types of apes. Although they hailed it as good news for evolution, in reality...it did not go well. Right from the get-go, errors were happening. For one thing, the source was too big by using several sources of Y chromosome information. Another problem is that the comparisons were between modern humans and apes because of assumed evolution directions. Human chromosome Y, WikiComm / National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.S. National Library of Medicine (PD) (Usage does not imply endorsement)  Y chromosomes are difficult to sequence because of repetition, mutations, deletions, and more. Secularists tend to evosplain genetic differences away by assuming evolution did it. Of course, no mechanisms or supporting evidence is offered. Circular reasoning, arbitrary assertions...

Proving Evolution with Shoddy Butterfly Research

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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 evo...

Evolution, Ants, and Socialism

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Drawing frequently from the scientific well of Making Things Up™, Darwin's acolytes have been making a passel of chin music about ants. Apparently, ants evolved from wasps. There is no evidence for this, only conjecture and fanatical devotion to evolution. That makes it all right. The reason for the talk is because certain ants were found in amber. They are mostly indistinguishable from their modern counterparts all the way down to the communications equipment. Instead of invoking the cop-out of stasis , more stories are tacked on. Ant in amber, WikiComm / Dlussky, Radchenko, & Dubovikoff , 2014 ( CC BY 4.0 ) Social structure in living things is a field of its own, and it is quite detailed in ants. Evolutionists say that it's important because altruism was brought into the world through sociality. Essentially, thank evolution for socialism. (Is this another reason that the secular science industry favors politically leftist attitudes ?) In reality, evolutionists are baffled...

Evolutionists Imagine Dinosaur Feathers

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Something unlikely to appear in a dinosaurs-go-bezerk-and-eat-people movie is  Psittacosaurus.  The largest species is not all that impressive. There is a prairie schooner-full of specimens, including intact skeletons. Adults were bipedal like the iconic T. rex . This particular specimen from China had an interesting fossilization characteristic. Some of its skin was turned to glass, so to speak. Instead of the usual minerals, silica found its way in. Watch how Darwin's acolytes get bizarre — and illogical — promoting dino-to-bird and also feather evolution. Psittacosaurus specimen, Nature Communications / Maria McNamara   et al . ( CC BY 4.0 ) Once again, evolution is assumed despite lack of evidence. (Stories, inferences from stories, and so on, yes, but not real evidence.) Although they admit that feather evolution is "profound," feathers are loaded with specified complexities because they were created, not evolved. There is no evidence of feather evolution. Researche...

Liars for Darwin Influencing Elections

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Although this content has special concern to Americans, readers from other countries may want to read and learn see if your own country is doing the same kinds of things. As stated before, it is indeed unfortunate that science material has political content, but the secular science industry is prompting examination. Two things must be repeated. First, scientists are not  dispassionate and willing to follow where the evidence leads. They are biased and have presuppositions like everyone else. Second, note that critical thinking skills apply in many areas of life, but are now seldom taught. Marionette puppets, Unsplash / János Venczák Remember, scientists per se  are not the problem, as many of them want to do science stuff and hopefully improve the world. The secular science industry is a major concern, and wants to be involved in pulling the strings of political power. They promote causes dear to the cold hearts of the political left, so gullible j...

Materialists Attacking Each Other

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Although it is not something that attracts a great deal of attention of the general public, there are occasions when materialists spit venom at one another. Some things that this child has seen is that some atheists are not vicious enough to please other atheists. Misotheists lead the charge against Intelligent Design and biblical creation science, showing hostility toward people who have views that they dislike. As mentioned before, the ID movement is distinctly non-creationist as a whole, but atheists still portray it as creation science. The Ambush , Albert Bierstadt, 1876 Folks like Clinton Richard Dawkins as well as many other professing atheists are committed to materialism; material is all there is, therefore, no God. When someone says that God exists, that person is considered stupid and anti-science. However, atheists have a fundamentally-flawed epistemology and they presuppose a universe without God, They claim to love science and logic, but their reasoning is irrational. Ev...

The Non-Law of Evolution

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The tension in the room was obvious to everyone, and I was aware of my neck and back muscles tensing. "Evolution is a fact.  A law!" Rusty Swingset had raised his voice considerably. He punctuated his exclamation by slamming his fist on the table. The teaspoons rattled in our empty cups. Many believers in descent-with-modifications evolution emphatically agree. Some say scientists know that evolution is a fact, but they are still hashing out the details. Indeed, to say that evolution is a law seems excessive, but the claim was even used in a paper in Academia Biology . Hollow log in forest, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen (modified) More specifically, they are talking about evolution by means of natural selection. Some folks say that natural selection is  evolution, but that's conflation on definitions, old son. Creationists believe in natural selection, and it does not produce a new organism; no new genetic material is added. It's a mite silly to call evolution a law...

Dishonest Darwinists Dodge Living Fossils

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There are creatures in the fossil record that show no appreciable difference between supposed millions of years to their modern descendants. Charles Darwin was displeased with this additional evidence against his conjectures. He called them living fossils . If a handful of them existed, they might be waved away as odd quirks. But there are many living fossils. Evolutionists change mystical hats, trading the one where evolution is an undeniable force with the other where stasis occurred. That is, they did not have to evolve. These owlhoots get downright dishonest as well. Horseshoe crab (which is not really a crab) is a living fossil, MorgueFile / xpistwv Unfortunately, people are  not taught  critical thinking, and they seldom display healthy skepticism. The Bearded Buddha taught that things evolved from a common ancestor, branching out on the Tree of Life, gradually turning into something else. Right? People know this, but when dishonest evolutionists change the definitions ...

Logic Lessons and the Walmart Thief

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by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Part of this post will be out of date soon, but the principles remain important. Critical thinking skills are not just for debates and academic matters, but apply to many areas of daily life. It is indeed unfortunate that students today are taught what to think, but how to think — not so much. Crime dramas have detectives saying they cannot have someone arrested because the evidence is only circumstantial; there are no eyewitnesses or other compelling material. They "know" someone is guilty, but they are reasoning from insufficient evidence . The Cunning Thief / Paul-Charles Chocarne-Moreau, 1931, Wikimedia Commons (PD) A quick side note that this Creation Cowboy has discussed is how Darwinists, climate fearmongers, and others will ignore and even suppress inconvenient evidence . They have also been known to falsify information to fit an agenda. People have a tendency to "fill in the blanks" or "connect the dots" to reach a conclu...

Vitamin C and Evolution

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Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is essential for human life. Fortunately, it is easy to obtain in the Western world, and the recommended intake is less than 100 mg. It helps the immune system and is important in other areas. What is the first thing that comes to mind when vitamin C is mentioned? For me, oranges. The average person who eats a healthy diet probably does not need a supplement, as it is found in many foods. It is not stored in our bodies. Since humans cannot synthesize vitamin C, is is suggested as evidence for evolution. Assorted citrus fruits, Pixabay / Roberto Justo Kabana Most plants and animals can make their own vitamin C, but it has been evosplained that humans and some animals lost that ability way back in time. It involves a mutation. When using this to support evolution, their reasoning is fundamentally flawed. One big monkey wrench in the works is that humans and apes supposedly evolved from a common ancestor. Our closest supposed evolutionary cousin is the chimpanzee...

Killer Jellyfish Means No God

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Atheists and other anti-creationists try to put biblical creationists on the defensive, a tactic that works on those that re under-informed. As we have seen, they use "bad design, therefore evolution" arguments (dysteleology). Another trick is to try to make the Creator seem immoral. Either God is bad, or he does not exist. It is interesting that they often pretend their arguments are scientific. That'll be the day! Those alleged arguments are feckless theological opinions. In addition, they are examples of bad logic. Consider the challenge that a loving God made a killer jellyfish. Box jellyfish, Wikimedia Commons / Guido Gautsch ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) As stated before, when attempting to refute someone's argument, it is intellectually honest to see if the argument is consistent from the other person's framework. Atheists tend to take fragments of creationist views and filter them through materialistic glasses, which means they presuppose that the creationist is wrong...

Great Faith by Secularists in Extraterrestrial Life

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Finding extraterrestrial life is exceptionally important to the secular science industry. Readers of creationist sites have seen that lotsa grotzits have been poured into attempts to find ET, but nothing has ever been found. Astrobiology? Nothing to study. They do not want to settle for microbes, it has to be intelligent alien life. One of the biggest arguments makes a bit of sense on the surface: So many stars, there must  be life out there so we can dance with space aliens in the pale moonlight . Cranky Alien image by Why?Outreach There are glimmers of hope for true believers, but it disappears under scrutiny. Like the prank of tying currency on a string, hiding, and yanking it away when someone reaches for it. But secularists keep chasing and hoping, though tere's no observed science involved. Only blind faith. Many maybes and what ifs about extraterrestrial life, such as water on Mimas . Water is necessary for life, and if there are signs of evolution out yonder, mayhaps it hap...

The Ark of Noah and Water Stress

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First, a look behind the scenes. I did not title this using the singular possessive because of the way titles and certain other things are rendered. In this case, Noah's Ark. When challenging a position someone holds, rational people try to understand the opponent's point of view. The material should be examined to see if it is internally consistent and not chock full o' arbitrary assertions. Scoffers presuppose atheism, naturalism, deep time, evolution, and so on. To them, Noah's Ark and the Genesis Flood are just stories and not historical narratives.  Noah's Ark at Answers in Genesis, Unsplash / Elias Null Misotheists do not honestly examine what biblical creationists say for consistency and plausibility, instead writing it off because they filter what they say through their own worldview. Essentially, a straw man argument. They like to put Christians on the defensive and expect us to defend views we don't hold. We don't have to. You savvy that, Pilgr...

Evolutionists Making Up Facts Again

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Just yesterday, I was in town to send a telegram over the singing wires, then stopped in at the eatery. At the next table were several executives of the Darwin Ranch. They were finishing lunch before saddling up and riding back to Deception Pass. I was on the prod after having dealt with the same old "put 'em on the defensive" remarks from atheists. The ranch folks were getting rambunctious. Dewey Lye was going on about new research on feather evolution. I mentioned there has never been conclusive  evidence for dinosaur feathers. Al Buehterawl took a deep breath and evosplained it to me. Pond off Sawkill Road, Kingston, NY, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen , modified with FotoSketcher Actually, I learned very little. Researchers were looking in the wrong place at the wrong things on the wrong birds. Eventually, dinosaur scales were compared to those of crocodiles, so the dinosaur was getting ready  to evolve. "Evidence" was obtained by citing a paper from several ...

The Moon Io Continues to Thwart Deep Time

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It is obviously human nature to want to know things. A wagon train-load of grotzits has been spent on space exploration even before rockets went up yonder. Telescopes, bigger and better telescopes, telescopes in space — not enough, people want to go and look. Cameras, telescopes, and communications equipment were loaded onto various space probes. Sending humans were just not feasible, so that was the next best thing. Jupiter and its moons have had several visitors from here: Pioneer , V'ger  (I mean, Voyager ), and others have shown Jupiter's moon Io to be recalcitrant to deep-time beliefs. Infrared view of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io, NASA / JPL et al. It has been known for quite some time that Io is volcanically active, which should not happen if it was billions of years old. The Juno mission showed further images of volcanic activity. Secularists are attempting rescuing devices to explain what is observed, including how it spews lava, reconsumes it, and do it again hundreds ...

Rescuing Device: Protein Molecules in Dinosaur Eggs

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Original biological materials from fossils have been found for many years, but the 1997 discovery of soft tissues in a dinosaur bone  by Dr. Mary Schweitzer and company really took the rag off the bush . Things get worse for them because biomolecules are also found in dinosaur material. Despite numerous reports of dinosaur soft tissue discoveries reported in peer-reviewed journals, some jaspers still refuse to believe that they exist. Others admit they exist and come up with rescuing devices. The reason is that these things make Papa Darwin sad. Fossil dinosaur eggs, Flickr / Gary Todd (PD) As discussed before, worldviews strongly influence how people interpret evidence. A paleontologist evidence-denier wanted to be the smartest one on the bus, so he tried to refute claims of original biomolecules. It did not go well. Instead, he indulged in circular reasoning: Assume that dinosaur eggs are millions of years old, then prove biomolecules last for millions of years! Yeah, peopl...

Panda Thumbs and Bad Atheistic Theology

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Atheists and other anti-creationists use Stephen Jay Gould's claim that the panda has an ineffective thumb as an argument against creation and Intelligent Design, but this dysteleology fails in several areas. One should be glaring obvious: Why would a bear need a thumb like humans have? The comparison is not valid, as we are different creatures with different life niches. Gould and subsequent followers claim that it is a scientific refutation of creation and ID, but it is not a scientific argument ! It is philosophical — really, it is theological. Modified from "Giant Panda Tai Shan" /  Fernando Revilla / Wikimedia Commons Misotheists are very fond of "bad design" arguments, which is silly. They do not believe God exists, but presume to fault him for things in nature that (in their unhumble opinions ) are flawed. Those of us who use presuppositional apologetics can show that anti-creationists are not consistent with their own belief system, especially when they...