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Showing posts with the label Uniformitarianism

Creation Science and the BEDS Coal Model

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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 ...

More Possible Evidence for Catastrophic Plate Tectonics

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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...

Concrete, Cement, and Algae

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It seems that many people do not know the difference between concrete and cement, so here is the hard truth. There are several stages involved in making concrete , the porous stuff that people drive on or live in. It begins with limestone, which is thought to take millions of years to form. Limestone and a silica source are heated, then the result is ground to powder. Other ingredients are added. When this mixture is going to be turned into concrete, cement , water, and other things are mixed in to make the concrete. Algae is turning those deep-time assumption upside-down. Coccolithophore bloom SW of Ireland, Flickr / NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ( CC BY 2.0 ) Coccolithophores  are marine algae that build protective shells around themselves. The shells of these bad boys make chalk (a form of limestone) deposits, and uniformitarian scientists say chalk takes millions of years to form. Not in this case! Further, coccolithophores could have been producing huge quantitie...

Great Sand Dunes, the Ice Age, and the Genesis Flood

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Heading west in the formerly United States, a traveler encounters the Rocky Mountains (which we generously share with Canada). The state of Colorado has the  Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve , larger than the Sleeping Bear Dunes of Michigan. You ever walk onto a sandy beach and make ouch noises because it is hot? In the summer, these puppies are substantially hotter than the air temperature. We will move on to discuss how the dunes got there. Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Flickr / NPS Natural Resources (public domain) Consider sand a spell (like when you remembered hot-footing it on the beach). It is unique and small. Both uniformitarian and creation geologists agree that there have to be special conditions to make a sand dune in the first place, and there are also conditions that can stop it from happening, such as grass growing. Conditions today would not let those dunes form, so they obviously had to be very different in the past. The culprit i...

Continental Erosion and the Young Earth

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As creation science develops, conjectures about the past come and go. The Genesis Flood  by Whitcomb and Morris in 1961 put forward some ideas about science while maintaining adherence to biblical truth. Some of its ideas have been discarded, others have had further development. There are some evidences for the young earth that have been offered are still valid today, and believers in deep time as well as universal common descent evolution cannot refute them. One of these evidences is continental erosion. Limestone and mountain, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Signs of erosion are obvious practically everywhere. A mountain has pieces of rock in many sizes because of erosion from wind and water, rivers erode their banks, oceans do their share of erosion. Wind is everywhere, doing its part as well. Uniformitarian beliefs have rates remaining essentially the same today as well as the thrilling days of yesteryear. Using their own material against them, the continents should not even exi...

Biogeography and Floating Islands

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A question for both biblical creationists and uniformitarian secular scientists is how creatures dispersed to different continents. This is called biogeography . Land bridges during low sea levels probably occurred, but would not provide for large migrations. Then there is rafting (making use of floating islands of vegetation). Those things exist today, but secular scientists admit that there are numerous difficulties involved for carrying living things out across the oceans to other continents. Uniformitarian scientists are assuming things today have been the same in the past. Wrong. Floating Islands, Titicaca Lake, Peru, Flickr / Emmanuel Dyan ( CC BY 2.0 ) When one considers creation science Genesis Flood models, floating islands as a means of travel make much more sense. After the Flood, conditions were changing and the Ice Age was beginning. Meanwhile, fruitful critters were multiplying. The Flood was a violent event, and the floating islands seen today are far different from wh...

The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy

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After traveling on the racing circuit, Miles Prower decided to return to these parts for a spell. He told me of a solo excursion to the difficult-to-reach Glen Roy in the Scottish Highlands to see the Parallel Roads. Legends have it that they were made by kings, Finegal the Giant, or faeries. Miles was very interested in what are called the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy, and the story secular geologists tell about their formation is slightly more plausible than giants making them. Shorelines of glacial lakes are the usual explanation. Parallel Roads of Glen Roy, Flickr / IrenicRhonda ( CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ) As seen with the Chicxulub big rock dinosaur extinction story, uniformitarian scientists tend to ignore certain important details that foul up their narratives. In this case, the movement of glaciers doesn't work with the story. Also like Chicxulub (and other geologic features), creation science models for the Ice Age caused by the Genesis Flood fit the observed evidence quite handil...

Secular Geologists Getting Closer to Creation Science?

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It bears repeating that everyone has the same evidence to work with; it is not uniformitarian evidence  in a cage match against creationist evidence . (This principle extends to other fields of science, of course.) It is the interpretations  of the evidence that are controversial — even within their fields. Worldviews drive the interpretations. The uniformitarian worldview adheres to slow and gradual processes over long periods of time. At least, it's supposed to, but we have seen that scientists invoke rapid catastrophic processes when they find it necessary. They are doing this more nowadays. Grand Canyon , Maxfield Parrish, 1902 People scoff at creation scientists as if they obtained their degrees at Billy Joe's Bible Church Academy and Bait Shop. Nope. They have legitimate degrees and have published scientific papers, and put a tremendous amount of work into their Genesis Flood models. It is interesting how some of the secular proposals have creationist leanings (some...

Garden of the Gods and the Genesis Flood

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If you ever find yourself out Colorado way and have a notion to take in some nature, then the city of Colorado Springs may be of interest. A place called Garden of the Gods is actually in the city limits. It is not a national park, and is free of charge. (Of course, the recreation area has some fees.) Look off yonder, you can see Pikes Peak! The signs and such will gladly tell you a passel of geology, but unfortunately it tells secular deep-time stories that get things wrong. Cathedral Spires at Garden of the Gods, Library of Congress / William Henry Jackson , 1905 If someone wanted to learn Genesis Flood geology, this would be a great place to start. There are some amazing layouts from all that sandstone. Something to note is a detail of which uniformitarianism cheerleaders on teh interwebs seem to be willingly ignorant: the Great Unconformity . Hundreds of millions of years (according to secular stories) are missing, and it is also seen in the Grand Canyon — and spans continents. Th...

Carnarvon Gorge Explained by the Genesis Flood

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In Central Queensland, Australia, away from city life on the coasts, in Carnarvon National Park. In there is a place known as Carnarvon Gorge. Not only is it interesting geologically, but it is also the home of numerous different kinds of critters. In the gorge is Carnarvon Creek, and like Grand Canyon in the formerly United States, the tale is told that the gorge was carved out by the creek. When geologists make claims, whether uniformitarian long-age geologists or catastrophist biblical creationists, it is fair to expect observed evidence to support them. Carnarvon Gorge, Flickr / Roderick Eime ( CC BY-ND 2.0 ) A basic working knowledge of the Genesis Flood is important. It was global, and not just caused by forty days and nights of rain. The "fountains of the great deep" burst open, plus volcanic activity, tsunamis, great storms caused by warmer oceanic waters, mountains were uplifted, and more. There was deposition when the waters were rising, and also when they receded ...

Cave Formation and the Genesis Flood

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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 ...

Geological Dating Confused by Assumptions

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There are numerous problems with the standard version of geology. It is based on uniformitarianism (slow and gradual processes; the present is the key to the past), and observed facts do not fit their paradigm. Replying to a recent post about unconformities (a problem well known in secular geology), one jasper stated that unconformities are only a problem to people who do not understand geology. That is like the absurd, "People reject evolution because they do not understand it." Unfortunately, geology is tainted by a dedication to furnish millions of years so that evolution can happen. Creek in canyon, Pixnio / Maysam Yabandeh Charles Lyell sought to free the science of geology from Moses. Actually, secular geology needs a reformation to free the science from Darwin! Like biological evolution, secular geologists tap dance around observed problems in procedures, including dating methods. When necessary, secular geologists have appealed to catastrophic processes happening with...

A Silly Secular Excuse for Biogeography

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The question of how kangaroos disembarked Noah's Ark and reached Australia is a common one, both with Christians and unbelievers. It is a question of biogeography. Also, it is a fair question. There are many things to take into account when considering it. How did roos get from Mount Ararat all the way to Straya? Scoffers will use that as a kind of "Gotcha!" question for creationists because it does seem absurd on the surface that they would have hopped all the way over there. However, they are assuming that animals evolved in the places they are found today, even though there is no evidence for their evolution. The dispersion of animals is a problem for secular scientists as well, and one came up with a really wild-eyed idea to evosplain it. Brown kangaroo, Unsplash / Ashish Upadhyay Uniformitarian scientists need to explain how critters — including kangaroos — journeyed from one place go another. How about plate tectonics? Those are moving — Nah, too slow. Rafting? Darw...

Disintegrating Comets and the Young Solar System

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Rusty Swingset, foreman at the Darwin Ranch up yonder near Deception Pass, gave me quite a turn the other night. I thought four-legged critters were roaming around, but Rusty was out there with his lady friend Jacqueline Hyde (who was not quite herself). They were getting quiet viewing of the Perseid meteor shower. When I pointed out that the Perseids peak around 13 August, they knew it. We commenced to discussing comet and how secularist think they formed millions of years ago along with the earth and other planets. Comet NEOWISE over Utah, NASA / Bill Dunford (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Creationists have pointed out that one of the ignored evidences for the young solar system (therefore, young Earth) are long-term comets . They fragment over time because of the sun and there should be none left after billions of years. One of the guns that uniformitarian scientists pull off the rack is the Oort cloud , which exists only in the realm of imagination. It is a ne...

Katydid Chews Up Evolution

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For some reason, I never thought Katy would, but katydid. Fossilize, that is. And this fossil is extremely detailed, unlike those ammonites and things we find in the river or quarry. There have been quite a few fossils found lately that are very intricate. This katydid fossil shows so much detail, it works against particles-to-paleontologist evolution: All of the minutiae are like their modern counterparts, so no evidence of evolution. We looked at the recurrent secular miracle of convergent evolution . Here is stasis , another popular miracle among Darwin's disciples. Katydid (Tettigoniidae), Flickr / Insects Unlocked (public domain) Evolutionists want things both ways, since evolution is a "fact" and pretty much like an irresistible force (except when it's an entity making choices and decisions), or there is stasis where organisms didn't change after millions of Darwin years. Paddlefish , sharks,   tunicates , alligators,  coelacanths , and many other critters ...

Mantle Viscosity and Genesis Flood Models

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When people need to get the oil changed in a vehicle, the word viscosity  is likely to be used. To oversimplify, viscosity refers to thickness. Drop a pebble in a glass of water and it sinks quickly. Do the same in a glass of high-viscosity motor oil, it is much slower. Maybe a geologist slices into a pie and thinks about cutting through the lithosphere and into the magma, but I digest — I mean, digress. Sort of. That liquid rock down below also has viscosity. This affects the thinner areas of the lithosphere. Earth crust cutaway illustration derivative, Wikimedia Commons / Washiucho (Public Domain) Uniformitarian geologists believe this thinning (deformation) is extremely slow, and creation scientists believe it to be much quicker. Secular geologists believe that glacial rebound affects viscosity in certain areas, but it has been shown to be similar in non-glacial areas as well. Creationists use Genesis Flood and the subsequent Ice Age in their models and find that rebound is muc...

Whales in the Desert?

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When the word Egypt is mentioned, several things can come to mind: Arid conditions, the Nile River, sand, Moses, God humiliating Pharaoh, a passel of whales  — wait, what? Sure. Things change over time. Indeed, the Sahara itself was once a nice place to go swimming . Whales in the desert are not easily explained by uniformitarian dogma. Indeed, the Valley of the Whales signage uses the ludicrous “dies and sinks to the bottom” boilerplate story for fossilization. In this case there are numerous whales as well as other creatures. Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley), WikiComm / Guy Debonnet ( CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO ) To have numerous well-preserved fossils (scientists can see what some had for last meals), it takes a catastrophic event. Creation science models of the Genesis Flood provide far better explanations than secular Just-So Stories. In fact, Flood geology here goes beyond fossilization and explains landforms as well. In the grand scheme of evolution, the legs of land-based animals develo...

Secular Scientists Closer to Genesis Flood in Trilobite Extinction

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My wife baked a trilobite pie the other day... Okay, it was really a pecan pie, but I immediately thought of trilobite fossils. Too bad those critters are extinct, and I would like it if some were found alive as living fossils . Those things fluster believers in molecules-to-musician evolution. Actually, trilobites also fluster evolutionists. Advances in technology show that they had amazing eyes and visual acuity . Trilobites are associated with the Cambrian Explosion , which is also a sore spot for secular scientists. "Trilobite pie," Flickr / Cowboy Bob Sorensen  ( CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 ) Secular paleontologists typically believe in slow 'n' gradual processes over millions of years that shaped today's landforms. Fossilization supposedly happened slowly as well, but that idea has been demonstrated to be ludicrous many times over. Because the evidence doesn't fit their narrative, some secular scientists are appealing to catastrophic events. Trilobite Fossils, Unsp...

Genesis Flood Geology and the Grand Canyon

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When Grand Canyon is mentioned, most people probably know about the one in Arizona. There are other canyons that could be considered grand, but they are hidden away — under Greenland ice and others are underwater . They may be grander, but people can visit the famous one. Secularists say it refutes creation science Flood geology, assuming uniformitarianism (slow and gradual processes) to claim that it was carved by the Colorado River ( including Wikedpedia ) . Interesting that they cling to that story even though it denies science. Colorado River and Grand Canyon, US Geological Survey (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) "Okay, smart guy, how do creationists explain how it formed?" The global Genesis Flood provides the best explanation for the evidence. That statement is unsatisfyingly simple as an explanation. In fact, creationists are divided on how it formed. One view is that water built up during the Ice Age in lakes, then the natural dams breached. From...

Collapsing Arches Make Darwin Sad

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Dust-to-Darwin evolution requires huge amounts of time, and secular geologists try to provide them. People are assured that Earth is billions of years old. They protect their belief system includes arguing from presuppositions and neglecting alternative explanations for observed data. Landforms that are supposed to be ancient have been collapsing — often dramatically. We recently saw how there have been large collapses of the cliffs of Dorset . Places in the American Southwest that were supposed to be millions of years old, and expected to last millions of years more, have crashed. Metate Arch, Devil's Garden, Flickr / Ken Lund ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) The guiding principle of secular geology is uniformitarianism : slow 'n' gradual processes over long periods. When asked about the causes of erosion, people will mention water and wind. Something that may not come to mind is lightning. I reckon severe weather, with heavy rainfall and lighting, is difficult to factor into secular pr...