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Biblical Creation and the Ceratioid Anglerfish

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Anglerfish are denizens of the deep, dark, cold sea. They have, as Tim the Enchanter would say, "Nasty big pointy teeth!" Anglerfish have a bioluminescent lure that dangles in front of them to attract prey. Bioluminescence is when a creature chemically generates its own light; fireflies are actually bioluminescent beetles. They live so far down, the pressure is immense. Scientists find it difficult to keep them alive for research. One type of Anglerfish, the Ceratioid, is a bit of a difficulty for biblical creation: If everything was created very good , why does this happen? Cryptopsaras couesii , Wikimedia Commons / Masaki Miya, et al  ( CC BY 2.0 ) Interesting how what happens to C. couesii is wrongly used as "evidence" for Darwinism. You'll read about that in the link below. This is where it becomes part science and part theology. Yes, everything was very good in the beginning with no death and suffering, but something happened. When Adam sinned (the Fall of

Copying Fruit Fly Eye Jitters

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When the results of a research project is announced, do you ever wonder why they did it in the first place? Some things seem obvious, but others...not so much. Scientists took a notion to study the retinas of fruit flies. Since the eyes of insects do not move, fruit flies can continually track motion because their retinas have fast jitters. Humans also track moving objects, so homage was paid to the Bearded Buddha by invoking the secular miracle of convergent evolution . Fruit fly liking a coffee fruit, USDA-ARS /  Scott Bauer  (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Tiny things, tiny brains, short lives (probably due to global warming), but with so few photoreceptors, they see rather well. While I still wonder why they bothered with this research, there is a practical benefit in biomimetics. That is, copying the movements of their retinas to help the resolution of cameras. Of course, engineers will not give credit to the Master Engineer and evidence is actually guesswork.

Enceladus Stupid Astrobiology Trick

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Every once in a while, this child gets curious how folks who are edjamakated and have science jobs can be disconnected from logic. Such is the case with NASA, where scientists are still trying to imagine life on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn.  Short form: Mayhaps hydrothermal vents on Enceladus are sources of microbial life, and there may finally be something for astrobiology people to study. I wonder if the publicists were being coached by Russell Watchtower and the hands at the Darwin Ranch's propaganda department, it is so outlandish. Hydrothermal vent, Niua volcano, USGS / PD The word inhabited  was used. It was probably used in reference to microbes, but the connotation is that intelligent life may be found. Maybe it's selling enchiladas on Enceladus. Earth has hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean where hot, nasty stuff comes out but microbes and other life forms are happy to live there. Perhaps the same conditions exist on that moon. Let's get us a passel of grotzits t

He Arrived with Humility

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Study on it a while. Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. God is perfect in holiness and majesty, and everything in creation belongs to him. Jesus is the Creator (John 1:1-3, Heb. 1:2-3, Col. 1:16). He was born in the jerkwater town of Bethlehem, and lived in Nazareth — which was not exactly the Gangnam District of Seoul, savvy? We have all sinned against God, and are deserving of death (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). This began with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1-7). God could have simply made the world go away. The Adoration of the Shepherds   /   Giorgione, 1505-1510 (they all look very white, though) The gap between creation and Creator is unfathomable, so why would he want to come to Earth? Out of love (Rom. 5:8), he emptied  himself , giving up his glory and took human form (Phil. 2:5-8). He was born of a virgin in humble circumstances. He was never regal in his earthly life. One reason for that is that Jesus was acceptable to the common man, not someone only catering to the rich

Science is Scrooged by Evolutionism

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That beloved story by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol , is superficially a story about the conversion of Ebenezer Scrooge from selfishness to kindness and altruism. According to fundamental evolutionism, Darwin intended his theory to be selfish and purposeless in its operation. Because evolution is made of squishy pliable stuff, Darwin's disciples appeal to teleology and design (using Natural Selection and Evolution as entities) and get away with it. This Scrooge of science cannot account for altruism in birds or in animals . Not just niceness out of convenience, but taking risks as well. If you study on it, evolution cannot account for altruism in humans, either. Scrooge looking at his dressing gown, A Christmas Carol  illustration by Arthur Rackham , 1915 Secularists try to evosplain kindness and altruism as something that animals do so they can have better "fitness" and increase their survivability, so animal behavior is a virtue. (Except when it's not. They

Amazing Everglades

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What comes to mind when someone mentions the Everglades down Florida way? Heat, wetlands, alligators, airboats, birds, sock a little poke sallet to me... Sure, those are some obvious traits, but there is a great deal more to this very large subtropical wilderness and national park . Everglades National Park is an amazing ecosystem, but not just one uniform piece of real estate. There are several systems called sub-biomes . Different critters have been equipped by the Master Engineer to survive, adapt, and thrive there. The geological origin is also quite interesting. Everglades, National Park Service / G. Gardner (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Some of the photographs I've shared on my weblogs included flowers that I later learned were "invasive." They are called that because they're not native to an area and get obnoxious by taking over. They're built to survive. The stories of alligators in New York City sewers are mostly myth. Unfortunatel

Some Evolutionary Censorship Tactics

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On Fakebook, I saw an exchange with an angry misotheist who is also an evolutionist and an anti-Christian bigot. It was about " Lizards Foul Up Evolutionary Timeline ," and the misotheist said, "...you never see anything like this in legitimate scientific literature." (Note the genetic fallacy with the word "legitimate".) A supporter showed the references from that featured post including Science , Live Science , and others. This showed that the attacker did not even look at the material, and I reckon self-humiliation is unimportant as long as he expresses hatred. It's who they are and what they do. But what of professional evolutionists? Atlantic white shark, National Park Service / Bill Fisher (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) We have seen that secularists have money and power, so they make the rules. Creationists come along with evidence that is contrary to the faith, and they circle the wagons to fire back or simply exclude unple

Abrupt Climate Changes, Global Warming, and the Genesis Flood

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Why biblical creationists are interested in claims about global climate change may not be readily apparent, but this is made clear when worldviews are taken into account. There are several interrelated factors involved. Sciences like climate change and evolution depend on an old earth, and an a priori refusal to admit that God is the Creator and makes the rules. The world will end according to his timetable, not human activity. In addition, secular science is openly supportive of leftist causes. Now, about those abrupt climate changes... Glacier, FreeImages /  ainhi People who have been frightened by doomsday prophecies by secularists should ride up on the hill and get the big picture. Not only do they reject the Creator who sustains his creation, but their track record on predictions is dismal . Secularists "see" evidence for their presuppositions where none exists, omit inconvenient information, or draw conclusions without considering all relevant facts. They fuel panic, s

Mount Hermon and the Genesis Flood

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Unlike Mt. Sinai , the location of Mt. Hermon seems to be undisputed. (Certain things about its ownership are contested by nations, but never mind about that now.) As it is with other mountainous areas, it is difficult to identify  that one ; Mt. Hermon has three distinct peaks. It is significant in the Bible for several reasons , such as a border marker and probably the place of Jesus' transfiguration. It has also been sacred to other people for a mighty long time. Perhaps there is something to the idea that it was home to the Nephilim? Mount Hermon, Library of Congress , 1905 People have long been interested in end-times prophecy, and it seems to be increasing because of the state of the world today. Mt. Hermon is a focal point for some views. This child is mostly convinced about the identity of the Nephilim, but people have differing views from their own reasons. I have no interest in presenting my beliefs here. Instead, there are things to consider when people who erroneously

Deception in Eye Evolution Story

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The Bearded Buddha admitted that the gradual evolution of the eye seemed absurd. Presupposing his conjectures and refusing to consider any other explanation for the origin of the eye, he believed by blind faith that evidence supporting his ideas would be found. Disciples of Darwin have been trying to meet his challenge for years. There are sidewinders who simply avoid the challenge by saying that the human eye was poorly designed, but such a religious claim is based on opinion, not science. Cat eyes, Pixabay / Christel Sagniez It is not just the human eye, though. There have to be gradual stages of development and organisms had to benefit each step of the way.  National Geographic  attempted to support Charlie in 2016, but that effort was shot down by Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell. A more recent contender arose in something called Visual Capitalist , but this deceptive Just-So Story also fails. Indeed, there is dissent in the ranks about not only the evolution of the eye, but how particles-to