The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his070/orig4.lzh/ORIG4.TXT

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ORG:Creation: God's plan or random chance?  by George LeBret

   1. God's plan or random chance.

   God's Word explains how the universe and life on earth are a part of
God's eternal plan. The only alternative to divine creation is
evolution, a sequence of randomly operating processes. To an
evolutionist, these random physical and chemical processes replace God
and carry out their own creative acts. The forward of the 1971 edition
of Darwin's Origin of the Species states "[The theory of evolution]
forms a satisfactory faith on which to base our interpretation of
nature." Having replaced God with natural processes, the evolutionist
concludes that there is no accountability for sin.

   1.1. God's plan.

   1.1.1. God existed before creation (Ps 90.2; Col 1.16-17; 1 Pet
1.20; Jn 17.24).

   1.1.2. God designed His entire plan for the ages in eternity past
(Ps 104.1-5, 31-35; Job 38.4; Rev 13.8).

   1.1.3. Creation was designed to bring glory to God (Ps 104.1-4,
31-35; Ps 148.5; Col 1.16-17; Rev 4.9-11.

   1.1.4. God's plan included man (Ps 8.3-6; Acts 17.23-26).

   1.1.5. Jesus Christ created the heavens, Earth, and all life forms
complete in 7 days (Gen. 1; Ex. 20.11; Neh 9.6; Job 38.4, 31-33; Jn
1.1-3; Col 1.16-17).

   1.1.6. The promises to Israel are backed by creation (Is 40.1-14).

   1.1.7. Creation was cursed because of mankind (Rom 8.12). (Entropy
follows this principal and applies to all systems).

   1.1.8. God's plan continues beyond creation (Ps 102.26; Mt 24.35).

   1.1.9. God will have a Big Bang and new creation (Is 65.17; 2 Pet 3).

   1.2. The evolutionist is left to natural processes.

   1.2.1. Common physical and chemical phenomenon (gravity, magnetism,
molecular forces) are not understood (Col 1.16-17).

   1.2.2. The evolutionist has nothing but these forces to appeal to
without God.

   1.2.3. Faith is placed in these processes (Rom 1.18-22).

   1.2.4. Starting with the assumption that there is no God, the
evolutionist concludes there was no creative act: No God ---> No
creation ---> No Adam ---> No original sin ---> No accountability for
sin ---> No Savior.

   1.3. Scientific facts will demonstrate that creation is much more
reasonable than evolution.

   2. Seven days of creation.

   Execution of God's eternal plan started in the 7 literal days of
creation. All matter, energy, and life forms were created directly by
God. The evolutionist ideas dealing with the creation of the universe
(Big Bang, Steady State) do not answer the questions of 1st cause.

   2.1. Summary of creation (Gen 1.1).

   2.1.1. Beginning - God started time

   2.1.2. Heavens - God created space

   2.1.3. Earth - God created matter

   2.2. God created light (Gen 1.3-5).

   2.2.1. In our experience matter and energy are constant.

   2.3. God created the canopy, atmosphere and hydrosphere (Gen 1.6-8).

   2.3.1. The canopy controlled climate and radiation.

   2.4. God created land and plants (Gen 1.9-13).

   2.5. God created the sun, moon, planets, and stars (Gen 1.14-19).

   2.6. God created water life and birds (Gen 1.20-23).

   2.7. God created animals including man and woman (Gen 1.24-31). Man
and woman are detailed in Gen 2.5-22.

   2.8. One day was 24 hours (2 Pet 3).

   3. Theories of origin.

   3.1. The most popular evolutionist ideas are the Big Bang and Steady
State.

   3.2. The "Big Bang" is defined as an explosion of all the matter and
energy in the universe 10 billion years ago.

   3.2.1. Very popular, but no evidence.

   3.2.2. Contradicts entropy.

   3.2.3. System like earth requires two explosions.

   3.3. The steady state idea is a gradual buildup through
gravitational attraction upon moving particles. This requires eternal
matter. This is the only alternative to the Big Bang. This idea is kept
around for scientists to fall back on when Big Bang predictions turn
out backwards.

   4. Noah's flood. God unleashed forces upon the crust of the earth
during the great flood resulted in the geologic features and processes
we see today.

   4.1. Chronology of the flood.

   4.1.1. God warned Noah (Gen 6.13).

   4.1.2. 120 years to build the ark, gather animals (Gen 6.3-22).

   4.1.3. 7 day warning - load the ark (Gen 7.4-10).

   4.1.4. Flood starts: Fountains of deep open, floodgates of sky open,
rain falls (Gen 7.11-12).

   4.1.5. Waters rise for 40 days (Gen 7.17).

   4.1.6. Mountains covered (Gen 7.20).

   4.1.7. Air breathers die (Gen 21-22).

   4.1.8. Flood level maintained 110 more days (Gen 7.24, 8.3).

   4.1.9. Waters begin to subside 150 days after start. Wind passes
over the earth, fountains of the deep close, flood gates of the sky
close, rain is restrained (Gen 8.1-3).

   4.1.10. Ark rests on Ararat (Gen 8.4).

   4.1.11. Mountain tops visible in 74 days (Gen 8.5).

   4.1.12. Raven released 40 days later (Gen 8.6-7).

   4.1.13. Dove released 7 days later (implied) (Gen 8.10).

   4.1.14. Second dove released 7 days later; olive leaf (Gen 8.10).

   4.1.15. Third dove released 7 days later; did not return (Gen 8.12).

   4.1.16. Ground dry 29 days later (Gen 8.13).

   4.1.17. Noah commanded to leave 57 days later (Gen 8.14-19).

   4.1.18. A total of 371 days on the ark.

   4.1.19. Promise of weather and seasons (Gen 8.22).

   4.1.20. Cloud and rainbow given as covenant of no more floods (Gen
9.8-17).

   4.2. Geologic method: multiple working hypotheses. Any facts will
support or refute certain hypotheses.

   4.3. A correlation of Major Geologic features and Noah's flood, a
working hypothesis.

   4.3.1. All those animals and food? Yes, the ark had 3 decks with a
total capacity of over 520 rail road box cars.

   4.3.2. Sources of water.

   4.3.2.1. Fountains of the deep could refer to volcanic vents.

   4.3.2.2. Floodgates of heaven; a water vapor canopy would flood from
the sky with increased volcanic activity.

   4.3.2.3. A decrease in atmospheric pressure and temperature at the
same time would cause great rain storms.

   4.3.3. Plate tectonics initiated at this time. The one way trip of
plates across the mantle of the earth began at a time of massive
extinction of animals and great geologic change. Modern tectonic
(motion of earth) events are a residual of the motion initiated during
the flood.

   4.3.4. Non-volcanic mountains must form rapidly if they are to have
their current structure (today's tall mountains have formed since the
flood).

   4.3.5. Unique and enormous flood basalts were deposited under water
(pillows, lake beds, petrified wood, soil).

   4.3.6. Erosional features indicate rivers larger than any on earth
today (Spokane).

   4.3.7. Sedimentary rocks were deposited in situations not known to
the earth today (sheets of sandstone, massive fossil beds, coal,
Palouse hills). 4.3.8. Polar ice caps. There is no widely held
mechanism for the formation of ice caps. Antarctica is a desert. The
canopy flood theory offers a possible explanation. Other ice age
features are better explained by the flood also (frozen mammoths,
Spokane gravels).

   5. Age of the earth. Lines of evidence indicating a young age of the
earth far outweigh evidence for an old age of the earth. The best
scientific methods produce ages which correspond with Biblical ages of
the earth.

   Evidence for the Age of the Earth

   Young Age

   1. Volcanism (continental accretion) 2. Water Formation 3. Meteoric
Dust (earth and moon) 4. Soil Formation 5. Human Population Statistics
6. Decay of Earth's 7. Scarcity of Helium 8. The Earth-Moon System 9.
Tree Ring Dating 10. Comets 11. Pleochroic Halos 12. Rotation of Earth
13. Revolution of Planets 14. Salt in the Sea

   Old Age

   1. Radiometric Dating 2. Size of Universe

   6. What is evolution?

   6.1. Evolution is a philosophy which affects all areas of life. The
key philosophic question is "Where did we come from?" The two currently
popular models of evolution stand in absolute contradiction with each
other. From the ancient ideas through the modern models only the major
concept - origin and propagation of life forms without God - remains
unchanged. Evolution provides the humanist with an answer to this apart
from God.

   6.1.1. Many specialists work in the context of assuming evolution to
be true while they are not really aware of why they believe evolution.

   6.1.2. This leads to turmoil (Marx, Hitler) and dehumanizing man (Ps
8.4).

   6.2. What are the ideas of the origin of life?

   6.2.1. God stated that He created life forms that reproduce after
their own kind (Gen 1.11,21,24,29).

   6.2.2. Ancient Greeks had attributed life to processes that work
apart from God: Thales (600 BC), life arose from the sea; Heraclitus,
life was transposed; Aristotle ( 300 BC) proposed an evolutionary scale.

   6.2.3. Paul recognized that people ascribed God's creative power to
idols (Rom 1.23) and god's of animism.

   6.2.4. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1790) - evolution through inherited
characteristics - environment causes changes.

   6.2.5. Charles Darwin - natural selection (survival of the fittest).

   6.2.6. Hugo DeVries (1900) - called attention to Mendel's work and
added mutations.

   6.2.7. Neo-Darwinism - natural selection is the key element, and
mutation is the natural random process that produces a gradual change
from one species to another. This is one of the most widely accepted
views today.

   6.2.8. Punctuated equilibrium ("Hopeful Monster") - long periods of
equilibrium of a species are interrupted by sudden and major changes in
the species. From a small beginning 40 years ago, this view has gained
major acceptance. Although no possible mechanism is offered, this view
does fit the fossil record better.

   6.3. There are some common factors in all evolutionary arguments.

   6.3.1. They offer an alternative to God's creative acts; God and
evolution are mutually exclusive. It is not uncommon for someone to
hold an idea because special creation is the only other option.

   6.3.2. All require spontaneous generation, the idea that life sprang
from non-life through random "natural process".

   6.3.2.1. Spontaneous generation has been completely discredited.

   6.3.2.2. The idea of a self changing/self duplicating molecule
arising from random molecules acted upon by random forces is not
established in any portion. Assumptions about the state of the pre-life
earth's physical conditions are based entirely on what spontaneous
generation would demand, and then the ideas still don't work. Miller
and Fox did not duplicate any possible natural condition and what they
developed was nowhere near life from non-life. With clones, DNA,
genetic engineering or viruses, only life reproduces life.

   6.3.2.3. The Pan-spermia idea (life from outer space) only postpones
the ultimate origin question.

   6.3.3. All call upon "natural processes" that have never been
observed or defined. The process of spontaneous generation has never
been duplicated in a laboratory. No new species has ever been observed
even though we can greatly accelerate rates of mutation, fruit flies
are still fruit flies, bacteria is still bacteria (although they may be
deformed). No new structure has ever been observed to form.

   6.3.4. All require an enormous time frame. If you ask "why don't we
see evolution?" the answer given is "evolution takes place over
billions of years and we have just never been at the right place at the
right time".

   6.4. Defusing evolution. Geologists credit biologists with the
evidence for evolution while biologists credit geologists with the firm
evidence.

   6.4.1. The fossil record. The main issue of the fossil record is the
order of appearance of animals. The fossil record matches creation of
Biblical "kinds" perfectly. The lack of "intermediate forms" or
"missing links" was the basis of punctuated equilibrium. Common
pictures of the evolution of the horse and man are scientific
distortions.

   6.4.1.1. A fossil is any record of previous life. Because of rapid
decay on the surface fossils must be rapidly buried (volcanic ash,
flood). There are numerous methods of fossilization; petrification
(replacement of wood by silica), a mold, a cast, a preserved shell, a
foot print, freezing.

   6.4.2. Comparative anatomy (comparing different parts).
Evolutionists claim that different organisms have similar parts because
they had a common origin. One important question is which parts should
be compared with which animal. It would be more sensible to look for a
comparative DNA (it is all made out of the same chemicals). Comparison
of DNA does not match any evolutionary scheme. Comparative anatomy fits
the idea of a creator reusing a design that works well (fins on a fish,
shark, whale).

   6.4.3. Vestigial structures (useless relics of evolution). Uses have
been found for all 180 of these.

   6.4.4. Phylogeny recapitulates ontogeny (development of embryo is an
instant replay of evolutionary history). Embryologists reject this
idea, mainly found in textbooks. The presence of this idea in current
books is an illustration of how hard it is to get rid of an idea that
does not work.

   6.4.5. Geographic distribution. The abundance of marsupials in
Australia is more of a problem for evolutionists than a solution. The
variation of a species over an area (frogs) is an example of genetic
variety, not evolution. This concept is usually called upon as one of
the major controlling factors of evolution.

   6.4.6. Controlled breeding. No matter how you breed dogs, you still
get dogs - a Biblical "kind".

   6.4.7. Genetics. Genetic engineering may result in altered
structures or operation, but even with man (not random chance)
controlling changes, no new kinds are developed.

   6.5. Important factors evolutionists don't often consider.

   6.5.1. Evolution is a complete contradiction to the second law of
thermodynamics. Evolution demands an ordering of matter from
spontaneous generation.

   6.5.2. Simple forms of life do not exist. Some are smaller, have
fewer parts, yet they carry out all necessary life processes.

   6.5.3. Half developed structures would be harmful (eyes, ears,
wings).

   6.5.4. Relationships among unrelated organisms (mimicry, mutualism).
Mimicry is one organism protecting itself by looking like another
organism. Mutualism is two organisms which are interdependent.

   6.5.5. 600,000,000 years is not enough time for all the necessary
transitions. If evolution were true we would expecrt one new species
every six years.

   7. Defusing evolution. Every line of evidence ever proposed as a
"proof" of evolution has fallen short. Ideas dealing with the evolution
of the first organic molecule and the first life forms are without
mathematical or scientific bases. There is no evidence or workable
process which would change one species into another species.

   Further reading: Geology: The Genesis Flood, by John C. Whitcomb and
Henry M. Morris, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company
(major revision will appear in about a year). General works: Scientific
Creationism, ed. by Henry M. Morris, Creative Life Publishers. Fossil
record: Evolution: The Fossils Say No!, by Duane T. Gish, Creation Life
Publishers. Humanism: The King of Creation.

   Copyright 1989 by George LeBret You are allowed to reproduce this
article only in its entirety and without additions or deletions.