Creation & EvolutionForum for the discussion of this important topic. This forum is open to non-believers. There is a Christians-only forum in the Christians-only section too.
I was skimming through an online bible, and I am sure I must have missed a bit. the second law of thermodynamics... I am sure it must be in there somewhere since most fundamentalists seem to adhere to this law like their entire salvation depends on it. perhaps it is an incorrect version and I missed it because I was looking for entropy rather than decay. what is it with fundamentalists misunderstanding this so abused law of physics?
__________________ MSci MSc ARCS DIC PhD..... yes, I am bragging.
you can apply a law of man to a theory respectively.
How can you apply faith to a theory of man?
I don’t see in what aspect a law of man can be used as a weapon of faith, to disprove a theory of man. So I don’t see why people would be using such an idea as a backing to faith, to disprove evolution
Or vise-versa
Last edited by USAF; 25th November 2003 at 06:05 AM.
Well you were referring to an online bible and how salvation depends on a law of mans science
My point is that there are 2 completely separate discussions
Are you asking about salvation + 2LOD or Entropy vs. decay?
I am not saying that salvation depends on it, I am just pointing out how some Creationists seem to cling to the second law as if their entire faith depended on it. they even announce that it is a LAW and not a THEORY .... sometimes in bold or italics (illustrating their lack of knowledge of what the words mean) it is quite perplexing to me why they just don't let it go when they are repeatedly shown that they are wrong.
__________________ MSci MSc ARCS DIC PhD..... yes, I am bragging.
I am not saying that salvation depends on it, I am just pointing out how some Creationists seem to cling to the second law as if their entire faith depended on it. they even announce that it is a LAW and not a THEORY .... sometimes in bold or italics (illustrating their lack of knowledge of what the words mean) it is quite perplexing to me why they just don't let it go when they are repeatedly shown that they are wrong.
The second law is a law and not a theory. There is a theoretical formulation in statistical mechanics, due to Boltzmann in classical mechanics and Gibbs in quantum systems, that explains second law behavior with some success in those systems that behave according to the fundamental postulates of statistical mechanics, but the second law as decribed by Clausius was based purely on observations of Carnot cycles in heat engines.
While many but not all creationists do indeed claim that evolution violates the second law none can specify which step required for evolution violates the second law. Since no step required for evolution can be shown to violate the second evolution can not be shown to violate the second law.
I am sure it must be in there somewhere since most fundamentalists seem to adhere to this law like their entire salvation depends on it. perhaps it is an incorrect version and I missed it because I was looking for entropy rather than decay. what is it with fundamentalists misunderstanding this so abused law of physics?
Of course, they are misinterpreting both the science and the theology when they say that the second law and the Bible falsify evolution. However, the Biblical concept of decay bears some (loose) resemblance to the second law.
The basic theology is this: the Bible says the world (the universe?) is prone to decay. IOW, everything we see, including our physical bodies, decays to such an extent that it will eventually be destroyed (or rendered useless) in that process. In this sense, we see some compatibility with entropy. The second law tells us that while the total energy in the universe is fixed, it becomes less useful over time (waste heat). (you can see some compatibility, right?)
The real trouble is, according to the Bible, because we have chosen the world over God, then our spiritual selves are now linked to the pattern of this world. IOW, they too are prone to decay and become less useful over time (and will ultimately be detroyed in the process). Here the analogy of a preservative comes in handy (to prevent decay). Thats why the Gospels refer to the 'salt of the earth'. The body of Christ can prevent such spiritual decay.
Obviously, no one needs to refer to the 2nd law to grasp the theology. Just look at how an old piece of meat rots or how a human grows old and dies. Thats what the Bible was referring to when it speaks of 'decay'.
Linear Mode
