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 have been perusing over Hovind's website, and, after pushing my brain back into my ears (it had started to ooze), am curious. His condition on his $250,000 prize is that you have to prove the following five to have happened/happen beyond reasonable doubt (http://www.drdino.com/cse.asp?pg=250k):
1 Cosmic evolution- the origin of time, space and matter. Big Bang
2 Chemical evolution- the origin of higher elements from hydrogen.
3 Stellar and planetary evolution- Origin of stars and planets.
4 Organic evolution- Origin of life from inanimate matter.
5 Macroevolution Origin of major kinds
I am curious as to what you all think 'beyond reasonable doubt' is. For example, 2 is quite clearly proved already from fusion in stars and supernovae - does anyone know how he thinks stars work? 3 can be observed to be taking place; but it takes a long time so I'm guessing his response would be to claim that we haven't seen anything go from nothing to fully formed.
For 1 do you think we actually have to be able to show him the big bang happening - like create another Universe?
For 5, he classes any two things that cannot reproduce together as different kinds. Does anyone know if people have ever tried taking a group of organisms with a short lifetime and exposing it to radiation/chemicals that cause it to mutate and become unable to reproduce with something it previously could?
Does any of you know if anyone has ever mounted a serious effort to get the money? Or are the goalposts just too moveable?
I also thought some of you might enjoy this (from his website):
Originally Posted by Hovind
The cyanide found in fruit seeds is good for you. I eat apricot seeds all the time and have never had a problem.
Well, I know I'm going to avoid apricot seeds from now on.
Random fact: There are two species of African Elephant (although I have heard that there may be a third).
the goalposts are too moveable, plus you made the fatal error of only focussing on one thing. If you look at his offer in alot more detail, he is attempting to get you to prove atheism, not evolution, added to that the fact that his whole definition of evolution is an hideous strawman. There is a lengthly discussion on talkorigins somewhere I think.
__________________ MSci MSc ARCS DIC PhD..... yes, I am bragging.
Even if you could prove all that, he's still the one who decides if you get the money or not.
Apparently not:
Originally Posted by http://www.drdino.com/cse.asp?pg=250k
The members of the committee of scientists that will judge the evidence are all highly trained, have advanced degrees in science as well as many years of experience in their field. For example: there is a zoologist, a geologist, an aerospace engineer, a professor of radiology and biophysics, and an expert in radio metric dating to name a few.
Obviously they're not going to be impartial though, which means that it might as well be him.
Obviously they're not going to be impartial though, which means that it might as well be him.
he picked them himself, assuming of course that they even exist. I suspect that his secretary confines all enquiries to the cylindrical filing system on the floor. They do this; for example iirc Lucaspa tried phoning in to his radio show to ask a question, and when they checked what his question was going to be (something scientific that Hovind could never cope with even in a months of Sundays) Lucaspa was "mysteriously cut off"
__________________ MSci MSc ARCS DIC PhD..... yes, I am bragging.
That dern Lucaspa, he should have told them he was going to ask a different question, like, "if we came from monkey's why are they smarter than you and me", or something he could have handled.
I think there would probably be no point. He could just claim it was some evil-lotionist trying to decieve everyone and rant on and on until his listeners forgot that there was actually a difficult question at the beginning of it.
no no, the whole thing is a set up, since he is trying to get people to say that evolution is something that it is not. No real scientists take any notice of it, it is just there as a hooked bait to draw his own moronic followers even further into his lair of lies.
__________________ MSci MSc ARCS DIC PhD..... yes, I am bragging.
I'll offer $250,000 to the first person who can prove the following five to have happened/happen beyond reasonable doubt:
1 Direct, Divine creation of time, space and matter.
2 Direct, Divine creation of all elements.
3 Direct, Divine creation of stars and planets.
4 Direct, Divine creation of life from dust.
5 Direct, Divine creation of individual species 6,000 years ago exactly as they are today.
Before you start quoting genesis here... realize that you'll have to live up to a scientific standard of proof. I'll begin paying out submissions right around the time Hovind does.
This thread is all based on one man's outlandish ideas and that thinks he's got all the answers to the questions about creation vs. evolution. My bible tells me that the world was created, Thats good enough for me.........
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