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Thousands.....not Billions

Ryal Kane

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Well kudos for coming back Arafax. I was starting to wonder there for a while. :sorry:

My big problem with these mega multi arguements is that they get SOO hard to quote! So I'll just stick to a few buller points and try to cover things.

On Definitions:

I understand your point about definitions and it certainly is important to pin meanings down. But I've never seen Cosmic or Chemical evolution mentioned by anyone apart from Hovind or those echoing him. Textbooks might refer to cosmology or chemistry but they don't do so in respect to evolution.
But you did at least define The Theory of Evolution as relating to 'Macro Evolution' so that's pinned down. Yah!

On Kind:

Well you've given us the most clear cut definition of 'kind' that I have ever seen on these boards so that deserves some praise. :clap:
But it still leaves something to be desired. It's too flexible to say that they can interbreed but sometimes can't. In this case how does one decide what fits in a kind? It can't be purely breeding because some kinds can't interbreed. So what you are left with is a system of purely arbitrary definition. Unless you're going to use genetics of course but then you need to define the genetic specifics of a kind.

On Macro Evolution.

I know you're going to say 'But it's still a (lets say) Rabbit.'
You accept Micro evolution so lets add an accumulation of micro.
The rabbit now has shorter ears. (I can't say why exactly but it's quite concievable.)
This short eared rabbit starts spending a lot more time above ground and less in tunnels. It's limbs become a little, longer, allowing them to run faster.
The environment starts heating up and their thick fur becomes a burden so they end up with shorter fur. In this hotter environment isn't as good for greens but there are a lot of small bugs around. Rabbits that are better at deriving nurients from bugs become more prevalent. It's just micro evolution.
Over time they become more dependant on bugs than grass. They start hunting them. Then the bugs start fying out but there are still shrews. Because of ths digestive shift to bugs, they can now get some nutrients from eating shrews. Those that are better breed more often. Shrews of course are hard to chace and catch so bigger, faster long legged rabits are better at it.
So now we have a shorteared, long legged, surface dwelling predator.
It's only been small changes over time. Is it still a rabbit? If thise is impossible, why?

On New Information:
You'll need to define what information is. Genetic mutations can add more genes. For example AGGAT becomes AGGATT which can be a very different thing. How is this not new information? It's like arguing that we can't create new words becase we just use the same letters.
The new information arguement falls apart because mutations can and do generate an increase in genes.
(If you say this is impossible because of the 2nd law of Thermodynamics I'm so gonna slap ya! :mad: )

On answersingenesis and aig

The problem with their mission statements is not that hey believe the world to be 6000 years old. It's that there can never be anything EVER to prove they are wrong.
If scientists came across evidence that the universe was a trillion years old then they would probably check if it was an error. They'll double check it and get someone else to examine the results. It will be put before the scientistific community and there will be much debate. But if the evidence shows that the universe is in fact much much older than believed, they will accept it.
But the missions statements of the creationists above say that any evidence that refutes them will be wrong and ignored. Flat out ignored.
Imagine if I applied that to other areas. For example (And I don't mean to offend anyone with this statement) Imagine if I asserted that all crime was committed by men. It is my groups mission statement that all crime is committed by men and any evidence contradicting that must be wrong.
Show me a case of a crime committed by a woman and I will ignore it and dismiss it as wrong. I will only ever read and present evidence that supports my theory.
Surely you must see what's wrong with this!

On Kent Hovind.
If I can lie faster than you can tell the truth does that make me right?
If I can win a crowd over with my lies, does that make me right?
He is a very good speaker. But he is not a scientist. He is a show man.
He can be corrected on points and then he'll use the same arguement the next day to a different audience, usually one stacked to his beliefs.
He refuses any written debate, claiming that he doesn't have time.
In truth, it's just that a written debate allows lies to be refuted thoroughly.

Okay. I think that covers everything.
And though you may be derided on the boards a little (it's inevitable We evolutionists are so jaded :sigh: ) You are doing fairly well at explaining yourself and offering replies to questions. Keep it up.
But if you start a new thread, try and stick to a specific topic. It makes things a whole lot clearer.
 
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Oliver

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I second the suggestions of several posters, Arafax: you should stick to one or a few points at first. With so many points in the OP, this thread will get useless pretty quickly as you'll not have the time to answer everyone on every point. Besides, It'll make it easier for lurkers to follow.
 
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Timius

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Caphi said:


Er, not to nitpick, but helium is created out of four hydrogen atoms. The process emanates four photons, as the two "extra" electrons annihilate themselves against the two positrons emanated as two protons convert themselves into neutrons. Just clarifying here.


I think Mystman meant that the most common fusion reaction (as used in fusion reactors on earth), is between 2H and 3H (deuterium and tritium), both of which are isotopes of hydrogen. So nuclear fusion can infact take place between just 2 hydrogen atoms, just not between two 1H atoms :p

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power#The_D-T_fuel_cycle

:)
 
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Timius

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Arafax said:
No way to produce complex atoms. Aside from hydrogen and helium, which are quite simple, there is no way that loose gas in space can form itself into complex atoms (elements above helium)


Says who?


Arafax said:
"To many astronomers it seems reasonable that stars could form from these clouds of gas. Most astronomers believe that the clouds gradually contract under their own weight to form stars. This process has never been observed, but if it did occur, it would take many human lifetimes. It is known that clouds do not spontaneously collapse to form stars. The clouds possess considerable mass, but they are so large that their gravity is very feeble. Any decrease in size would be met by an increase in gas pressure that would cause a cloud to re-expand". - Danny Faulkner, Ph.D. Astronomy

So here we have one (1) astronomer who says X, and most (a lot) astronomers who say a different thing. Moreover, if the one (1) astronomer is correct, it would require a rewriting of the entire scientific model, while the view held by most (a lot) astronomers fits perfectly in scientific model. (read: just saying "that is nonsense!" isn't enough. You actually need to give a better theory. And no, just "God did it" isn't a better theory.)

Hmz, I wonder who is correct...

But not only that, he even admits that it is perfectly possible for stars to form by themselves, with the only "problem" being that it would take many human lifetimes! But wait.. wasn't the universe supposed to be 15 billion years old anyway? Read about 250.000.000 human lifetimes? Ah, guess there is no problem at all anyway ^^
 
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Mr. QWERTY

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Quote:
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Originally Posted by: Arafax
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"To many astronomers it seems reasonable that stars could form from these clouds of gas. Most astronomers believe that the clouds gradually contract under their own weight to form stars. This process has never been observed, but if it did occur, it would take many human lifetimes. It is known that clouds do not spontaneously collapse to form stars. The clouds possess considerable mass, but they are so large that their gravity is very feeble. Any decrease in size would be met by an increase in gas pressure that would cause a cloud to re-expand". - Danny Faulkner, Ph.D. Astronomy


Arafax,

Why do christians keep relying on the argument that "things have never been observed"? You cite it above as a criticism of astronomical theory. Many others cite it as a criticism of evolution, stating that we have never seen evolution actually occur in a lab situation. Yet others use this argument against continental drift, etc, etc, etc.

Do you not realize the logical extension of this argument? If we accept that things must be directly observed, that is an argument against god. You are being hypocritical if you expect this argument to work against scientific processes, but not expecting it to work against god.

As an example: I have not seen evolution happen directly, but I have seen all sorts of evidence for evolution. Therefore I accept the TOE as valid and true. But you say that this is not logical. I would then have to turn the argument on you. You have not seen god, but you have seen (I assume) evidence that leads to you believe god exists. Therefore you accept god. But, if I can not use indirect evidence to prove evolution, you cannot use indirect evidence to prove god.

BTW, I do not accept god, because I have not seen any evidence leading me to believe in him, so I am being consistent in my arguments.

Can any christian address this point? Why do christians have different levels of proof for different things?
 
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70judge

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wow. science has some things it does not have all the answers for so you reject it yet you are willing to believe that some unseen deity in the sky just spoke and everything we see today just popped up from nothing. think about it.

Arafax said:
I am back with my topic as I promised in another thread. No 'running away with my tail between my legs' as someone so eloquently put.

First off, I am a Young Earth Creationist. I have been studying this topic for 6 years. I am only 20 years old, but I consider this one of my hobbies. I have read tons of textbooks and articles on Evolution.I read the latest articles and watch the documentaries (as boring as they can be). I find the topic very interesting.

I made my decision that evolution is a joke, independant of others views. I recognized serious flaws in the evolution theory. Circular reasoning is very prominent it seems! I plan on becoming an Anthropologist. The course looks like a blast! I have been in a good share of debates. No big ones for awhile though (I have been swamped with work and making music, check out my profile for more info).

One thing I have noticed is that when I keep putting forth the evidences and stuff, the evolutionists tend to get REAL mad. Seriously, I don't really know why. I hope that you guys stay cool headed and reasonable. I debate to have fun and to learn. So I hope you see where I am coming from. So be in good spirits and I hope to have an interesting debate. I will try to be as respectful as possible. I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings or anything. Like I said, keep a cool head. People I debate tend to get mad quick. Don't worry, I don't get mad, I get......I.....hmmm.......yeah, I got nuttin'.

Let me start out with this little bit that outlines the definitions of evolution. In this debate I hope you guys use your terms wisely. It makes a world of difference.

MACRO Evolution - the change of one kind of animal to another in a great amount of time. i.e. reptile to bird

COSMIC Evolution - the origin of time space and matter i.e. The Big Bang

CHEMICAL Evolution - the origin of higher elements from hydrogen.

STELLAR and PLANETARY Evolution - Origin of Stars and Planets. No one has ever seen a star form.

ORGANIC Evolution - origin of life i.e. Abiogenesis

MICRO Evolution - Variations within a kind

The only one scientific is MICRO Evo. It is proven. Scientifically varifiable.


So, you asked for some predictions that the Creation model gives. Well, here is a couple articles. Lots to read and lots of big words, so put on your thinking cap. You guys wanted 3, I give you more. One of you said Well, than. I hope you are more than surprised.;)

http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=329

http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=371

http://www.trueorigin.org/helium01.asp

http://www.creationresearch.org/crsq/articles/21/21_3/21_3.html

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i3/physics.asp


Now, to start off, I am not 'full of my self' or 'arrogant'. Nothing of the sort. I debate to have fun. I do these debates to have a blast. Good times are had, in my opinion. I won't be retreating with my 'tail between my legs'. How ridiculous. If you looked at your own statements it would depict that the only arrogance here is on your part.





I hope you guys are open enough to understand the implications of your own words and the hypocrisy therein. Ok, so if I do somehow come across as arrogant or something, just let me know and I will apologize and correct myself. I have no intention of coming across that way. I am just here to show you what I know. I do debates to learn as well. Call me loser, but I like to learn! I love science. I have no idea why. (I'm a closet nerd it seems)


You guys also had a bunch of misconceptions and misunderstandings. Perhaps some creationists that you have delt with came across this way to you, but it is not universally true. You said:




Scientifically speaking, we don't just say 'Oh God did it'. No, what it seems is a constant is that Evolutionists (can I call you that? any preference?) have no idea what a Creationist is. They have no idea what research can be done. You seem to have this block in your mind that can't let you see past GOD in Creationism. Creationism bases itself in the assumption that God created everything. Creationism goes on to make predictions about the physical universe based on the assumption that it was created by God, not by 'time'. It DOES NOT fill in the 'gaps' with God.

It is like this. Look at Mount Rushmore. Observe it and tell me what created it. Was it the wind? Water? Or Man? You can obviously tell that it was created by Man. The same can be done with the physical universe. There is SO much in relation to this it is unfathomable.

They make the predictions mostly like this, "What would *topic in question* be like if it was created by God?". They then proceed to make scientifically based predictions on what they think would be the result. Studies are than conducted to support their predictions. That is science. They have various methods of making predictions and conducting studies using the Creationism model. The Biblical Creationism model is getting the most results.




See, you miss the beautiful thing about Creationism and the Bible. God did not have to state directly the age of the Earth. The Bible is well chronicled. The people in the Bible are well documented and chronicled. Including their ages. There is MANY things in the Bible that can explain things we see today. Here is link to a graphical representation to describe what I mean.
http://anchorstone.com/chronology2.html

So using this, Creationists came up with the 6000 years old Earth premise. But it is not without merit. Science is providing MUCH evidence to support the Young Earth Creation model.
So do you see? The age of the earth can be determined Biblically, than based on that, many things begin to make sense. Many things in which we observe in the physical universe.

Here are some examples, and I repeat, only some. There is tons.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/4005.asp
Actually go here, it has a ton of articles that may be of interest. I recommend you actually read them.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/young.asp





Here is what the Big Bang theory teaches:

When nothing gets together. The emptiness is supposed to have gathered together in one place, and gotten so thick that the "nothing" exploded-and blew itself into hydrogen gas

Laws appear. The laws of nature somehow invented themselves during the explosion

Gas gets into clumps. Then the outward exploding gas supposedly gathered itself into clumps.

A universe of explosions. The loose, outward flowing gas next decided to push itself into stars. Then all the stars began exploding in super-nova explosions. But, just before light rays from the explosions could reach our planet in our time in history, the explosions are said to have conveniently stopped

Heavier elements made. Those explosions are supposed to have made all the heavier elements (those above hydrogen and helium).

Rearranging time. In order to adapt to the theory, the supposed age of the universe has been pushed back to a theoretical age of 15 billion years, when the Big Bang is said to have occurred.

Again, you may think it is a 'pretty good theory', but with all do respect, you are mistaken. The theory is a big dud. In fact I had determined this using pure logic when I was in Elementary school! I had thought about the two commonly used forms of the Big Bang. I thought of the explosion and expansion theory. Explosion is ruled out do to many fundamental rules of physics. Current science also renders the expansion theory useless. Put together the pieces and a picture forms.

To say the Big Bang doesn't make leaps of faith is ridiculous. It assumes the existence of things that have never been observed.

Big bang theory relies on a growing number of hypothetical entities-things that we have never observed. Inflation, dark matter, and dark energy are the most prominent. Without them, there would be fatal contradictions between the observations made by astronomers and the predictions of the big bang theory. In no other field of physics would this continual recourse to new hypothetical objects be accepted as a way of bridging the gap between theory and observation. It would, at the least, raise serious questions about the validity of the underlying theory. But the big bang theory can’t survive without these fudge factors. Lerner, Eric (2004), “Bucking the Big Bang,” New Scientist, 20, May 22.

Here is another excerpt

Look at the facts,” says Riccardo Scarpa of the European Southern Observatory in Santiago, Chile. “The basic big bang model fails to predict what we observe in the universe in three major ways.” The temperature of today’s universe, the expansion of the cosmos, and even the presence of galaxies, have all had cosmologists scrambling for fixes. “Every time the basic big bang model has failed to predict what we see, the solution has been to bolt on something new-inflation, dark matter and dark energy,” Scarpa says. Chown, Marcus (2005), “Did the Big Bang Really Happen?,” New Scientist, July 2

The Big Bang has NOTHING going for it. Nothing. There is plenty more against it. Real science.


To say 'Creationists rely on the supernatural when they have gaps in their knowledge. Scientists can not do that.' is again, with all do respect, ignorant. So tell me, where did you come up with that? Did you come up with it yourself or did an evolutionist tell you that? Most evolutionists have no business defining what Creationists believe in, considering most only see the GOD part in Creationism.

They may comment if they truly understand what Creationism is about. Sadly most have no clue. They may also comment if they understand what THEY believe in. For YOUR beliefs are grounded in metaphysical principles to 'fill in the gaps'.

Creationists don't 'rely' on the supernatural to find the answers. Do you see us saying, 'Oh God did that! Oh, and that too! But cuz God did it means we can't say how, but God did it and that is our answer!'.
Heck no! If you see a Creationist saying that you have my permission to smack them upside the proverbial head. Creationism uses science to explain the physical universe. Science. Got it? Ok.

The premise is based on that God 'did it', but Creationists use science and the physical universe to support this premise. You can discover lots about an artist when looking at his art. Creationism makes predictions as well, as I have previously shown. The Creation model is not to be scoffed at. You may scoff, but you are hindering the advancement of science with your misconceptions.
Not a complicated thing to understand what creationism is.





With all do respect, could you make that statement sound any more ignorant? "Without evolution we don't have biology" Huh? Would YOU care to support that statement, or is it a statement that 'you will likely never back up'.







Oi. Are you kidding or are you really serious? Cuz I don't see how my statement could have been misinterpreted. I said EVIDENCE of a Creator can be found. NOT PROOF! Big difference. If we found proof than that would, in effect, PROVE the existence of God. The existence of God cannot be proven. BUT evidence can and has been found for the existence of God. Using the 'Mount Rushmore' method is a very effective way. There are other methods as well.


So yeah, that is my start off post. Please, I welcome you guys to reply with whatever you may have. I look forward to it.

Like I said before, I debate to have fun, I recommend you do too. So keep it civil. Oh, yeah, please don't forget to use the PREFIXES of evolution I gave in the beginning of the post. They are VITAL to debating properly.:thumbsup:
 
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