An Argument that Goes Back to Ancient Times

Now that we have looked at why the topic of the origin of life and the universe matters today, we will fly back in time (figuratively, of course, because we have yet to invent that lovely time machine) in order to discover where the current ideas for the origin of the universe and life originated.   

Two basic ideas about how the world came into existence have been circulating for centuries (since the time of the ancient Greeks)¹.  These two ideas are materialism and idealism.  

Materialism says that the source of everything that is seen today is matter and/or energy¹.  Simply put, elementary particles form molecules which then form simple life which then goes on to form complex life that we see today.

The other idea, idealism, states that a preexisting mind created matter¹.  Theism is a version of this idea which states that God is the mind that created this matter.

Both of these ideas are very similar to the models that I are presented in today's times.  Materialism is most like the evolution model and Theism is most like the creation model that we have today.  

Although these ideas have been around since the time of the ancient Greeks, science was not presented to support either of these ideas until the 1860’s¹.  This decade is where we will begin our discussion on Monday.

References:

1.       Meyer, S. (2009). The Evolution of a Mystery and Why It Matters. Signature in the cell [Kindle version]. HarperCollins Publishers.

Origin of Life and the Universe: How does it apply today?

How does the topic of the origin of life and the universe apply to today?

Why does it matter what happened that long ago?

The controversy of the origin of life and the origin of the universe are topics that have been debated frequently in recent years.  Recently, these topics have become popular because of the debate of whether or not creation science should be taught in public schools.  The Supreme Court case Edwards v. Aguillard (1987) declared that requiring creation science to be taught alongside evolution was unconstitutional because it promoted a particular religion¹. 

Through my research of the two models of the origin of life and the universe, I have realized two flaws in the public school systems.  Firstly, the traditional wording of evolution as a theory is quite misleading.  A theory, using scientific terms, is a hypothesis or group of hypothesizes that have been tested repeatedly and have not been disproved².  Therefore, both evolution and intelligent design (also known as creation science) are not theories, but rather models that attempt to explain the origins of life and of the universe².

The second flaw in public school systems is the assumption that the evolution model is scientific, whereas the creation model is merely religious².  Neither models can be tested as the events that occurred happened at one event in time and this event cannot be repeated.  Therefore, science can only propose models that may fit the event that occurred, but conclusions of what had to of occurred cannot be proven by science.

In order to compare the two models and determine which one is more probable, only the scientific aspects of each model should be considered.  In this discussion of the two models, all scriptural references will not be included in order to keep this a purely scientific discussion.

References

1.       Edwards v. Aguillard, 482 U.S. 578 (1987)

2.       Morris, H. M. (1974). Scientific creationism. Master Books.

Creationist and Scientist: What?

"He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion."

Jeremiah 10:12 NKJV

I am a creationist.  That is right, a creationist, but I am also a scientist.  You may be wondering how in the world this is possible, but trust me it is.

I believe that God created the fabulous world around us in six days.  I believe that Jesus Christ lived as both 100% man and 100% God and that he died on the cross and rose on the third day.  I am extremely thankful that Jesus Christ is my Savior.  I believe that the Bible is 100% accurate and 100% relevant to Today’s times.  I believe in the truth of the Bible not only because of my faith, but also because of science.


I love learning about the world around me through science because I believe that I learn more about my God as I study science.

It amazes me at how much He enacted in those six days that He created the world. He created DNA that encodes for all the proteins that make an organism unique from every other organism.  He created all the atoms and their properties.  He created plants that would serve as medicine and animals that would be used for food. He created so many magnificent things in those six days.


I love learning about archaeological discoveries around the world.  I love archaeology because it gives us clues about the past.  I love forensic anthropology and forensic science for the same reason.  It gives us clues about someone’s past.  These clues can be used to determine what may or may not have happened to that person before, during, and after the events that led to his or her death.

This blog, therefore, is about my journey through science and the world around me.  I will be discussing archaeological finds, both recent and not so recent, that deal with the Bible.  I will also be discussing the validity of Creationism versus other theories.  I will also discuss current “hot” topics, such as abortion, and what I believe the Bible says about these topics.

My discussions will not solely be based upon my opinions on the matter, but will be based on scholarly research of both the Biblical and extra-biblical nature.  I plan on posting on this blog on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so let us continue this conversation on Wednesday with the most logical beginning for our discussion:  Creationism.

References:

[Untitled photograph of the Bible and DNA]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2013, from      
       http://www.bible-reflections.net/articles/should-the-church-embrace-or-fight-science/3050/