Creationism and the Galapagos Islands

ONCE AGAIN, dear reader, your Curmudgeon brings you the view from Answers in Genesis (AIG), one of the major sources of creationist wisdom. They have posted an article that retraces not only Darwin’s visit to the Galapagos Islands, but also his thinking, in order to show where the great man went wrong: Finding God in Galapagos.

The author is Dr. Roger Sanders. We’re informed that he earned his PhD in botany from the University of Texas. Currently he is “the [sic] associate professor of science at Bryan College and is assistant director of CORE (Center for Origins Research).” [Curmudgeonly query: Is this man really “the” associate professor of science?]

To be properly oriented for this article, you should know that Bryan College, according to Wikipedia, is located in Dayton, Tennessee, and “was established in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial, which took place in Dayton with William Jennings Bryan prosecuting John Scopes for the crime of teaching evolution.”

Hey, we found the author’s page at Bryan College’s website: Dr. Roger Sanders. No professional publications are listed, but it mentions his academic specialties, among which is baraminology. Surely you know what Baraminology is. According to Wikipedia: “Baraminology is a creationist system for classifying life into groups having no common ancestry, called “baramins”. Classification is based on a literal creationist reading of ‘kinds’ in Genesis …”

Okay, now we’re ready to look at some excerpts from this scholar’s article. The bold font was added by us. The article begins, promisingly enough, by correcting a commonly-held misconception, and then it foreshadows the author’s personal conclusion:

Darwin discovered evolution on the Galápagos Islands — a popular story, yes, but it’s not true. Darwin’s ideas were formulated much later, drawn from a variety of sources. If Darwin had interpreted the islands from a biblical perspective, he might have reached a very different conclusion.

Okay, let’s dive right into it:

To Darwin’s surprise, many of the animals and plants were similar to what he had seen earlier on the continent of South America. And there were often multiple species of each sort, more similar to one another than to any species outside the islands. Trained in England to believe in the “doctrine of creation of each separate species,” he was astonished at what he had found in the wider world.

Why would a Creator put similar but discrete species on islands and then make them look most similar to species on the nearest continent? This was the sort of question that Darwin’s trip made him ask.

That’s not bad. Much of the article is like that, actually. For example:

Darwin recognized that most of the animals and plants in the Galápagos were unique, and yet they seemed related to other creatures on the mainland: “The organic beings found on this archipelago are peculiar to it; and yet that their general form strongly partakes of an American character.” If species were specially created in place, he wondered why they should be so clearly recognizable as South American. Why shouldn’t they be just as easily African, Asian, Pacific, or unrelated to every other region of the world?

Most startling to him was that these creatures were not single species with varieties but actually different species, and yet they were more similar to one another than to any other species outside the islands. Did this mean that God created unique species on each island and on the nearby continent, even though those species just happened to resemble each other more than any other species at other locations on the earth? That was too hard for him to swallow. His evidence suggested that species from South America had migrated from the mainland to the islands; then the immigrant species gave birth to new species on the islands.

The author really seems to understand the reasoning that Darwin went through. He then goes on to describe how Darwin got the idea for natural selection after reading Thomas Malthus, and after that how he got the idea for the common descent of all life on earth. This is most surprising in a creationist article. But where does the author go from there?

He describes how he himself traveled to the Galapagos Islands, and saw the same things that Darwin saw. But then he says: “If we read biblical history as fact, this pattern makes perfect sense.”

Oh? Let’s read on:

God created various organisms by their kinds. Only a few members of each kind survived the Flood, and these reproduced and diversified to fill the post-Flood habitats. While the receding Flood waters probably deposited plant fragments and seedlings in the Americas, the land animals on the Ark had to spread from the mountains of Ararat to the Americas.

It’s all so obvious! How could Darwin have missed it? We continue:

The Galápagos Islands apparently rose up in the Pacific after the Flood as a result of extensive volcanic activity. From the American continents, a few of each kind was carried by wind and waves to the small, isolated islands. As animal and plant colonists from each kind produced offspring in explosive numbers, their descendants spread over the islands, and a number of new species were born. Certain species expressed some of the remarkable modifications that God programmed into the capabilities of the various biblical kinds, such as the ocean-feeding ability in iguanas, beak variability in finches, and gigantism in tortoises and daisies.

But that’s a lot of new species popping up. How does the author dismiss Darwin’s idea of evolution? Let’s see:

Certainly we cannot see evidence in the Galápagos that reptiles evolved into birds or the origin of one biblical kind from another. Nor are the islands old enough, even by conventional radiometric dating, to support such an idea.

And if it didn’t happen on those few islands, then it didn’t happen elsewhere, at any time. We’re starting to understand. Here comes the conclusion:

Moreover, God has given us His Word as a guide. He also gave us our minds, our time, and our resources. We should invest these wisely to advance our understanding of how He “replenished the earth” after the Flood. We have nothing to fear from the Galápagos Islands but much to gain.

So there you are, dear reader. The Galapagos Islands are evidence of Noah’s Flood. Now you know.

Copyright © 2008. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

. . Permalink for this article

Philip E. Johnson: Godfather of Intelligent Design

ARE YOU one of those who still thinks that intelligent design (ID) is some kind of scientific theory that offers a scientific alternative to the theory of evolution? If so, you may find this interesting.

In the Christian Post, described by Wikipedia as “a pan-denominational, Evangelical Christian newspaper based in Washington, D.C.,” which includes among its contributors such writers as Charles Colson, Billy Graham, and Rick Warren, we read Biola to Feature Leading Christian Apologist, ‘Godfather’ of Intelligent Design.

Let’s introduce the players:

Biola University is described by Wikipedia as “a private, non-denominational, Evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles, noted for its conservative theology.” They also say that Biola was founded in “1908 as the Bible Institute Of Los Angeles by Lyman Stewart, co-owner of the Union Oil Company of California ” And they say this: “As the birthplace of fundamentalism, Biola remains one of the few Evangelical institutions to still proudly hold to the key doctrine of Biblical inerrancy.”

That’s how they like it, so it’s fine with us. Now then, let’s see what the Christian Post has to say:

Biola University will conclude its centennial year Friday with a fall commencement that will feature renowned apologist Lee Strobel and the “godfather” of the Intelligent Design movement, retired UC Berkeley professor Philip E. Johnson.

… Strobel will serve as the keynote speaker while Johnson will be awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Laws for distinction in public service.

Strobel is interesting, but we’ll concentrate on Johnson, who is, according to the Christian Post:

… best known as one of the founders of the intelligent design movement, which asserts that “certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection.”

Johnson is also listed as a “Program Advisor” at the Discovery Institute. According to Wikipedia, Phillip E. Johnson was a law professor with a fine education, but he has no degree in science. With that background, it’s remarkable that he is a founder of the ID movement which is challenging the foundation of biology.

The Christian Post article continues:

The idea of intelligent design, which critics view as a variation of creationism, has led to heated debates, a number of court battles, and the dismissal of several highly respected professors. It was also a key part in the highly successful documentary “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” which featured actor Ben Stein.

Whether that film was “highly successful” is debatable; and it’s also debatable whether there was any “dismissal of several highly respected professors,” but let’s not quibble over that. Moving along:

According to Biola, Johnson will be awarded for having “a clear evangelical Christian testimony” and having demonstrated “significant service and achievement over an extended period of time, which is national or international in nature” and is relevant to the mission of the university.

Biola’s mission — to which Johnson’s ID work is relevant for this award — is described in some detail at their website, but it’s summarized as follows:

The mission of Biola University is biblically centered education, scholarship and service — equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We’re delighted that this honor is being bestowed upon Mr. Johnson by such a worthy institution in their centennial year; but we’re also somewhat puzzled. Perhaps you are too.

Isn’t it odd that Johnson’s ID work — claimed to be entirely scientific in nature — should result in such an award?

Copyright © 2008. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

. . Permalink for this article

Florida’s Ronda Storms: Much More Than Creationism

IT’S BEEN months since your Curmudgeon wrote about Florida’s State Senator Ronda Storms, whose efforts inspired us to write: Florida: The Flat Earth State.

In the last session of the Florida legislature, righteous Ronda was a sponsor of one of those anti-science, anti-evolution, pro-creationism “academic freedom” bills. Fortunately her efforts failed, albeit narrowly. But a new year is dawning, and we’ll be watching things.

Our best source of information about anti-evolution legislation in Florida was the Florida Baptist Witness. The major players all seemed to be members of that denomination, as we reported here: Florida’s Anti-Evolution Bills: Sectarian Legislation? We’ll be scanning that source again.

But as we keep an eye on Florida, don’t make the mistake of thinking that Ronda is just a single-issue legislator. Her interests extend well beyond creationism. Ronda’s mind is a marvel; it works non-stop, like a conveyor belt in a waste disposal plant. For example, she valiantly crusaded for state-issued religious license plates saying “I Believe” on them: Ronda Storms’ Godly License Plate Bill Fails.

For the coming year, Ronda is already making news. In the Tampa Tribune we read: Libraries Offer Plenty For Storms To Stew Over. Excerpts:

The economy is a shambles. State revenue is in a free-fall. House leaders in both parties stand accused of misusing their political powers.

This week, state Sen. Ronda Storms identified another menace: The Dewey Decimal System.

Gotta be kidding, right? No. Keep reading:

Storms, R-Valrico, railed against the book-cataloging system during a budget hearing on state library aid, calling the Dewey Decimal System “anachronistic,” costly and just plain frustrating.

The system requires training for both staff and users, she complained. If Barnes and Noble organizes its books more simply, why can’t libraries?

Then the lawmakers heard from an informed witness:

Secretary of State Kurt Browning, who oversees state support of libraries, told the committee that Dewey Decimal is the national standard, set by the Library of Congress.

Ronda’s response?

“The Library of Congress can do what the Library of Congress wants,” Storms said. “If it’s costing us money … it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.”

Just on a hunch, we checked out “666” in the Dewey Decimal system. It’s Ceramic & allied technologies. That sounds innocent, but you never know. Then we checked Genetics and evolution; it’s 576. We can’t figure this one out.

But there’s more. Ronda also complained about public libraries loaning out copies of TV show episodes — especially “Seinfeld.”

When the last legislative session ended, and Ronda’s creationism bill failed, we moved on to reporting about similar legislative lunacy in other states, especially in Louisiana and Texas. But Florida will be back in the news, and we’ll be watching Ronda.

Update here: Creationism and the Dewey Decimal System.

Copyright © 2008. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

. . Permalink for this article

Creationists and Neanderthals

Our earlier essay, Why Are the Neanderthals Extinct?, has been getting a lot of hits, so your Curmudgeon was naturally drawn to an article about Neanderthals at the highly esteemed creationist website of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR).

All the now-extinct species similar to us that have been discovered, such as those shown here: early human species, including Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo neanderthalensis, present a problem for creationists. First, they’re not scriptural. And second, they shouldn’t exist at all if we were specially created instead of evolved. So it’s always interesting to see how they deal with such matters.

Although creationist don’t do any research involving their “creation science,” they do look at the research done by real scientists. Then they try to spin it. That’s what they’ve done in the case of a new discovery reported by the University of Bristol: Late Neanderthals and modern human contact in southeastern Iberia. No, ICR didn’t link to it, we had to find it ourselves, but it’s the same matter ICR is talking about. Here’s an excerpt from the University of Bristol’s press release:

New research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is now shedding some light on what were probably the last Neanderthals.

The research is based on a study of human fossils found during the past decade at the Sima de la Palomas, Murcia, Spain …

By the way, don’t be confused by their use of the term “human.” Yes, the Neanderthals were human. But Homo neanderthalensis were a different human species from Homo sapiens. There was a time when two human species lived on earth. It can sometimes be confusing for non-professional articles to use the term “human” in connection with Neanderthals, because in common usage the word “human” refers to us.

Here’s a bit more from University of Bristol:

The human fossils from the upper levels of the Sima de las Palomas are anatomically clearly Neanderthals, and they are now securely dated to 40,000 years ago.

That’s important to bear in mind, because now we bring you the creationist view of the role of Neanderthal in the great scheme of things: Neanderthal Men Were Modern Men. The bold font was supplied by us.

Though evolution models once held that Neanderthal man was one of the “missing links” between an ape-like ancestor and modern man, the repeated discoveries of Neanderthal remains right next to those of modern humans — instead of in separate, lower, older strata — have forced him out of the pool of “pre-human” evolutionary ancestor candidates. In contrast to ever-evolving naturalistic interpretations, the biblical creation model has consistently maintained that Neanderthal man was just that — man.

Hey, no one says that two distinct but related species can’t co-exist in the same areas. Neanderthal and Sapiens did, for thousands of years. Let’s read on:

Neanderthal did have distinct characteristics that are apparently now either extinct or diffused, but his family line was fully human for several hundred years after Noah’s Flood, when humans repopulated the earth about 4,300 years ago.

We’ll ignore the Flood business. Just focus on ICR’s intentional confusion caused by their term “fully human.” Our dogs are fully canine, but they’re not wolves.

Here’s more:

The mounting evidence for Neanderthal and modern man’s coexistence calls into question whether the Neanderthal and other human varieties even lived in separate times, as the evolutionary story still maintains. Both the Bible and science indicate that this was not the case. Biblical history has no place for such a separate, distant time of evolutionary development, but it does allow for variations within the human kind in its 6,000-year history.

Yes, and presumably, during that 6,000 year history, they all got along with their house-pets, the dinosaurs. Creationism is such great stuff! Here’s ICR’s conclusion:

As seen in the fossil remains from Iberia, the more that is discovered about Neanderthal, the more evolutionary models morph to accommodate the data. In contrast to this ambiguity, both the Bible and science confirm that man and apes—though many small differences can be discerned within each kind—nevertheless remain totally separate, untransitioned created kinds.

So now you know. ICR explains that there never were any Neanderthals. There was only us. Going all the way back — the whole 6,000 years.

We are left with only one question — what’s wrong with those people? Hint: Creationists: Ignorant, Stupid, Insane, or Wicked.

Copyright © 2008. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

. . Permalink for this article