We are pleased to bring you news of the latest creation science breakthrough from the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) — the fountainhead of young-earth creationist wisdom.
It was written by Brian Thomas. He’s described at the end of his articles as “Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.” This is ICR’s biographical information on him. You can learn more about him here: The Mind of Brian Thomas.
The title of Brian’s insightful essay is Cancer Research Confirms the Curse. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis:
Cancer’s devastation directly or indirectly touches almost everybody on Earth, and a great deal of research focuses on finding the cause and cure. A new study’s results showed that the number of cell divisions in body tissues is a more significant cancer contributor than any other factor. A separate study revealed that the bodies of older people produce declining amounts of a cancer-minimizing molecule called NAD+. Although cancer currently lies beyond the reach of any person to cure, Scripture offers a long-term solution available to anyone.
This is thrilling news, dear reader. Scripture offers a solution! Brian says:
Cancer occurs when pockets of cells proliferate out of control, a growth that DNA copying errors sometimes trigger. Living cells copy their DNA just before they divide. Human DNA strands have millions of specific chemicals, like letters in an encyclopedia, that record information for core life processes. Precision protein machines copy DNA “letters” at jet-engine speeds, yet perform so efficiently that only about one wrong letter arises among a billion. But even these few mutations can garble DNA’s information enough to lead to cancer, especially in tissues that undergo many cell divisions within a human lifetime.
The copying process is imperfect. The intelligent designer has some explaining to do. Brian continues:
A study published in the March 24 issue of the journal Science [Stem cell divisions, somatic mutations, cancer etiology, and cancer prevention] showed mutations within a person’s lifetime cause a stunning 66% of cancers. The report’s analysis of various kinds of cancer in people from many countries revealed that inherited mutations lead to only 5% of cancers. Outside factors like ultraviolet radiation and cigarette smoke that damage DNA cause the remaining cases. Thus, even if a person avoided all cancer-causing exposures, they cannot avoid the threat of cancer altogether. In theory, the disease will eventually strike anyone who lives long enough since living requires constant cell divisions.
Egad — we ‘re all gonna get cancer! Is there no hope? Yes, thanks to creation science, there is! Brian tells us:
This gloomy reality, however, is not necessarily the end of the line for those who believe the biblical promises.
[*Begin Drool Mode*] Ooooooooooooh! [*End Drool Mode*] Then he gives us the bible promises:
Long ago, Job said, “And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.” The New Testament promises the new body that Job hoped for: “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Cancer will not affect our new bodies, since each will be “a building from God.”
[*Begin Drool Mode*] Ooooooooooooh! [*End Drool Mode*] Let’s read on:
The curse God placed on all of creation because of Adam’s disobedience led to disease and death. The two Science studies confirm this by linking the now-cursed processes of growth and aging to cancer.
We haven’t read the papers to which Brian refers, but we doubt that they mention the biblical curse. That’s Brian’s contribution. He informs us:
However, the same Bible that describes the curse tells us it will one day end! Paul explained, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse.” But because “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us,” now “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Those secular researchers certainly look foolish for overlooking this information. Here’s the end of Brian’s essay
Whoever demonstrates “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” will enjoy eternal life with Jesus — death, the curse, and cancer forever gone.
So there you are, dear reader. ICR has shown us the way to defeat cancer. Isn’t that wonderful?
Copyright © 2017. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
The Sensuous Curmudgeon 
Awesome news. I can’t wait to hear of the excitement of parents when they are told that they needn’t worry, your five year old’s brain cancer will be totally cured as soon as he’s dead. That therapy shouldn’t even require FDA approval!! What a load off their minds!! Maybe they should cure it faster and just go smother the kid. And Obamacare is useless too now that all diseases are curable by you just dying. This is going to save me a ton of doctor bills.
Cancer will not affect our new bodies because they will be built by God.
So we are told that our present bodies are not built by God?!
What is he saying, that maybe natural processes, not divine design, maybe even evolution is involved?
This is exactly why many Christians fall for scams – if you believe this, you will believe anything.
What am I missing if I summarise the message as, “Once you’re dead, you have no chance of developing a cancer”?
Where to begin with such nonsense? A couple of major points – many cancers are cured; notably nearly all non-melanoma skin cancers, many testicular cancers and a fair amount of lymphomas and leukemias. Second, in the Hebrew bible, the curse of Adam was hard labor. Many biblical scholars have seriously challenged the notions of original sin and the fall, attributing such as bad theology.
“the curse of Adam was hard labor”
And after a few generations, the LORD relented somewhat and inspired the prophecy, on the occasion of Noah’s birth: Gen 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
Noah, of course, went on to invent wine, so that after a day of toil, you could comfort yourself with a relaxing drink in the evening.
The ICR’s “science writer” Brian asserts:
Good job Brian! Your personal Jesus is right now working on a cure to save us all from death by cancer in our old age. Praise the Lord!
Now maybe if Brian just prays hard enough, his Jesus will be able to do something for the 6 million or so children every year who die of various causes, before they even reach their fifth birthday.
‘The curse God placed on all of creation because of Adam’s disobedience led to disease and death. ‘ So why did the big guy create 33.000 diseases to decimate the human race? A touch of over-kill? Or the non-existence of the supernatural?
@Ross Cameron:
Anti-evolutionists are not in the business of explaining things. One need not bring up a large number of diseases, just ask: Why was there design for butterflies, redwoods, and Niagara Falls? Why do we have eyes, when … well, to quote Paley:
TomS doesn’t understand creacrap:
“Cancer will not affect our new bodies because they will be built by God.”
No no.
No.
Brian wrote “built from God”.
Your Earthly body is build by but not from God.
Heaven may know what that mean, but that’s only more reason to convert, because otherwise you’ll never find out what that means.
My favourite divine curse is Gen. 3:16 “in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children”. Because further on the “same” god punishes women by removing that curse. See Gen. 20:18 “For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.”
Curmudgeon here. A lightning strike seems to have blown out my computer. I hope it’s just the power supply and not the hard drive. I’m using a computer that belongs to someone else to post this, to let you know that it may be a while until I get my computer repaired. Meanwhile, I’m sure you can carry on without my benevolent presence.
Update. The motherboard needs to be replaced, and it has to be ordered. This will take a few days. Y’all be good during my absence.
Lightening sent by the hamster takes out SC. News at 11. This could make me a believer….. nah.
Yeh, that will work…
http://www.newsweek.com/gun-violence-homicides-louisville-kentucky-matt-bevin-619582
So you’ll just be standing there skinless, with your bare muscles, tendons and ligaments (not to mention eyeballs and teeth) exposed to the elements? Eugh.
This is ICR’s science writer?
Who do they use for a philosophy correspondent, Nathan Detroit?
I am a physician and just spent my day seeing people with cancer. Brian Thomas’ ignorance about Oncology is mind boggling and his whole attitude about cancer and its victims actually made me angry.
OK, while we await the parts to be shipped from his home planet for repairs to the Curmudgeon’s mother-ship, how about a festive and topical sing-a-along?
[With apologies to Dean Martin]:
Beware, Megalonyx. I may have temporarily lost my powers, but I shall not forget your impudence.
OK, so you don’t like my singing… 😦
How about a joke or two instead, to pass the time?
Q: How many Creationists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Creationists hold that nothing can be changed without the introduction of new information, and that is exclusively in the gift of the Grand Ole Designer.
Besides, Creationists prefer sitting around in the dark, and think everyone should join them therein.
@Megalonyx:
That is a difficult problem. For, to be consistent about it, light bulbs are not mentioned in the Bible, and the Bible being the sole authority about everything, what are we to say? One traditional approach is to find a proof-text which gives an answer. Another tradition is to ignore consistency.
I think that your concluding sentence is the best.
I have a question on an older post topic — Hambo’s creation geologist who is suing the Park Service to get samples from the Grand Canyon for his creation research. What if a Moon-landing denier wanted access to NASA’s archives for his research? Should NASA let him roam around in their records and examine their equipment?
What if an opponent of idolatry were to sue the USA federal government for protecting pre-Colombian artifacts on the grounds that they are religious, and the government has no business in protecting religion.
TomS notes
Clearly, the pious should eschew light bulbs and all other forms of artificial illumination. The proof-text, which gives the only Biblically-sanctioned form, is right there in Genesis 1:3-4
So it’s clear that for a mere mortal to presume to make light would be a blasphemous encroachment on a divine prerogative.
The “light bulb” argument was actually made (I think) when the Wright brothers made their flying machine. “If man were meant to fly, he would have been created with wings.”
TomS considers:
I’m no authority on the Constitution, but the wording of the 1st Amendment is
Of course, one can find a lawyer willing to argue absolutely anything (at least, if the fee is right), but I think it would be quite a challenge to argue in court that items safely conserved in glass cases in the Smithsonian constitute an establishment of religion.
Maybe a stronger suit would be a claim by an adherent of pre-Colombian beliefs that he needed the use of those glass-cased artifacts for use in a ritual, and to deny access to them would be unconstitutionally “prohibiting the free exercise” of religious beliefs.
Our Curmudgeon asks
Indeed! And if people had been meant to run around naked, we would have been born that way!
I was thinking of the free exercise of the religious duty to destroy idols.
Some entertainment at the creationist’s expense:
http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/93q2/creationfaq.html
TomS adds
You need a full-blown theocracy for that, such as the Taliban exercised in Afghanistan when they blasted the Buddhas of Bamiyan, or at least an absolutist government in conflict with the political power wielded by religious organistations, such as the iconoclasm that accompanied the Tudor dissolution of the monasteries, or the Puritan repressions during the English Civil War; i.e., the sort of thing Hambo and his ilk would likely welcome.
Fortunately, for the hypothetical you propose, I am certain a modern-day iconoclast turned loose in the Smithsonian would have no more protection under the US constitution than someone in the US claiming that his right to free practise religion — including ritual human sacrifice–somehow trumped laws against murder.
But it gets interesting when you get to claimed conflicts about not seeking medical attention for a sick child on religious grounds–where the courts have determined that the parents’ rights to ‘religious freedom’ do not override the child’s rights to access life-saving medical treatment.
Eeek! An html tagging error, but when the Great Hand of Correction has abandoned us!
I better stop posting!
To boldly go…
Speaking of rabid Trump supporters, check out this online comment….
Curmmie, are you okay? I’ve read your posts almost everyday for several years and you have posted, I think, every day for several years. It’s been three days now. If you’re taking a break, good. You deserve it. Just hopin’ you’re okay.
This 3rd day marathon thread is getting spooky. The posts blew past the official “Curmudgeonite” epistasis frontier at least 12 hours ago. We are all in danger just making stuff up.
Oh, well. Here’s a fresh jar of Curmudgeonite to keep things going steady until SC can re-boot the software.
Curmudgeonite!
Egad ! The Curmudgeon’s computer has a blown mother board ! I’m moving into gold stocks until this situation changes.
I’m fine. But without my computer, I don’t have my passwords and other little goodies, so I can’t post anything. Just comments.
As I wander through this wilderness deprived of the daily dose of Curmudgeonite and logic, I happened to watch secretary Scott Pruitt, lecture and refuse to answer WH press room questions regarding the president’s views on climate change. His behavior was evasive and quite insulting towards the press. Trump’s views on climate change have apparently changed drastically since 2009 (for) until he got involved with the GOP (against) and now despite rubbishing the Paris Accords(for, sort of). It seems a candidate for his science advisor is one Dr William Happer a physicist who has had a very distinguished career. However, this fellow, apparently without conducting any research of his own on climate change has concluded that the entire climate change science community is cult like and mistaken and that president Trump behaves like a scientifically literate person. IS he a creationist as well?
While waiting for the old computer to be repaired, I bought a new one but I still don’t have my passwords, so all I can do is make comments.
Obviously the lighting strike was a sign from heaven brought about by the fervently offered prayers from Ham the Holy to shut down this font of evilness in this wicked Godless society. Repent ye unbelievers!
Holding the line is quite right, you know. I would be prepared to bet that there’s someone out in the boonies at least thinking that at this very minute. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see Rives or Comfort, or any of the more advanced babblers, come out with it.
Curse you, Cardinal Megalonyx! Your html error caused me to use up most of my black pixels, and my screen is starting to fade awa….
Creationists hold that nothing can be changed without the introduction of new information, and that is exclusively in the gift of the Grand Ole Designer.
We can design because Designer designed us in His own pattern.
Hey, does anybody out there have some contacts with computer hackers from the netherworld? You know, the kind of geeks like Julian Assange, or Boris Badenov, or Snidely Whiplash, who have no scruples regarding mere “passwords”. Surely the Curmudgeon is too pure of heart to engage one of those characters to set his passwords free. So we readers need to do something to help here. “Passwords? Passwords? We don’t gotta show you no stinkin’ passwords!”
This Discoveroid article is amazing. Could Atheism Survive the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life?. I wish I could make a new post about it. They say that if life is found elsewhere, that too is a miracle, so then you gotta believe in the intelligent designer. They say:
“The probability of life spontaneously self-assembling anywhere in this universe is mind-staggeringly unlikely; essentially zero. If you are so unquestioningly naïve as to believe we just got incredibly lucky, then bless your soul.”
That’s telling us that the universe is not designed for life. That the universe is not designed, just a pointless accident?
Curmie, What are we to do without you? No new postings. I am beginning to feel withdrawal symptoms.
techreseller, it’s difficult for me too.
SC, I know it doesn’t help right now, but you might consider using a password manager to protect your passwords. I prefer KeePass myself, which stores everything in an encrypted database file that is easy to back up. I have copies of my password file on at least 6 different computers/backup drives/mobile devices, so I have immediate access to my passwords at all times and will never lose them.
Curmudgeon,
Two Planets with Life Are More Miraculous than One.
No one will make any inferences if a masked you-know-what should appear.
Well done, Tom English.
The state of the untended Drool-o-tron™ doesn’t bear thinking about!
I expect the poor thing is bleating like an unmilked cow…
http://www.blastr.com/2017-6-2/super-telescope-finally-getting-built
Ken Ham will not be happy. Or maybe Kirk Durston wrote his article because he fears what may happen in the next 10 to 25 years.
I think Durston was probably doing a find and replace and missed one….. it should read:
Could Young Earth Creationism Survive the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life?.
They’re just getting ready for the inevitable. If life is found out there, ID wins. The Discoveroids’ theory predicts nothing, but it’s consistent with everything. Great theory.
Is this Durstonian logic, the more times something happens, the less likely it is? Shouldn’t we be worried about the sun coming up tomorrow?
Guess what people? There are NO customer reviews of Wells’ Zombie Science book on Amazon.com for either the paperback or Kindle edition. What a bestseller!
Michael Fugate: Shouldn’t we be worried about the sun coming up tomorrow?
The first thing that came to mind, when I read the post, was Laplace’s rule of succession.
@Ted Lawry:
I just looked at Amazon and it showed 22 reviews.
Off-topic, but how many of Curmudgeon’s readers, lovers of science all, have made plans for viewing the total solar eclipse that will make its path across the US on August 21? Heads up — motels and hotels along or near the path are filling up rapidly. Having been in the moon’s shadow once before, I can highly recommend the experience. If you live within the US, you shouldn’t need to travel too far to put yourself in the path of totality unless you want to optimize your chances for clear skies.
I just happened to come across a press release on EurekAlert which describes an application of evolutionary biology which shows promise for combating the problem of drug resistant bacteria.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/mbae-nat060117.php
“The Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics research group at Kiel University uses knowledge gained from evolutionary medicine to develop more efficient treatment approaches. As part of the newly-founded Kiel Evolution Center (KEC) at Kiel University, researchers under the direction of Professor Hinrich Schulenburg are investigating how alternative antibiotic treatments affect the evolutionary adaptation of pathogens. In the joint study with international colleagues published recently in the scientific journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, they were able to show that in the case of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the evolution of resistance to certain antibiotics leads to an increased susceptibility to other drugs.”
While waiting to get my old computer back, I’m diddling with the new one. I’m not surprised to learn that I definitely don’t like Windows 10. Anyway, bear with me, dear reader. This hiatus won’t continue much longer. Maybe another day or so.
No, RSG, not all of us are lovers of science. I’m not. I think huge parts of science very, very boring. Even if I lived in the USA I wouldn’t bother to see the eclipse.
I’m told I can pick up my repaired computer tomorrow. Not sure when. If all goes well, I’ll be back sometime, probably later in the day.
I have tentative plans to travel to the path of totality. While the science is well understood, the rather primitive appeal of the sun going black in the sky is probably a better motive to watch it.
Curmy: If you are used to Windows 7 (or earlier), try Classic Shell to replace the cartoonish Windows 8-10 Start menu. Highly recommended, I’ve used it for years.
Thanks, Richard Blaine. I’ll try to adjust to the new system, but if I can’t, that’s useful information.
First off, I hope your hard drive didn’t get zapped along with the motherboard, and let me say how much I’m missing your posts (though i appreciate your commenting to keep us up to date on the crisis).
One Windows 10 tip: The new control panel system stinks in th’ freezer, as it is trying to be a unified experience on PCs phones and tablets.
However, a right click on the new start button gives access to the old Win 7 control panel system. This may save you some anguish!
@SC: I hope that you regularly back-up your data. If you do not, please, learn from my mistake. And I’ve also had my motherboard die in quite a catastrophic way. I was just happy I didn’t burn the house down. Regardless, the great thing was that, once I built my new computer, I had only to copy my files from my back-up drive to the new computer and I was off and running.
Lastly, I (just as with AaronB) also recommend a password manager. I use KeePassX. Freely available. All of my passwords for each site are completely different.
@SC: The first link for the last one wasn’t complete. It should have been this.
@SC: Geez. I can’t do a correct hyperlink today to save my life. The SECOND hyperlink of my original comment should have been this.
I do back up, but not as often as I should. From now on I plan to use use flash drives, so I can easily transfer stuff to a new computer. Also, I plan to print out the text file that contains all my passwords. That’s something I should have done, but I never thought to do it.
I don’t know what I’m talking about, but it doesn’t sound like a good idea to have a text file that has passwords.
@Anonymous: In the grand scheme of things, having a text file with passwords on your own computer is far less of a hazard to your online health than having the same password for all of your online accounts.
@Troy
“… While the science is well understood, the rather primitive appeal of the sun going black in the sky is probably a better motive to watch it.”
Be sure to bring your pots and pans or other noisemakers and/or fireworks, etc. to make sure that the sun returns to the sky from this scary darkness. If you also want to wildly dance, that’s also acceptable. By Trump’s thinking, he’ll probably suspect it’s alternative facts and another conspiracy against him, and Bannon and KellyAnne will support him,
I propose the readers of this blog set up and contribute to a fund to buy SC a 1 TB drive so that he has a secure storage site for files.
Does anyone out there know how to set up a site like that for contributions?
It should be different from the “buy och will a ferrari fund”, which already exists. I can send that link however to those interested. 🙂
@Och Will: I like it! Count me in. I’ll even offer to do the research to find him the most reliable one for the money.
What the Ferrari for Och Will? Are they known to be reliable? Maybe a Camry would be a better bet.
Anybody who would start a fund to buy a Ferrari when a Stevens Excalibur can be had for about the same price has no sense of style.
Kickstarter. Of course they take a percentage. I think 5%. I will kick in up to $5. Given a 1BT drive costs less than $100.
I can’t resist trying to blog. If I’ve messed up the links, I’ll do what I can later:
I spotted this at the Discoveroids’ blog: Smart People Are Less Able to Detect Their Own Bias — Evolutionary Psychologist. Klinghoffer links to this article at Live science: Why Are Atheists Generally Smarter Than Religious People?, which says:
Klinhoffer — like all creationists — equates evolution and atheism. He babbles about someone who claims “atheists” are biased and then he says:
So you, dear reader, are a prisoner of your biases.
I messed up the links. This is Klinghoffer’s post:
Smart People Are Less Able to Detect Their Own Bias — Evolutionary Psychologist.
And this is the article he refers to: Why Are Atheists Generally Smarter Than Religious People?
Aaaaaarrrrrrggghhhhhhh!
A telling quote:
“Smart people are largely socialized in the setting of universities that are brain-washing factories for a certain worldview.”
What should Kadiddlehopper propose to fix this problem?
One more time. This is Klinghoffer’s post:
Smart People Are Less Able to Detect Their Own Bias — Evolutionary Psychologist.
And this is the article he refers to: Why Are Atheists Generally Smarter Than Religious People?
There’s a difference between intelligent design and creationism?
Perhaps it’s something about high intelligence that itself results in the inability to see or hear what’s right in front of your face
Or perhaps, Klingon, High Intelligence prefers not to believe what is “right in front of your face” before checking its background and discovering what you did last decennium…
Yes. Not all creacrap is IDiocy, but all IDiocy is creacrap, no matter how often Klingy and co deny it. In general there are three variations of creacrap.
1. Young Earth Creacrap – ie Ol’Hambo, The Good Rev etc;
2. Old Earth Creacrap – ie the astronomer Hugh Ross;
3. IDiocy.
The difference between IDiocy and the two other variations is that IDiocy doesn’t use Holy Scripture as “evidence”.
Of course the lines are blurry. But then again the apologists Plantinga and Craig formally aren’t creationists, because they both claim to accept Evolution Theory. Still both display an unhealthy preference for IDiocy (and yes, I can back that up with quotes and sources).
I don’t understand this at all: countless times has the great and powerful Voice from Above applied His oogity-boogity to fix my html errors while posting on this blog, and yet that same wonderful being has not intervened to correct a linking error from our Curmudgeon himself! It’s almost as if….but no, surely that can’t be!
And come to think of it, anyone ever see Clark Kent and Superman in the same room together?
Just sayin’…
Megalonyx says: “I don’t understand this at all …”
The answer is simple. My faith is being tested. Be assured that I shall emerge from this ordeal stronger than ever.
The micro macro mambo allows them to claim acceptance of evolution while reserving a rôle for their God to create… especially humans. It is the inability of creationists to see what is right in front of their faces – common ancestry – that biases them against evolution.
There are times when wordpress frustrates……… certain comments just demand an up-vote!
What has been commented on since antiquity is the similarity between other life (especially simians) and humans. That is what is right in front of your face.
“allows them to claim acceptance of evolution”
That’s why I deliberately use “Evolution Theory” – they can’t accept that.