User talk:SouthWriter/sandbox/An atheist's objections/@comment-1777104-20100706034110

Destroyanator 22:34, July 5, 2010


 * [M]ost beneficial mutations are not "created" by humans in any sense. we've merely chosen to emphasize them through selective breeding.


 * Selective breeding (or directed selection) is not so much selecting "mutations" as variations of kind. This is a function of the recombination of genetic material in a favorable way to promote the desired end product.  And all the selective breeding in the world will not turn a lizard into a bird - a close analogy to the claims of evolutionists.  If there is a beneficial mutation, it is extremely rare, and represents a loss of information.  The end product becomes LESS than the beginning organism was.


 * The matter of finches readapting to their old environment is simply better evidence of evolution in the first place. also, your understanding of evolution at a molecular level is flawed. mutation doesn't occur through a series of "switches". Mutation occurs simply because it's impossible to perfectly copy something as long and complex as a strand of DNA, let alone an entire chromosome. since our reproductive cells make these mistakes, our children are never an exact mixture of the two parents. THIS IS SIMPLE EVOLUTIONARY SCIENCE.


 * You demonstrate a lack of knowledge of the latest discoveries. Evolutionists are conceding that these "switches" exist and are falling all over themselves to proclaim that this is the latest "proof" of evolution.  They believe they have found the mechanism that makes "change" happen quickly -- exactly what the evidence shows in living organisms and fossils alike.  They hope that this is the "hopeful monster" of old -- a spontaneous change of kind based on the environment.  But the switches are part of an intricate system already in place in the "complex DNA" that directs the building of the organisms.  Sexual reproduction works on a redundancy protocol, with a full half of the information being discarded to recombine a whole new creature that is similar, but not identical, to its parents.  The copies are complete, and any loss by mutation will only be realized if two identical mutations come together in the reduplication system. THIS IS SIMPLE GENETIC SCIENCE.


 * By the way, if you stop to think about it, "Evolutionary Science" is a bit of an oxymoron. "Evolution" in the classic sense is "change coming about by chance" (and thus unknowable).  "Science" is "knowledge" (what we know).  Evolutionary science, then would be knowledge of the unknown - the justaposition of opposites.  In like manner, "Creation science" is a misnomer, for we cannot KNOW the "how" of creation because we were not there.  We CAN study what is known, though, with a knowledge of the Creator who graciously made our first parents "in His own image" (not the physical, but the mental, thinking part of us).


 * You say you believe in God because God Himself gave you the faith to take God at his word. Don't you mean God gave you the faith to believe the word of other, entirely fallible humans? after all, not even the Bible was written by God Himself. it was written and copied (with some mistakes being made, just like with DNA) by fallible mortals.


 * No, I believe God gave me the faith to believe HIM. He has chosen to reveal Himself in many ways over time -- and only a small part of that was written down by those who listened to HIM.  Yes, it was copied many times through the years, but the scholars in the Old Testament days were VERY CAREFUL to copy the words EXACTLY -- to the point of counting letters and marking the "middle letter" in a document to assure that no additions or deletions had occurred.  Sometimes a letter was written wrong, but even then proofreaders caught most of those as well.  The scholars of the new testament era were not as careful, but most errors in copying that they made are simple to spot and were not made every time.  Because of this, though, some copies are less reliable than others.  Even then, though, the differences amount to less than a page of truly "faulty" text.


 * The faith I claim is not something I have inherently within myself. It is a gift from God.  It is no surprise that those who do not have this gift cannot understand God or his Word.  That is the way of rebellious mankind.  If we can do our own thing, without fear of punishment, then we can be happy.  We can deny God, and Heaven, and especially Hell, with no fear of consequences.  Without that faith, we are deluded creatures, hoping against hope that we are right when all the evidence indicates we are wrong.


 * [T]he beauty of science is that it's effects can be show through experimentation. science doesn't ask for your faith. it simply asks for your eyes.


 * The caveat of this assertion is that "science" rightly understood, asks only for our eyes. The key is the "scientific method."  Science is in the search for knowledge, and the verifiable knowledge once attained.


 * "Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical  and measurable evidence  subject to specific principles of reasoning.  A scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation  and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses."
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method


 * You can see, by this understanding of "science" (aka knowledge) that "evolution" as commonly understood is not very scientific. It cannot be "tested."   It is all theory and no experimentation.  All hypothesis and no measurable evidence.  Change happens, and thus "evolution" is claimed to be observed.  Adaptations within a "kind" (family, and even order) bring new "species" about when information is lost, but no new information is ever gained on a molecular level (where it makes a difference to the next generation).


 * It takes a lot of faith to accept the unknown. It takes even more faith to "trust" the unknown.  That is why I am thankful that God has not remained "unknown," and that He gave me the faith I needed to trust Him.