Aieee! The cracks! Stand back! The idol of UNIFORMITARIANISM is beginning to topple.

(Slightly revised from yesterday's post, approximately same title, which I think got signed in the middle when I fell asleep and my forehead landed on the keyboard)

Uniformitarianism is the notion that all processes now observed and operative in nature are exactly and identically (exclusively) those processes which have been going on in cosmos history as far back as the mind can see. Sounds OK on the surface? But scratch it a bit and, like the kids' stinky smelly scratchit stickers, bad odors emerge.

In fact, uniformitarianism equates to an axiom (unprovable) of science (actually "scientism") that is used to arbitrarily define God out of the very science which He created in the beginning. What uniformitarianism really says is "No divine interventions may be posited. No miracles are allowed!" I think God would maybe even laugh at the preposterousness of it all, except it is really not a whit humorous.

In fact, uniformitarianism has been so foundational for Darwinism that it has become an unassailable "sacred cow," virtually an idol worshiped by Darwin's dauntless disciples.

But cracks are beginning to show.

First, the RATE ("Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth") project of the Institute for Creation Research" published results of their 7-year project back in November, 2005. The most striking results are: (1) Carbon-14 concentrations in supposedly very old organic materials such as diamonds indicate recent (a few thousands of years) origin of the materials; and (2) very high diffusivity (how fast stuff can move through a material) of helium in zircons embedded in micas embedded in granite shows clearly that very high radioactive decay rates (far higher than rates observed today) were experienced several thousand years ago. Check the ICR link at the top of this blog for more information on RATE.

Chinks in the uniformitarian armor continue to pop up elsewhere as well.

See, for example, Science News, April 29, 2006, Vol. 169, p. 259, "Universe in Flux." New findings indicate that the ratio between the mass of the proton and that of the electron - a number known as mu - might have decreased by about two-thousandths of a percent "in the past 12 billion years." The scientists report in Physical Review Letters, April 21, 2006. Now maybe .002% does not seem like much, but it also says that the whole uniformitarian dogma-doctrine is now open for question. The Darwinian ideologues will undoubtedly resist this kind of stuff as they feel the uniformitarian ground begin to slide beneath their feet. It should be interesting as the slippery slope gets mo' an' mo' slippery. Keep your eyes open so you don't miss any of the fun on this one.

Respectfully submitted, D.U.

Aiieee! The cracks! Stand back! The idol of UNIFORMITARIANISM is ready to topple.

Uniformitarianism is the notion that all processes now observed and operative in nature are exactly and identically (exclusively) those processes which have been going on in cosmos history as far back as the mind can see. Sounds OK on the surface? But scratch it a bit and, like the kids' stinky smelly scratchit, the bad odors emerge.

In fact, uniformitarianism equates to an axiom (unprovable) of science (actually "scientism") that is used to arbitrarily define God out of the very science which He created in the beginning. What uniformitarianism really says is "No divine interventions may be posited. No miracles are allowed!" I think God would maybe even laugh at the preposterousness of it all, except it is really not a whit humorous.

In fact, uniformitarianism has been so critical as a foundation of Darwinism that is is virtually an idol which is worshiped by Darwin's adherents.

But cracks are beginning to show.

First, the RATE ("Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth") project of the Institute for Creation Research" published results of their 7-year project back in November, 2005. The most striking results are: (1) Carbon-14 concentrations in supposedly very old organic materials such as diamonds indicate recent (a few thousands of years) origin of the materials; and (2) very high diffusivity of helium in zircons embedded in micas embedded in granite shows clearly that very high radioactive decay rates (far higher than rates observed today) were experienced several thousand years ago. Check the ICR link at the top of this blog for more informaion on RATE.

Respectfully, D.U.


But chinks in the uniformitarian armor continue to pop up elsewhere as well. See, for example, Science News, April 29, 2006, Vol. 169, p. 259, "Universe in Flux." New findings indicate that the ratio between the mass of the proton and that of the electron - a number known as mu - might have decreased by about two-thousandths of a percent "in the past 12 billion years." The scientists report in Physical Review Letters, April 21, 2006.

Now maybe .002% does not seem like much, but it also says that the whole uniformitarian dogma-doctrine is now open for question. The Darwinian ideologues will undoubtedly resist this kind of stuff as they feel the uniformitarian ground begin to move beneath their feet. It should be interesting as the slippery slope gets mo' an' mo' slippery. Keep your eyes open so you don't miss any of the fun on this one.
.

Let 'em die! Let 'em all die!! the mad scientist chortles

Thanks to Mark Cadwallader of Creation Moments for alerting to this one (see http://www.creationmoments.com )

If you have heard that maybe ethnic cleansing has a few negatives, how about species cleansing? The cleansee? About 90% of the "fat human biomass" on the planet, penciling out to about 5.8 billion lives.

In an address at the Texas Academy of Science's annual meeting, March 2-4, 2006, University of Texas biologist Eric Pianka suggested that maybe an Ebola virus wiping out 90% of the earth's human population could be the best thing for the earth's threatened biosphere.

What is frightening is that Pianka's talk took a small step for a man yet a giant step for monsterkind, seeming to make the hyperquantum leap from catastrophe concern to catastrophe sympathy.

Janet Mobley's article in the Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, April 2, 2006, gives much of the detail. In particular, Mobley's article reveals Pianka's underlying earth-worshiping worldview:
"'The biggest enemy we face is anthropocentrism,' he (Pianka) said, describing the belief system in which humans are the central element of the universe.' This is that common attitude that everything on this Earth was put here for [human] use.' To Pianka, a human life is no more valuable than any other - a lizard, a bison, a rhino. And as humans reproduce, the demand for resources like food, water and energy becomes more than the Earth can sustain, he says."

Find Mobley's Seguin Gazette-Enterprise article (April 2, 2006) at:

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2006/030406Imminent.htm

But in confronting Pianka's suggestions with the Bible, we get about as classic a case you can get in the clash of worldviews.

Pianka apparently believes that the world has marched inexorably from the mists of deep past time into the present and will continue that march into the mists of future time. And every scrap of biomass on this third rock from the sun has indistinguishable value since birthed by the same random processes of chemistry and chance. If this view is correct, then maybe the Ebola virus is not tough enough for the job to be done. Maybe Professor Pianka's mere 90% is too optimistic.

But the Holy Bible says man was created by God in the beginning with a unique and special dignity derived from being created "in the image of God." Further, Creator-God gave man responsibility to manage the world. In this respect, Pianka is precisely correct in pointing out man's abject failure to manage (not rape) the world's resources God has put here for us.

But Pianka misses three of the great truths of the Bible, the Word of God:(1) Mankind has a unique dignity and value, bearing the "image of God," and thus immeasurably exceeding the value of lizards and fungi;
(2) God knows the end from the beginning, hence what man may predict as "doomsday" will in fact be part of God's judgment on this evil world and the practitioner/advocates of evil in this world as he brings it all to shutdown;
(3) There will be an end. Repeat ... there WILL BE an end. And Jehovah God knows the day and the hour. So man's rapid race toward nonsustainabilty should be clearly seen portending the end foreordained by God from the beginning. And God is not a heavenly counterpart to race car driver Greg Biffle, who seems to occasionally run out of gas just before the race ends. God's tank has enough whatevers to get to the finish. You can count on that.

A fourth and final point likely missed by Pianka is the greatest truth of the universe. The Bible, in John 3:16, says "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life."

Since the earth had a true beginning, who else can you trust but the true God Of The Beginning?

Respectfully submitted, D.U.

Let 'em die! Let 'em all die!!! the mad scientist chortles

Thanks to Mark Cadwallader of Creation Moments for alerting to this one (see http://www.creationmoments.com )If you have heard that maybe ethnic cleansing has a few negatives, how about species cleansing? The cleansee? About 90% of the "fat human biomass" on the planet, penciling out to about 5.8 billion lives.In an address at the Texas Academy of Science's annual meeting, March 2-4, 2006, University of Texas biologist Eric Pianka suggested that maybe an Ebola virus wiping out 90% of the earth's human population could be the best thing for the earth's threatened biosphere. What is frightening is that Pianka's talk took a small step for a man yet a giant step for monsterkind, seeming to make the hyperquantum leap from catastrophe concern to catastrophe sympathy.Janet Mobley's article in the Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, April 2, 2006, gives much of the detail. In particular, Mobley's article reveals Pianka's underlying earth-worshiping worldview:"'The biggest enemy we face is anthropocentrism,' he (Pianka) said, describing the belief system in which humans are the central element of the universe. 'This is that common attitude that everything on this Earth was put here for [human] use.' To Pianka, a human life is no more valuable than any other - a lizard, a bison, a rhino. And as humans reproduce, the demand for resources like food, water and energy becomes more than the Earth can sustain, he says."Jamie Mobley's Seguin Gazette-Enterprise article (april 2, 2006) can be found at:http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2006/030406Imminent.htmBut in confronting Pianka's suggestions with the Bible, we get about as classic a case you can get in the clash of worldviewsPianka apparently believes that the world has marched inexorably from the mists of deep past time into the present and will continue that march into the mists of future time. And every scrap of biomass on this third rock from the sun has indistinguishable value since birthed by the same random processes of chemistry and chance. If this view is correct, then maybe the Ebola virus is not tough enough for the job to be done. Maybe Professor Pianka's mere 90% is too optimisitic.But the Holy Bible says man was created by God in the beginning with a unique and special dignity derived from being created "in the image of God." Further, Creator-God gave man responsibility to manage the world. In this respect, Pianka is precisely correct in pointing out man's abject failure to manage (not rape) the world's resources God has put here for us.But Pianka misses three of the great truths of the Bible, the Word of God:(1) Mankind has a unique dignity and value, bearing the "image of God," and thus immeasurably exceeding the value of lizards and fungi;(2) God knows the end from the beginning, hence what man may predict as "doomsday" will in fact be part of God's judgment on this evil world and the practitioner/advocates of evil in this world as he brings it all to shutdown;(3) There will be an end. Repeat ... there WILL BE an end. And Jehovah God knows the day and the hour. So man's rapid race toward nonsustainabilty should be clearly seen portending the end foreordained by God from the beginning. And God is not a heavenly counterpart to race car driver Greg Biffle, who seems to occasionally run out of gas just before the race ends. God's tank has enough whatevers to get to the finish. You can count on that.A fourth and final point likely missed by Pianka is the greatest truth of the universe. The Bible, in John 3:16, says "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life." Since the earth had a true beginning, who else can you trust but the God of the beginning?Respectfully submitted, D.U.

The Sky is falling! The sky is falling! ... has been for a long time

Your respectful Darwin's Undertaker is arising from hibernation. Taxes, stuff, whew! Still got a big pile to dig. But when something really newsworthy pops up, sometimes I can't repress the urge to pop off.

Just saw the Associated Press article by Sam Cage (Monday, May 1, 2006) on Yahoo a few minutes ago. Sez now 16,000 species globally are considered endangered, upped from the 15,000 reported in 2004 by the Swiss-based World Conservation Union (IUCN). According to IUCN, "polar bears and hippos are among the species of animals and plants threatened with global extinction. ... The list includes one in three amphibians, a quarter of the world's mammals and coniferous trees, and one in eight birds." The article quotes Achim Steiner, IUCN's General Director, as saying, "Biodiversity loss is increasing, not slowing down. The implications of this trend for the productivity and resilience of ecosystems and the lives and livelihoods of billions of people who depend on them are far-reaching."

Steiner is certainly correct is assessing the implications as "far-reaching." Indeed! Far-reaching not only in the balance of delicate ecosystems, but also in the loss of a vast diversity of organic materials among which undoubtedly may be found powerful medicinal substances.

For readers of the Bible, the continuing extinction of species is no surprise at all. The Bible reveals that God, "in the beginning", created all things. Hence the origin of great biodiversity of stunning complexity nd beauty. The Bible also says that, due to to the fall of man (Genesis Chapter 3), the universe is also fallen. Hence universal deterioration, degradation, decay, sickness, disease, mortality (death). As described by the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8, it is a "bondage to decay" (Revised Standard Version). To understand the whole picture, read Romans 8:19-25 to see that God's purposes in the "bondage to decay" are not vindictive and punitive, but merciful and redemptive and restorative.

But I am not blogging this just to wring hands about the loss of species, but to point out that the whole ecosystem thing kind of smells like CREATION, not random evolution. Even one individual organism is so complex that for it to arise by chance can be believed only by the most naiive and credulous. Michael Behe in his book Darwin's Black Box makes this point with clarity.

But let's expand the picture a tad. In today's world, the folks who have a grasp on a lot of details are the ones who know how to put the pieces together - hence the "systems engineer" or the "systems design specialist", or the whole area of Systems Analysis. The IUCN report properly uses the word "ecosystem" because it fairly implies what we understand - the biosphere is a complex interdependent system of many pieces working together. In our real workaday world, all the pieces come together only by a lot of intellectual and blue collar effort and sweat. So why should we give a moment of consideration to the high priests of materialism who desperately want us to believe that all life - and ultimately any possibility of purpose and dignity of man - are derived by blind random purposeless processes? Enough of this nonsense.

And a final word about the numero uno high priest of materialism - Charles Darwin. Darwin succeeded in convincing much of the world (the naiive and credulous masses and a few really clever people who are willingly deceived) that the number of species is increasing through chance processes operating today, which processes have been operative from deep dark time past. Well, Darwin's queer notion is continually disproved day-by-day each time one more species goes extinct and ten more fail to pop into existence to take the place of the one lost.

Do you get it?

Do you really get it? ? ?

Darwin said "more", scientific observation says "fewer." Darwin says random processes are creative, while all observations show random processes are dissipative and destructive. This is clearly recognized in physics (entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics) and in information theory. Now the same is increasingly recognized at the species level in biosystems (see J. C. Sanford, Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Genome, Ivan Press, New York, 2005).

So ... Darwin is a guy who did not know up from down. Are you a follower? If so, it is past time for you to seriously check out Darwin, then just plain check out - seriously.