ABSTRACTS
The Rocks or Your Lying Eyes
By Zachary Klein
“No hypothesis is so sure that it cannot be called in question by a newly discovered fact. In the domain of the world’s knowledge there is no infallibility.”
American geologist Grove Karl Gilbert wrote the words above in 1896, in the third volume of the nascent journal Science. His words are quoted in a recent article in the Geological Society of America’s magazine, GSA Today. In the October 2022 issue, the headline article is entitled “The Rocks Don’t Lie, But They Can Be Misunderstood,” authored by Allen Glazner et al. The GSA Today article contains several items of interest to creationists, and we’ll summarize a few of them in this article.
Math Matters: A Simulated Universe?
by Don DeYoung, PhD
A strange view of physical reality is gaining in popularity as shown by mega Google hits. The suggestion is that the universe we experience is actually an elaborate, artificial computer game produced by advanced, inventive aliens. Galaxies and gravity, our lives and thoughts – none are real but instead are fragments of a computer program. In 2003, Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom wrote a related article which has gained traction titled “Imagine living in a computer simulation” (Philosophical Quarterly, 53 (211):243–255). Promoters of the idea include Elon Musk and Neil deGrasse Tyson. This rejection of reality is entirely unbiblical and nonsensical, but nevertheless the reasoning is interesting. The following six points summarize efforts to reinterpret physical data in terms of a vast computer game.
Apologetics Matters: Top 3 Reasons to Believe Christianity is True
by Lindsay Harold
1. The God of the Bible is consistent with the cause of the
universe
Science and logic have shown us that the universe is not eternal and must have had an absolute beginning. Because time, matter, and space are all parts of this universe, the cause of the universe must be timeless, spaceless, and immaterial. It must also be extremely powerful and highly intelligent in order to have designed this universe. This begins to sound very much like the God of the Bible. Other religions like Hinduism or Mormonism teach an eternal universe or gods who are not the Creator of the universe. Christianity teaches an eternal Creator of the entire universe, which matches what we observe.
2. The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus proves Christianity is true.
The resurrection is the most important evidence for Christianity. If you can choose only one argument to learn and share with others, this is it. Even the Apostle Paul said that if Christ is not raised, our faith is in vain (I Cor. 15:14- 17). It is on this one historical event that Christianity rests.
The four gospels are four separate eyewitness accounts that verify the resurrection. We also have independent attestation from non-Christian sources that the major claims of Christianity appeared very early, and we have the writings of the early church fathers to show that Christian claims have not changed over time.
Based on these historical sources, there are several facts that even non-Christian historians agree upon:
- Jesus died by crucifixion
- His tomb was empty
- The disciples truly believed Jesus rose
from the dead and appeared to them - Christianity exploded out of the early 1st
century Israel based on the testimony of
the apostles
The best explanation for these four historical facts is that Jesus did actually rise from the dead. People may die for a story they believe to be true, but they don’t willingly die for a story they invented and know to be false. The apostles were in the position to know whether the resurrection actually happened, and they went to horrible deaths without recanting. There is much more to be said here, but this is the core of the issue. The resurrection is historically defensible and forms the best explanation of the evidence.
3. The morality given in the Bible is consistent with natural law.
Natural law is very useful in showing that Biblical morality is not unreasonable or arbitrary, but rooted in our human design. We are meant to function in certain ways, and we can discern that by studying our bodies and minds. Immorality violates our design, not just a set of arbitrary laws in the Bible. God doesn’t make up rules for no reason. Biblical morality is good for us and for society
Biblical morality forbids such things as murder, theft, lying, and sexual promiscuity which we can all see produce many harms, both to individuals and to society as a whole. These are not arbitrary commands, but fit what we observe around us. If the Bible required us to do absurd things like stand on our heads to please God or harmful things like self-mutilation, it would be evidence that Christianity does not match our design. Instead, we see abundant evidence that we would all be better off if everyone followed the commands of God in the Bible.
There are many more lines of evidence and much more detail that could be covered for each of these, but these are the main points every Christian should be able to explain.
iDINO Update
Investigation of Dinosaur Intact Natural Osteo-tissue (iDINO) is studying biomaterial found in dinosaur fossils. Numerous studies have reported the persistence of pliable original tissue and proteins that are still present in dinosaur and other “ancient” fossils. Evolutionists recognize these findings contradict their claim that these bones are 65+ million years old. While evolutionists have proposed several possible explanations, they have been slow and unwilling to provide any empirical support for their claims. Thus, the iDINO project is currently investigating some of these speculative preservation mechanisms. Recently, the CRS, in conjunction with Brian Thomas (ICR) and others, has published the results on collagen decay in the journal Applied Spectroscopy. The article can be found at doi.org/10.1177/00037028221135634. The next phase is to look into collagen decay in alligator bones. Because of some generous donations, the iDINO project has been able to purchase a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) machine to process the samples in-house. Your continued prayers and support for this project are appreciated