The Gravity of it all
If you are an avid creationists as myself, you’ve probably had the fortune of engaging in a friendly debate or two about creationism vs. evolution. Since it is a favorite topic of mine and I have this handy little tool called the internet I use it often to keep myself informed on what the latest news and discoveries are concerning such. A part of this process is visiting a discussion board or two to get some inspiration some of the many thought provoking debates that you have been in. Needless to say, you guys are doing a great job, keep it up. One of the debate topics that have stuck out in my mind lately has been the argument that the Theory of Evolution is just that… a theory. I have to say that I agree with this assessment. The responding answer is usually along the lines of “gravity is a theory and we know it works because we see it work but it is still the theory of gravity.” Yes, superficially, it’s a great statement, but let’s scrutinize this discussion a little and see what we find.
To begin, evolution attempts to explain life that is all around us, plant and animal alike, as having one common gene pool and through countless mutations, and the harshness of natural selection, and the unfairness of genetic drift, we have all that we see and feel today. It’s kind of a crude description and probably unfair to try to explain it all in one paragraph, but it is the essential concept. However, there are relatively small changes among kinds of animals, a dog can be bread out of another family of dogs, and a cat is a close relative to another cat, bird to bird and so on. This kind of change no one argues exists but should not be confused with a kind mutating into another kind. A dog is always a dog no matter how much it mutates, a fruitfly is always a fruitfly no matter how much it mutates.
The theory of gravity is a concept that all can feel and see at work in its simplest form, for example, the proverbial apple falling from Newton’s tree. The more complicated form of gravity is planetary attraction, or stars and planets and such circling without colliding or being thrown severely of course. Meanwhile, our scientific understanding of this form of gravity took on a drastic change since Newton first wrote about it. Einstein’s theory of relativity gave us new insight on how gravity works and many predictable events that relativity suggested were in fact verified. Yet the simplest form of gravity remains the same even though the scientific foundation of the more complicated form of gravity shifted considerably.
We see life in its current state here on earth but we don’t call it the Theory of Life, rather, we think everything evolved from a single celled organism and we call it the Theory of Evolution. However, if life originated in any other way then we lose the term Theory of Evolution, we then use another term. Yet the concept of life remains because… well… here we are! Our scientific concept of gravity changed significantly but our natural concept of gravity remains (ie Newton’s apple) and it is still proper to use the term gravity. Yes, evolution is a theory and gravity is a theory. The difference is that even though our concept of it has changed we can still call it gravity, but if there is a quantum shift in how we perceive the origins of life we cannot call it evolution.
Dr. David Berlinski Destroys Darwinism In Under 5 Minutes
Qoute
He [Richard Dawkins] hasn’t committed himself to discipline study in any relevant area of inquiry. He’s a crummy philosopher. He doesn’t have the rudimentary skills to meticulously assess his own arguments.
– Dr. David Berlinski
Answers in Genesis Articles- Feedback: the Limits of Science July 3, 2009Bodie Hodge, AiG–U.S., responds to a feedback that again conflates science with naturalism.
- Appendix 3: Energy July 2, 2009The concept of energy plays such a central role in all of physics as well as in the other natural sciences and in technology, that it is regarded as a fundamental entity.
- The Genesis of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus July 1, 2009Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus leads to more deaths than AIDS and resists most antibiotics. How do such “superbugs” fit within a creation framework?
- Inspection of Homeschooling June 30, 2009A recent proposal in the UK threatens the rights of homeschooling parents and subjects them to compulsory inspection visits.
- What the Genesis Text Really Says About Creation, Part 1 June 30, 2009A respected theologian and scholar, Dr. Douglas Kelly carefully explains the relevant passages of Scripture, leaving doubters without excuse.
- NY Times today prints major article on the Creation Museum June 30, 2009See Ken's Ham’s blog from today for a full report.
- Signed, Sealed . . . But No Longer to be Delivered June 29, 2009A new agreement between Answers in Genesis and Creation Research Japan means that many new resources are coming to the Land of the Rising Sun.
- Contradictions: Three Days and Nights June 29, 2009If Jesus was to be in the grave three days and nights, how do we fit those between Good Friday and Easter Sunday?
- Feedback: the Limits of Science July 3, 2009