| 2004 Web Sites of the Month |
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| Web Site of the Month - January 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| “I discovered that science doesn’t deal with the really interesting questions, so I turned to philosophy” - Chantilas (Terence Stamp) in the film Red Planet (2000) |
This month’s web site review looks at the distance learning program, Pathway to Philosophy, which is based at the Sheffield University web site and run by the International Society for Philosophers in partnership with the Philosophical Society of England.
Creation vs. Evolution is included among the ten most frequently asked questions about the nature of the universe. The other nine are:
Following the link, Creation vs. Evolution, the question is asked “What should I believe: Darwin or Genesis?” This question is then answered by five different individuals. Some strongly suggest that evolution provides the best answers but others suggest that creation also needs to be considered when one tries to understand the nature of the universe.
I find it interesting that philosophers are just as divided as people in general are when it comes to questions regarding creation and evolution.
| Web Site of the Month - February 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
This month’s web site review looks at a web site that provides many interesting links relating to the creation vs. evolution controversy.
The web page begins by providing six links to what the web page author calls Overviews. By following these links you can indeed get a good overview from a variety of sources as to current views people hold regarding creation and evolution.
Following the Overview links you will find links to Advocacy of specific positions. These positions are categorized as follows:
Most of the specific positions have a brief description of the topic that describes in general terms what the position believes to be true. More details can be found by following the provided links.
By exploring the many links found on this web site I believe you can gain a better understanding of the many different views people have regarding creation and evolution.
| Web Site of the Month - March 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| “One cannot be exposed to the law and order of the Universe without concluding that there must be a divine intent behind it all” -- Wernher von Braun |
This month’s web site review looks at a portion of the AbsoluteTRUTH.net web site. The site has a logo that states it provides “Real Answers for a World of Questions”.
The discussion about creation vs. evolution is organized by providing articles that discuss the following topics:
You can sequentially follow reading these topics or you can just read about subjects that interest you.
Interesting quotations from various sources are included at the beginning of each article found on the web site and links are provided to address issues that people wonder about such as:
A web site using the name AbsoluteTRUTH naturally also has a detailed discussion of the topic of Truth. If this subject interests you, there is much material to read on this site regarding Truth.
| Web Site of the Month - April 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| How can we see starlight millions of years away in a universe only thousands of years old? |
This month’s web site review looks at a site I recently discovered while searching the net for sites discussing creation and evolution. On the CRSEF home page you will find links to the following topics:
Also on the home page you will find a search box where you can enter a search phrase to find specific information from the site. From the Events link and other locations on the site I learned that CRSEF is located in Columbus, Ohio. It holds monthly meetings at the Columbus Metropolitan Southeast Library and is currently discussing Design in Nature - Darwin or Creation.
The Articles link provides information organized by the following topics:
Most of the articles have links to other web sites that provide additional material related to the topic under discussion. The Newsletter link provides access to sample newsletters from 2001, 2002, and 2003. The newsletters are Abobe pdf files. The AlphaNOVA link provides information about a television series that focuses on creation. You can watch portions of the programs online or you can purchase entire video programs.
As you can tell, there is a lot of information to explore on this site.
| Web Site of the Month - May 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Grand Canyon Evidence in Support of Biblical Catastrophe |
This month’s web site review looks at a site that discusses the formation of the Grand Canyon as an example of large-scale catastrophic processes. On the starting web page you will find links to:
On the starting web page it states the “Creation scientists have taught for many years that the Grand Canyon was carved rapidly when a dam holding a large lake of the northern end burst causing a massive catastrophic flood of water to cut through the Colorado plateau rapidly. In contrast to this view, secular science has taught that the Colorado river eroded the canyon over millions of years based on the uniformitarian assumptions that modern geology is based upon. However researchers have only recently determined that the Grand Canyon is a geologic infant in comparison to previous estimates, and it has been concluded that indeed much of the canyon was eroded rapidly as a result of dam failure.”
Some interesting reading can be found by following the links that discuss the book titled “Grand Canyon: A Different View” which was compiled by Colorado River guide Tom Vail. This creation science book has created quite a controversy since it was sold in the Grand Canyon bookstore. You will find links to many different newspapers around the country that carried articles about this book debating whether the National Park Service should be selling it in the bookstore.
| Web Site of the Month - June 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
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"Evolution became in a sense a scientific religion; almost all scientists have accepted it and many are prepared to bend their observations to fit in with it." -- H. Lipson, "A Physicist Looks at Evolution," Physics Bulletin 31 (1980), p. 138 |
This month's web site review discusses a site I recently found that contains a massive collection of scientific facts that refute the theory of evolution. The web site is very large and is constantly growing.
Most of the web site content comes from two books that can be ordered from the web site. The first book has the title Evolution Cruncher. On the web site you will find links to the Table of Contents and a great amount of information from the 24 chapters and appendices of the book. One interesting appendix describes how to do research work by using the material found on the web site.
The second book has the title Origin of the Universe, 3 Volume Encyclopedia. The web site also contains a great deal of content from the 41 chapters and appendices of this 1326 page encyclopedia.
The web site also has a link to new material. Here you will find links to the following material:
I found the material on the Scopes Trial to be very interesting.
By exploring the web site you will also find a link that allows you to find the addresses of the many Creation Research Societies that are located in the United States and in many other countries.
| Web Site of the Month - July 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| "Answering Tough Questions Concerning Science and the Bible" |
This month’s web site review discusses the web site of the Revolution Against Evolution organization which is located in Lansing, Michigan.
On the home page you will find links to the following topics:
Following the Essays link you will find that the essays can be viewed by subject, author or by date. There are approximately 325 essays on the site organized into 43 different subjects. Many interesting subjects are covered and I am sure you will find much interesting reading material.
Two of the Online Books you will find on the site are ‘The Revolution Against Evolution’ by Douglas B. Sharp and ‘Time Upside Down’ by Dr. Erich von Fange. Reading these books online is very easy since you can just go to the table of contents of the book and then select topics of interest.
The Bookstore link provides access to a very extensive bibliography of English-language books and monographs written by creationist or anti-evolution authors. The list was updated last in 1998 so it is somewhat dated.
Space does not permit me to provide more details about this site, but I am sure you will find the site a useful resource for material relating to creation and evolution questions.
| Web Site of the Month - August 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| "Taking Life Back to its Origins" |
This month's web site review discusses the web site of the Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness (IDEA) Club of the University of California San Diego. The club is a student-run organization whose primary purpose is to "promote, as a scientific theory, the idea that life was designed by an intelligence and facilitate discussion, debate, and dialogue over these issues in a warm, friendly, and open atmosphere where individuals feel free to speak their personal views".
On the home page you will find links to
By following the Club Info link you can learn a great deal about how the club is organized and something about its history. The club was formed in May, 1999, after UC Berkeley law professor Phillip Johnson came and lectured at UCSD.
The Intelligent Design link leads you to many articles discussing the Intelligent Design Theory and the shortcomings of naturalistic theories of origins. The Resources link provides access to a link that leads you to the IDEA link rating system. Since there are so many creation/evolution web sites on the Internet the rating system saves a great deal of surf time.
I am sure you will find much interesting material on this site.
| Web Site of the Month - September 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| “The purpose of the Bible is to teach us that God is the Creator, and not how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit created.” |
This month’s web site review discusses the web site of Denis O. Lamoureux, who is an Assistant Professor of Science & Religion at St. Joseph’s College, University of Alberta. “His appointment is the first tenure-track position in Canada dedicated to teaching and research on the relationship between scientific discovery and Christian faith.”
On the home page you will find some background information about Dr. Lamoureux and his views regarding the modern origins controversy. There are only three links on the home page. Link 1 leads you to a web lecture entitled “Beyond the ‘Evolution vs. Creation’ Debate”; Link 2 leads to a view of origins known as Evolutionary Creation; and Link 3 takes you to a Main Menu.
The Link 1 web lecture is a Quicktime audiovisual presentation consisting of 55 slides. For best presentation purposes a broadband Internet connection is recommended. You can also download and print 2 pages of lecture handout material from a PDF file. In his web lecture Dr. Lamoureux introduces two new terms and concepts that he uses to categorize views on the Origin of the Universe and Life. The terms are Teleology: belief the world has plan & purpose; and Dysteleology: belief the world has no plan & purpose.
He provides a detailed discussion of the following views of origins:
In his conclusion in the web lecture, one is asked to consider the Two Books Model: “Let no man or woman, out of conceit or laziness, think or believe that anyone can search too far or be too well informed in the Book of God’s Words or the Book of God’s Works: religion or science. Instead, let everyone endlessly improve their understanding of both.” Sir Francis Bacon (1605)
| Web Site of the Month - October 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| What restrictions does the First Amendment place on the ability of states and school boards to restrict the teaching of evolution or encourage the teaching of “creation science” in the public school classrooms? |
The web site review for this month looks at a site that discusses some of the legal issues involved in the evolution controversy. The author of the site is a law professor. On the home page you will find a general introduction and links to information about many important trials that deal with the conflict between science and religion. These trials include the trial of Galileo in 1633, the “Scopes Monkey Trial” of 1925, Epperson vs. Arkansas (1968), and Edwards vs. Aguillard (1987). You can read the court opinions from the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States for the last two trials.
After the general introduction you will find biographies of key figures in the evolution versus creation controversy, four evolutionists and four creationists. The four evolutionists are Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, Stephen Jay Gould and Steven Pinker. The four creationists are William B. Riley, William Jennings Bryan, Henry M. Morris and Phillip E. Johnson.
The next section of the home page has the title “Prof’s Prerogative.” Here you can get a pretty good understanding how strongly the professor believes that evolution has all the right answers.
In trying to remain objective, the professor provides links to critiques of his web site by a law student and two creationists. He also provides links to pro-creation sites and sites generally supporting evolutionary theory.
| Web Site of the Month - November 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| “The truth is unchanging, but our understanding of it is constantly evolving” |
This month’s web site review looks at a site that “explores evidence for the Divine creation and intelligent design in the universe, man's search for another intelligence and the theory of evolution as an explanation for the existence of life.” The site is organized into small pages that can be viewed by opening a small graphical door that is placed at the bottom of each page.
The home page provides links to the following topics:
The material on the web site is “intentionally presented in a non-technical format and intended to reduce complex issues to their simplest concepts in a visually engaging way.”
The site does not try to provide answers to the many questions regarding creation and evolution, but tries to challenge readers into using their own critical thinking to examine and assess all the evidence and to find their own answers.
I think this web site does a good job of providing material to stimulate thinking about evolution and creation questions.
| Web Site of the Month - December 2004 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| “A modern imagination predisposed to a belief in science... will generally find that neither creation nor evolution overcomes its profound conviction of ignorance”. — Jacques Barzun |
This month’s web site review discusses a web site that provides many interesting links to What’s NEW on the creation-evolution debate. The links are dated and provide a general description of what material is covered if you choose to follow the link.
At the beginning of the web page you will find a general discussion of what the author believes are the current views people hold regarding creation and evolution. He also provides links that explain the views of the Catholic Church regarding evolution.
After this general introduction, a third alternative to creation and evolution is presented. This alternative is called Cosmic Ancestry. “Cosmic Ancestry is a new theory pertaining to evolution and the origin of life on Earth. It holds that life on Earth was seeded from space, and that life's evolution to higher forms depends on genetic programs that come from space. (It accepts the Darwinian account of evolution that does not require new genetic programs.) It is a wholly scientific, testable theory for which evidence is accumulating”.
By following the link to Cosmic Ancestry at the top of the web page, you can learn a great deal about this new theory. A term you will frequently encounter is panspermia. This word means “seeds everywhere” and was the original name used before Cosmic Ancestry was adopted. I was surprised to find that a search for the word panspermia on Google resulted in 31,600 links.
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