| 2014 Web Sites of the Month |
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| Web Site of the Month - January 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project |
This month’s website review looks at a new Pew Research Center analysis of the public’s views on human evolution. Interviews of 1,983 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia were conducted over the telephone, March 21-April 8, 2013. These interviews were completed in English and Spanish by live, professionally trained interviewing staff.
The result of the analysis of the telephone interviews is reported as
There is also a Table of Contents, and information about the survey.
From the introduction of the report you learn that “six-in-ten Americans (60%) say that ‘humans and other living things have evolved over time’, while a third (33%) reject the idea of evolution, saying that ‘humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time’”. It is interesting to learn that these percentages have not changed in the last 4 years.
In the section of the report with the title of Differences by Religious Group, the analysis is shown by graphs that show the views regarding human evolution of
I find it interesting that no information is provided as to what religious category a person was placed into, such as White evangelical versus White mainline Protestant.
The section about views by Party Affiliation is shown on a graph showing views of Republicans, Democrats and Independents. A point is made that “Republicans are less inclined today than they were in 2009 to say that humans have evolved over time (43% today vs. 54% in 2009)”.
The section on Views about Evolution by Demographic Group presents a table with the following groups:
General observations are made about the data shown on the table.
What I feel is missing from the report is a complete list of the questions that were asked of people during the telephone interview. Maybe the Pew Research Center considers that proprietary survey information, but without that information it makes you wonder what the survey was really trying to accomplish.
| Web Site of the Month - February 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| From Refuting Evolution, a handbook for students, parents, and teachers countering the latest arguments for evolution |
This month’s website review looks at an article about the age of the earth that was suggested by a reader of our newsletter. The article was first published in Refuting Evolution, Chapter 8. You can find detailed information about this handbook from links on the web page. The chapters of the handbook provide links to a lesson study guide that can aid the reader in understanding the various material that is presented.
In discussing the age of the earth, the topics covered are
The section on rocks focuses on the “vast thicknesses of sedimentary rocks around the world”. Evolutionists use this as evidence for vast age. This leads into a discussion about uniformitarianism as contrasted with catastrophism. In this section you can also learn about sedimentation experiments that have been performed to determine how layers settle under water flowing at different speeds.
Radiometric dating is often used by evolutionists to support “deep” time. It is believed that “by measuring the quantities of radioactive elements and the elements into which they decay in rocks, geologists can determine how much time has elapsed since the rock has cooled from an initially molten state.” It is pointed out that the deep time ‘determination’ is an interpretation and it is based on a number of assumptions. To explain other possible interpretations, an illustration is presented by using an hourglass.
The anomalies presented in the article deal with the many examples of rocks “where the dating methods give ‘dates’ that are wrong for rocks of known historical age.”
The article points out that a number of methods provide evidence for a young world. These include
On the bottom of the web page you will find links to YouTube videos that discuss the Age of the Earth and links to references and notes.
| Web Site of the Month - March 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Faith facts: Finding facts for life’s tough questions |
This month’s website review looks at a site which provides an interesting article about the scientific problems of Darwinism. The introduction to the article states, “This article is primarily an article about science. But we will examine aspects of the philosophy behind this debate. We specifically will not draw from the Bible. Yet we will demonstrate how Darwinists are more closed-minded than Christians”. The reader is asked to look at the growing problems for evolution with an open mind and not come to a preconceived conclusion.
The issues presented in the article are grouped into four categories:
Each of the above groups is on a separate web page and links are provided to make it easy for the reader to select topics of particular interest. As an example, the first group presents the following topics:
The Problem of:
In total, over 30 of evolution’s problems are discussed in this article. Many books are surveyed and their arguments about the growing problems for evolution are presented.
At the end of the article, you will find a Resource List that can be used to gain more insight into the many books that have been written recently covering the problems facing evolution.
As with most websites covering the evolution versus creation debate, you can use this site as a launching point to start your search for more information regarding “finding facts for life’s tough questions”.
| Web Site of the Month - April 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Tiktaalik roseae |
This month's website review looks at an article that fits the spirit of April as being the month of April Fools. The article deals with missing links and how important they are for evolutionists.
The article is published by the Apologetics Press. This organization tries to “make available scripturally sound and scientifically accurate materials in apologetics.” You can read what they believe by following the link “About AP” on the main web page.
The missing link under discussion on this site is Tiktaalik roseae. Evolutionists and the popular press have announced this discovered fossil to be the missing link between fish and land-dwelling creatures. The article describes the scientific report that was published announcing the discovery. In the report, the authors announce the “discovery of a well-preserved species of fossil sarcopterygian fish from the Late Devonian of Artic Canada that represents an intermediate between fish with fins and tetrapods with limbs, and provides unique insights into how and in what order important tetrapod characters arose.”
The article points out that much of the report was speculation and propaganda which “might be acceptable or even expected from the popular press, but not from a scientific journal where researchers should not delve into the realm of imagination or guesswork.” Nevertheless, the authors of the scientific study “wanted everyone to know that ‘the missing link’ was no longer missing.” The report created a media frenzy about this new creature. Headlines declared: “IT WAS one of the most important events of the last 400 million years: the moment our fishy ancestors began hauling themselves onto dry land.” The New York Times account “confronted the controversy between creation and evolution, noting: ‘Other scientists said that in addition to confirming elements of a major transition in evolution, the fossils were a powerful rebuttal to religious creationists, who have long argued that the absence of such transitional creatures are a serious weakness in Darwin’s theory.”
The article continues to discuss what they really found. As you can imagine, fossilized remains can “only tell us so much about a creature.” Most of what was reported was just subjective speculation.
Near the end of the article, previous “missing links” such as the coelacanth are mentioned. This fish was discovered in the western Indian Ocean in 1938.
The article concludes with references that provide material for further study.
| Web Site of the Month - May 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Report of a meeting from The Florida Times-Union paper |
This month’s website review looks at a report in a newspaper about a meeting on evolution vs. creation held at the University of North Florida. “More than 500 people filled the University of North Florida’s Andrew Robinson Theater Tuesday (4/29/2014) to tackle a topic known more for its conflicts and controversies than for its tendency to unite people of diverse views.”
From the report, you learn that the panel of speakers consisted of theologians, scientists, doctors, historians and educators. The panel discussed their “different views about religion, science and the origin of humanity.”
What surprised the reporter was that the topics were discussed with “very little conflict or controversy. No one was dogmatic or belligerent, even when they were passionate.”
The report mentions that this particular meeting was the third in a series of public discussions about difficult topics. The first covered public prayer, and the second, race.
The intent of the meetings was to “model civil discourse; not to debate or attempt to convert.”
The rest of the report discusses the views of some of the panel members and how some of the audience members reacted to what they heard.
The reader will have to decide whether meetings such as the one in Florida can help people gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding the creation versus evolution controversy.
Nevertheless, it is interesting to learn that some communities try to promote cultural understanding by having public discussions about difficult topics.
| Web Site of the Month - June 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| The Creation-Evolution Debate |
This month’s website review looks at a site which provides interesting insights into the creation-evolution debate. The main page of the site is organized into three sections. The top section provides links to five topics: Creation, Evolution, Universe, DNA and Humans (plus some changing images). The small left section contains links to additional material. The main section (on the right) provides detailed information about the chosen link. The website is easy to traverse and provides links to return to the Front Page after exploring a particular topic.
The Front Page of the site provides an introduction and makes the observation that “The creation-evolution debate involves two sides whose belief systems mean that they are not able (or willing) to understand each other.” Then the author of the site presents some interesting insights into the size of the universe and the 8.7 million species on planet Earth.
After reading the introductory material of the website main page you can explore the main topics or other material such as
I find the comments the author makes about evolution in the main topic section of Evolution quite interesting. He states “People should not use the term ‘the theory of evolution’ because the word ‘theory’ gives credence to the concept of evolution. Evolution is a hypothesis and is not substantiated in any way!” He also has much to say about natural selection.
There is much to explore on this website and I’m sure the reader will find the comments the website author makes on various subjects are well thought out. He certainly is not afraid to state his opinion on many controversial topics.
One thing I find interesting about this website is that no information is provided as to who is the author of the site. No biographical information is provided. The Contact Us link just provides a UK email address. I guess when dealing with controversial topics it is good that one can remain anonymous on the Internet.
| Web Site of the Month - July 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Insights into how to defend creation vs. evolution |
This month’s website review looks at a short article originally published in the Rockdale/Newton Citizen, a newspaper covering Conyers-Rockdale, GA.
The article attempts to answer the following question: “I believe in creation, but I am not sure how to best defend this belief against evolution. Can you explain where to start?”
The article begins by pointing out that the debate between creation and evolution is not between science and religion. The debate is actually between two different belief systems. Also “assumptions and presuppositions are the starting points of the debate over origins”.
The article stresses the point that the facts are the same for both evolution and creation. “Evolution explains the facts based on the assumption of natural, continual processes. Creation explains the facts based on the assumption of a supernatural, completed process. Both views produce logical conclusions based on their starting assumptions.” Here the interesting observation is made that logic can be an imperfect tool used to justify incorrect assumptions.
The Grand Canyon is used as an illustration of how it may have been formed. Evolutionists assume the Colorado River carved it out over millions of years, while creationists assume a large flood formed the canyon.
The large canyons that appear on Mars provide an interesting topic for discussion. “One scientific explanation for them is that the canyons were caused by large floods at some point in the past. In other words, they (evolutionists) deny the flood theory on a planet full of water, but accept it on a planet devoid of water.” This again shows the problem of basing your views on preconceptions.
The article also makes the point that students should be taught how to think and not what to think.
In the conclusion of the article a statement is made that “we must always realize that the conclusions that are presented as facts are just interpretations of facts based on a set of assumptions. We must always remember the difference between scientific data and biased interpretation of those data.”
At the end of the article you will find a link to a Table of Contents which provides links to many different subjects and questions regarding creation and evolution that have been published in the Rockdale/Newton Citizen.
| Web Site of the Month - August 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| An article posted on livescience.com. |
This month’s website review looks at an article that presents what that author believes are the six big battles that have been fought regarding the creation versus evolution controversy. You, the reader, will have to decide if you agree with the material as it is presented.
In the introduction, the author states that the gist of the debate between scientists and creationists is “Did modern life on Earth evolve over millions of years, or was it created in the blink of an eye by God?” The statement then is made that “the scientific evidence is clear: The Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, and all life evolved from primitive, single-celled organisms.” No scientific evidence is presented to support this claim.
The six battles mentioned in the title of the article are:
What I find interesting about this article is that it is typical of much you find on the Internet from writers that support evolution. They want you to accept evolution as a proven fact without requiring any evidence. The school textbooks support evolution, so it must be the correct view.
At the bottom of the article you will find an author bio and 166 comments from various readers. All this material makes for interesting reading. The controversy between creation and evolution indeed is still alive and very active.
Just remember it is important to understand the issues involved in the ongoing controversy. Many times people cannot agree on basic definitions of EVOLUTION and CREATIONISM. Always look for evidence to determine whether something is true or not.
| Web Site of the Month - September 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| “Are You Willing to Believe the Truth when it is made plain to you?” |
This month’s website review looks at a website that presents many interesting and amazing facts about creation. The main page of the website is very busy and provides little points to ponder about the wealth of information found in the complete Layman’s Guide.
From the main page you learn that the “Layman’s Guide lays down one challenge that evolutionists must answer in order to remain intellectually honest about origins of life and the universe.” The challenge is “Name one undisputed scientific fact that even all evolutionists agree substantiates evolution, and excludes the Biblical Creation scientific model.”
On the main page you will find a link to Begin Guide which leads the web reader to the Introductory Table of Contents Link. From these links you can read
The Layman’s Guide is organized by presenting facts of creation under the following subjects:
Each subject or unit begins with a table of contents and a brief list of facts.
A convention used throughout the Layman’s Guide is to present Facts of Creation by using a bright blue font. This makes it easy to locate the information in the main body of the text.
The author of the website makes the following disclaimer: “The author of this guide is not a research scientist. This information has been compiled from the abundance of easily accessible and confirmed scientific authorities. The majority of the information is common knowledge in the scientific realm, while lesser known facts are cited. Do not quote the author as a scientific authority. This guide is intended to systematically build the case for Biblical Creation through the logical alignment and application of the abundance of established scientific facts.”
| Web Site of the Month - October 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| A powerful new resource from Ray Comfort |
If you perform a search on the Internet for information about creation and evolution, you will likely find many links to a DVD with the title Evolution vs. God, Shaking the Foundations of Faith. This month’s website review looks at a site that provides a review of this DVD. From the site you can find not only a link to the Evolution vs. God Trailer, but also a link to the complete film made available with YouTube videos.
Before reading the review of the DVD, you should probably watch the trailer or the complete film to gain some understanding of the topics under discussion.
The review begins with the following statement: “In the broader culture, it is assumed that evolution is fact, and creation is a religious belief. But when Ray Comfort takes to the streets with his iconic camera and microphone in his new DVD Evolution vs. God, he shows that for both typical students and college professors, their stance on origins and the age of the world is actually a matter of faith.”
Some of the dialog between Comfort and a Student is then presented. The issue of atheism and evolution is mentioned.
The review then points out that “Comfort repeatedly receives answers from students reflecting that they believed there was overwhelming, obvious evidence for evolution, it’s a ‘fact’, it’s ‘logical’.” When the students were asked about observable proof of evolution, they became uncomfortable very quickly.
Not only does Comfort question students about their beliefs about evolution, he also interviews many professors. The reviewer points out that “Comfort easily shows how students and professors alike overestimate the ‘undeniable’ evidence for evolution and the lack thereof for intelligent design.”
In the DVD, Comfort “repeatedly challenges the interviewees to produce evidence for one ‘kind’ of creature changing into a different ‘kind’.” The reviewer discusses this topic in detail and presents some of the problems that arise when creationists use this topic as their main point of contention with evolutionists.
Space does not permit to comment on all of the topics covered in the DVD and the review. Readers’ comments can be found at the end of the review. The comments give insight into how other people have reacted to viewing this interesting and thought-provoking DVD.
| Web Site of the Month - November 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Thoughts on Evolution |
This month’s web site review looks at a site that presents interesting observations about why the theory of evolution is so widely accepted and yet rejected by many intelligent people – even PhD scientists.
The site provides this information by means of five Evolution pages, with two articles on each page.
On each Evolution page, you will find footnotes and links to additional material under a heading of Learn More.
By following some of the links to additional material, you learn that allaboutscience.org is just part of a network of websites covering many different topics.
On any of the Evolution pages, you will also find a link to ALL TOPICS at the top of the page which provides access to more material by providing a title and brief description of the subject. The first entry serves as an index to the many different subjects covered under the titles of Science Content and Science Videos.
This web site has much to explore. It tries to tell you All About … the topic under discussion. After reading the material about Evolution, just go to the ALL TOPICS link and find topics from the index and read or view videos of interest.
The authors of the web site state, “We believe the pursuit of truth is the highest calling of humanity. We are a collection of people who have wandered many paths, but all discovered that same truth. We are passionate about sparking authentic life journeys and sharing compelling content with skeptics, seekers, believers, and a hurting world.”
| Web Site of the Month - December 2014 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Summary of multiple articles about creation and evolution |
This month’s web site review looks at a blog post posted by Babu G. Ranganathan in October 2011. The blog post serves as an index to many different articles that Mr. Ranganathan has written regarding science supporting creation. On the side bar of the blog post there is an About Me section which provides some background information about the blog author.
For the blog post, the author has chosen to use the titles of the many articles he has written to provide a brief summary of that particular article. In the listing of articles, you will also find other articles that the author has chosen to reference.
The articles mentioned in the blog post include:
As you can tell from the above list of articles, the blog post author is a prolific writer and covers many of the topics usually addressed regarding creation and evolution.
Besides just reading the summary of the many articles mentioned in the blog post, the author suggests that you just Google the title of an article to access the complete article.
In the About Me section you will also find recommended web sites which provide more information to study regarding science supporting creation.
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