| 2015 Web Sites of the Month |
|---|
| Web Site of the Month - January 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Creation Insights |
This month’s web site review looks at a site which seeks to provide evidence for the supernatural origin of the universe, life and species. The particular article for discussion is the main web page for the Creation Insights website.
The author, Patrick Briney, Ph.D., provides some background into his own experience regarding creation and evolution. He was an evolutionist until his third year of college. He switched positions after gaining insights about the subject of origins. He states that “I am excited about creation science as a field of study because it offers a cohesive model of everything that exists, consistency with scientific laws, and a wide open field for pioneering investigators…The purpose of this presentation is to show why creation models are reasonable and credible models of science.”
In the introduction of the article he also states the “Science is a tool and is not inherently theistic or atheistic. It should be used to discover truth not to censor unpopular models. Recognizing the important role science plays in verifying and offering credibility to systems of thought, science is the very tool needed to resolve the debate between natural and supernatural models of origins.”
After the introduction, the web site author discusses scientific models. He believes that legitimate scientific models fulfill four qualifications:
He says, "Credibility of an origin model should be based on its ability to logically explain data, its consistency with known facts, and its reliability to make accurate predictions.” [Editor’s note: This month’s feature article shows how the Avian Phylogenetics Project fails to fulfill these four qualifications.]
An outline is then presented to serve as a tool to use in the study of origins. The outline contains the following topics:
These topics are then presented in some detail and observations are made that the creation model “offers a consistent and relevant explanation for observed phenomena… while the evolution model cannot dissociate itself with obvious bias.”
There is much to explore on this web site so just follow topics of interest as there are many links to additional material.
| Web Site of the Month - February 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Dedicated to summarizing the facts regarding origins |
This month’s website review looks at a site that provides short articles on the topic of creation and evolution. To find the articles, select the Home link found on the main page of the website.
The website begins by asking the question “Creation and Evolution: Is there a Conflict?” What follows is a discussion of micro versus macro evolution. It is important to understand the difference between these terms when reading material regarding the creation versus evolution controversy. Here the website author provides definitions for both micro and macro evolution, and states that “for simplicity, macro evolution in this website will be referred to as evolution”. In the beginning and throughout the complete website, the author provides footnotes to additional reference material.
The next section of the website provides “Creation Versus Evolution Tabular Summaries.” Here you will find tables that summarize:
After the above-mentioned material, you will find the following current short articles:
A summary of the article and then a link to more material is provided.
The reader of this web site should find many topics to explore. It is important to understand that as mentioned in the last article “how you look at origins and life is the result of the lenses you look through.” There are indeed many different lenses such as the Biblical creation lens, the atheistic lens, the theistic evolution lens, and probably others. We need to understand that many of the problems that arise when discussing creation and evolution are not about science, but about faith.
Beside the short articles on creation and evolution, you will find Nature Photo Galleries on this site. Interesting observations are made regarding some of the photos.
| Web Site of the Month - March 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| An eHow Article |
This month’s website review looks at an article on eHow whose purpose is to “point out the fallacies in the theory of evolution using the principles that are meant to support it.” If you have done searches on the Internet, you are probably already familiar with eHow. The eHow website provides instructions on numerous subjects such as Mom, Style, Food, Tech, Home, Money, Crafts and More. You can even ask questions of experts.
The format of most eHow articles includes things you will need followed by specific instructions. For the article under discussion, the things you will need are “1) critical thought, 2) an understanding of the principles of evolution, and 3) an understanding of the scientific method.” The instructions consist of five topic areas which the author feels can be used to disprove evolution by using science.
The first topic discussed is the use of the scientific method. “A key part of the scientific method is the finding of evidence that is observable and supports a hypothesis resulting in a theory’s development.” The website author believes the evidence that evolutionists use (such as natural selection and genetic variance) really do not support the assertion that species can change to other species.
The second topic discussed is to “use examples that are used to prove evolution to challenge it.” Here you will find a discussion of the often-used popular example evolutionists use regarding moths changing color in England during the Industrial Revolution.
The third topic covers the use of more recent examples. Here you will find a discussion regarding mutations.
The fourth topic looks at the fossil evidence. The problem of dating fossils is discussed along with the environmental conditions necessary for forming fossils.
The fifth and final topic talks about the use of mathematics. “The theory of evolution is driven by so many chance occurrences that once totaled it becomes a mathematical impossibility”.
When reading this article on this eHow site you will find links to other articles “You May Like” and a lengthy list of comments.
| Web Site of the Month - April 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Creation Evolution Headlines |
This month’s web site review looks at an article from the Creation Evolution Headlines website. Since April 1st is April Fool’s Day, I thought it would be interesting to find an article about creation and evolution and April Fools. This is the article that appeared in a web search.
The article begins with the observation that “Anyone who thinks the evidence for gradual human evolution is unmistakable should look at recent literature by secular experts.” What follows is a discussion that racial characteristics are recent. References and links are presented from PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), Science Now, Science Daily and Nature. Interesting observations are made regarding the observed changes in European skin color in the past 5000 years.
The next topic discussed is that domestication is recent. An article from PhysOrg is referenced that “places the domestication of cattle within the last 10,000 years in the Middle East.” The article states, “one wonders what cavemen were doing for many tens of thousands of years before that.”
Neanderthal news is presented next. Numerous links to papers are presented to assert that “Neanderthal is a questionable category.”
Many other interesting topics are addressed in this article. Near the end of the article you will find a section with the title the story goes on. As the reader probably knows, evolutionists are not giving up. To show this, articles for Nature and PhysOrg are referenced.
The article discussed for this web site review was published on April 1, 2014. If you want to read more recent articles found on this web site just click on the home tab found on the top page of the site. Here you will find the NEWEST HEADLINES. There is a link to view excerpts that provides a brief summary of the article mentioned in the headline.
As with most web sites, there is much to explore on this web site. Just select a topic of interest such as Space, Physical Science, Biology, Microbiology, Humanity, Origins and others to begin a search for articles you may find interesting.
| Web Site of the Month - May 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| “There Is Scientific Dissent From Darwinism. It deserves to be heard.” |
This month’s website review looks at a site which seeks to promote careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory. The website was created to allow scientists to sign a statement expressing their beliefs regarding “claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life.”
The main page of the site serves as the launching point for gaining insight into why scientists should consider adding their names to a list of scientists advocating dissent from Darwinism. You can view the site in a number of different languages including chn, fin, fra, hun, idn, isr, ita, jpn, kor, nld, prt, rus, esp, twn and tur. Just click on the flag of the country to select a particular language.
An interesting feature of the main page of the website is that by refreshing the page in your web browser, you will find a different quote from a scientist who has added his name to the list. I found reading the different quotes quite informative.
The main page provides tabs or links for Home, About, Scientists, FAQ, Download, Links and Contact. In addition, a large button serves as a link for Resources for Students.
The About page provides background into why the list was created. “Public TV programs, educational policy statements, and science textbooks have asserted that Darwin’s theory of evolution fully explains the complexity of living things. The public has been assured that all known evidence supports Darwinism and that virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true.”
The FAQ page answers many questions the reader may have regarding the statement numerous scientists have signed.
You will find interesting reading material under Resources for Students. Topics include
The Links page presents the following three articles:
There is much to explore on this site, so just follow topics of interest.
| Web Site of the Month - June 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Legacy Academic Consulting |
This month’s website review looks at a blog post that provides some interesting insights on how Christians can survive college with their faith intact. In the introduction, the post author states that students need to be prepared “for the challenges they will hear to Christianity and central Christian doctrines when they are in college.”
Much of the blog post is based on an article the author read on the apologetic website “The Poached Egg”. The article has the title “Talking Back to Goliath: Some Advice for Students in the Evolutionary Biology Classroom,” written by Paul Nelson, Ph.D. of Biola University and the Discovery Institute. You will find a link to this article on the blog post under discussion.
Dr. Nelson’s main advice is “First, no aggression. David slaying Goliath is a justly famous account of bravery, but that was a literal battlefield. Your task is to persuade, not harm. Your sling and stones should be the evidence – or its conspicuous absence.”
The main comment the post author makes regarding Dr. Nelson’s article is “We have to be honest that the environment at colleges and universities is increasingly antagonistic toward traditional Christian beliefs and doctrines…the battlefield on the classroom is generally one in which the profs have the power and the podium, while students have no power and only as much podium as the prof is willing to yield.”
The general advice given in the blog post consists of four steps.
Many other general suggestions are made in the blog post that should help students in coping with the increasingly intolerant views regarding creationism they will face in colleges and universities.
| Web Site of the Month - July 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Flood/Ice Age Research |
This month’s web site review looks at a site that provides an interesting comparison of creation and evolution. The main page of the site provides tabs with the titles
The “Comparing Creation and Evolution” article is found on the Discussion tab with the title “Creation vs Evolution.”
The introduction to the article states that, “We often hear that the evidence for evolution is ‘overwhelming,’ and that no serious scientist actually questions evolution as a historical and scientific fact. This teaching pervades our society, saturating the media and public education.” The article seeks to provide some arguments that should “challenge the thinking and assumptions of both scientists and informed laypersons.”
After the introduction the website reader will find a discussion on Evolutionism and Theistic evolution. Here you will find some interesting insights into the problems evolutionists face when they try to answer basic questions such as “Where do we get our ideas of right and wrong, good or evil? and, “Where does our very consciousness come from?” How the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) seeks to address these problems is discussed.
What follows in the article is a brief overview of sixteen points which cover certain topics and concepts. The points include:
There is much to explore on this web site. On the Models tab you will find descriptions of a Flood Model and an Ice Age Model to explain these events. On the Resources tab you will find links to many articles that provide insight into many different topics related to the creation versus evolution controversy. On the About tab you can learn why the author of the web site became a creationist. As always, just explore the site to find topics of interest.
| Web Site of the Month - August 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| What is science? |
This month’s website review looks at an article found on the CREATION.COM website. This website is the product of a group of non-profit ministries, CREATION MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL, located in several countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States of America.
The article addresses the common objection you find in many articles on the Internet, and in books on creation and evolution, that creation is religion and evolution is science. The article was originally published in February 2002 and was revised in September 2014.
The article begins by pointing out that the definition of science “has haunted philosophers of science in the 20th century.” The pretty straightforward definition of the scientific method as proposed by Bacon, “observation ——> induction ——> hypothesis ——> test hypothesis by experiment ——> proof/disproof ——> knowledge,” really is no longer used. The article points out that “many attempts to define ‘science’ are circular… basically defining science as ‘what scientists do’!”
The article continues and provides some interesting insights into the perceptions and bias of both evolutionists and creationists. “Today, science is equated with naturalism: only materialistic notions can be entertained, no matter what the evidence.”
Many other topics are discussed in the article such as
At the end of the article you will find links to
Also, the main page of the site provides a search box where you can search for articles on subjects of interest. The website is very well done. The articles are easy to navigate and cross-referenced. As usual, just explore and I am sure you will find topics of interest.
| Web Site of the Month - September 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| The question of whether evolution is science |
This month’s website review continues with the discussion of last month regarding whether evolution is science. When searching the Internet about this topic, it often comes up in articles. The Bing search engine showed 25,900,000 links and Google 405,000,000. It appears that this is indeed a hot topic when talking about creation and evolution.
The article for our discussion is posted on a University of North Carolina website. No information is provided as to who posted the article and when. Nevertheless, I found that the article presented many interesting questions regarding evolution.
The article begins by pointing out that “The question of whether evolution is science would seem to be unnecessary. Surely a subject which is so widely taught and believed must be scientific! But it is not the fact that many people, even scientists, believe a theory that shows it to be correct, but rather that it passes reasonable and unbiased tests of verification.” It is pointed out that in the literature you will find many articles “presenting evidence and arguing about various mechanisms of evolution” but none “seriously considering the question of whether evolution is true.”
The article continues by discussing the many “plausible stories” evolutionary biologists construct to explain how life developed and evolved. The question then is asked “How do we know that these stories are true?” What follows then is a brief discussion of the fossil record and radiometric dating methods.
An interesting observation is then made regarding the statement you often read in evolution articles, that creationism is not science. “The implication is that if creationism is false, then evolution must be true. But just because scientists cannot think of an alternative is no reason to accept a theory.”
Many more topics are discussed in the article including arguments that claim evolution has been observed, similarities of life forms, the genetic code and others.
The article concludes with the statement, “I would like to see evolutionary biologists put their theory to the test and give us some rigorous evidence that it is true, if they can, instead of merely arguing about mechanisms and presenting plausible scenarios.”
| Web Site of the Month - October 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Creation the Signature of God |
This month’s web site review looks at a video found on YouTube where Dr. Ben Carson presents his views regarding the theory of evolution. This video comes from a presentation he made in 2011. Since he is currently running for President of the United States, his views on various topics have been in the news and have attracted a lot of attention.
Dr. Carson covers many of the hot topics of the creation vs. evolution debate in this video. Not surprisingly, this brain surgeon chose to entitle his remarks “The Frontal Lobe.” Throughout his talk he stresses the fact that the human brain really is a wonder of creation.
In his beginning remarks, Dr. Carson talks about his experience of being invited to be the commencement speaker at Emory University. Some biology professors objected to this because they knew he did not believe in evolution and started a petition complaining about Dr. Carson’s views of creation. He then tells how difficult it is for anyone in academia to advance to higher positions because of the bias of the politically correct belief that creation and belief in God should not be taught in schools and universities.
Next Dr. Carson talks about some of his experiences debating with evolutionists and atheists about creation and faith and science. As is often the case, when creation arguments cannot be refuted then evolutionists resort to name calling.
The fossil record, missing links, dating methods, Darwin’s theory of natural selection and the Big Bang theory are all discussed in the video.
While watching the video on your computer, you will find links to additional videos found on YouTube that cover the material discussed by Dr. Carson.
At the end of the presentation, when Dr. Carson answers some questions from the audience, you learn that he is planning on writing a book called The Organ of Species (in contrast to Darwin’s The Origin of Species) which will describe the organs of the human body and how they refute evolution. He plans on making this book easy to read and not too technical for people to understand.
| Web Site of the Month - November 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| “The mind, like a parachute, works best when it’s OPEN.” |
This month’s website review looks at a website whose writer presents a number of evidences that he feels are highly relevant for the Evolution vs. Creation debate.
The website starts by making some observations about the bias that most people have based on their personal beliefs. It is pointed out that these beliefs may be right or wrong and it is important “to have an open mind that allows one to re-examine one’s bias in the light of new evidence that one learns.”
Next there is a brief discussion about intelligence. “You should USE it…and form your own opinions BASED on FACTS.” You should “get ALL the facts – and when NEW FACTS are discovered, include them and RE-EVALUATE your evidences.”
This is followed by a discussion of Irreducible Complexity and Random Converging Evolutionary Processes. Under the heading of “Irreducible Complexity: Very Very Unlikely CHAIN of Evolutionary Events,” you will find a description of Irreducible Complex Systems. The Biochemist Dr. Michael Behe, in his book Darwin’s Black Box, described the characteristics of these types of systems. “Behe used the mouse trap to illustrate his concept of ‘irreducible complexity.’” All parts (hammer, hold-down bar, spring, catch and platform) are required for a mouse trap to function. “Behe (and many other researchers) have found systems in living organisms that consist of MANY different components and the omission of ANY ONE component renders the system ENTIRELY USELESS.”
Another example of “Irreducible Complexity” is the Bombardier Beetle and it is described in detail in the web page.
Several examples of Random Converging Evolutionary Processes are presented next. This term may be new to some readers but you will find a plain explanation why evolutionists now use it to try to explain why animals that look alike can have a completely different genome.
Near the end of the web page you will find a description of the E. Coli bacterium’s flagellum. This super-power molecular engine is indeed a marvel of nature. To believe it came about by random processes seems very unlikely.
| Web Site of the Month - December 2015 |
| by Lothar Janetzko |
| Characteristics that identify a field of study as being “scientific.” |
This month’s website review looks at a website that provides a great deal of information regarding what constitutes genuine science and how the “commonly-accepted Theory of Evolution” fails the test of being scientific.
The article begins by making the following three observations:
After these observations, the website author presents what he believes is the heart of the Evolution problem. It is “the fact that Evolution, disguised as a viable scientific theory, is actually a tool of religious propaganda and cultural domination, used by those who hold to the religion of Naturalism.”
What follows in the article are sections with titles
Many more sections follow the above mentioned ones that make for interesting reading. At the end of the article, you will find Recommended Resource in the form of Books and Websites. Also you will find an extensive list of Footnotes.
There is much to explore on this website. Just follow some of the articles referenced in the Footnotes to gain a better insight into the ongoing debate between creation and evolution.
| Quick links to | |
|---|---|
| Science Against Evolution Home Page |
Back issues of Disclosure (our newsletter) |
| Web Site of the Month |
Topical Index |