Creation Science/Intelligent Design-some thoughts

I guess you could say that this is part two of my Religion vs. Science themed entries. This entry is one to bring up important questions and problems with creation science or intelligent design.

I think the one thing that needs to be pointed out is that not all Christians are all on the same page. They tend to fight with each other. The Institute for Creation Research takes a very strict view about creationism by rejecting any compromises to Genesis. The gap theory and the Day Age theory are seen to be compromises to Genesis and they are completely rejected. The gap theory recognizes that there are two accounts of creation and this allows for a long history of the earth and the process of evolution. The day age theory suggests that the 6 days of creation were not 6 twenty-four hour days, but six epochs of creation. Both of these were seen as compromises to what the Bible says according to the Institute of Creation Science. These fundamentalists think that religion has made too many accomodations to science and that religion needs to get back to its roots.

Back to its roots? Since when was science the enemy? Don't we have bigger problems, like the fact that many people in this country have no idea what it really means to have freedom in Christ? Since when is evolution and Darwin the equivalent of Satan? Shouldn't we focus on what Christianity is about, the resurrection of Jesus and emulating the example he set before us? Since when is making science the enemy getting back to the roots of Christianity? I personally think that God is so much bigger than science and science could never take that place that God has in my life. Let science take care of science, and let God take care of his people. That's his job anyway.

What makes me sick is that many Christians donate their money to causes like the Institute of Creation Science when their money can do so much in a local church. Let's help the needy, spread the message of freedom in Christ, and focus on that mission alone. That's what we are called to do as Christians. That's money well spent, not proving that the Bible is absolutely right. What does God have to prove anyway? So why try to prove that his Holy Bible is right? Sheesh people.

Why can't we act like Christians instead of proving that we are right?

Creation Science-Is it really science? Is it really Christian?

So, I know this post is gonna ruffle some feathers and make people mad. I just want to pass some information about the subject along, and also make you think. There has been this whole debate about evolution and creationism and how God fits into all of it. I will say that I have some background knowledge about creation science because I just took a class called Religion and Science. I have some hard core facts about the Creationist movement. I think I need to shed some light on who the Institute for Creation Science is and what they stand for.

First of all, they were founded in 1972 in California by a guy named H.M. Morris. He was big into creationism back in the 1960s and wrote a book called the Genesis Flood. He was actually a professor of civil engineering and has a connection to Virginia Tech. He was also the author of a creationist textbook that completely rejected evolution.

The goal of this institute is posted on their website and it says:
The purpose of ICR is to serve as an education, research, and communications media institution specializing in the study and promotion of scientific creationism, Biblical creationism, and related fields.

But it goes on to say: As a research organization, ICR engages in laboratory, field, theoretical and library research on projects which emphasize creationism, but are not necessarily limited to it.

"Emphasize" Creationism-aka-If your research does not point to creationism, it's not right. No matter how many times you do your tests or double check it. The outcome must be creationism.
(I wonder if that last clause means that they have had some evolution proved and they won't admit it, sounds fishy)

What kind of science requires a certain outcome? Not any science that I know. If your science points to another theory other than a biblical one, then you're kicked out. That's that.

Another thing posted on their site is this:
The Bible consisting of the thirty-nine canonical books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven canonical books of the New Testament, is the divinely inspired revelation of the Creator to man. Its unique, plenary, verbal inspiration guarantees that these writings as originally and miraculously given, are infallible and completely authoritative on all matters with which they deal, free from error of any sort, scientific and historical as well as moral and theological.

So now the Bible is not just a theology book, its a biology book and a history book without errors.
Uh huh, sure, that doesn't fly:

There are two creation stories-Genesis 1 and Genesis 2:4b-You've got your six days and a seventh day sabbath, and then the world gets created again right before Adam and Eve. This is because there are two authors of Genesis. (Go look it up in a commentary, I'm not dreaming this)

So if the Bible is infallible, then do we have two worlds? Do Adam and Eve live on Mars? I mean really people, the Bible has problems all in it. Who's to say how the world was created when there are actually two accounts of it?

All that counts is that Jesus died on cross and rose from the dead. That's what we base our religion on, not what the Bible says.

(More posts to come...)