Re: We are losing. Big time.

Moorad Alexanian (alexanian@UNCWIL.EDU)
Thu, 22 Jan 1998 10:02:26 -0500 (EST)

At 07:44 PM 1/21/98 -0600, Glenn Morton wrote:
>Hi Moorad,
>
>At 09:31 AM 1/21/98, Moorad Alexanian wrote:
>>I am not a YEC nor ever was. I know what science is, by being a physicist,
>>and I know what it is to be a Christian. There is a wide area in between the
>>content of Scripture and the findings of science. How the two meet in the
>>middle is not clear to us and all the suggestions are very speculative. In
>>our finiteness, we can never understand the infinite. God could have indeed
>>spoken and brought the whole thing, just as we see it today, into being. No
>>experimental data can disprove that possibility. Can you disprove that? It
>>is all assumptions and people who make different assumptions will reach
>>different conclusions. You say that "they place theology above what their
>>eyes see" but you know very well that it is not what we see but how we
>>interpret what is seen. Therein lies all the arguments. People agree on the
>>data, but how to extrapolate from that to the past is where all the
>>differences arise.
>
>I strongly disagree with you here. We do not agree on what the data is and
>that is a large part of the problem. As noted on this list, YECs believe:
>
>1. the 12 periods of the geologic column nowhere exist in one spot in a
>vertical succession. This is wrong.
>
>2. Many young-earth creationists do not believe that overthrust faulting
>occurs. That is false and we can see it on seismic.
>
>3. Many young-earth creationists believe that one can place 50+ feet of
>water vapor high into the atmosphere and have a cool surface temperature.
>That is false. Physics shows that watervapor strongly absorbs infrared
>radiation at precisely the wavelengths that the earth radiates.
>
>4. Many young-earth creationists believe that the continents can bob up and
>down thousands of feet in days or weeks, (so that the earth can be covered
>with water for the flood). The viscosity of the mantle is such that the
>motion would take thousands of years.
>
>I don't think we agree at all on what the facts are.
>
>
>
>
>glenn

Dear Glenn,

I have learned much from what you have written. It is legitimate for people
to analyze the data with whatever theory they want. The arena is open and
may the best theory win. That is science at its best. You tell me if that is
what is going on. I wonder if there are some theories that established
journals will not publish for reasons other than purely scientific reasons.
You tell me. I can judge theories in physics but not those in other areas. I
expect people like you and others to help me through those issues. I do have
a strong inclination in the theological/philosophical area and I must say
that from what I have read in Phillip Johnson's books, I agree 100% with his
theological/philosophical views.

Take care,

Moorad

p.s. I had our university library purchase the latest book by Johnson,
"Defeating Darwinism by opening minds," but unfortunately someone checked it
out before I could get to it. Have you read it?