Dawkins' video (was: a transitional turtle)

Glenn R. Morton (grmorton@waymark.net)
Fri, 05 Jun 1998 21:20:08 -0500

At 09:22 AM 6/5/98 -0500, Ron Chitwood wrote:
>>>>>There are several important points to be noted here. First, this data
>supports the predictions of the evolutionary viewpoint, not the
>expectations of progressive creation or special creation. Turtles are
>originally land creatures with feet adapted for life on land. The earliest
>turtles ( found in the lowest or oldest rock layers) are found in the Late
>Triassic. (Eugene S. Gaffney and James W. Kitching, "The Most Ancient
>African Turtle," Nature, 369, May 5, 1994, p. 55).<<<
>
>Two things on this post
>1) Are Gaffney and Kitching Darwinian evolutionists to begin with?

They are evolutinists, I don't know exactly what you meand by Darwinian
evolutionists though.

>2) Can the DNA be tested on this to prove anything other than
>microevolution occurred. If it can, Richard Dawkins needs to be informed.
>He was totally ignorant of any finding that showed an increase in
>information at the DNA level has ever occurred Videotape FROM A FROG TO A
>PRINCE.

I viewed this video and wrote a review for Perspectives in Science and
Christian faith. I saw that portion of the video and was very suspicious.
The interviewer and Dawkins were never shown in the same frame, the
lighting was different and the white wall behind the 'interviewer' was very
different from the bookshelves that the interviewer was normally standing
in front of. The lighting in the interviewer's room with bookshelves is
definitely indoors without a window because you can see TWO shadows from
the artificial lights (the angle of the shadow moves as the guy walks.This
is where the 'interviewer' talks about how many pages of information a
microbe and a man have) With the sun the angle would remain the same and
their wouldn't be TWO shadows. Thus the shadow is not due to sunlight).
This occurs about halfway through the tape. Dawkins is sitting in front of
a window. The bookshelves behind Dawkins contained knick knacs and some
books.The room Dawkins is in has lots of color blue cushions in the window
seat red curtains, white curtains, and a blue chair he is sitting in. But
the interviewer is never shown in front of the same knickknacs such as a
stereo and a weird statue with a smile just above Dawkins' head. (I
searched the whole tape looking for the interviewer to be with the red
curtains or with a book shelf that was the same as the one with Dawkins. I
couldn't find it.) When the interviewer asked Dawkins the question
""Professor Dawkins can you give an example of a genetic mutation or an
evolutionary process which can be seen to increase the information in the
genome." and they cut to Dawkins, he was not even looking at where the
interviewer was as he had been in other clips.He was merely staring at
something above him as if he was waiting for some technician to fix
something. When he spoke, it was not even addressing the topic that was
asked. He spoke about the fish/amphibian transition. I became very
suspicious so I contacted Dawkins, described the scene. He said he didn't
ever remember being with the interviewer I described and never was asked in
an interview, the above question. A friend, believes that the video of
Dawkins came from a CBC broadcast.

Because of the lighting differences, the white wall (not book cases) behind
the interviewer and the red curtains behind Dawkins, I don't think Dawkins
and the man in the purple shirt were in the same room. I don't recall the
'interviewer' being shown with any of the scientists who were interviewed.

Now, I am not saying that they did a hatchet job on Dawkins. But until I
hear a very good explanation, I wouldn't beleive anything on this tape.
Take what I say and look at the tape again and see if I am not correct.

glenn

Adam, Apes and Anthropology
Foundation, Fall and Flood
& lots of creation/evolution information
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm