Re: The YECs have won

Burgy wrote:
<<The time for action is past. Now is the time only for senseless
bickering.>>

<<Notes on Acts and facts, Vol 34, No. 3 (March 2005).>>

... Burgy's commentary deleted to reduce redundancy ...

It looks like the biologists, cosmologists, and physicists got a break in
the latest Institute for Creation Research (ICR) Acts & Facts issue. The
whole issue, with the exception of H.M.Morris' resurrection article, was
apparently dedicated to tearing down the uniformitarian geology barrier to
true Christian Faith. Baumgardner's Impact article <
http://www.icr.org/pubs/imp/pdf/imp-381.pdf> uses the word 'uniformitarian'
disparagingly in almost every other sentence (15 times) - but never defines
his use of the word. However, from the way 'uniformitarian' is used in
context it is obviously a bad thing that no Christian could ever embrace.
There's little doubt that 'uniformitarian thinking' is an epithet as bad as
'evolutionist'!

Interestingly enough, the functional definition for 'uniformitarian' is
used (without reference to the word) in the introductory article about the
_Mount St. Helens 25th Anniversary Conference_ <
http://www.icr.org/pubs/af/pdf/af0503.pdf>. Let me quote the first and
third paragraphs from this article.

      "The May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens
eruption is arguably one of the most significant
geological events of the twentieth
century, particularly from a creation
research perspective. The eruption that
day opened up an unprecedented window
of opportunity to better understand the
great Flood of Noah’s day."

      "For the past 25 years, geologists have
carefully studied and documented the
Mount St. Helens eruption and the many
geologic processes and products it generated,
including the remarkable rapid recovery
in the ensuing years following the
catastrophe. THE RESULTS OF THIS OBSERVABLE
EVENT HAVE PROVIDED TREMENDOUS INSIGHT
INTO PAST PROCESSES THAT WERE NOT
OBSERVED. Through extensive research efforts,
Biblical creationists have discovered
fascinating similarities between the
geologic work that was accomplished by
the Mount St. Helens eruption and that
which was accomplished by Noah’s
Flood." (emphasis added)

Ironic, isn't it. That is the definition of 'uniformitarian thinking' in a
nutshell. Let me make this very clear. In one breath, the ICR is using
'uniformitarian thinking' to research, promote, and defend their hypothesis
of Flood Geology. And then in the next breath they disparage conventional
geology because of its reliance on 'uniformitarian thinking'. (Heads, I
win; tail, you lose). I realize that probably none of us are totally
consistent in our arguments but to me this appears to be a major
fundamental inconsistency in thinking.

Steve
[Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and should
not be blamed on my employer.]
_____________
 Steven M. Smith, Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey
 Box 25046, M.S. 973, DFC, Denver, CO 80225
 Office: (303)236-1192, Fax: (303)236-3200
 Email: smsmith@usgs.gov
 -USGS Nat'l Geochem. Database NURE HSSR Web Site-
  http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/ofr-97-0492/
Received on Fri Feb 25 10:57:37 2005