RE: [asa] AiG Ad in the Nov Christianity Today

== "mere players in the game of survival of the fittest"

It seems to me that the term "survival of the fittest" has been hijacked,
for sake of polemic argument. When YEC speak of "survival of the fittest",
as this article illustrates, they are talking about the violent destruction
of my life (as one "less fit") by someone who is stronger, so that their
vile and violent progeny may eventually become the dominant species of
mankind. It is a caricature of evolution, not the real thing.

When evolutionists speak of "survival of the fittest," there is something
involved with this I think, as certain species become vulnerable to death by
others (such as in the peppered moth study), and other species adapt in
order to preserve their lives against predators. But in a larger scale, it
is not mostly about violent death of a species in a single generation by
those "more fit" (i.e. powerful).

Someone correct me if I'm off base here, but I think the term "survival of
the fittest" refers mostly to cycles of many generations, often in the
context of environmental adaptation for the preservation of species.
Temperatures grow cold, and mammals grow thicker fur while dinosaurs die
because they can't adapt. Fitness means ability to thrive in one's
surroundings. And, evolution doesn't even necessarily depend on "survival
of the fittest"; that is just one manifestation of adaptation over time.
Others might include small adaptations based on genetic modification and
isolated replication, adaptive behavior in a positive sense of being able to
better cope with changing environment or food supplies, etc.

For those involved in relevant disciplines, is "survival of the fittest"
even talked about much these days in scientific/evolutionary circles? Is
this argument becoming irrelevant except among lay members of creationist
circles?

Jon Tandy

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of Jack Haas
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 9:05 AM
To: ASA list
Subject: [asa] AiG Ad in the Nov Christianity Today

You have got to see it to get the full impact of this *Answers in
Genesis* two page spread. on about page 6. (The coool magazines like the
New Yorker do not use page numbers
early on.)
For those in the provinces or the motherland who do without, the
following description will have to do.
___________________________________________________
The left hand page has a guy pointing a gun right in your face.

The right hand page has the text:

If you don't matter to God,
you (in red) don't matter to anyone.

As a society, we reap the consequences of the unquestioned acceptance of the
belief in evolution every day. It diminishes our worth and reduces human
beings from being "made in the image of God" (also in red) to being mere
players in the
game of survival of the fittest. Find Hope. Find truth. Find answers today.

www.answersin genesis.org

Answers in GenesisR
Upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse
______________________________________

CT Letters to the Editor: cteditor@christianitytoday.com

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Received on Mon Oct 30 13:02:11 2006