Re: [asa] Mike Riddle's YEC astrophysics video

> However, I have decided against the Apologia high school curriculum, and we
> will probably use good texts from standard secular publishers. I had pretty
> much predicted when we started that this would be the course we would go
> (Christian curriculum to give a foundation with an emphasis on God, and
> secular courses in the upper grades to get more accurate science). After
> reviewing a few Apologia texts a few months ago (search for "apologia Jay
> Wile" on Amazon), it sealed the deal for me. Too much apologetics and
> inaccurate science, particularly in the Biology course (go figure). I think
> the answer to your question is, they don't give Christian science answers to
> the details of the universe's origin, they just give talking points against
> the standard model.

Even ignoring the young-earth items, there were a number of
conspicious errors in Wile's middle school physical science text. I'm
especially puzzled by his claiming extensively that nothing can go
faster than light within a medium, as his expertise is in physics and
as a Nobel went over 70 years ago to someone studying particles going
faster than light in a medium (i.e., although nothing can go faster
than the speed of light in a vacuum, a particle in, e.g., water could
travel faster than the speed of light traveling through water). Wile
also went in for some of the other science as conspiracy type of
issues such as denying that secondhand smoke is hazardous and denying
global warming. Some of the young-earth arguments were also fairly
conspicuously bad, such as the practise question claiming that the
lack of an ozone layer on an early Earth with a reduced atmosphere
would prevent life from existing due to UV rays. Wile has apparently
never noticed that you don't need sunblock in the shade or deep
underwater.

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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