Atheist Armaments

I just submitted my editorial to the local paper. It should be published in the next few days! It’s in response to a recent event put on by Answers in Genesis. Check it out!

On October 12th, Answers in Genesis invited Wayne County to Examine the Evidence at Civic Hall here in Richmond. The conference claims that the Bible provides a complete explanation of the origin of life on earth, and attacks scientific evidence to the contrary. A small group of us attended a seminar to hear what they had to say.

First of all, to get this out of the way, there is nothing inherently evil or morally wrong about evolution. It is not exclusive to atheism nor is it in direct opposition to a belief in a higher being. There is plenty of room for a higher power to exist in tandem with a natural evolutionary process.
That said, my biggest complaint about Answers in Genesis is that they state many conclusions that sound scientific and are neatly packaged for consumption, but are often merely presenting data that has been cherry-picked to suit their presumed conclusions. They do little to no actual experimental work themselves and instead rely on the opinions of “experts,” most who are not specifically within the discipline of evolutionary biology. It’s like going to an Ear-Nose-Throat doctor for a consultation about a brain tumor.

Answers in Genesis incorrectly states that “genetic information can never increase from Natural Selection,” as an absolute. Recent experiments have shown that a single-celled organism, when faced with a predator, can evolve into a multi-cellular organism (an increase in information) that is less likely to be attacked. Drastic changes like those are generally in response to “adapt-or-die” scenarios, where an organism’s survival is heavily dependent on a mutation that helps the organism favorably handle the threat.

When a colony of organisms (generally bacteria, fish, or any organism that reproduces very quickly) faces a lethal situation, the organisms will act like MacGyver and resourcefully produce a new means of survival. In one experiment, scientists observed a colony of mutated bacteria whose flagellum (like a microscopic propeller) was non-functional. When the bacteria had exhausted all food in the immediate area, it fashioned a chemical “bolt” (a “disulfide bond”) to effectively repair their propeller and allow them to migrate over to a remote food supply. What’s even more remarkable is that the solution was the completely innovative means of producing this “bolt.” Like in Jurassic Park, “nature finds a way.”

Even though the Theory of Evolution is arguably one of the greatest accomplishments by modern science, it has questions to which we don’t yet have complete answers. But the fact that these unanswered questions exist doesn’t mean the theory is any less true. The Theory of Evolution has been supported time and time again by experiments and observations and there hasn’t been any true evidence that refutes it. Dr. Ken Miller, a Cell Biologist from Brown University says that “Evolution has stood on the table for almost 150 years. People have probably worked harder to disprove Evolution than any single other idea in all of Science. And despite the best efforts of a century and a half, it’s still standing.”

One such attempt was by Carl Wieland, from Answers in Genesis, who deceptively reported a discovery of red blood cells found in the bones of a T.Rex. He cites an article in Earth magazine, titled “The Real Jurassic Park.” Checking other sources, it becomes clear that Wieland’s article is a hyperbolic deception intending to overstate and sensationalize an incorrect conclusion drawn from twisting Schweitzer’s words out of context. Answers in Genesis has released numerous publications that both regurgitate these lies and invent new additional conclusions derived from it.

Mike Riddle asked multiple times, “What has evolution done for you?” Evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology, and we use the fruits of that field on a daily basis. I ask: “How does creationism benefit mankind?” If we woke up tomorrow and believed that Evolution is completely false and that the bible was correct about our origins, how would mankind benefit? To borrow from Pascal’s Wager: “What if they’re wrong?” They try to discredit every scientific discovery or advancement that is contrary to biblical writings, often based only loosely or in part on actual science, so with what would that leave us? And what if they’re wrong?

UPDATE : My editorial was responded to by a local retired minister. It’s posted over here.