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Dancing, Design, and Natural Selection?

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Obviously, dancing has taken many forms through the ages. Regal dances with rooms full of people synchronized in slow, precise moves. Couples doing waltzes and other precision steps. Townspeople dancing in spontaneous expressions of joy. People in clubs moving to the beat. Solo dancing. And many more. Have you ever seen a troop of chimpanzees doing a line dance or the Monkey ? Me, neither. Apes are simply not built for that. If you ask people why  they dance, they will probably say that it is fun and makes them feel good. Actually, a great deal is happening. Four dancing couples in rustic costume, New York Public Library Digital Collections . 1745 - 1899 Sure, feel-good hormones (endorphins) are being released in social dancing, but the brain is doing many other things as well. Dancing takes coordination. Ever watched a group of Celtic dancers in complete intricate union? Amazing. It's not just the feet, either. Other areas of our brains and physiology are utilized and even develop...

Standard Science and Evolutionary Myths

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Over fifty years ago, the Institute for Creation Research was established primarily through the efforts of Dr. Henry M. Morris. Dr. Duane T. Gish joined him a bit later, the others. It reorganized in recent years under new leadership. Their free  Acts & Facts magazine has been published since 1972. A recent edition discussed eleven myths of standard (conventional) science beliefs, and I will present several or all when I feature ICR material here. Folks may bristle at the idea that there are myths in science, especially evolution, but they do exist. Charles Darwin the thug It may come as a shock to some people, but science is actually a philosophy. Several, actually. Scientists based their interpretations of facts based on their worldviews. Most believe that the universe is very old. There are evolutionary views of the cosmos, geology, biology, and so on. Indeed, Charles Darwin did not create evolution . Another shock for some people is that evolution is actually an ancient ph...

Scientists Unintentionally Admit Core of Earth is Designed

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It is obvious that the secular science industry is opposed to intelligent design, and C. Richard Dawkins set forth a kind of mantra that living things only appear designed . (Indeed, a paper was retracted for using the word creator .) Astronomers, geologists and others adhere to the same anti-Creator bias. Every once in a while, the Darwin Ranch (out yonder near Deception Pass) is infiltrated by words of design. This is not because creationists managed to slip in their scientific material. Sometimes, secularists slip up. It happened in a paper about the earth's core. Earth's core diagram, NASA /  Dixon Rohr   (public domain) The core of our planet is baffling to scientists, as it cannot be observed through empirical means. Its composition is inferred through various methods. While some scientists have suggested that the solid inner core should not exist  because of the lack of deep-time conditions needed for its formation, others stay with the narrative.  Authors of ...

Evidence for Humans with Dinosaurs

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One source of mirth for professing atheists and other evolutionists is that biblical creationists believe humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time, but dinosaurs have since kicked the bucket and joined the choir invisible. Their narrative demands millions of years between us and them. Creationists have shown problems with deep time, and even some secular scientists admit that the evidence is severely lacking. Indeed, there are legends of  creatures that greatly resembling dinosaurs in human history — and there are other evidences as well. Atheists despise these things as they point to recent creation. St. Lifard and the dragon, Jean Bourdichon , ca. 1500 (PD) This picture looks like he just asked if it wanted to go walkies. Way back in the sixth century AD, a monk known as St. Lifard (or Lipardus, among others) was responsible for putting an end to a troublesome dragon. Was there truth to the story? I dunno, especially since the stories of his saintly exploits are far-fetched....

Materialists Beginning to Respect Non-Materialists?

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People on social(ist) media, regular media, and in print notice that misotheists often ridicule those of us who believe in immaterial things. A surprising number are inconsistent , believing in psychic matters, prayer, ghosts, and other things. We have seen that atheists are also inconsistent about the mind or soul — many deny it exists, but still look for its location in the brain. Many of us know that the brain is not the mind, but the mind uses  the brain. A neurosurgeon and an atheist had an interesting discussion on consciousness and other things. Brain and consciousness, Pixabay /  Gerd Altmann  (Geralt) The two Mikes. Dr. Michael Egnor is a neurosurgeon and believes that the mind is not simply physiological reactions, Dr. Michael Shermer is an atheist. It is very interesting that Egnor asked Shermer to offer an explanation for near-death experiences that contained verified details. Also, Egnor pressed Shermer to explain immaterial things such as morality: How can a...

Academia and the Christian Difference

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Academia is a word that includes higher education, and often scientific research conducted in those institutions. One goes to these centers in hopes of becoming a scientist. Although some folks may try to deny it, many professors seek to destroy the faith of Christian students. Indeed, atheism is presumed in academia and the rest of the secular science industry — and this attitude is harmful to Christian students . The "war" between science and religion is fictitious, an atheistic construct. Many of the founders of modern science were not only Christians but also biblical creationists. Saugerties Dam, Esopus Creek in Saugerties, NY, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Because of their insistence on naturalism, secularists are choking scientific research. They try mighty hard to keep the Creator out of science, yet they are upset about misconduct in science . Well, researchers and scientists are simply being true to their worldview if cheating helps their survival fitness... Christ...

The Three Sisters and Refuting Atheist Refutations

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It is interesting to see articles and videos about various geological features, many of which are found in the formerly United States. Down 'Straya way, there are also some impressive formations. Consider the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. This popular tourist attraction presents strong evidence for the Genesis Flood , and Dr. Tasman Walker of Creation Ministries International wrote an article about it. This raised the ire of some Australian skeptics, and one wrote an article to refute him. It did not go well, Three Sisters, Wikimedia Commons / Diliff ( CC BY-SA 2.5 ) For some time, I have held the opinion that a skeptic is someone who is not convinced of something, but is willing to change his mind when persuasive evidence is presented. It seems that a skeptic today is someone who refuses to be convinced of something despite the evidence. Someone pointed out that these unyielding skeptics would more correctly be called cynics . These skeptics (atheists) d...

The Giza Underground City Conspiracy

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It seems that when one conspiracy theory runs out of steam, another takes its place. The "conspiracy" part often means that the item in question is doubted by many, so there is a conspiracy to suppress it. Theory? Codswallop! The Pyramids of Giza have fascinated people for thousands of years. Pyramids are occasionally given mystical significance. In the 1970s, there was a belief that items in pyramid shapes produced a field that could keep blades sharp, preserve food, and more. Now it is said that there is a city hidden under Giza. Khafre's Pyramid Complex, Flickr / Institute for the Study of the Ancient World ( CC BY 2.0 ) Researchers claim that satellite technologies made it possible for them to find images of structures beneath the Pyramids. Other scientists are skeptical, and they have valid reasons. One is that the results cannot be replicated. Also, instead of going through the usual processes to announce discoveries, these researchers had a press conference on You...

Why Diving Marine Animals do not Drown

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After discussing plans for marrying up my prospector friend Stormie Waters and her fiancée Roland Meadows, those two and some others lingered at my place to make chin music. Ruby Slippers was promoted to Matron of Honor and her husband is a groomsman. Ruby had a question about the Bajau "sea nomads," divers who go underwater for about ten minutes. She wondered how. They have certain physical qualities and practice, I told her. Sea mammals can go very deep for much longer periods because they were created for that life and we were not. Seal, Pexels /  Daniel Lee When you hold your breath, you become aware of carbon dioxide buildup and getting air becomes very important. (Breathing too shallow can make you feel strange.) A seal can dive and forage  for about half an hour. Some critters last even longer. They are aware of their oxygen levels instead of the carbon dioxide buildup, and have some help from the myoglobin molecule and other physiological differences. The Creator ...

False Heads, Dead Leaves, and Other Mimicry

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When some creationists post photos of the cobra-like images on the upper wings of the Atlas moth , it is not uncommon for a village atheist to react with derision: "Now I believe in yer gawd, haw, haw! St00pid Xian, it evolved. End of story." Yes, they do that kind of stuff. If this was a one-off example, it could easily be dismissed as a coincidence. Mimicry is surprisingly frequent. Insects can pose as dead leaves, sticks, and seem to have false heads at the tail-ends of wings. A predator nibbles, and the butterfly gets out of Dodge. Dead leaf butterfly, Wikimedia Commons / S herle123 ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) Researchers studied lycaenid butterflies. Over 900 species. Although the researchers sacrificed their minds to Darwin and paid him homage, they still had a few interesting things to say. For one thing, these designs had several common characteristics and did indeed resemble heads. How did they supposedly evolve gradually over time? The deceptions had to work from the onset, g...