Piltdown Superman

Although it seems less frequent nowadays, cancel culture  is a method of punishing those who dare to go against the prevailing viewpoint. I believe that people want to be "right" or in the "best" movement, whether it is religious (including atheism), a political party, or something else. Those who disagree are shunned and even canceled. A form of this happened when C. Richard Dawkins was "deplatformed" at the University of California, Berkeley. He said something people did not like about Islam. He has said other things that caused people to dislike him. These come about because someone goes against the trend. Image from "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" by Sidney Paget , Strand Magazine , 1904 (enhanced at iLoveIMG ) Creation science and the Intelligent Design movement are unwanted on social(ist) media, and many times atheists try to have it stamped out. Calls for trolling raids, feculent comments, ridicule, and more are common fare ...

Those with Atheism Spectrum Disorder suppress evidence for the existence of God that is clearly seen (Romans 18:1), needing to repeat the mantra that things only appear  designed. They would have to count many Darwin beads and chant very fast when seeing hidden layers of complexity. In medical science and other areas of biology, advances in technology enable us to view microscopic things we never realized existed, such as cellular machines. In the trees, under the soil, in the oceans are amazingly complex worlds testifying of the Designer. View of Onteora Lake, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen George Washington Carver was a Christian and a creationist. He prayed for wisdom, and God guided him to discover about 300 uses for the peanut. The peanut . It was designed to have many uses. Indeed, Proverbs 25:2 tells us that God has concealed things, and kings discover them. They are not hidden because he does not want them found, but concealed so his work is gradually seen in many areas. H...

At one time, people had souls. Some classical philosophers called it perception. Nowadays, secular scientists and philosophers are almost making their research into a comedy by their conflicting views. Many deny the existence of consciousness but still try to find it in the brain. Someone named Mr. Gordons referred to humans as "meat machines." Alan McComas is a neurosurgeon, one of many people to think they have a location for consciousness in the brain — which he says is an organic machine. Brain as a machine,  MR LIGHTMAN  at FreeDigitalPhotos.net His comparison may seem reasonable at first, but it has some problems because his criteria can make many things into "machines". Also, McComas thinks those clumps of neurons called hippocampi are where consciousness resides. This idea falls apart as well. The truth is that we are created in the image of God, each one with a soul (or consciousness), and it is not a part of the container in which it resides. Over centurie...

A couple of days ago, I was out riding and happened upon my friend Hammond Suisse out riding fences. He would find a place where the fence had a flaw, and either fixed it or made a note to come back later with more equipment. We rode together a spell, and conversation turned to how I had been fighting off a lingering cold. Hammond said, "We have an amazingly complex immune system that God engineered for us. After the fall of man, it gets overwhelmed sometimes." He glanced at a scrape on his arm. Arms and hands, Pexels / Daria Liudnaya (modified at PhotoFunia ) "Seems to me that I got something in common with immune systems." "How so?" I asked. "We're both riding fences. You know, doing work that's often unseen but sure is important. Churches, stores, companies have often unseen people doing work to keep those things going." He glance down. "I better clean that up. Good thing I'm almost done," he added. Then he asked, "...

It seems like something out of an animated film, but the story is rather real. Imagine that an octopus sidles up to a fish that was going about its business, then presenting a proposition. The goal is to work together and do a bit of hunting. Octopuses continue to amaze scientists with their abilities and intelligence. The octopus is normally a loner, yet it socializes with the fish. It is interesting that both parties have a say in the conspiracy and its execution. Octopus, Unsplash /  Diane Picchiottino An octopus researcher appealed to the non-answer of convergent evolution in an attempt to explain their brains. But secular scientists cannot explain where octopus traits originated, nor can they explain why these loners would cozy up to a companion — especially when it can hunt very well all by its lonesome. Efforts to cling to naturalism use bad logic and fake science; evolution has nothing to do with it. Design by the brilliant Master Engineer is the logical conclusion from wh...

This post on the human brain is from an Intelligent Design site, so I thought you might appreciate a heads up. When it comes to the brain and the mind (remember that the brain is not the mind, the mind uses  the brain), secular scientists have conflicting views on consciousness — the soul, if you will. In many cases the brain can adapt. People can have brain portions missing and still function  because of what is called plasticity. In extreme cases of epilepsy, surgery is performed to split the brain. Illustration of split and normal brains, WikiComm / Soccernumber1 ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) Literally splitting the brain sounds like a death sentence. However, the adaptability and (in my view) mysterious ways people can still function with damage kind of offset feelings of alarm for the patients. In fact, most have no ill effects after the surgery. Others may have some that diminish. Now back to the confusion of secular views. Make up your minds (heh!), is there consciousness or not? S...

Here is a creature that is easy to wave away, but people should appreciate the work that the Master Engineer put into it. For that matter, it is notoriously difficult to swat. One reason is that it is so small that the air from a striking hand buffets them. Another reason fruit flies are difficult to swat is because of their vision and the design of their eyes. The fruit fly brain has been mapped, and some of its 140,000 neurons involve the eyes. Such a mapping feat could not have been accomplished until recent years. Fruit fly, Flickr / John Tann ( CC BY 2.0 ), modified at PhotoFunia Researchers had to start small, as humans have 80 billion neurons. They found over eight thousand types of neurons in different classes based on functions. Various ones would send signals from the brain to certain areas. It shows that human understanding of the Creator's work is very incomplete, such as how some connections seem random, and that neurons take unexpected routes. This research may have ...

In the secular science industry, the peer review process seems more like a "good ol' boys" club than the dissemination of objective scientific information. While gatekeeping keeps out much of the riffraff, it also protects favored views from contrary data. Although creation scientists do publish in peer-reviewed journals , they cannot get material refuting evolution, supporting the global Genesis Flood, and so on published. Not only is evolution protected, but leftist views on climate change and other things are shielded. The peer-review process has numerous flaws that bother even secular scientists. Made at  Redkid.net I've got some bad news for you, Sunshine: Scientists are not the bastions of integrity and impartiality that many people think. They are human and subject to wicked urges just like the rest of us. Peer review has cheating, ethical problems, a reproducibility crisis , and other flaws. There appears to be a rebellion in the works. Some want it scrapped. ...

Studies of how unborn children respond are fascinating, and I witnessed how one of my newborn children recognized my voice. I spoke, and he tried to turn his head in my direction! It has been recommended that expectant parents talk to their developing children; some also read to them. It has been discovered that babies have a built-in ability to learn  and are also ready to read . Naturally, it fits right in that they are ready to learn the language of the people around them. It was discovered that they learn it earlier than scientists thought. Baby feet in crib, RGBstock /  Jean Scheijen For that matter, it is known that children are far more adept at learning more than one language, but it is often difficult for adults to learn additional languages. It would be in the best interests for children of parents who do not speak the language of the country where they live to learn that country's language as well as the one their parents speak. That way, the whole family doesn't ha...

Habitability out there, thataway, was a simple concept: A planet had to be the right distance from a suitable star. There also had to be some water. Secular cosmologists and astrobiologists (yet there are no aliens to study) depend on atoms-to-alien evolution to happen. Aside from the silliness of believing in abiogenesis despite  science and reason, these folks also have to deal with how the habitability zone becomes increasingly complex. It gets more complicated the way water is vital for habitability in more ways than scientists previously considered. Desert world scene, Pixabay / Gordon Taylor There are books and movies about desert worlds where water is a precious commodity. Computer simulations greatly increase the suspension of disbelief in audiences because a world without water could not evolve  — a substantial amount of water, at that. Also, the water would have to be at a minimum level. Such information should inspire people to be thankful to the Creator for the wor...

There is a perennial wildflower that grows in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere known as fireweed  in America, and  rosebay willowherb in Britain. It seems like an understatement to refer to land as disturbed  after fires or volcanic eruptions (or bombing, it has been called bombweed  in England), but fireweed is ready to reclaim the land. Fireweed is attractive, but may be sparse during good times for the land. Its method of distributing itself on disturbed land (above and below ground) is quite interesting. Fireweed, Flickr / Alaska Region U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Kristine Sowl (PD) When Mt. St. Helens erupted, the land was a mess and scientists watched for years to see how it would recover. Guess what showed up right quick-like? Yup, fireweed was observed  by 1985. Fungi also joined the land reclamation party. Add to this is that fireweed and other plants are food for wildlife — if they eat the right varieties at opportune times. One reas...

While woolgathering the other day, I thought back to a small get-together at my prospector friend Stormie Waters' place. There were equine games. I knew Stormie's friend Ruby Slippers was skilled at horse riding, but in the speed, turns, and fine maneuvering, she and the horse were like a unit. In the heyday of the nineteenth century American cattle drives, riders and horses worked together. Such unity is common. Long ago, people were using horses for transportation (riding and pulling wagons), pack animals, and more. So why say there were not designed to be ridden? The Cowboy , Frederic Remington, 1902 We have looked at dysteleology  arguments (that something supposedly had bad design, so the Creator does not exist or is incompetent, therefore evolution) several times. Sorry, Wilbur, but the argument can be used about the horse. Of course. Although poor design imaginings are used to prop up evolution, they are theological opinions, not scientific, in nature. Interestingly, th...

Those other jellyfish get the media attention, what with their bell shapes, lack of brains, deadly stinging tentacles and such. What about the "immortal jellyfish" that scientists call  Turritopsis dohrnii ? Of course, they are 0.18 inches (4.5 mm) long, so they are difficult to see — but are in pretty much every ocean. Nothing physical is immortal, but T. dohrnii makes a good try though, barring accidents and such. They essentially regenerate themselves (no word if any carry sonic screwdrivers), reverting to an immature stage. Sometimes they even skip that stage. The process is amazingly complex. Turritopsis dohrnii , enlarged from Wikimedia Commons / Bachware ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) On a side note, it has been said that youth is wasted on the young... Can you imagine starting over as someone much younger but retaining the knowledge you have? Of course, these critters lack brains, so there's not a whole lot of knowledge to draw from as they progress. Sometimes the jellyfish e...

As a child, I watched what we called helicopter leaves (maple tree seeds) spinning to the ground. Sometimes they were plentiful, so other kids and I would scoop them up and fling them in the air, watching them spin down again. Do kids play with Javan cucumber seeds? The Javan cucumber is misnamed, more closely related to the pumpkin. It is not edible and seems to live to reproduce. Gourds swell and get quite large. When conditions are right, they open up and release the seeds. The seeds are also large and can travel surprising distances. Alsomitra macrocarpa seed, Wikimedia Commons / Scott Zona ( CC BY 2.0 ) While birds, insects, and flying mammals are the obvious choices for studies related to flight, these seeds have garnered a great deal of attention over the years for biomimetics (applying things found in nature for human applications). The seeds have inspired several aircraft designs. In addition, wind currents around the gourds that take the seeds on their journeys are also stu...

As many people know, particles-to-painter evolution is fundamental to atheism. One can have a reasonable dialogue for a short time with a professing atheist on a few subjects, but must not criticize evolution. (Indeed, I remember a discussion where the atheist woman thought the Christian was going to criticize evolution, and began to arch her back and extend her claws. It was  civil before.) Most of the vocal proponents of evolution are atheists, but the quality of supporters has declined over the years. Blur of sun and trees image by Cowboy Bob Sorensen One can often judge the substance of a position by its proponents. (No, a comely face and dulcet tones do not make something correct, nor do wise-sounding words. Intelligent supporters may prompt someone to listen more closely to a claim, yes?) Quality opponents can give someone serious pause. In days of yore, Darwin's disciples were plentiful and famous. They presented what appeared to be valid science according to what was known...

People know that a mongoose will win out against a cobra, not only because of its speed but it is also highly resistant to its venom. (Never mind that Snake and Mongoose funny car racers were friends off-track.) For that matter, house cats have speed and flexibility to dodge venomous serpent strikes . So what about a mouse? They are fast and can be fierce, and videos exist of them making cats back off. If you have a skill, may as well use it. Over yonder in Grand Canyon, the grasshopper mouse can be a fierce little hunter! Southern grasshopper mouse, WikiComm / National Park Service  (PD) "Hey, Jerry! What's fer supper?" "Well, I'm a mite tired of grasshoppers, but I hear tell there are tarantulas in these parts. Mayhaps a scorpion or two. I gotta find me some baked beans and coffee to go with them..." Sure, I got creative about the conversation. If you talked to a wild mouse and got too close, you might get your nose bitten by those sharp teeth. Like the m...

The internet can be considered a tool for information gathering, and like any tool, can be used for good or bad. It has helped promote atheism, which pretends to be about rational thinking. The internet also helped advance the Intelligent Design movement and biblical creation science. But the atheism that infested the internet was erroneously said to promote reason and science. It did not go well. Whether or not people actually became atheists and stayed with it, the damage was done and people became...soulless. Their thinking was mechanistic and reductionist . Waters are falling at the Falling Waters Preserve near Glasco, NY, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Although atheists usually deny it, they are very religious. In their jumble of beliefs,  Scientism usually comes out on top. That view reduces humans and everything else into its components, and that hard sciences are the only path to reality. Such a worldview is saturated with absurdities and arbitrary definitions, not the lea...

Like a number of other critters, spiders exist on every continent except Antarctica. This may be disconcerting news to many people who fear and loath the arachnids. Let me make it worse: All  spiders have venom. Not that many are dangerous to humans, though. People fear spiders from horror stories, being startled at home by them, and by ignorance, but it is useful to put aside the heebie-jeebies and consider creatures for what they are. The Master Engineer displayed his skill in designing them. Golden orb-web spider ( Nephila pilipes ), Flickr /  Lip Kee  ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) Indeed, scientists are studying spider silk for our own applications (biomimetics). The black widow's silk is under scrutiny , others are being studied for their strength and,  surprisingly, nerve repair . Although evolution gets the glory as if it was a person, Darwin's disciples admit that they cannot backtrack a plan for their origin. That's because it's not a product of evolution, old son. Take...

Burrowing rodents known as pocket gophers  (the pocket part of the name could refer to pocketing  food in cheeks) are widely considered pests. Farmers try to grow plants, gophers burrow and eat them. Sometimes they pull the small plants down into their burrows. We recently saw how nature reclaims urban areas and devastation , so that may have been in the minds of scientists who saw volcanic ash from Mount St. Helens. They took a notion to see what gophers can do to help the soil for one day. The rodents said, "Challenge accepted." Pocket gopher, Wikimedia Commons / LeonardoWeiss ( CC BY 3.0 ) Our Creator has designed things to have an ecological niche, but obviously some critters get rambunctious. Even so, burrowing and recycling the soil by bringing deeper soil up and upper soil deep, could help seeds grow. Other creatures got involved in bioturbation, and the one-day pocket gopher project had results that show forty years later. Reporter Jules Bernstein relates experiments...

Scientists are constantly prodding and scrutinizing brains, human or otherwise. Naturally, our own brains have a special interest. Many secularists deny the existence of consciousness. Other scientists know that the brain is not the mind but the mind uses  the brain. When my wife was stricken and there was no hope, I gave the order to terminate life support. When I was talking and reading to her, I thought I saw a flicker of response in her eye. The doctor said nothing could be happening, but others and I disagree. Information on uncommunicative comatose patients may support us. Brain graphic by  yodiyim  at FreeDigitalPhotos It was not long after she died that I came across the article linked above. To take it further, studies show what is being called covert consciousness . Comatose people show signs of consciousness as revealed by testing and brain scans. Efforts are being made to increase care for those people (see " We’ve Discovered 'Covert Consciousness' — But Now ...