Volume 16, Number 1
Volume 16, Number 1
Surtsey: A Micro-Laboratory For Flood Geology
The contemporary Evangelical debate over "Flood Geology" centers upon the legitimacy of extrapolating present-day rates of geologic processes into the past, and using this extrapolation to challenge the possibility of a significant portion of the earth's sediments and fossils being the result of the Noahic Flood of Genesis 7-9. The problem is complicated by the impossibility of repeatable experiments or present-day observations on a flood that is thought to be a singularity, of world-wide extent, and of over one year in duration.
The birth, in 1963, of the volcanic island, Surtsey, off the coast of Iceland, may cast some light on the problem. Since Surtsey's birth was both unique and spectacular, most works on geology make mention of it. Only two Icelandic scientists write about what may be the most significant geological factor of all - the development of a mature landscape in days or weeks on Surtsey that would normally take thousands of years elsewhere. Since the two geologic forces operating on Surtsey - volcanism and marine action - are also two of the forces thought to be in operation during the Noahic Flood, Surtsey may be as close as one can come in the natural world to a micro-laboratory for "Flood Geology."
Current geological facts and theory support the concept of plate tectonics - continental drift and sea floor spreading. A short time span for such drift is shown to be reasonable being supported by rapid rates of sedimentation and fossil formation. Further, there is no viable theory for magnetic reversals of the Earth's magnetic field. Plate tectonics may be used, in part, to explain the distribution of flora and fauna as well as some ethnic groups on Earth.
The Dispersion >From The
Homestead Of The Race Of Man
In this article the archaeological dates ascribed to ancient settlements in the country around Ararat are used with data from the Bible to establish something about the migration and dispersion of mankind from that vicinity, in which the human race got its second start, after the Flood.
Controversy About Ice Ages
The concept of a glacial period after the flood, which has been proposed by several creationists is examined in this article. The slowness of glacial erosion, and the scale of the effects which have been attributed to ice erosion, such as the rock basins of the Great Lakes, are not favorable to the idea of a short glacial period. The erosional effects of the currents of the flood waters can account for much of the work which has been attributed to ice erosion, and the drift can be explained by rock disintegration in place. Thus there is no need for a glacial period in creationist geology.
A Rapid Post-Flood Ice Age
A mechanism for a post-flood rapid ice age of about 500 years is presented. It depends upon cooling over mid and high latitude continents by volcanic dust trapped in the atmosphere and by a widespread snow and ice cover. These strong cooling effects are balanced by a strong warming mechanism over mid and high latitude oceans. It also depends upon extra moisture provided by strong evaporation from a universally warm ocean. The resulting accumulation of ice at maximum glaciation is approximately 30% of that postulated by uniformitarian scientists. The present distribution of ice on Greenland and Antarctica is shown to be quite possible from a rapid ice age and the present climate in the time frame allowed by the Bible. As soon as the warm ocean cooled to near its present average, the present climate would begin to set in causing fairly rapid melting of all the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets except Greenland.
Biogeography >From A Creationist
Perspective I: Taxonomy, Geography, And Plate Tectonics In Relation
To Created Kinds Of Angiosperms
Biogeographical theories in the past have been based solely on the evolutionary model. One of these evolution theories is discussed (the Theory of Generic Cycles). The data of classification and distribution (as published by Ronald Good) for families, genera, and species of angiosperms are reinterpreted here from the creationist perspective. The average family is judged too large and diverse to represent a created kind. But since the typical angiosperm genus is narrow and coherent, this category may regularly represent the monophyletic product of a created kind. Certain problems of plant disjunction are neatly solved under the assumption that there has been a breakup of one original land mass in conjunction with the Flood.
Noah And The Flood: The Apocryphal
Noah and the Flood are mentioned in many apocryphal books and traditions: and in this article some of the statements are collected. It is not maintained, of course that apocryphal works are inspired, as Scripture is. But they may well contain valid traditions. For instance, the tradition, mentioned here, that it was very cold in the Ark, may provide a clue to the connection, so much debated by Creationists between the Flood and the ice age. At the least these excerpts may be of interest in showing what devout men were thinking about these matters a long time ago.
Megaliths And Neolithic Man
European Neolithic societies have traditionally viewed as homogeneous, barbaric, farming communities organized as regionalized chiefdoms. Their visible remains are principally their graves, which were often built using large blocks of stone. In France and Britain, some more unusual stone structures are to be found. This article focuses attention on the peoples of Neolithic Britain, looking particularly at their cultural achievements and social structure. Evidences of an advanced culture are found, in sharp contrast to conventional views. Evolutionary theories of man's cultural development are shown to be totally inadequate and an alternative explanation of the characteristics of European Neolithic societies, based on the Biblical framework of history, is discussed.
A Unit On Biological Origins
For The Secular Classroom
Christian teachers of science often face a dilemma when confronted with the necessity of teaching evolution. This article relates the solution found by one teacher in a secular high school. The goal of the course is to present an objective discussion of both evolution and Creation. The core of the unit is a data table which clearly compares the world-views of Creation and evolution.
A Proposal For The Comparison
Of Evaporite Formation Models Within A Creationist Framework
The existence of evaporite deposits is one of the many unsatisfactorily explained phenomena in earth science. This discussion reviews various models of evaporite formation and their anomalies. Also, the authors propose a means of testing the uniformitarian assumption often associated with evaporite formation models. This is of interest to creationists in that uniformitarianism models require more time for evaporite formation than is allowed by Biblical chronology.
The Mature Creation: More
Than A Possibility
The electromagnetic fields surrounding a point charge conserve energy, preserve an orderly universe, and satisfy the mass-energy equivalence of relativity if the universe is created mature. As a part of this mature electromagnetic field, light from the distant stars was created enroute from the star to the earth. A new interpretation is presented herein for discontinuities in the electric field relating to charge creation.
Music: Evolution Or Creation
We all know that the theory of evolution has influenced not only every part of science but also every aspect of life, and all branches of art!
In musicology as a study, and music as an art, a threefold influence can be seen. The first has to do with theories about the origin of music and musical instruments, the second with the criticism of music, and the third with contemporary composition and playing of music.
Of Sweat And Mammary Glands
Sweat glands, and mammary glands, which are modified sweat glands, are unique structures peculiar to mammals. The evolution model of origins predicts that there will be an upward, irreversible development of both sweat glands and mammary glands as one goes up the ladder of mammalian development. Observations reveal, however, that there is an up-and-down variation of complexity of sweat glands among the orders of mammalia. Gaps are evident, as sweat glands are absent in two orders, Proboscidea and Rodentia. With regard to mammary glands, there is not a smooth downward loss of teat number among orders of mammals as sheep, horse and elephant all have a single pair of teats just as man. These data correlate nicely with the prediction of the creation model: that the Creator did not follow the mode of evolutionary development but rather made different provisions of sweat glands and mammary glands in different animals of the class, mammalia, in order to serve His specific purposes.