Evolution and Creationism

I was surprised and dismayed on Friday April 29. That day I saw Dr. Kenneth Price’s Op-Ed piece "Evolution and Creationism" in the Daily Sentinel newspaper.[1] I was surprised that there was a felt need (by either the newspaper or Dr. Price) to have a PhD rebut a letter to the editor from a layperson. I was dismayed that Dr. Price’s view is highlighted with about five times the space as Ms. Lynette Sanders’s short letter On evolution and creationism. I think the paper ought to invite some other doctor, scientist or theologian to offer an Op-Ed rebuttal to Dr. Price’s piece. Not expecting that to happen; though I am neither doctor, scientist or theologian I offer here some brief commentary on Price’s piece.

Evolution and Creation “faith-based”
Excusing the evolutionary world-view from the charge of being “faith-based”, Dr. Price writes, “It requires that ‘faith’ be synonymous with a belief in the things that we directly observe, a belief in the power of valid logical thinking to reach conclusions that are absolutely true within our set of assumptions, and a willingness, even a duty, to change those assumptions when the conclusions drawn from them do not conform to new observations. These are three elements necessary for the practice of science.” The problem here is that he leaves out the glue which adheres these elements together in an evolutionary world-view -- yes, faith. Faith must fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle that are not within direct observation and prop up the droops in their logical thinking. Furthermore, not faith, but doctrine often keeps the scientific community -- at least at the point of education of the masses -- continuing to put forth assumptions and conclusions that have long been discredited. Shame, shame.

Radiometric dating of the age of the earth
As to the “radiometric dating of the age of the earth,” Dr. Price stumps around the assumptions of it by giving a parable about dice and the laws of probability.[2] All that aside, while many “radiometric measurements can be verified” other radiometric measurements have been proven false. Dr. Tas Walker has pointed out the following truths: “radio-isotope dates are not a scientific fact but are interpretations driven by the [long-age] paradigm,” and “Radiometric dates are only accepted if they agree with what geologists already believe the age should be.” Very interesting! It seems that Ms. Sanders’s conclusion that radiometric dating is unreliable has a ring of truth to it after all.

Creationists believe the infallible God. Educated people believe Newton's Theory of Gravitation. [3]
In his third point, Dr. Price’s true feelings for religion versus science come through loud and clear. He writes, “In these areas humankind has created a truly universal and highly useful, though not eternally immutable, body of knowledge with none of the mayhem, violence and bloodshed that has in the past, and still does characterize, the spread of religious ideas.” Oh, that we could believe such a claim! Religious ideas cause mayhem, violence and bloodshed while science and mathematics are responsible for nothing. Price implies that if people would leave behind their religion the world would be a much more blissful non-violent place. Atheists, evolutionists and humanists very often claim that religion is the number one cause of violence and war throughout history. This claim is still being repeated, even though it has been debunked. Encyclopedia of Wars, by Charles Phillips and Alan Axelrod, documents nearly 1800 wars. The authors categorize 123 of those wars as being religious in nature. This is slightly less than 7% of all wars chronicled by Phillips and Axelrod.[4]

[1] You must have a subscription in order to read the Op-Ed piece at the link above. According to the Sentinel, “Kenneth Price has a Ph.D. in mathematics, has done graduate study in physics and the theory of computation and has had a life-long interest in the study of religion, logic, epistemology and Constitutional issues and interpretation.” Looks like someone called out the big guns against the annoying little believers of Nacogdoches who write letters to the editor!
[2] Evolutionist Jason Rosenhouse tells us “Improbable things happen all the time, you see, and the fact that something is improbable does not mean that it cannot happen.” True; and a little faith, eh?
[3] On the other hand, Isaac Newton was educated and believed in both the Theory of Gravitation and the infallible God!
[4] The authors, both history professors, worked for 10 years compiling this encyclopedia. According to the American Library Association the 3-volume set is “very readable and apparently well-researched” and “would be an excellent purchase for high-school, college, and public libraries.”