Readers Respond to Answers magazine, January – March 2015
Solid Answers on Soft Tissue
Brian Thomas was spot on in all respects. He mentions that the Carnegie Museum seems to define fossils as having no original organic parts. Maybe we should start referring to specimens with original organic parts as simply “ancient remains” found in the fossil layers.
Jim S., Cadillac, Michigan
Science and Counseling
Lambert’s article “Common Cause with Creation” draws a false analogy. Darwin and Freud both claimed to base their philosophy in science. Creationists continually use observational science to refute Darwin’s claims. Counselors have no scientific base whatsoever with which to refute the claims of Freud.
Carol T., M.D., Winnetka, Illinois
Editor’s Response: While it is true that creationists often use observational science to refute Darwin’s claims, that is not the basis of our belief. We start with God’s Word and seek to interpret all observations in the light of that absolute truth. The science follows the Bible, not the other way around.
In the same way, biblical counseling seeks to follow scriptural guidance. Much of Freud’s teaching is so clearly antibiblical that we can know definitely that it is wrong, even in the absence of any scientific refutation. Of course, we would expect scientific research, properly interpreted, to give evidence against any such unbiblical assertions, but that’s not what we rely on.
As the author says, biblical counselors do not deny what scientific research reveals about the human body and brain: “Biblical counselors are distinct from these other approaches [secular psychology], not in their embrace of the facts, but rather in their approach to and understanding of the facts. Biblical counselors give the Bible first priority in interpreting what facts are relevant and helpful for counseling.”
Rain: Trust God Over Science
May God help us not to reinterpret His Word because we cannot find something to be scientifically plausible. As Brother Chaffey writes in his article, “Many creationists insist the Bible teaches that rain had never fallen prior to the Flood.” We insist because that is what the Bible teaches.
Isaac G., Orrville, Ohio
Rain: The Bible Says No
In “Ark Tales” in the section, “It Never Rained Before the Flood,” Tim Chaffey asserts that this understanding of Scripture is not correct. I agree with the other parts of this article, but on this one, I would argue, from Scripture, that there wasn’t any rain then.
Jeff H., Lopez Island, Washington
Editor’s Response: Please note that the author did not claim that it definitely rained before the Flood. The point is that we should not make a doctrine out of something the Bible does not clearly state. The Bible is very clear that it did not rain before Day Six but says nothing else about the presence or absence of rain until the Flood account itself, more than 1,600 years later.
Does God Demand the Death Penalty?
Murder is a heinous crime, but there have been numerous cases of innocent people being wrongly executed. Surely one wrongful execution is one too many.
Russell stated that, “Mosaic laws based on the character of God, such as laws against murder or adultery, or on the permanent relationships of people, such as honoring their parents, are permanent.” I agree. But does this therefore mean that the death penalty should apply to these offenses too, as prescribed by the Mosaic Law? (see Exodus 21:17 and Leviticus 20:9–10). When confronted with a woman caught in adultery Jesus did not agree with the Pharisees’ demand that she be stoned (John 8:1–11).
Geoff C., United Kingdom
Cover Flap
I could not believe you folk have “designed” such a stupid cover. It looks like some children’s infantile laughable anti-creation comic. I look for material that is sound and serious—not toys and caricatures on the cover.
Sandy, Nairn, Scotland
Editor’s Response: It appears we made our point. Clearly the “bathtub Ark” on the cover depicts the fiction part of the subtitle “Separating Fact from Fiction.”
Libraries Love It
This is the thank-you note we received from the library for our gift subscription to them: “We would like to thank you for your continuing support of the library through your generous donation of Answers magazine. Many patrons enjoy and benefit from the presence of this magazine in our collection. We so appreciate your thoughtfulness. The Reference Department, Blount County Public Library”
David H. Maryville, Tennessee
Publisher’s Note: It’s possible to give gift subscriptions to libraries and prison inmates. (See answersingenesis.org/creation-science/bringing-balance-to-the-shelf/) While you’re at it, why not consider a college student or loved one? It’s easy to do (answersmagazine.com/gift/), and you’ll receive a free DVD for each subscription you order.
Answers Magazine
April – June 2015
The eruption of Mount Saint Helens in the 1980s changed how we view catastrophe; on its thirty-fifth anniversary, we examine what we’ve learned since then.
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