Observational and Historical Science—Saving Lives

by Ken Ham on May 27, 2014

During my debate with Bill Nye “the Science Guy” in February at the Creation Museum, he claimed that Kentucky—the location of our museum—would be held back technologically by people believing biblical creation. Nye even went so far as to claim that there was “no place in the commonwealth of Kentucky to get a degree in . . . nuclear medicine”—a claim that turned out to be false, as I discussed on my blog previously.

Well, I recently read a report of another incredible use of technology, and it was done by Kentucky surgeons. In Louisville, the Kosair Children’s Hospital asked the University of Louisville’s engineering school to use their 3D printing technology to save a little boy’s life.

In a short article from ExtremeTech.com, reporter Joel Hruska states, “With the 2D CT data turned into a 3D model and blown up to twice the normal size, it was far easier for the medical team to see the problems they were dealing with.” As a result, the surgeon was able to avoid many surgeries for the little boy.

And you know, this isn’t the first time that this Kentucky university has helped doctors use this technology:

The use of a 3D model for a pediatric heart surgery is a first for KY, but it’s not the first time 3D printers have been used to create models of surgical procedures. According to Tim Gornet, manager of the University of Louisville’s Rapid Prototyping Lab, the engineering school has already worked with doctors to create models of tumors and spinal defects.
So not only does Kentucky have the very program Mr. Nye asserted it didn’t, but Kentucky’s University of Louisville is also helping doctors inside and outside the state with new technology.

Well, it looks like observational (or experimental) science hasn’t been hampered at all by the presence of biblical creationists in Kentucky. Whether these engineers and surgeons hold an evolutionary worldview or a biblical one, their worldviews don’t affect their ability to perform sound observational science. Indeed, an engineer or doctor who holds to biblical creation could perform observational science as well as any evolutionist! (In fact, see what the inventor of the life-saving MRI scanner says about origins on YouTube.)

That’s because we all have the same observational science. But when it comes to origins—historical science—that’s where the difference lies between evolutionists (like Bill Nye) and biblical creationists. When dealing with origins, one is discussing the past—beliefs about the past concerning how the universe and life originated, when no human was there to observe it happening.

Observational science certainly is being used in Kentucky and around the world to save lives. Biblical creationists are using historical science (the Bible as a book of real history) to save lives for eternity: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

If you want to know more about the true historical science, and how observational science confirms the biblical creation view of our origins, I urge you to order the New Answers Books 1–4. Also, some of the New Answers Books are freely available online to read. These powerful and timely books have answers to your questions about the Bible and science—from the perspective of biblical authority! You can use these powerful books to help people understand that the history beginning in Genesis in the Bible is true—that’s why the gospel message based in that history is true.

I also encourage you to read this article about historical and observational science.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

This post was written with the assistance of Steve Golden.

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