Answers or Ignorance?

Dear AiG,

Ive grown up in a Christian home, but from a very young age I remember wondering when dinosaurs were created if they died out long before humans came along, whether the days in Genesis 1 were long ages, how all the animals fit on the ark, and who Cain married. Because of the facts of science, and without the help of any Christians (because I found no one who knew the answers) I figured that both the Bible and science were right, and where they conflicted, science was just MORE right.

When I was in year four a group came to my primary school to talk about creation, and although I dont remember the message, I came away with some interesting facts that have stayed in my mind ever since, such as a hat that fossilised in about 50 years, and the rotting carcass of a dinosaur found by Asian fishermen some very powerful evidences that maybe Genesis wasnt JUST a nice, moral, fairy tale. [Editor’s note: The ‘rotting carcass of a dinosaur’ was almost certainly a rotting basking shark. For more in-depth information, please see “Arguments to Avoid.”]

Then, last year, eight years later, AiG spoke at a discipleship course I was attending, and after sitting on the edge of my seat with my jaw to the floor listening to what Peter Sparrow had to share, I found the pot of gold I was sure Id been looking for since those first seeds were planted. The Answers Book where Cain found his wife, how long the days in Genesis were, how all the animals fit on the ark, and the elusive dinosaur question!

The week I bought that book was one of the most exciting weeks of my life. What I read changed my entire perspective of Christianity. Id finally realised that I didnt have to abandon reason to have faith in Christ, and that I could take my brain with me into church. More than that, I realised that what I once thought was the biggest stumbling block for any Western Christian was in fact one of the greatest witnessing tools available to our generation!

One clear example of this was the change I encountered in a guy I lead on a Christian camp in 2003. He was quiet and shy, and seemed fairly uninterested in God stuff. This year (04) on the same camp I saw him again now an outspoken, passionate and dedicated follower of Christ. I asked him what had changed, and to my surprise he said three words: Answers in Genesis!

On discovering that God did have answers to earthly things (he doesnt require blind faith), I started believing the heavenly things with much more conviction and passion (John 3:12) like my mate from camp. I am now prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks me to give a reason for the hope that I have (1 Peter 3:15), and by doing so I am able to fulfil the part of Matthew 22:37 that many Christians ignore or forget I can love God with all my MIND.

I want to say a huge thankyou to AiG for providing Christians with real reasons to believe (not half-baked compromises), and for showing me truth when I needed it the most at a time in a teenagers life when its either Gods way or the highway. Your ministry is incredible and it has become very evident to me that Creation ministries really are on the front lines of the battle for the authority of the Word of God they are defending Christianity where it is most violently opposed. Please keep up the amazing work, answering the sceptics and fighting compromise, and allowing the Word of God to have the first and last word on everything, because as a friend of mine once said thank God for the Bible the only reliable evidence cos its not from us!

Now for the big challenge showing my pastors the flaws in their compromises how disappointing its not the other way round!

Kurt Mahlburg
Australia

Same Old Canard

I can’t believe the prideful ignorance of this site. You seem to gloat in the fact that you just don’t understand science, yet you claim it proves your point. As a scientist, I am saddened by your determination to uphold what you believe before testing your knowledge.

Jacob Boyko
Canada

Dear Jacob,

Thank you for contacting Answers in Genesis. Please see my comments below and note that even though they are direct, they are still said with sincerity and respect.

I can’t believe the prideful ignorance of this site.

Such as? When you agreed to the web feedback rules, you agreed to provide substantiation, why did you not send any?

You seem to gloat in the fact that you just don’t understand science,

Where do we gloat that we don’t understand science? Most fields of science were developed by Christians like us. Sadly, many people confuse science with philosophy and accordingly seem to confuse themselves into thinking that the unrepeated philosophy of evolution is science when many evolutionists have agreed that it isn’t. Please see an Amazing admission and “Hutton’s a Priori Commitment to Materialism”.

Evolution clearly isn’t science. Then there are the differences between operational and historical sciences that shouldn’t be neglected either.

yet you claim it proves your point.

No—we don’t claim any evidence or idea ‘proves’ the Bible. This should be apparent in our introductory articles “Creation: ‘Where’s the Proof?’” and “Searching for the “Magic Bullet”.”

It is based on presuppositions. You have them as well. I can tell by your a priori commitment to evolution before reading our website. You first believe evolution, without question. Why do you criticize our presupposition, and refuse to even acknowledge or question your own?

As a scientist, I am saddened

Whoa … if you are an evolutionist, then you don’t believe in ‘sadness’. An evolutionist will correct you on this. Sadness, love, hatred, etc. are all merely chemical reactions in your brain and therefore meaningless by your own philosophy. You need to be consistent with your philosophy.

by your determination to uphold what you believe before testing your knowledge.

Jacob Boyko
Canada

How do you know we haven’t tested other models and looked at how their belief system interprets things? I have looked at quite a number of origins accounts such as Islam, secular humanism (neo-Darwinism, traditional Darwinism, punctuated equilibrium, hopeful monster), Hindu origins account, the biblical view, the biblical views that compromise with some beliefs from secular humanism (gap theory, theistic evolution, progressive creation, framework hypothesis, etc.), Shinto account, etc. I have been well learned in the accounts of origins and I firmly believe the Bible.

Yet you were the one attacking us with your steadfast faith in evolution without reading what we had to say objectively. Besides, which view of evolution do you believe and why are the other views of evolution wrong?

If you are really objective, then I challenge you to read In the Beginning Was Information by Dr. Werner Gitt with an open mind.

–Bodie Hodge, M. Sc.
Manager, Answers Department/Speaker, AiG–US