CREATION MOMENTS: 7.30.16

AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD HIM

Isaiah 11:6

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."
In the early 1950s, people were stunned when former Soviet spy Whittaker Chambers testified that Alger Hiss, an American government official, was spying on the U.S. for Russia. In his book Witness, Chambers relates how a little child led him to change his beliefs and the course of his life.

"It was shortly before we moved to Alger Hiss's apartment in Washington. My daughter was in her high chair. I was watching her eat. She was the most miraculous thing that had ever happened in my life. I liked to watch her even when she smeared porridge on her face or dropped it meditatively on the floor. My eye came to rest on the delicate convolutions of her ear – those intricate, perfect ears."

Chambers continued: "The thought passed through my mind: 'No, those ears were not created by any chance coming together of atoms in nature (the Communist view). They could have been created only by immense design.'

"The thought was involuntary and unwanted. I crowded it out of my mind. But I never wholly forgot it or the occasion. I had to crowd it out of my mind. If I had completed it, I should have had to say: Design presupposes God. I did not then know that, at that moment, the finger of God was first laid upon my forehead."

Chambers was right. Not only does creation point to design, it points to the Designer – Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the witness of Your creation! Your grace is beyond comprehension! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

From the Foreword to Whittaker Chambers' Witness, first published in 1952. Photo: Whittaker Chambers, American writer, editor and former Soviet spy who defected from the Communist Party in 1938. Photo taken in 1948. (PD)

 

HOW ACCURATE IS RADIOCARBON DATING?

Psalm 119:160-161

"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word."
Evolutionists are good at giving the appearance they know what they are talking about when they say that such and such fossil is 150 million years old or 320 million years old or whatever.

Creationists have learned long ago that radiocarbon dating methods cannot be trusted, based as they are on faulty assumptions and incomplete information about the samples. No, we are not being anti-science. Think about it. When different labs test the same fossil sample, why do the labs often come back with results that are millions of years apart?

Let me close today's program with a story sent to us by a listener that illustrates why we old-age dates from evolutionists cannot be trusted. He writes:

"In 1973, I was stationed in Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station on Oahu. I found some amber-like stuff oozing from a palm tree. There were no insects in it, and it was of the consistency of chewed gum. I put a bit, the size of a marble, into a film canister. Many years later, I came upon that film canister and found the resin to be harder than wood. On a fling, a friend of ours took it to the university where he works and had it tested. The report came back that it was spruce amber … and over 150,000 years old. I never did tell them, 'The rest of the story.'"

Heavenly Father, help me to show others why the Bible can always be trusted over the speculations of evolutionists. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Letter on file at Creation Moments, 9/6/12. Photo: Ant inside Baltic amber. Courtesy of Anders L. Damgaard. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

THEORY, HYPOTHESIS … OR SOMETHING ELSE?

2 Peter 1:16

"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty."
Does the theory of evolution pass the test of being a legitimate theory? Not according to Ph.D. geologist and marine scientist Roger Gallop. In his book Evolution: The Greatest Deception in Modern History, Gallop points out that a theory is "an explanation of a set of related observations based on hypotheses and verified by independent researchers." But, he adds, "evolution – that is, genuine gain in genetic information or net increase in complexity – has never been observed in fossils or living populations."

So if evolution isn't a theory, what is it? A hypothesis? Nope. Dr. Gallop writes, "Evolution is not even worthy of the term hypothesis, which is an educated guess based upon observation."

In that case, what term is appropriate? Since evolution has never been observed or substantiated by empirical science, it would be best to call evolution an assumption. Most scientists accept evolution today because they simply assume it to be true.

And that's not just our position. Listen to what L. Harrison Mathews wrote in his Introduction to Darwin's The Origin of Species: "[Since] biology is in the peculiar position of being a science founded on an unproved theory, is it then a science or a faith?" Mathews then answers the question: "Belief in the theory of evolution is thus exactly parallel to belief in special creation. Both are concepts which believers know to be true but neither, up to the present, has been capable of proof."

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me that the theory of evolution is not a theory or a hypothesis … and it most certainly is not a fact! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Roger G. Gallop, Ph.D., evolution: The Greatest Deception in Modern History, pp. 4-5, (Red Butte Press, 2nd edition, 2014). Photo: Cover of Roger Gallop's book, which was the source of quotes used on today's program.

 

BIGGEST VOLCANIC ERUPTION EVER!

Isaiah 2:21

"To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth."
Which part of the world do you suppose is home to the biggest volcanic eruption in history? Indonesia perhaps? In 1883, the volcano Krakatoa erupted, destroying over two-thirds of the island and unleashing a huge tsunami that killed more than 36,000 people. The explosion is thought to have been the loudest sound ever heard in modern history. It could be heard 3,000 miles away. That's 600 miles more than the distance between New York City and Los Angeles!

Over a century later, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 ejected a cubic mile of material, creating a column of ash that rose 23 miles into the atmosphere. A year after that eruption spewed millions of tons of sulfur dioxide and other particles into the air that blocked out sunlight, global temperatures dropped by 1 degree Fahrenheit.

Well, it isn't Indonesia or the Philippines. The three biggest eruptions in history all took place at Yellowstone National Park in the United States. What's more, scientists told the journal Science in 2013 that they discovered a huge mass of magma beneath Yellowstone that could fill the Grand Canyon eleven times over!

Needless to say, you don't want to be visiting Yellowstone the next time it erupts! But don't call off your vacation plans just yet. Seismologist Robert Smith from the University of Utah told Live Science that the chance of an eruption at Yellowstone is only about one in 700,000 each year.

Heavenly Father, though volcanic eruptions and other catastrophic events cause me to fear, I know that You are in ultimate control, so I will not let my heart be troubled. In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

"The 11 Biggest Volcanic Eruptions in History," Live Science, 2/23/16. Photo: The eruption plume, just minutes after Mount Pinatubo erupted. (USGS – PD)

 

EVOLUTION – A MATTER OF FAITH

John 1:3-4

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
Does the name Harold Clayton Urey ring a bell? Urey was an American physical chemist who did pioneering work on isotopes, earning him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering the element deuterium. He also played a significant role in the development of the atom bomb. Still no bell? Well, perhaps you'll recognize his name if I mention the Miller-Urey experiment, conducted in 1952.

In that famous experiment, a mixture of ammonia, methane, hydrogen and water was exposed to electric sparks to simulate lightning. The mixture ended up producing some amino acids – the building blocks of life – but many news outlets mistakenly reported that Harold Urey and Stanley Miller had created life in the lab.

Though Urey's name is still known and revered by evolutionists, I wonder how many of them know where Harold Urey ended up in his views on the origin of life. Listen carefully to what he told the Christian Science Monitor ten years after the Miller-Urey experiment:

"All of us who study the origin of life find that the more we look into it, the more we feel that it is too complex to have evolved anywhere." He went on to say he "believes as an article of faith that life evolved from dead matter on this planet." An article of faith, not science!

And that is exactly what evolution really is – a faith that denies both the Bible and the most fundamental laws of science.

Heavenly Father, I pray that more evolutionists would come to realize that living cells are so incredibly complex, only our Creator could have made them! In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Quoted in Roger G. Gallop, Ph.D., evolution: The Greatest Deception in Modern History, p. 46 (Red Butte Press, 2nd edition, 2014). Christian Science Monitor, 1/4/62, p. 4. Photo: Harold Clayton Urey in 1933. (PD)

CREATION MOMENTS: 7.22.16

WHY DO WE SIGH?

Psalm 150:6

"Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
As we all know, coughing is a reflex that clears our breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and even microbes that might make us sick. We also know that sneezing is a reflex that cleanses our nasal cavity by forcefully expelling foreign particles and irritants. But why do we sigh? Is it just because we're exasperated or surprised?

Well, here's a surprise for you. Though you aren't even aware of it, you take a deep breath – that is, you sigh – about 12 times every hour. As researchers have discovered, we sigh about every five minutes to keep our lungs functioning properly.

In fact, if we didn't sigh, we would die. Researchers from UCLA and Stanford call sighing "a life-sustaining reflex that prevents air sacs located in the lungs, called alveoli, from collapsing." Study co-author Jack Feldman told LiveScience, "A human lung has as much surface area as a tennis court, and so that's all folded inside your chest." If humans didn't sigh about every five minutes, the alveoli would not be able to reinflate, causing the lungs to fail. The only way to pop alveoli open again is to take a deep breath.

Now remember that sighing is just one of thousands if not millions of vital processes going on inside your body all the time. If your body was lacking even one of those vital processes, you'd be in big trouble. So the next time you sigh, thank Your all-wise Creator!

Heavenly Father, in light of what You have created, it doesn't seem possible for people to deny Your existence … and yet they do! Help them to see the foolishness of their thinking. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

L. Dodgeon, "Aaaaaaah, Really? You Would Die If You Didn't Sigh", LiveScience, 3/7/16. Diagram: Alveoli. (PD)

 

WHAT REALLY WIPED OUT THE DINOSAURS?

Psalm 33:4

"For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth."
What caused dinosaurs to virtually disappear from the face of the Earth? Was it an asteroid, as scientists now tell us? According to Dr. Henry Gee, science writer for Nature, "Nobody will ever know what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs because we weren't there to watch it happen."

Nevertheless, this hasn't stopped scientists from acting as if they were eye-witnesses. In his book In Search of Deep Time, Dr. Gee includes a list of dinosaur extinction explanations that paleontologist Mike Benton culled from scientific literature. Here's a small sampling:

Dinosaurs died out "because the climate became too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, or a combination of the above; because their eggshells became too thin … or too thick." Because of hay fever. Because of indigestion from eating flowering plants. And here's my favorite: "Because, having been the dominant life-forms for 150 million years, the dinosaurs just got bored."

Let me suggest another explanation. Since dinosaur fossils are found in sedimentary rock layers all over the world, it's plain to see that most dinosaurs perished in the worldwide flood of Noah's day. Many dinosaurs that were aboard Noah's ark probably died out soon after the flood because they could not adjust to the post-flood climate. Many others were hunted by humans who were now permitted to eat meat.

But as we've shown on previous broadcasts, some dinosaurs survived and were seen well into the middle ages.

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will prepare me to answer questions from unbelievers and evolutionists. Most of all, make me bold in proclaiming the gospel of grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

"Dinosaur demise," Evolutionists Say the Oddest Things, Lita Cosner, editor, p. 98 (Creation Book Publishers, 2015). Henry Gee, In Search of Deep Time (The Free Press, 1999). Photo: T-rex skeleton. (Pixabay)

 

ONE OF EVOLUTION'S BEST-KEPT SECRETS

Psalm 17:12-13

"Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places. Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:"
Though the title of today's program is "One of evolution's best-kept secrets," Creation Moments could bring you hundreds of broadcasts with the same title. While evolutionists are filling science textbooks, Hollywood films, science magazines and natural history museums with their favorite evidences of evolution, they routinely fail to mention the evidences that call evolution into question.

For example, evolutionists tell us that dinosaurs – after millions of years of gradual change – evolved into birds. But they don't mention that fossils of many modern birds have been found in the very same rock layers where dinosaurs are found!

As Dr. Carl Werner points out in his book and DVD, Living Fossils, "Every time you see a T-rex or a Triceratops in a museum display, you should also see ducks, loons, flamingos or some of these other modern birds that have been found in the same rock layers as these dinosaurs, but this is not the case."

To see if this was an innocent omission or deliberate deception, Dr. Werner traveled to 60 natural history museums and 10 dinosaur dig sights in seven different countries. His interviews with paleontologists revealed that they were well aware of the modern birds living alongside dinosaurs. And yet only one museum gave any hint that dinosaurs and modern birds lived at the same time.

What else aren't you being told about evolution? Keep on listening to Creation Moments because we will expose more of evolution's best-kept secrets on future broadcasts.

Heavenly Father, if evolution were true, evolutionists wouldn't have anything to hide. I pray that the many of evolution's darkest secrets will come to light! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Dr. Don Batten, "Modern birds found with dinosaurs: Are museums misleading the public?", Creation 34(3), 2012. Photo: Flamingo fossil. Courtesy of Ghedoghedo. (CC BY-SA 4.0)

 

HOW CATS REALLY DRINK MILK

John 4:10

"Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
Today's program is dedicated to all of you cat lovers out there. Now, you probably remember being told that your precious pet laps up milk by curling his tongue backwards, and he then uses his curved tongue to ladle the liquid into his mouth. Well, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that your cat is a lot more talented than that.

Using high-speed digital video, physicists have now discovered that only the tip of your cat's tongue comes into contact with the milk. As your cat retracts his tongue, a small column of milk follows it into the air. Now, when the inertia of the milk going upwards matches the force of gravity pulling the milk back down, the liquid hovers in mid-air for a split second. And it's at this precise moment when your cat closes his mouth over the milk.

And if this wasn't impressive enough, your cat performs this maneuver four times per second! According to a Virginia Tech researcher, "We were surprised and amused by the beauty of the fluid mechanics involved in this system."

Surprised? Creationists aren't surprised. After all, the God who created fluid mechanics is the same God who created cats, and He knew exactly what abilities cats would need to quench their thirst. Thankfully, He also knows how to quench man's thirst for eternal life, and He freely dispenses the "living water" of the gospel freely.

Heavenly Father, I pray that many friends and family members will see that the only way to satisfy their thirst for eternal life is the living water provided freely by Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

David Catchpoole, Ph.D., "How Cats Drink Milk," Creation 35(1) 2013, p. 56. Photo: Pixabay.

 

BIGMOUTH!

Jonah 1:17

"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."
In 1976, a naval research vessel working in the deep waters off Hawaii discovered a large fish that was entangled in its anchor. When the sailors hauled the fish aboard, they saw something no one had ever seen before. This fish – now considered to be one of the most important marine discoveries of the twentieth century – was over 14 feet in length and weighed 1,650 pounds.

What they had discovered was a shark with a very, very, VERY big mouth! That's why this fish is now commonly known as the megamouth shark.

With its enormous mouth, you might expect it to feed on large prey, but its gaping mouth is actually filled with very tiny teeth. Megamouth is a filter feeder. When jellyfish, shrimp and other small invertebrates are nearby, the shark simply opens its mouth, sucks in a large amount of water and filters out its lunch.

Megamouth sharks swim in a vertical position, with their mouth pointing straight up towards the surface. They also migrate vertically. That is, they spend their daylight hours submerged to a depth of about 500 feet. Then at night they migrate vertically to approximately 50 feet.

The megamouth shark reminds us of an event recorded in the Bible book of Jonah. No, we're not talking about the big fish that swallowed the disobedient prophet. We're talking about Jonah himself. With his constant complaining against God, what a bigmouth he turned out to be!

Heavenly Father, keep me from complaining about my circumstances. Remind me to praise You in the midst of my difficulties. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten, "Megamouth," Astonishing Animals (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2004), pp. 110-111. Also, Wikipedia article on Megamouth shark. Photo: Megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios). Courtesy of OpenCage. (CC BY-SA 2.5)

CREATION MOMENTS: 7.15.16

EYEWITNESS TO A VOLCANO'S BIRTH

Judges 5:5

"The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel."
How long does it take for a volcano to form? Scientists who reject the flood of Noah's time insist that it takes many thousands or millions of years. And yet, we know from eyewitness testimony that at least one volcano – Mount Paricutin in Mexico – grew to over 300 feet in height within a week of its birth.

The birth of Mount Paricutin took place in 1943, when a Mexican farmer, Dionisio Pulido, along with his son and wife, were working in a field. He was frightened when he saw a fissure open in the ground and the surrounding soil starting to bulge upwards. Soon the air was filled with dark smoke and gas smelling like rotten eggs.

Before the volcano became extinct nine years later, it had reached a height of 1,390 feet – tall enough to be seen from miles away. Since 1952, the volcano has been attracting tourists and climbers from all over the world. Now, if you were to ask tourists who hadn't listened to today's program how long the volcano has been there, they would say thousands or millions of years.

People generally say millions of years when asked about the age of the Grand Canyon. But they are basing their answers on assumptions made by geologists who don't take a worldwide flood into account. Far better than assumptions is the geological history of the world we find in the Bible.

Heavenly Father, though I know I will be mocked, I believe what the Bible tells me about the six-day creation and the worldwide flood. After all, You were there so You ought to know! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Jonathan O'Brien, "Paricutin", Creation 35(1) 2013, pp. 32-33. Photo: Eruption of Mount Paricutin in 1943. Courtesy of R.E. Wilcox, U.S. Geological Survey. (PD)

 

THE BIRD YOU MUST HEAR TO BELIEVE

1 Chronicles 16:23

"Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation."
One of God's most amazing and amusing creatures is the Superb Lyrebird, a bird found in the rainforests of Victoria, New South Wales and southeast Queensland, in Tasmania and along the east coast of Australia. After British naturalist and filmmaker David Attenborough turned his cameras on them, the lyrebird achieved worldwide fame for its unique ability to mimic the calls of virtually anything they hear.

Citing the Handbook of the Birds of the World, Wikipedia noted that lyrebirds have been recorded mimicking human sounds such as a mill whistle, a cross-cut saw, chainsaws, car engines and car alarms. The birds are also able to duplicate the sound of fire alarms, rifle-shots, camera shutters, dogs barking, crying babies, music, mobile phone ring tones, and even the human voice.

Though lyrebirds sing all year long, the males save their best and most intense songs during the peak of breeding season from June through August. But you can hear their marvelous songs anytime you like. Simply do a web search on lyrebirds – spelled with an L Y R E at the beginning – or look for lyrebird videos on YouTube.

Unlike the larynx of humans, the vocal organ of birds is called the syrinx. And the lyrebird's syrinx has more muscles than any other songbird. Still, evolutionists have no words to satisfactorily explain how such vocal abilities came about through natural means. But creationists have no difficulty in giving praise to God for this magnificent creature!

Heavenly Father, when I hear the amazing songs of the lyrebird, I want to raise my own voice in praise for the magnificent flying creatures Your Son made on the fifth day of creation! Amen.

"Lyrebird" on Wikipedia. Photo: Superb Lyrebird in Victoria, Australia. Courtesy of Fir0002. (GNU Free Documentation License 1.2)

 

HUMAN HAND IS EVIDENCE OF A CREATOR

Psalm 14:1

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Is the human hand evidence of a Creator? In a paper which appeared in the science publication PLOS ONE, a team of four scientists claimed that the link between muscles and hand movements is the product of "proper design by the Creator." The paper goes on to say that human hand coordination "should indicate the mystery of the Creator's invention," and concludes by again claiming the mechanical architecture of the hand is the result of "proper design by the Creator."

How shocking for such a paper to appear in a pro-evolution science journal! After all, such publications do not publish any articles that even hint at the existence of a Creator. Well, as you would expect, the scientific community was quick to call for PLOS ONE to retract the article, and that's exactly what they did. The publisher also apologized to readers who were threatening to boycott the publication.

A situation like this only underscores the fact that science – led for the most part by atheists – has become an exclusive club that scientists like Sir Isaac Newton, William Clerk Maxwell and Louis Pasteur would not be permitted to join. Indeed, even present-day scientists like MRI inventor Dr. Raymond Damadian would be told to take a hike.

Try as they might to remove God from the picture, however, the fact remains that He who sits in the heavens is laughing at them in derision. He, not they, will have the last laugh.

Heavenly Father, because I know that evolution keeps people on the broad road that leads to destruction, I pray that You will give me opportunities to share Your truths with many of them. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

"Scientific paper which says the human hand was designed by a 'Creator' sparks controversy," Independent, 3/3/16. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientific-study-paper-creator-intelligent-design-plos-one-creatorgate-a6910171.html

 

MAKE NOISE, NOT WAR

Ezra 3:13

"So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off."
On today's program I will give you one guess at what howler monkeys are especially good at. That's right – they howl. Or perhaps I should say, they shout. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, their shouts can be heard clearly up to three miles away, making them the loudest land animal on record.

Now, why did God give them this ability to shout so loudly to other howler monkeys? Howlers live in groups of about 20 individuals. And since they would rather make noise than war, when one group of monkeys is about to encroach upon the territory of a different group, the monkeys make their presence known by howling. This enables them to avoid violent confrontations.

Males are a great deal louder than females. That's because they have a hollow bone near their vocal cords – the hyoid – which amplifies the sound by acting like the body of a drum. And according to the book 1000 Wonders of Nature, males also have a thick neck and drooping double chin that "acts as a resonating chamber to amplify the sound."

God wants His people to raise our voices, too, but with songs of praise. As our Creator and Savior, He alone is worthy of our praise. But He also wants us to use our voices to present the gospel to unbelievers so that they, too, might trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will bless the words I speak to others so that they might come to know You as their Savior. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

"The long-distance call of the howler monkey," 1000 Wonders of Nature, p. 204 (Reader's Digest, London). Photo: Male howler monkey. © Leonardo C. Fleck. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

THE SMOKESCREEN OF CARBON POLLUTION

Isaiah 55:12

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
To environmental alarmists, carbon dioxide is a pollutant and its existence in Earth's atmosphere is one of the greatest threats facing our planet today. But if plants could talk, they'd tell you a totally different story. To plants, carbon dioxide is food, and right now they are begging for more!

According to Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews.com, "CO2 is desperately needed by food crops, and right now there is a severe shortage of CO2 on the planet compared to what would be optimum for plants." He also notes that "greenhouse operators are actually buying carbon dioxide and injecting it into their greenhouses in order to maximize plant growth."

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food supports this position when it says, "CO2 increases productivity through improved plant growth and vigour … earlier flowering, higher fruit yields … improved stem strength and flower size."

To keep carbon dioxide from being viewed in a positive light, environmental alarmists often shorten "carbon dioxide" to just "carbon". Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, founder of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, writes, "By calling carbon dioxide 'carbon,' the alarmists fool people. They raise specters of black soot that's truly dangerous to health. Then they speak of a 'carbon tax,' or 'carbon footprint,' or reducing 'carbon emissions' or 'carbon pollution'".

If anything, our planet would be a whole lot greener if we put more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And the plants would breathe easier, too!

Heavenly Father, I praise You for the ingenious oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle that provides what plants, animals and humans need to exist! Protect us from the "word pollution" intended to deceive us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Mike Adams, "CO2 myth busted: Why we need more carbon dioxide to grow food and forests," NaturalNews.com, 3/31/13. E. Calvin Beisner, "A Call for Accurate Language About CO2 in the AGW Discussion," The Cornwall Alliance, 11/25/15. Photo: Don't worry – that smoke is mainly water vapor. (PD)

CREATION MOMENTS: 7.8.16

 

EVOLUTIONARY HYPE!

Job 17:5

"He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail."
In a surprisingly candid article at the pro-evolution website ScienceDaily, one scientist admits that most fossil finds include a generous amount of hype.

Dr. James Tarver from the University of Bristol noted that "human fossils are very rare, and they are costly to recover because of the time involved and their often remote locations." Because of this, he said, "scientists may be pushed by their sponsors, or by news reporters, to exaggerate the importance of their new find and make claims that 'this new species completely changes our understanding'."

In other words, don't believe the hype you hear from scientists. The article doesn't mean, though, that Dr. Tarver is backing away from evolution. Far from it. The ScienceDaily article goes on to say that the study – and I quote – "suggests most fossil discoveries do not make a huge difference, confirming, not contradicting our understanding of evolutionary history."

Such a statement clearly demonstrates that scientists interpret fossils within their evolutionary framework, finding what they expect to find.

So what do they do when they find a fossil that flat-out contradicts Darwinism? Sometimes they come up with imaginative explanations to make the fossil fit their beliefs. Or even worse, they sweep the evidence under the rug – like what they've done with dinosaur bones containing soft tissues and blood cells.

The lesson to be learned – don't fall for evolutionary hype … and never resort to using hype yourself. The truth can stand on its own.

Heavenly Father, help Your people expose the hype behind the latest science headlines so that the world will see the emptiness of evolution. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

University of Bristol. "Evolution rewritten, again and again." ScienceDaily, 9/1/10. Photo: Ross Nelson portraying a snake-oil salesman at the Enchanted Springs Ranch and Old West theme park in Boerne, Texas. (PD)

 

CAN YOU WIGGLE YOUR EARS?

Proverbs 1:22

"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?"
Evolutionists tell us that the muscles which control movement of the ears – the auriculars – are vestigial. That is, they might have been useful to humans in our evolutionary past, but other than allowing some people to wiggle their ears, they have no purpose today.

That's why a new review of research on these muscles is causing so much excitement among evolutionists. "According to intelligent design and creationism," the researcher writes, "our body was designed by a being with perfect intelligence. Here’s something in our brain that's completely useless, so why would a being of perfect intelligence put it there?"

Biologist and creationist anatomist Dr. David Menton fired back with something for evolutionists to think about. This former professor at Washington University School of Medicine wrote: "One of the problems with the whole concept of vestigial or functionless muscles is the well-known fact that unused muscles quickly degenerate."

He went on: "It is unlikely that any muscle that was virtually unused for the lifetime of an individual (to say nothing of generations of individuals over millions of years) would remain as healthy muscle tissue. It seems overwhelmingly likely that any muscle in the body that actually exists in the present, serves some function."

Creation Moments has no doubt that Dr. Menton is correct in saying that the auricular muscles have a purpose. We do doubt, however, that evolutionists will make a serious attempt to discover what that purpose might be!

Heavenly Father, as the Scriptures point out, scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge. Even so, I pray that You will change their hearts by overwhelming them with Your divine grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Stephanie Pappas, "No Purpose for Vestigial Ear-Wiggling Reflex," LiveScience, 10/22/15. David Menton, "The plantaris and the question of vestigial muscles in man," Countering the Critics, CEN Technical Journal 14(2) 2000, p. 50. Photo: Dr. David Menton. Courtesy of Answers in Genesis. (Fair Use)

 

CAUTION: FUZZY WORDS AHEAD!

Psalm 119:160

"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever."
Science textbooks, articles and documentaries about evolution are saturated with what creationist Mike Riddle calls "fuzzy words." These are words that evolutionists typically use when they have no observable evidence to support their claims.

With that as a backdrop, today's broadcast will train you to spot fuzzy words and phrases. In a recent issue of Science News magazine, for example, we find the first fuzzy words in the article's title: "Bubbles may have sheltered early life." Did you spot it? Yes, it's the phrase "may have."

In the second paragraph, we read: "Such a snug hideout could have shielded microbes from ultraviolet radiation." Right – the words "could have". In the next paragraph, a geologist is quoted as saying that the work is "very plausible" – another way of getting you to accept the scientist's wishful thinking. In the remaining paragraphs, we find two more "could haves", a "may have", a "perhaps", a "might have" and two instances of "appeared to be".

The writer then concludes with these words: "If microbes survived in these pockets on early Earth, they could potentially have done so on other planets such as Mars." I hope that the words "if" and "potentially" set off the critical thinking alarm bells in your brain.

I'm so glad that the Bible avoids fuzzy words and phrases, aren't you? The Bible doesn't try to trick or deceive us. Its words are true because its Author is Truth and His words endure forever.

Heavenly Father, You say what You mean and mean what You say in Your inspired Scriptures! If You had created the heavens and Earth in a different way, I know You would have written it that way! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

M. Rosen, "Bubbles may have sheltered early life," Science News, 2/6/16, p. 12. http://www.creationtraining.org/critical-thinking-examining-their-words/ Mike Riddle, "Critical Thinking: Examining Their Words," 12/31/15, Creation Training Initiative.

 

GOD'S SPECIAL GIFT TO SALMON

Acts 26:18a

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins."
Creation Moments has aired hundreds of programs over the years dealing with gifts God has given to His creatures so they could survive in the environment where He has placed them. But what is a poor animal going to do when it begins life in one environment and then moves to a totally different environment?

Today I'm going to tell you about a special gift that God has given to salmon. The purpose of this gift will become clear to you when you consider that salmons start out in ocean waters, where the light is in the blue-green end of the spectrum. Later on, salmon travel to streams and inland waters where the light is primarily in the red and infrared end of the spectrum. Scientists have long wondered how salmon are able to make the switch so they can see well in two entirely different lighting conditions.

Scientists have now discovered an enzyme in salmon that actually switches the fish's visual systems. What this enzyme does is convert vitamin A1 to vitamin A2, allowing salmon to see perfectly in red and infrared light.

Like salmon, humans also need a new way of seeing when it comes to spiritual matters. The eyes we are born with just aren't equipped to see Jesus in a favorable light. We need eyes of faith that God alone can provide!

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will give unbelievers eyes of faith that can see Your Son and follow Him on the path that leads to life everlasting. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

"Ancient gene triggers IR vision enhancement," Photonics Spectra, January 2016, p. 106. Drawing: Atlantic salmon by Timothy Knepp. (PD)

CREATION MOMENTS: 7.1.16

HAS EVOLUTION PRODUCED ANYTHING OF PRACTICAL VALUE?

Job 38:4

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding."
Many of our listeners are familiar with the name of Dr. Don Batten. This plant scientist and creationist is the author of countless books and articles as well as booklets on science topics that Creation Moments has distributed over the years. Recently we came across an interview where Dr. Batten was asked to respond to the claim being made by evolutionists that science would be impossible without evolution.

Listen closely to what he said: "I don't know anything of practical value in science that has come out of evolutionary thinking. In fact," he added, "evolutionary daydreaming has given rise to many dead ends." As an example, he mentioned "the inappropriate treatment of back pain – trying to make our backs more like those of our supposed ape ancestors – which," he added, "actually makes back problems worse."

But Dr. Batten wasn't finished: "Then there are the false notions that some organs are useless leftovers of evolution, or that DNA that we don't understand is 'junk'. Such ideas," he said, "impede scientific progress, as they influence scientists not to bother investigating their function."

He also mentioned the many frauds committed in the name of evolution – like Haeckel's embryo drawings, Piltdown Man and the feathered dinosaur Archaeoraptor. All of these and many more hoaxes have stood squarely in the way of scientific progress.

So, young people, if you love science, do what Dr. Batten has done – become a creation scientist and accomplish great things!

Heavenly Father, though I know that science has become hostile to people of faith, I pray that You will make a way for young people to serve You as creation scientists. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

"Harvesting Real Fruit," Busting Myths: 30 Ph.D. scientists who believe the Bible and its account of origins, edited by Jonathan Sarfati and Gary Bates, p. 64 (Creation Book Publishers, 2015). For more information about Dr. Batten's scientific credentials and list of his published articles and books: http://creation.com/dr-don-batten-cv. Photo: Don Batten, courtesy of Creation Ministries International. (Fair Use)

 

FROM EARTH TO MARS IN THREE DAYS

1 Corinthians 15:52

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
Even if you haven't seen the movie The Martian, you know it takes several months for a spacecraft from Earth to reach the red planet. But if NASA has anything to say about it, that trip might someday take only a matter of days.

Dr. Philip Lubin, physics professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, suggests using a technology called photonic propulsion. He thinks it could reduce the travel time from Earth to Mars to just three days for a spacecraft weighing 220 pounds.

If you're like me, you're probably thinking this is the sort of thing you would expect to find in science-fiction films. But scientists at NASA are dead serious about Directed Propulsion for Interstellar Exploration – or DEEP IN for short. According to an article at Universe Today, "Directed Energy Propulsion differs from rocket technology in a fundamental way: the propulsion system stays at home, and the craft doesn't carry any fuel or propellant. Instead, the craft would carry a system of reflectors, which would be struck with an aimed stream of photons, propelling the craft forward."

The article continues, "And if that's not tantalizing enough, the system can also be used … to detect other technological civilizations."

But of course! Hasn't this been one of NASA's primary missions for many years now? NASA wants to find other civilizations to show that the Earth is not the unique planet God created it to be. Now, that is science-fiction!

Heavenly Father, I can't wait for the day to arrive when I will be raised incorruptible in the twinkling of an eye – at the speed of light! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

E. Gough, "NASA thinks there's a way to get to Mars in three days," Universe Today, 2/24/16. http://phys.org/news/2016-02-nasa-mars-days.html. Photo: Curiosity's self-portrait on the planet Mars. Courtesy of NASA. (PD)

 

NIGHT OF THE LIVING ZOMBIE ANT!

Romans 7:25b

"So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
Zombies are all the rage today in movies and television series. On today's broadcast, however, we will be looking at a real-life zombie, produced not by Hollywood but by a fungus. The Ophiocordyceps fungus literally turns carpenter ants into zombie slaves.

By chemically manipulating the ant's brain, the fungus causes the ant to leave the colony's comfortable nest in the tree canopy and move to the underbrush closer to the ground. Penn State entomologist David Hughes explains that "infected ants behave as zombies and display … behaviors of random rather than directional walking." By walking in such an erratic manner, the fungus prevents the ant from climbing back to the canopy.

According to writer Chad Meeks, "the fungus keeps the ant wandering about 10 inches above the forest floor – and then, right at solar noon, the ant bites as hard as it can into a leaf" – something these ants would never dream of doing. "Then the ant locks its jaw and dies there." Two or three days later, "a stalk erupts from the dead ant's head. It soon begins shooting out new fungal spores, which will be picked up by more carpenter ants. And the cycle begins again."

The sin nature that corrupts and controls us comes not from a fungus but from the first Adam. Thankfully, though, the last Adam – Jesus Christ – died on the cross to free us from the control and the curse of sin.

Heavenly Father, forgive me for letting my sin nature draw me away from You and Your ways. Help me to hate sin as much as You do! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

"I Want to Be a Zombie Ant", Chad Meeks, adjunct professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The Behemoth, published by the editors of Christianity Today, 11/12/15. Photo: Zombie ant fungus. Courtesy of David Hughes and Penn State. Flickr. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE

Genesis 8:22

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."
I'm sure you remember the fairytale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Goldilocks tries to eat papa bear's porridge but finds it too hot. So she turns to a second bowl, and it's too cold. Finally she discovers a third bowl of porridge and finds it to be just right, so she eats it all up.

Since the 1970s, astronomers have described our own planet as being situated in what they call a cosmic Goldilocks Zone that is just right for life to exist. It is neither too hot nor too cold, neither too far away from the sun nor too close. Years ago, however, NASA noted that the Goldilocks Zone is much larger than they ever expected.

"Scientists have found microbes in nuclear reactors, microbes that love acid, [and] microbes that swim in boiling-hot water," wrote NASA. They also observed, "Whole ecosystems have been discovered around deep sea vents where sunlight never reaches and the emerging vent-water is hot enough to melt lead."

But now, scientists are once again rethinking their position. Nature magazine reported that "tidal heating shrinks the 'goldilocks zone' and concluded that this "overlooked factor suggests fewer habitable planets than thought."

With each new discovery in recent years, the size of the Goldilocks Zone is shrinking. Perhaps one day scientists will realize that only one planet in the universe occupies the Goldilocks Zone … the planet we call home!

Heavenly Father, thank You for placing the Earth in the exact spot of the universe which is suitable for life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.