I tried to add this as a "widget" but alas, it's not happening. So, here is the link to the survey I have posted via Constant Contact.
Subject: Biblical History
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
What Can We Know?
On February 4, 2014, Bill Nye boldly went where no atheist had gone before: to the stage of his nemesis' lair. Yes, there before the watching eye of hundreds of thousands he stood against Ken Ham in the auditorium of the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky.
The warm reception he received from a crowd of Christian creationists probably caught him by surprise, but it did not change his resolve to reach out to America for the cause of quality science education. Unfortunately, Mr. Nye, with his life time of teaching practical "how things work" science, did not come ready to debate one of foremost "creation evangelists" of the world.
Though Dr. Ken Ham has only an honorary doctorate, he has on his side Ph.D's from a wide range of disciplines in the physical sciences. Mr. Nye, with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, is well aware of what Dr. Ham calls "observational science." His problem was that he came to defend scientific theory that cannot be proven by direct observation. His life is wrapped around forensic science: reading clues and coming to conclusions. The evidence, as is almost always the case, is open for interpretation.
What the viewers of the debate saw was a clash of worldviews. As scientists, both men looked at the same evidence and came to different conclusions. Ham spoke first, establishing that "science" means knowledge. His point was that there are certain things we can know by observation and others we have to learn by trusting an authority to tell us. To Ham, that authority is the Creator of the universe. Nye, though, does not believe God matters -- doubting seriously if He even exists. We can only trust ourselves to find out the truth, according to him.
So, what can we know? We are faced with limitations even with determining distances in space. We must extrapolate distances based on assumptions beyond around 10,000 light years. Scientists are in accord on both sides to most of these assumptions, but nevertheless, certainty is not one hundred percent. Our own star, with its light and heat about eight minutes away, is beyond direct examination past its very hot surface.
Things do not get better when we look closely at our own planet up close. We learn a lot, of course, and the closer we look the more complex the systems we have to analyze.
What would it have been like to be the first humans to experience this world? What clues did God give to mankind that led to a rapid spread of the race around the earth as is hinted at in the first command to "populate the world"? In his novel, Rise of Cain, Bible scholar and author J. Henry Martin explores the humanity of this early population. Were these ancestors of ours "primitive" savages or intelligent men and women capable of great feats of engineering that would not be seen again until the rise of "enlightened" mankind in the eighteenth century?
Now available in eBook, paperback and hardcover, Rise of Cain provides an imaginative peek at what it might have been like to enjoy the thrill of discovery for the very first time. Assuming human nature to be much the same throughout the ages, Martin postulates how Cain may have become the killer known to history and legend.
Order Now from Lulu Press.
The warm reception he received from a crowd of Christian creationists probably caught him by surprise, but it did not change his resolve to reach out to America for the cause of quality science education. Unfortunately, Mr. Nye, with his life time of teaching practical "how things work" science, did not come ready to debate one of foremost "creation evangelists" of the world.
Though Dr. Ken Ham has only an honorary doctorate, he has on his side Ph.D's from a wide range of disciplines in the physical sciences. Mr. Nye, with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, is well aware of what Dr. Ham calls "observational science." His problem was that he came to defend scientific theory that cannot be proven by direct observation. His life is wrapped around forensic science: reading clues and coming to conclusions. The evidence, as is almost always the case, is open for interpretation.
What the viewers of the debate saw was a clash of worldviews. As scientists, both men looked at the same evidence and came to different conclusions. Ham spoke first, establishing that "science" means knowledge. His point was that there are certain things we can know by observation and others we have to learn by trusting an authority to tell us. To Ham, that authority is the Creator of the universe. Nye, though, does not believe God matters -- doubting seriously if He even exists. We can only trust ourselves to find out the truth, according to him.
So, what can we know? We are faced with limitations even with determining distances in space. We must extrapolate distances based on assumptions beyond around 10,000 light years. Scientists are in accord on both sides to most of these assumptions, but nevertheless, certainty is not one hundred percent. Our own star, with its light and heat about eight minutes away, is beyond direct examination past its very hot surface.
Things do not get better when we look closely at our own planet up close. We learn a lot, of course, and the closer we look the more complex the systems we have to analyze.
What would it have been like to be the first humans to experience this world? What clues did God give to mankind that led to a rapid spread of the race around the earth as is hinted at in the first command to "populate the world"? In his novel, Rise of Cain, Bible scholar and author J. Henry Martin explores the humanity of this early population. Were these ancestors of ours "primitive" savages or intelligent men and women capable of great feats of engineering that would not be seen again until the rise of "enlightened" mankind in the eighteenth century?
Now available in eBook, paperback and hardcover, Rise of Cain provides an imaginative peek at what it might have been like to enjoy the thrill of discovery for the very first time. Assuming human nature to be much the same throughout the ages, Martin postulates how Cain may have become the killer known to history and legend.
Order Now from Lulu Press.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Buy it here!
I'm hoping this will be a good place to put an easy "buy now" button. Until I get the hang of it, I guess I will have to re-post this link if the later posts push it down. Or I'll just post it every time I post updates. The link below brings you to the page with two entries. One is to the paperback version which I have not decided to make available yet (I ordered a copy to evaluate the product!)
This link will button will allow you to by the e-book version, presently priced below recommended pricing. Prices subject to change.
This link will button will allow you to by the e-book version, presently priced below recommended pricing. Prices subject to change.
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