Creation or Evolution?
Creation flood theory facts and evolution factsEvolution is the widely-accepted explanation of our existence, being the only solution that is acceptable to modern man.
Arguments as to whether or not evolution is fact-based are pointless, as there are two main scales of evolution, one being proven (microevolution) and the other unproven (macroevolution).
Microevolution: where species adapt and change in various small ways (e.g. colour, size, shape), and are sometimes classified as new species (a term referred to as speciation).
There is evidence of species evolving into other species on a small scale: for example, Darwin's Finches, due to being separated in different habitats and having different food supplies, evolved different behaviour and different beaks. Although the finches are considered separate species, they are still finches, and they are still birds.
Microevolution occurs mostly due to changes in habitat and/or genetic mutations. Naturally, due to genetic variations, some birds may have slightly larger beaks than others of the same species, and if a smaller food supply is less abundant then the birds with larger beaks will thrive, passing on their genes and eventually out-breeding the smaller-beaked birds.
This form of evolution cannot be argued against: there are different races of mankind, each with their own differences and yet still classified as 'human'; also, there are different breeds of dog -- many of them crafted specifically by man -- and yet they are still dogs.
Macroevolution: where small changes gradually cause a species to adapt into a completely different species on a large scale (e.g. fish to animals).
There is no factual evidence supporting macroevolution. A species changing into a completely different species on a large scale would have to take place over millions of years, and the only purported evidence of this occurring is through fossil records.
Although scientists claim that certain fossils show life forms at various transitional stages, there is no proof that this is the case. If a dinosaur evolved into a bird, as evolutionists suggest, we would expect to find many peculiar fossils of dinosaurs in different transitional stages, having feathers either partially formed or only covering certain parts of the body. All fossils of reptilian creatures with feathers have had fully-formed feathers - there is none that has anything in-between. The fact that birds are found earlier in the fossil records than the dinosaurs they are supposed to have evolved from is also ignored.
Fossils of a lizard-like bird named Archaeopteryx, which scientists claim died out millions of years ago, have been found throughout Germany. The fossils supposedly present proof that birds evolved from dinosaurs. The reason for this is that Archaeopteryx has claws at the end of its wings, and reptilian teeth instead of a beak. Each fossil has varying sizes of claws and teeth, which scientists believe show various stages of evolution.
The Hoatzin, which is alive today in South America, is a so-called 'primitive' bird very similar to Archaeopteryx. Young Hoatzins have claws on their wings, which are lost at adulthood. The Archaeopteryx may be just like the Hoatzin, and the fossils may be young birds of varying ages rather than different stages of evolution. The fact that the birds were fossilised indicates that they must have been buried in mud. The likelihood is that young birds fell from the nest into mud, where they promptly sank, allowing for fossilisation rather than predation or decomposition. Ten fossils of Archaeopteryx have been discovered, and the only difference between them is the very slight variation in the size of claws and teeth. The chance of finding so many fossils all so similar does little to prove evolution.
The fossil record itself does not provide any real evidence of species gradually evolving into other species: in fact, there is hardly anything in between that resembles transition between species. Even Darwin himself, the man who brought us the theory of evolution, wrote in his book 'Origin of Species' that he had doubts concerning evolution:
"Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory." -- Darwin, Origin of Species
Many evolutionists pooh-pooh Darwin's statement, saying that we now have information that wasn't known in Darwin's time, and that fossils of possible transitions have been found; however, Darwin's point was not that there were no fossils of possible transitions, but that he would expect to find large numbers of finely graduated fossils at various intermediary stages of transition, which we still cannot find today. The fossils that we do have might seem to be transitional phases of a species, but there is no evidence to prove that the fossils are linked at all.
Facts and theories
Scientific estimates should always be taken lightly: even within the space of about three decades scientists have reduced their estimation of the earth's age by two thirds, and each time we accept their estimate as though it is a fact.
Theories that scientists provide us with, such as the theory of gravity, are usually accepted as being fact-based, although they are unproven. We know that objects fall downwards, but we have no evidence as to why this occurs. Some theories which were once considered factual, such as the theory that the sound barrier could not be broken, have been proven false.
For years it was believed that a creature's brain cells would start dying from the day it is born, never to be replaced. In 1984, neuroscientist Fernando Nottebohm discovered that dying brain cells in songbirds were replaced, yet we still blindly ignored the evidence and accepted the original 'facts' we had been told. Only in February 2009 did scientists anounce that other creatures, including humans, are able to produce new, functioning brain cells. The so-called 'fact' that brain cells are not replaced has been proven to be mere speculation.
Macroevolution is a theory based upon speculation, and although there are no facts to back it up it is accepted and taught as though it is factual. The deeper one delves into the facts that do exist surrounding macroevolution the more one has to question whether it can be true.
Flaws in the theory of Macroevolution through mutation
The fruit fly has a gestation period of just twelve days, which means that many generations of fruit fly are produced within a very short space of time. Because of this, scientists have chosen to use them in experiments related to evolution, using radiation to dramatically increase the rate of mutation. Within a few years, scientists have witnessed the number of generations of fruit fly equal to what would take mankind millions of years to achieve. In over 80 years of experiments, there is no evidence of fruit flies evolving into anything other than flies. In fact, many mutations that did evolve became weak or sterile, and either died out or reverted to their original state after several generations.
The idea that macroevolution occurs through mutation is unproven. In fact, quite the opposite is true: experiments on fruit flies have shown that mutation does not lead to macroevolution; also, it is clear that mutation and natural selection can only remove information from the gene pool, and do not add new information. Without the addition of genetic information Macroevolution cannot occur.
Organisms cannot willingly create changes within themselves (e.g. dinosaurs could not develop feathers because they wished to fly): any changes occurring within a creature would be random mutations. Although some mutations would be of benefit, many would be worthless, and many would become an encumbrance that wiped out the variation. Surely, if macroevolution was taking place we would see more evidence? Not only in fossils, but we should see evidence in organisms alive today with seemingly unnecessary, horribly mutated, partially-formed appendages which would appear during a stage of metamorphosis.
Rather than seeing many cases of flawed mutations, we see a vast number of creatures with perfect features that seem incredible. It is shockingly hard to believe that, purely by chance, an accidental mutation of a reptile's body caused structures (feathers) to appear which were miraculously perfect for achieving flight. It would be more likely for a single person to win the lottery 100 times than for dinosaurs to gain mutations so perfect for flying. Birds have 6 different types of feather, each appearing in just the right place, developing the perfect shape for flight, and causing the wing to act as an aerofoil to provide lift. There isn't much chance of that happening accidentally, even over billions of years.
Animals have a gene known as a plasminogen activator which causes the production of proteins that break down and prevent blood clots. The vampire bat is different in that this gene is activated in its saliva, allowing it to continue feeding off creatures it has caused to bleed. Then there is the fact that it has extremely sharp teeth, perfect for perforating even the thick hides of cattle; and its tongue is perfectly developed for extracting blood, having a groove in which blood is drawn via a capillary action. The chance of such mutations occurring randomly and being in such harmony with each other is unbelievable.
Calculating the age of the earth - fossils, geological layers and dating methods
New layers of the earth are constantly covering over the old, either through decomposition of matter or sediment deposits. Digging down a few feet can reveal artifacts from Roman times. Digging further down can reveal artifacts from hundreds of years before that. Considering the depth of some layers, and due to the fact that layers are constantly building up, scientists assume that the layers of the earth have formed over billions of years.
Fossils of 'primitive' life forms have been found in sedimentary layers of the earth estimated to be millions of years old, and it is believed that mankind evolved from these life forms. Scientists have shown that fossils of organisms become more complex as we go up the layers, which supports macroevolution.
Contrary to the claims of scientists, some layers that are considered many millions of years old have been found to contain fossils of complex organisms, and some young layers contain fossils of more primitive organisms. These discoveries are disregarded as erroneous, purely because they do not fit in with the theory of evolution.
Sometimes rock is dated by the fossils found in it, and sometimes fossils are dated by the rock they are found in, and any date arrived at using this circular method is purely speculative. At Glacier National Park in Montana a limestone formation from the Precambrian era (1 billion years ago) is on top of a shale formation from the Cretaceous era (100 million years ago), quite significantly the wrong way around. In the 1800s, a man named David Brewster discovered an iron nail in a Cretaceous block from the Mesozoic era (between 65 and 250 million years ago), millions of years before man is supposed to have existed - according to evolution.
Evolutionists use a scale, known as the geologic column, showing how specific layers of rock were laid down in succession, each covering a specific time period.
In the Grand Canyon, rock representing three main stages of evolution claimed to span 150 million years is missing. It is impossible that no sedimentary layers were formed over the extremely long period of 150 million years, and the reason evolutionists give for the missing layers is that erosion took place. One problem with this is that scientists have found no evidence of erosion on such a scale in the Grand Canyon. The layers either side of the 150 million years of missing rock are flat against each other, rather than having the uneven surface one would expect from erosion.
Even for evolutionists the geologic timescale is unreliable. Fossils referred to as index fossils are only found within certain layers, and evolutionists often use these to date specific rock layers. On many occasions, index fossils have been discovered far earlier or later than they were supposed to have existed: in these situations the fossils are no longer used as index fossils, proving that dating via any index fossil is purely speculative.
Scientists claim there is evidence that mass extinction events have occurred in the past. The Permian-Triassic extinction event, claimed to be the biggest mass extinction, is claimed to have wiped out the vast majority of species. Reasons for this occurrence are listed as volcanic activity, climate change, and changes in sea level. These reasons would fit in with a global catastrophic flood.
The theory that all of the sedimentary layers formed over millions of years has no factual evidence to back it up. It is more likely that a catastrophic flood along with volcanic activity deposited large amounts of sediment, creating a vast proportion of the stratified layers we see today. This theory fits in with the account of creation in the Bible, which scientists go out of their way to disprove.
In 1965, at Bijou Creek in Colorado, flooding occurred after 48 hours of rain. The flooding left sediment that made up to twelve feet of stratified layers. The layers created by this flood were identical to others evolutionists had claimed to be millions of years old.
Two-thirds of the geologic column consist of mud rock - sedimentary rock formed from silts and clays, such as mudstone and shale. Geologists claimed that mud deposits required mostly still water in order to form; therefore, according to the geologists, it was a fact that mudstone and shale formations must be millions of years old. Evolutionists often give this as a reason why a young earth is impossible, due to the many separate layers of mud rock in the earth.
In Science magazine, 14 December 2007, a report was published on the deposition of mud, covering research performed by Juergen Schieber, John Southard, and Kevin Thaisen - supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Separate experiments were performed using calcium montmorillonite and kaolinite (extremely fine clays) and natural lake muds. The experiments revealed that mud started to form in rapidly flowing water within a short time period, and also that the presence of organic matter with the mud enhances mud deposition from fast moving currents.
The reason for the resarch, according to Schieber, was that "In many ancient mudstones, you see not only deposition, but also erosion and rapid re-deposition of mud -- all in the same place;" also, "The erosive features are at odds with the notion that the waters must have been still all or most of the time. We needed a better explanation."
The experiments disproved the 'fact' that mud deposits cannot form in rapid flowing water, and bring doubt on the supposed age of mud rock. This evidence supports a global catastrophic flood, which is probably why it is largely ignored by evolutionists.
Some rock layers which evolutionists claim to have been laid over thousands of years have been found to contain fossils of upright trees extending through them, suggesting that they were actually formed within days. Fossils extending through multiple rock layers are known as 'polystrate'. Scientists admit -- when it suits their theories -- that some sediment layers can be formed rapidly. A common theory offered by scientists to counter the argument that a flood caused the rapid burial is that the trees could have been buried over a period of thousands of years while still alive, which would explain why the trees did not rot during that time. To contradict this theory, polystrate tree fossils often have no roots, and such examples cannot have been living while the layers built up around them over thousands of years -- they would have rotted away before fossilisation could occur.
Scientists claim that coal is formed over millions of years by vegetation that has slowly accumulated and been compacted by pressure. To counter this claim, a form of coal has been created in laboratory conditions within a period of months, using very simple methods. In 1972, the book 'Earth's Most Challenging Mysteries', by Reginald Daly, mentions a situation where the wooden piles supporting a railway bridge near Freiburg in Germany were found to have partially turned to coal. Even though coal beds are said to span millions of years the fossilised vegetation found within them is similar throughout, showing no expected evolutional changes.
A polystrate tree near Katherine Hill Bay in Australia was discovered extending through two separate coal seams, suggesting that either the tree remained alive for millions of years or that coal was formed quickly. In Germany, in the 1800s a fossilised human skull was discovered in coal; also, in Tuscany, in 1958 a child's jaw bone was discovered in coal. These discoveries suggest that either humans were around many millions of years before evolution claims man existed, or that coal has been formed within man's lifetime and therefore doesn't require millions of years to form. Not only does coal contain polystrate fossils, fish fossils near Santa Barbara, California, were found to extend through several layers of algae fossils -- each layer of which scientists claim took hundreds/thousands of years to form.
Carbon dating is a process used to measure carbon and radioactive carbon emissions from dead organisms in order to calculate their age. Although accuracy beyond 4,000 years cannot be proven, it is claimed that carbon dating is accurate to within 50,000 years. Even with the claim of 50,000 years accuracy it has still been used to date things estimated as being millions of years old. Many scientists have agreed that this process is unreliable, and dates could be affected by changes in the atmosphere and in the earth's magnetic field -- which scientists say is decreasing.
It is claimed, via sediment records, that the Arctic once had a sub-tropical climate, being free of ice. Fossils of life forms that live in warm climates have been discovered from the Arctic to the Antarctic, suggesting that in the past there was a warm climate globally. This also suggests that the earth's atmosphere was different, bringing into question the accuracy of carbon dating.
Recently, carbon dating of 'live' molusc shells off the Hawaiian coast revealed that they had died 2,000 years ago; in 1971 a freshly killed seal in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, was shown as having died 1,300 years ago; in Australia a 50-year-old felt miners hat which had fossilised was calculated as being 6,000 years old. Is this evidence reliable?
Potassium-argon dating is a process used to measure radioactive potassium decay within volcanic rock in order to determine its age. Radioactive potassium decays into argon gas, and the date of volcanic rock is based on this rate of decay. The age of the rock presented by this method is attributed to any fossils found within or near it. The technique assumes that no argon gas existed within the lava, and that the decaying radioactive potassium was fully contained when the lava hardened into rock.
There is evidence that quite frequently argon gas is present before lava hardens, giving amazing results. Volcanic rock produced by an eruption at Mt Ngauruhoe in New Zealand, in 1954, was potassium-argon dated as being up to 3.5 million years old. In 1968, rocks known to have been created from an eruption in 1800 by the Hualalai volcano in Hawaii were dated by scientists to be 160 million to 3 billion years old. In 1980, in the space of just one day, the volcanic eruption of Mt. St. Helens created 17 mile long canyons up to 140 feet deep, and deposited stratified layers over 100 feet thick. The sedimentary layers of Arizona's Grand Canyon and those from the eruption of Mount St. Helens are stratified in the same way and yet scientists claim those in the Grand Canyon took millions of years to form. The lava dome formed by Mount St. Helens in 1980 only took about five years to solidify into rock, and these rocks were potassium-argon dated as being 350,000 - 2.8 million years old.
The flood theory
Fossilisation is not a common occurrence. Dead things naturally decompose and are recycled back into the dust from which they came. To become fossils dead life forms must be buried in matter containing water that is rich in minerals and high in carbonates: this prevents decomposition and causes tissue to be replaced by the minerals. Scientists agree that the process of fossilisation can take place quickly. Bones can fossilise within five to ten years.
Before they get a chance to fossilise, dead life forms could decompose, be eaten, or be destroyed by other life forms; therefore, in order to become fossilised they must be buried quickly. A flood is the perfect way to create fossils: it provides large amounts of both water and mud in which to rapidly bury things, and there is plenty of geological evidence that supports a global flood of enormous proportions. Fossilised shellfish have even been found in the Himalayas, and the only way for them to have got there would be via a catastrophic flood of proportions which scientists mock.
If a global cataclysmic flood did occur, taking just days to create sedimentary layers estimated as being millions of years old, it would disprove the theory of evolution or suggest that man evolved extremely quickly -- at a speed of which we find no evidence today.
Evidence suggests that carbon dating and potassium-argon dating are flawed, and it is speculation that stratified layers have formed over billions of years, leading us to believe that the earth could easily be far younger. Scientists have taken fragments of factual evidence and attempted to piece them together in order to prove the theory of macroevolution; however, discoveries such as those mentioned here take away any stability the theory has. Regardless of the facts, anything that does not fit in with macroevolution is brushed under the carpet by scientists. The reason the flood theory is dismissed, regardless of the religious connection, is that it suggests that the sedimentary layers are not millions of years apart and neither are the fossils within them. Without millions of years there can be no macroevolution.
The Bible mentions the story of Noah and the ark, whereby eight people and various creatures were the only living things saved from a great flood that destroyed the rest of mankind. As well as the Bible mentioning that a great flood occurred, there are literally 'hundreds' of legends from ancient civilisations all over the world which mention a flood of such catastrophic proportions, where the survivors escaped by a boat. Many of these stories, including that in the Bible, claim that the flood was a punishment for the wickedness of mankind.
The Central American Maya Civilisation was extremely advanced in its study of celestial activity, and had the most accurate calendar in the world - which retained its accuracy many hundreds of years after their demise. Every 5,125 years the Mayans believed that a cataclysmic cycle comprising heightened solar activity occurred, which caused a displacement in the rotation of the earth. The next cycle was calculated to occur on December 21st, 2012: scientists agree that this day is important, and that planetary alignments will cause the sun to produce highly increased solar flares, which could have severe repercussions on the earth.
The Mayans claimed that the previous cycle (5,125 years prior to 2012) resulted in a great flood which left few survivors. This is very interesting as the beliefs of the Mayan civilisation not only support the flood theory but further suggest that the reason for it was due to displacement of the earth's rotation. This could also offer an explanation of why the once warm climate at the Arctic and Antarctic suddenly turned cold.
By following timelines within the Bible the age of the earth is presented as roughly 6,600 years old: with the time of the flood presented as about 1,600 years after the earth was created, and the time from after the flood until now as about 5,000 years. The oldest known historical records only go back about 5,000 years, which would make sense if a global cataclysmic flood occurred at that time. If we add the age of the earth before the flood (1,600 years) to the length of the Mayan cycle (5,125 years) since the flood, the result is 6,725 years -- about the same number of years the Bible presents the age of the earth to be.
Mitochondria are energy producing structures within cells, and they contain their own DNA - separate to our nuclear DNA. While our nuclear DNA is inherited from both parents, Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is inherited only through the mother. While each person's mtDNA remains mostly identical to their mother's, there is a rate of mutation that occurs. From this rate of mutation, the mtDNA of two people can be compared in order to determine how closely related they are. It was originally calculated from this rate of mutation that mankind originated around 200,000 years ago - which is still the widespread belief.
The First International Workshop on Human Mitochondrial DNA, held in October 1997, researched mtDNA mutation rates. With recent measurements, researchers found that the mutation rates were much higher than first thought, and the original estimate was changed from 200,000 years to 6,500 years - which is in line with the Biblical age of the earth. Based on the rate of decay, scientists claim that DNA is unable to exist beyond 10,000 years, and yet DNA has been successfully extracted from fossils of dinosaurs claimed to have lived 65 million years ago. Scientists discard the evidence that suggests mankind is 6,600 years old, and also ignore the decay rate of DNA, as both things go against evolution.
Conclusion
It is strange how modern man prefers to teach evolution and hold it as fact, yet completely dismisses the idea of a global cataclysmic flood so readily, especially as it has far greater scientific evidence supporting it, and is backed up by stories from all around the world. It is for the sake of evolution that flood evidence is ignored. Mankind will dismiss anything that could back up the existence of God.
"There are only two possibilities as to how life arose. One is spontaneous generation arising to evolution; the other is a supernatural creative act of God. There is no third possibility. Spontaneous generation, that life arose from non-living matter was scientifically disproved 120 years ago by Louis Pasteur and others. That leaves us with the only possible conclusion that life arose as a supernatural creative act of God. I will not accept that philosophically because I do not want to believe in God. Therefore, I choose to believe in that which I know is scientifically impossible; spontaneous generation arising to evolution." -- George Wald, PhD, Harvard University (Nobel Prize Winner), Scientific American Vol. 199, 1958