QandA: BC’s Challenge

The following e-mail was from B.C.:

I would like to mention that I thoroughly enjoy reading your website. Unfortunately, it is not for the reasons you want people to enjoy your website. It is very amusing to me. It's amazing to me that you try to prove the existence of God and the "truth" of Christianity mostly by quoting the Bible. For most non-believers (myself included), the Bible does not hold any relevance as there is no way to prove anything written in the Bible. [End of quote]

At GodSaidManSaid, we are students of the Scriptures. We are not scientists, archaeologists, geologists, paleontologists, mathematicians, or medical doctors. At GodSaidManSaid, we research and report what professionals have discovered in regard to God's Word. But I must point out that God's Word in the majority-text is perfect in its wisdom regardless of the professional position.

B.C. has sent numerous contrary e-mails. We are glad that he is here, but he is missing the point.

The reader wants us to prove God without the Bible. This is relatively easy to do. The issue of body and spirit quickly comes to mind. Atheistic evolutionists are fully flummoxed by the issue of body and spirit. Arch-evolutionist Huxley's position states, "Mind (or consciousness) is a function of matter, when that matter has attained a certain degree of organization." [End of quote] Unfortunately for Huxley and his ilk, their position has deteriorated very quickly. Some of the excerpts in this feature are from science researcher Lee Stobel's book, The Case For A Creator. He quotes Darwinian philosopher Michael Ruse:

Why should a bunch of atoms have thinking ability? Why should I, even as I write now, be able to reflect on what I am doing and why should you, even as you read now, be able to ponder my points, agreeing or disagreeing, with pleasure or pain, deciding to refute me or deciding that I am just not worth the effort? No one, certainly not the Darwinian as such, seems to have any answer to this…The point is that there is no scientific answer. [End of quote]

Strobel writes:

Amazingly, many scientists and philosophers are now concluding that the laws of physics and chemistry cannot explain the experience of consciousness in human beings. They are convinced that there is more than just the physical brain at work, but there also is a nonmaterial reality called the "soul," "mind," or "self" that accounts for our sentience. In fact, they cite its very existence as strong evidence against the purely naturalistic theory of Darwinian evolution and in favor of a Creator who imbued humankind with His image. [End of quote]

Author John Horgan in The Undiscovered Mind quotes Gunther Stent of the University of California at Berkeley. Stent is the author of The Coming of the Golden Age and Paradoxes of Progress. Stent was pessimistic on neuroscience's ability to explain consciousness and he said, "The brain may not be capable, in the last analysis, of providing an explanation of itself." Mr. Stent is correct in his assessment, for man was made in the image and likeness of God—literally with God's brainpower between his ears. This is the most underdeveloped resource in the universe and a resource that defies discovery. Romans 11:33:

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

The only conclusion to consciousness is God.

The Word of God describes a consciousness that absolutely transcends this earthly existence. While Jesus Christ and the repentant thief were dying on Golgotha's hill, this conversation transpired between them, Luke 23:42-43:

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Many such passages in the Word of God define the transcendences of consciousness. Continual research in life after death experiences certifies the accuracy of the Bible's account of transcendence. Again, from Lee Stobel's book:

It was a news dispatch from the front lines of the scientific investigation of human consciousness. Published by the journal Resuscitation and presented to scientists at the California Institute of Technology in 2001, the year-long British study provided evidence that consciousness continues after a person's brain has stopped functioning and he or she has been declared clinically dead. It was dramatic new evidence that the brain and mind are not the same, but they're distinct entities.

"The research," said Reuters journalist Sarah Tippit, "resurrects the debate over whether there is life after death and whether there is such a thing as the human soul."

In their journal article, physician Sam Parnia and Peter Fenwick, a neuropyschiatrist at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, describe their study of sixty-three heart attack victims who were declared clinically dead but were later revived and interviewed. About ten percent reported having well-structured, lucid thought processes, with memory function and reasoning, during the time that their brains were not functioning. The effects of oxygen starvation or drugs—objections commonly offered by skeptics—were ruled out as factors. Later, the researchers found numerous cases that were similar.

While large-scale studies are still needed, the once-skeptical Parnia said the scientific findings so far "would support the view that mind, 'consciousness,' or the 'soul' is a separate entity from the brain." [End of quote]

Anthropologist Marilyn Schlitz:

I would take the position of a radical empiricist, in that I am driven by data, not theory. And the data I see tell me that there are ways in which people's experience refutes the physicalist position that the mind is the brain and nothing more. There are solid, concrete data that suggest that our consciousness, our mind, may surpass the boundaries of the brain.

Finally from Strobel:

As for the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments consistently teach that humans are "a hyphenate creature, a spirit/body dichotomy," said anthropologist Arthur C. Custance. Then, quite significantly, he added: "To this extent there is no quarrel between theology and the findings of recent research." Custance continued:

[The Bible] makes it very clear that when the soul or spirit leaves the body, the body is dead and that if the spirit is somehow returned to the body, the whole person comes back to life. This duality is repeated in hundreds of places in the Bible. . . . Indeed the formation of Adam as the first human being is expressly stated as the result of the animation of a body by a spirit, constituting it as a living soul. [End of quote]

Life after death? Yes!

Science continually uncovers the evidence of the Creator's hand. A case in point is the ongoing human genome project. The following excerpt is from "DNA, God's Holy Book" on this website:

A publication of the Institute for Creation Research titled Back to Genesis featured an interview of a molecular biologist that was conducted by George Caylor of the Lynchburg Leader. This molecular biologist is involved in identifying genetic controls for diseases. The biologist spoke on grounds of anonymity and as you hear or read this short excerpt, the reason why will be obvious. The letter "G" represents the interviewer and the letter "J" the biologist.

G: "Do you believe that the information evolved?"

J: "George, nobody I know in my profession believes it evolved. It was engineered by 'genius beyond genius,' and such information could not have been written any other way. The paper and ink did not write the book! Knowing what we know, it is ridiculous to think otherwise."

G: "Have you ever stated that in a public lecture, or in any public writings?"

J: "No. I just say it evolved. To be a molecular biologist requires one to hold on to two insantities at all times. One, it would be insane to believe in evolution when you can see the truth for yourself. Two, it would be insane to say you don't believe in evolution. All government work, research grants, papers, big college lectures-everything would stop. I'd be out of a job, or relegated to the outer fringes where I couldn't earn a decent living."

G: "I hate to say it, but that sounds intellectually dishonest."

J: "The work I do in genetic research is honorable. We will find the cures to many of mankind's worst diseases. But in the meantime, we have to live with the 'elephant in the living room'."

G: "What elephant?"

J: "Creation design. It's like an elephant in the living room. It moves around, takes up an enormous amount of space, loudly trumpets, bumps into us, knocks things over, eats a ton of hay, and smells like an elephant. And yet we have to swear it isn't there!" [End of quote]

Proving that there is a Creator—a supreme being, a higher power—is not difficult. Evidence that defies atheism is everywhere, but the world offers many gods. The object of this website is to establish beyond doubt that the real God is the God of the Bible, and that the Bible was authored by God (holy men wrote as He dictated) so that man could find his way back to Paradise. Therefore, B.C., we continually declare the Bible's position in this matter and demonstrate that researchers are finally coming to the same conclusion.

We approach establishing the veracity of the Scriptures from four positions:

1. Archaeology: Archaeology certifies the Bible as a reliable historical record even in the case of the most bizarre accounts. Author Eilat Mazar, granddaughter of Benjamin Mazar, who is known as the founding father of Israeli archaeology, had this to say about her grandfather's esteem for the Biblical record:

One of the many things I learned from my grandfather was how to relate to the Biblical text: Pore over it again and again, for it contains within it descriptions of genuine historical reality. It is not a simple matter to differentiate the layers of textual sources that have been piled one atop the other over generations; we don't always have the tools to do it. But it is clear that concealed within the Biblical text are grains of detailed historical truth.

2. Prophecy: Prophecy and the laws of probability prove the supernatural authorship of the Scriptures. For example, the prophecies given over 2,500 years ago of the restoration of the children of Israel as a nation are now taking place in real time.

3. GodSaidManSaid: The Record:  The Record is a vast litany of subjects ranging from breast-feeding and circumcision, to witchcraft and capital punishment that certify the bona fides of the Book.

4. Historicity of Jesus Christ: The historicity of Christ establishes His place in history.

B.C., proving the reliability of the Word of God is imperative. As a believer, I am commanded in I Thessalonians 5:21:

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

B.C. grapples with the definition of truth, giving his dictionary's incomplete definition of it. As in many things, going back to the original gives a more reliable rendering. Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines truth: "1. Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. The truth of history constitutes its whole value. We rely on the truth of the scriptural prophecies. My mouth shall speak truth. Prov. VIII (8:7). Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth. John XVII (17:17)." [End of quote] B.C. then goes on to offer his proof of his truth that the world is billions of years old with the diamond as his example. His e-mail goes on to say:

We know how diamonds are formed, and we know this process takes millions of years. While we can create a synthetic diamond very quickly with modern technology, the natural formation of diamond is much slower. With the heat and pressure available at the level of earth in which diamonds form, it would take millions of years. Most scientists say that most diamonds are approximately 3.3 billion years old.

The following excerpt is from the December 2005 issue of Acts & Facts published by ICR:

Dr. Russell Humphreys, Professor of Physics, was the first scientist to present his discoveries, sharing highlights from his research on helium diffusion that indicate that the age of the earth is only about 6,000 years, and explaining that the helium in radioactive crystals supports this contention.

Dr. Andrew Snelling, Professor of Geology, followed Dr. Humphreys, revealing his close study of radiohalos. His research showed that polonium radiohalos had to have formed rapidly under catastophic conditions and that their formation is strong evidence for accelerated decay in different periods during earth's history.

Perhaps one of the most amazing and surprising discoveries was presented by Dr. John Baumgardner, Professor of Geophysics, as he reported that large amounts of carbon-14 found in coal and diamonds supports a young earth and the Biblical account of Noah's Flood. Carbon-14 is a short- lived isotope used for dating organic materials like fossils and has a half-life of only 5,730 years, so finding C-14 in diamonds (as much as one hundred times the detection threshold) is very compelling evidence for a young earth.

Dr. Larry Vardiman, Professor of Atmospheric Science, recapped the results of the RATE research project with the following summary points and implications.

Main summary points:

1. A large amount of radioactive decay has occurred.

2. Conventional radioisotope dates differ radically.

3. Nuclear processes were accelerated during certain periods of earth's history.

4. Helium diffusion and carbon-14 in diamonds is strong evidence for a young earth.

Implications:

1. Creation and the Flood are genuine historic events.

2. The Bible is scientifically reliable—the Scriptures mean exactly what they say!

The conference culminated with the long awaited premiere showing of ICR's new "docudrama," entitled Thousands…Not Billions, a two-year video project (just recently completed) which combines drama, scientists' summary reports, animations, and illustrations to tell the remarkable story of the RATE research project.

Dr. Jonathan Sarfati weighed in on the diamond research in his book Refuting Compromise. He states, "Thus, it is powerful evidence the physical earth itself is only thousands, as opposed to billions, of years old. And this finding has since been confirmed by reputable laboratories on a further four diamonds." [End of quote]

Standard dating techniques that are used to generate millions and billions of years of purported earth history are not only built on the hugely false premise of uniformitarianism, but their data is being turned upside-down regularly. The following news release titled "Radioactive Dating Warning" was published in the periodical Creation, December 2005. The information was garnered from the January 2005 issue of Geology:

Geologists from the UK and the USA recently warned of new "pitfalls" with radioactive dating. The team was led by Jon Davidson of the University of Durham, and used equipment with improved measurement precision. They found that the basic assumptions behind one widely used and highly regarded method (mineral isochron) are "invalid in many instances." Further, they found the standard tests geologists use to check the quality of the radioactive dating results could not be relied upon.

One of B.C.'s final statements in his correspondence reads, "Anybody who is ignorant enough to accept things on faith will never be able to grasp real evidence." Ignorance, B.C.? It's time to look in the mirror.

As in many e-mails we receive, something about the correspondent's name or e-mail address is very telling. This writer's initials are "B.C." It's time for B.C. to cast off his faith in pseudoscience, repent of his sins, embrace the Christ of the Bible, the Lord of truth, and change his initials to "A.D."




References:

King James Bible

"DNA, God's Holy Book," www.Godsaidmansaid.com, 7/26/2001

Horgan, J., The Undiscovered Mind, Free Press, 1999

Huxley, T., "Mr. Darwin's Critics," Contemporary Review, November 1871

Mazar, E., "Did I Find King David's Palace?" Biblical Archaeology Review, Jan./Feb. 2005, p20

Rasche, M., "A First 'RATE' Conference!" Acts & Facts, ICR, Vol. 34, No. 12, December 2005, pp1- 2

Sarfati, J., Refuting Compromise, Master Books, 2004, p387

Strobel, L., The Case For A Creator, Zondervan, 2004, pp247, 249-252

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