The philosophical context in which biology is presented can make an important difference in its meaning for the student. The philosophical worldview of the biblical Christian is quite different from that of the non-Christian; thus, the biology teacher may have a profound influence on the development of worldview by the student.
The Tasaday was claimed to be a stone age tribe still living in the southern Philippines and recently discovered by anthropologists. Much attention was given to this story, but suspicions were soon aroused that the story was fake, and this indeed turned out to be the case. The lesson is that there is so much pressure for scholars to publish that fraudulent reporting has entered the profession. Published in Origins v. 20, n.1.
The "RNA World" hypothesis for the origin of life is implausible for several reasons, among them the difficulty of producing RNA naturalistically, its relative instability in water over time, the problem of chirality, and the insufficiency of RNA to form a living cell. Published in Origins v. 20., n. 1.
It is unwarranted to assume a priori, as in the past that all upright petrified trees had grown in the place where they are now found. The transport of trees and their deposition in an erect stance is not as unlikely or as rare as might be expected. Upright fossil trees within the geological column are compatible with a Flood model. Actually, when all factors are considered, a catastrophe involving water and many floating trees is a more satisfactory explanation for their origin.
A collection of short commentaries on scientific papers published in 1991, covering topics such as Permian trees, molecular genetics, epigenetics, inheritance of paternal mtDNA, water and formation of petroleum, water in mantle rocks, impacts, Ordovician volcanism, molecular phylogenies of ratites, termites, cichlids and sabertooths, osteocalcin in dinosaur bones, fossil flowers, origin of life, Precambrian predation, stromatolites, Cambrian Explosion, quality of fossil record, rapid speciation, tree biogeography, Miocene ape, fossil dermopteran, Asian marsupial, dinosaurs, mammal-like reptile. Published in Origins v. 19, n. 2.
A recent survey shows about 9% of the population accepts the viewpoint of naturalistic evolution, about 40% accept divinely guided evolution, about 47% accept a recent creation of humans, and about 4% registered they don't know. These results are nearly the same as a similar survey taken three years before. Published in Origins v. 18, n. 2.
A review of the book, Created from Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism. The case is argued that Darwinism has shown that humans have no special moral significance, but should be accorded the same moral standing as any other animals species. Published in Origins v. 18, n. 2.
A collection of short commentaries on scientifc papers published in 1991, covering topics such as phylogenies, origin of life, Precambrian fossils, polar dinosaurs, fossil turtles, Lysan finch, ecological gradients and the fossil record. Published in Origins v. 18, n. 1.
A review of the book, Portraits of Creation: Biblical and Scientific Perspectives on the World's Formation. This is a sophisticated criticism of creation science, and some of the points should be taken to heart by creationists. However, it fails to recognize the good quality of recent creationist literature. Published in Origins v. 18, n. 1.
In this essay I have attempted to outline the world as it is, reality as it is perceived through the lens of science and scripture in terms of the concepts of order and chance.
The perceived nature of science has changed from that of an ideal system for discovering truth to more of a more ordinary human effort to discover how nature works. Published in Origins v. 17, n. 2.
The purpose of this paper to compare and contrast scientific and religious paradigms and their communities. Similarities include the fact that it is possible to analyze both in terms of the formal components of a paradigm, that a community is essential to both traditions, and that the intersubjective testing and universality, along with data and experience, are important for "rational objectivity" in both communities.
Science strives to produce models of physical phenomena. Such models are useful, but usually simplifications of reality. Published in Origins v. 16, n. 2.
One day a minister said to me, "There seems to be a contradiction between chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis. Chapter 1 tells us that God created the animals first and then created man, but chapter 2 says that God created man before the animals. How do you ex plain this difficult problem?"
Dueling has a long and tragic history. Although dueling to death is largely abandoned, we still see unnecessary quarrels, including among scientists. Calm reflection and rational dialogue are much to be preferred. Published in Origins v. 16, n. 1.
The new theory of surface metabolism suggests that the forerunners of living matter were formed underwater, on metallic surfaces. While the theory of surface-metabolism represents a prodigious effort to explain the origin of living matter, it falls far short of its goal. Published in Origins v. 16, n. 1.
There is a need in Christian education for an integrational approach to the study of God and nature, and Christian educators should promote the integration of faith and learning.
The prepaternal data of Gen 5 and 11b were found to be artificial and unilaterally derivative; LXXA contained data which SP rearranged and the highly schematized MT later drew upon both LXXA and SP for its arrangement.
The creation accounts (Gen 1-2) coupled with the portrayal of disruption and divine judgment presented in Gen 3 have been described as of seminal character and determinative for a biblical theology of human sexuality.
