Literature Review

A review of Summer for the Gods. Published in Origins n. 51.

Historians of science have suggested that the Judea-Christian environment of western Europe and the belief in a monotheistic God were responsible for the development of modem science in that culture. Today students can still see that Christianity and physics are compatible and that similar assumptions underlie both.

There has been a long and arduous search for a plausible evolutionary mechanism that would produce complex organized life. We shall look briefly at the past two centuries of this search.

Science and Scripture are built, according to Boyle, on the same epistemological features of revelation, reason, and experience but with different relative contributions from each.

Newton was an unusual person—absent-minded and generous, sensitive to criticism and modest. He faced a series of psychological crises. He had trouble maintaining good social relations. Yet, he was one of history’s rare giants—a brilliant physicist, a superb astronomer and mathematician, and a natural philosopher.

A farewell editorial by Dr. Ariel Roth, who has been editor of Origins since its inception in 1973, and Director of the Geoscience Research Insittute since 1980. Published in Origins v. 23, n. 2.

Most science is conducted under the philosophical assumption of naturalism. A few scientists are developing an alternative paradigm, here called interventionism (generally called theism). Published in Origins v. 23, n. 1.

This descriptive analysis provides a comprehensive and wholistic view of Creation in the Book of Psalms.

Long ago, the Psalmist recorded a gem of inspiration: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Nature calls us to recognize its Creator and nature invites us to probe its mysteries. Within the context of that call and that invitation, there need be no conflict between biblical Christianity and science, between faith and reason. A scientist can indeed be a Christian.

Scientific activities can be classified in a number of ways, but the suggestion here is to compare science with a naturalistic presuppostion, science with a creationist presupposition, or "methodological science," meaning inquiry open to either naturalistic or supernaturalistic explanations. Published in Origins v. 22, n. 2.

Claims that Christianity upheld the idea of a flat earth through the so-called "Dark Ages" until finally the light of science revealed the true sphericity of the world are fabrications of anti-Christian writers. The overwhelming majority of Medieval thinkers believed in a spherical earth. Such false stories have caused many to "retro-progress," with an increase in ignorance rather than in knowledge. Published in Origins v. 22, n. 1.

Both secularists and religionists have misused the fame of Darwin's name to bolster their claims. Darwin's true views on religion, although not completely known, were somewhat mixed, and it would be better not to invoke his name to support either side. Published in Origins v. 21, n. 2.

Readers are invited to submit their reactions to the articles in our journal. Please address contributions to: ORIGINS, Geoscience Research Institute, 11060 Campus St., Loma Linda, California 92350 USA.

Readers are invited to submit their reactions to the articles in our journal. Please address contributions to: ORIGINS, Geoscience Research Institute, 11060 Campus St., Loma Linda, California 92350 USA.

A review of the book, The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism. An extremely useful work which goes a long way toward dispelling many of the commonly accepted myths about creationists. Published in Origins v. 21, n. 2.

The effort by secular humanists to eliminate religion, particularly Christianity, from education, the media and the culture in general threaten to impoverish our future and jeopardize human freedom. Published in Origins v. 20, n. 2.

This paper proposes that mutation and natural selection can produce biological change, but are not sufficient to explain the origins of biodiversity and complexity. Instead, the authors argue that genetic complexity is the result of intelligent design, and was at a maximum when life on Earth first came into being. Published in Origins v. 20, n. 2.

Early in the history of paleontology, a university professor with an interest in fossils was tricked into collecting fabricated objects as fossils and published a book illustrating these false productions. As a result, Johann Beringer was ridiculed unmercifully. This is not a good example to follow. We all make mistakes, and we should show compassion when we find errors in the work of others. Published in Origins v. 19 n.2.

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.

Disagreements among creationists can lead to better understanding and improvement in creation thinking, and should not be ignored or regarded as an embarrassment. Creationists learn the same way as everyone else, and disputations are expected in the search for truth. Published in Origins v. 15, n. 1.