Evidence for God from Science Newsletter August, 2002

Greetings in the name of the Lord! This is the latest edition of the update for the Evidence for God from Science website. Here is the news and recent additions to the site.

Contents


News

"Apologetics for the New Millennium" Conference

Idea Center.orgThe Idea Center, a new intelligent design organization is holding its first conference in San Francisco, September 27-28, 2002. The conference will feature Michael Behe, Paul Chen, Edward Peltzer, and other scientists who are involved in biological research. The conference looks nothing less than spectacular, so I hope that at least some of you will be able to attend. For more information, see Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness Conference.


Answers for atheists

I have added a new page that will include upcoming apologetics events that might be of interest to you. Most will probably be local to Southern California, although I hope to be adding events from other areas of the United States. Please let me know if you are aware of any apologetics events in your area or that you think might be of interest to others.

     Recommended Apologetics Events
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/events.html

Atheists often claim that Jesus Christ taught nothing unique that cannot be found in the other religions of the world. However, the truth is that Jesus' message is radically different from that of every other religion. This new page examines some of the unique teachings of the founder of Christianity from His sermon on the Mount of Olives.

     Nothing Unique About the Teachings of Jesus Christ?
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/apologetics/teachings.html

According to atheists:

Acts 7:4--Stephen tells us that Abraham departed from Haran "after his father died." Had he studied the Book of Genesis (11:26,32; 12:4), he would have realized his error: Abraham departed from Haran at age 75, at a time when his father Terah was 145; since Terah lived for 205 years, he still had another 60 years of life remaining.

Was Stephen wrong or is there something not quite right about this "contradiction?"

     False Teachings in the Bible?
    http://www.GodAndScience.org/apologetics/false.html


Design vs. Evolution

I have been "on vacation" for a few weeks this summer, which has involved Vacation Bible School, Scout Camps and helping Carole during her recovery from surgery. Much of my free time has been devoted to household repairs, and the unexpected "pleasure" of getting a new washing machine. Our bigger and "better" washing machine has much to tells us about intelligent design and why optimal does not always mean "best."

     The Washing Machine from the Bad Place- A Lesson on Intelligent Design
    http://www.GodAndScience.org/evolution/optimal.html

Are scientists completely unbiased towards data? Ideally this would be true. However, sometimes they get "stuck" into a certain paradigm that is difficult to discard. I ran into this problem recently at work and had to fight against incredible pressure to accept the paradigm despite the data. In the end, truth won out, although it was a long battle. A parallel is drawn between this example and the paradigm of evolutionary dogma.

     Scientists are Completely Unbiased?
    http://www.GodAndScience.org/evolution/bias.html


Christian Theology

A new page was written in response to a dialog I heard on the radio from a Christian whom I respect for his usually excellent teaching. However, his response to the question, "Is God male?" left much to be desired. The issue was skirted around and never directly answered, although the implied answer was "yes." Since many skeptics claim that the Bible is sexist, it is good to know what it actually says about this issue. Most of the answer is taken from what Jesus had to say from the gospel accounts.

     Is God Male? What Does the Bible Say?
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/doctrine/male.html


Aberrant Theology

Several new pages have been added to the cults section, all of which concern Jehovah's Witnesses. Those who have studied the history of the Watchtower and Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania know that they have made many predictions that have failed to come true. As such, they are false prophets and should be ignored by true believers.

     False Prophecies of the Jehovah's Witnesses (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania)
    http://www.GodAndScience.org/cults/falseprophecies.html

In fact, key leaders of the Watchtower were forced to admit in court that they had promulgated false prophecies and that their members were forced to accept those prophecies. In response to the question, "And unity based upon an enforced acceptance of false prophecy?", the answer was, "That is conceded to be true." The questioning ends on the following lines:

Q. Do you call that religion?
A. It certainly is.
Q. Do you call it Christianity?
A. I certainly do.

Read the entire fascinating court transcript at the new page:

     Jehovah's Witnesses Admit to Promulgating False Prophecies Under Oath in a Court of Law
     http://www.GodAndScience.org/cults/falseadmission.html

An additional proof for the divinity of Jesus Christ from the scriptures is presented. The scriptures clearly indicate that both Jehovah and Jesus are the "Fountain of Living Waters?"

     Who is the "Fountain of Living Waters?"
    http://www.GodAndScience.org/cults/fountain.html


Abortion

I have begun to work on a new presentation that will be given at Azusa Pacific University in April of next year. The primary goal will be to present a secular argument against abortion and for the sanctity of human life. The three broad categories of discussion will include scientific arguments, legal arguments, and moral arguments. The presentation will examine what is known about human embryology and development. Legal issues involved in the abortion controversy will include the "right to privacy", the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", and the definitions of murder. Moral issues will include the rights of all persons, the argument from being "wanted" or "unwanted", among others. Central to all the arguments will be a discussion about when does personhood begin and what defines being a person. Since many of the participants will likely be Christians, there will be section devoted to a biblical examination of the principles that would apply to abortion. Ultimately, I would like the participants to be able to discuss all the issues surrounding abortion and be able to present a rational, compelling argument for the sanctity of human life, whether discussing the issues with Christians, secular rationalists or atheists. Please pray that I will have the time to do a thorough job, and that the arguments will be convincing. I hope to get your feedback on the presentation in the coming months.


Newsletter Info

This and previous newsletters are available online. Go to the URL below to read the current and past e-mail newsletters:

     http://www.GodAndScience.org/newsletter.html


Those are the most recent updates and changes since the last e-mail update. If you would like to see anything in particular at Evidence for God from Science, let me know. "I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:14)

In Christ,
Rich Deem


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http://www.godandscience.org/newsletters/2002-08.html
Last Modified August 15, 2002

 

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