To the Editor,
Well, Saturday the 6th of July was a beautiful day, and having finished mowing the lawn, I came in to spend some quiet time with The Fillmore County Journal. Nancy Earnhardt’s commentary piece caught my eye, and like Ms. Earnhardt, I felt obliged to respond.
As a shepherd of some 40-plus years, I very much appreciated Ms. Earnhardt’s comments about the critical importance of parents on the health and welfare of their offspring. My best ewes not only give birth to lambs, but tend to them and keep them close when they are young – protecting and guiding them like the human parents Ms. Earnhardt praises.
Ms. Earnhardt goes on to discuss “the homosexual agenda,” but she does not define what she means by that phrase, so I’ll pass over it to her final point “Nature does not support homosexuality, therefore it is unnatural to this world, and that is reality.”
Some years ago, I was driving through Idaho and stopped at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station near Dubois. Chatting with the staff there, I learned that they were rather astonished at the response they’d gotten to the publication of their recent study on homosexual behavior in rams–which indicated that 8-10% of rams are exclusively homosexual.
Since then, other studies, especially in neurobiology, have confirmed that finding. But if sexual activity, biologically speaking, exists to transmit genetic information to the next generation, what might be the evolutionary benefit of such homosexual behavior? Current thinking points to the value of reducing conflict and creating and maintaining strong social bonds within the group.
Certainly, these days, we can all appreciate the value of reducing aggression and encouraging social harmony.
Thank you for your thoughts, Ms. Earnhardt, and you, Mr. Bisbach, for initiating this discussion.
Bets Reedy
Houston, Minn.
Anonymous says
Checking your homework was made more challenging since you misspelled Jim Darnall’s last name as “Darnell”, unless your source, Eternal Perspectives Ministries (EPM), made that error on their own website.
Randy Alcorn, according to the EPM website, has a Bachelor of Theology and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Multnomah University and an Honorary Doctorate from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. The website also lists Alcorn as EPM’s Founder and Director. After a search for additional background regarding his co-author, Jim Darnall, the only information found was that Darnall is listed as an EPM volunteer.
At least the first five points in the your letter to the editor seem to very closely reflect the first five of six items listed in Alcorn and Darnall’s 2010 article, which you cite as a source. If anyone might wish to compare those points with those enumerated in your letter, they can go to this web address and render their own judgments: https://www.epm.org/resources/2010/Oct/03/ten-major-flaws-evolution-revised/
Your letter suggests that you are an ardent proponent of creationism. If so, it would follow that you likely oppose the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution in schools, or any mention of evolution, replacing that information with creationist beliefs, citing the bible while casting aside science.
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution provided a useful starting point for understanding the world in which we live, and like almost every theory, as further research is conducted, those theories typically evolve over time.
For example, if medical science had not evolved, bloodletting would still serve as a primary therapeutic treatment for various illnesses.
This writer admittedly does not possess a degree in theology, medicine, or biology. That said, there’s much to be said for understanding the academic background, training and experience of the person(s) making definitive claims about a topic before lending further credence to their assertions.
Steven Paul Novella (1960-present) earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1991. He later completed a residency in neurology at Yale–New Haven Hospital in 1995. Novella was board certified in neurology in 1998. At present, Novella is a clinical neurologist and an Associate Professor at the Yale School of Medicine.
Dr. Novella reviewed the your cited 2010 article by Randy Alcorn and Jim Darnall, and addressed each of the points that you cited and more.
Here’s the link to response written by Stephen Paul Novella, M.D.: https://theness.com/neurologicablog/ten-major-flaws-of-evolution-a-refutation/
This writer would encourage you to review what Novella has to say.
If you disagree with Dr. Novella’s response, perhaps you can employ your expertise to provide the rest of us lay people with a reasoned explanation as to why his arguments are flawed.
Anonymous says
Checking your homework was made more challenging since you misspelled Jim Darnall’s last name as “Darnell”, unless your source, Eternal Perspectives Ministries, made that error on their own website.
Randy Alcorn, according to the Eternal Perspectives Ministries (EFM) website, has a Bachelor of Theology and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Multnomah University and an Honorary Doctorate from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. The website also indicates that Alcorn is EPM’s Founder and Director. After a search for additional information regarding his co-author, Jim Darnall, the only information found was that Darnall is listed as an EPM volunteer.
At least the first five points in the your letter to the editor seem to very closely reflect six of the items listed in Alcorn and Darnall’s 2010 article, which you cite as a source. If anyone might wish to compare that information with your letter, they can go to this web address and make their own judgements: https://www.epm.org/resources/2010/Oct/03/ten-major-flaws-evolution-revised/
Your letter suggests that you are an ardent proponent of creationism. It would follow that you would likely oppose the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution in schools, replacing that information with the creationist beliefs, citing the bible.
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution provided a useful starting point for understanding the world in which we live, and like almost every theory, as further research is conducted, those theories evolve.
For example, if medical science had not evolved, we’d still be performing bloodletting as a therapeutic treatment for various illnesses.
This writer makes no claim to having a degree in theology, medicine, or biology. That said, there’s much to be said for understanding the position of the person making a claim and their academic background and training before lending their ideas further credence.
Steven Paul Novella (1960-present) earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1991. He later completed a residency in neurology at Yale–New Haven Hospital in 1995. Novella was board certified in neurology in 1998. At present, Novella is a clinical neurologist and Associate Professor at the Yale School of Medicine.
Dr. Novella reviewed the your cited 2010 article by Randy Alcorn and Jim Darnall, and addressed each of the points that you cited and more.
Here’s the link to response written by Stephen Paul Novella, M.D.: https://theness.com/neurologicablog/ten-major-flaws-of-evolution-a-refutation/
This writer would strongly encourage you to review what Novella has to say.
If you disagree with Dr. Novella’s response, perhaps you can employ your expertise to provide the rest of us lay people with a reasoned explanation as to why his arguments are flawed.
Gerald J. Boyum says
In “Devil”s Advocate…”, Aaron Bishop criticizes Nancy Earnhardt for expressing falsehoods and then refers to the theory of evolution by natural selection as support for his position. The Theory of Evolution was originally developed as an explanation for the existence of the universe and us humans in the absence of a supernatural creator. This theory may be able to support the survival of species but not their arrival. Evolution by natural selection would need living cells to start out. Here are some of the major flaws of the Theory of Evolution:
1. Complexity of living systems could never have evolved by chance. They were designed and created. Irreducible complexity involves complex components that are essential for a system’s basic function (vision, blood clotting, reproduction, etc.
2. The information contained in DNA alone could only be produced by an intelligence source. A pinhead sized amount of DNA has a billion times more information capacity then a 4-gigabit hard drive.
3. Mutations do not increase information, as required by evolution. The vast majority of mutations are harmful or have no apparent effect.
4. Natural selection is conservative, not creative. In other words, it can explain survival, but not arrival as mentioned above.
5. There is a total lack of examples of fossilized or living examples of the millions of transitional forms that would be required for evolution to be true.
6. Evolution of the first living cell is another big problem. How did non-living chemical compounds or elements organize themselves into something as complex as even the simplest living cell?
Now, review your comments about the theory of evolution and sexuality. As you mentioned, different species have different ways of reproduction; however, all species, including us humans, are not immortal and must reproduce at least equivalent to the death rate or that species will eventually become extinct. This is emphasized in Genesis 1-27 and 1-28: So God created mankind in His own image of God He created them, male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, :Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”
Both the New Testament and the Old Testament references Sodom as a place of God’s anger against sin, but the Epistle of Jude provides a certain class of sin as causative of its destruction, the meaning of which is disputed. “Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude 1:5 KJV.
References:
“Ten Major Flaws of Evolution” by Randy Alcorn, Jim Darnell, Oct 3, 2010
“Sodomy”, Expedia
Also, for additional reading:
“Icons of Evolution” by Jonathan Wells
“Evolution, The Greatest Hoax on Earth” by Dr. Jonathan Sarfarti