CREATION V. EVOLUTION: WHat THEY won’T TELL YOU IN BioloGY ClaSS What Christians Should Know About Biblical Creation Daniel A. Biddle, Ph.D. (editor) Copyright © 2014 by Genesis Apologetics, Inc. E-mail: [email protected] Genesis Apologetics, Inc. P.O. Box 1326 Folsom, CA 95763-1326 CREATION V. EVOLUTION: What They Won’t Tell You in Biology Class What Christians Should Know About Biblical Creation by Daniel A. Biddle, Ph.D. (editor) Printed in the United States of America ISBN 9781628717761 All rights reserved solely by the author. The author guarantees all contents are original and do not infringe upon the legal rights of any other person or work. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author. The views expressed in this book are not necessarily those of the publisher. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are reg- istered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by the International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of the International Bible Society. www.xulonpress.com Dedication o my wife, Jenny, who supports me in this work. To my children Makaela, Alyssa, Matthew, and Amanda, and Tto your children and your children’s children for a hundred generations—this book is for all of you. To Dave Bisbee and Mark Johnston, who planted the seeds and the passion for this work. To Cole Thompson and Jake Bienvenue who guided the topics selected for this work, may you continually grow in your faith. To Leigh Bashor, whose fine review and polish refined this work. Thank you all! “Guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”— 1 Tim. 6:20–21 “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” — Psalm 118:23 v Contents About the Authors .............................................................11 Preface ...............................................................................15 Overview of the Book ....................................................18 Introduction .......................................................................21 What We Believe Really Matters ..................................22 The God of Science .......................................................24 Absolute Authority ........................................................25 Two Revelations ............................................................26 Apologetics—Giving a Defense of the Faith ................29 Chapter 1: Can We Trust the Bible? ..................................33 Why is this Chapter Important? .....................................33 Overview .......................................................................34 How Do We Know the Bible is Trustworthy? ...............37 Isaiah 53 and the Dead Sea Scrolls ................................42 Chapter 2: Did Noah’s Flood Really Happen? .................51 Why is this Chapter Important? .....................................51 Overview .......................................................................52 The Fossil Record ..........................................................53 Other Major Fossil Deposits ..........................................60 Coal Deposits .................................................................62 Polystrate Fossils ...........................................................63 The Earth’s Sedimentary Rocks ....................................66 Mountain Building .........................................................68 Bristlecone Pines ...........................................................70 Landscapes Formed by Catastrophic Processes ............72 vii Creation v. Evolution Noah’s Ark .....................................................................76 Conclusion .....................................................................79 Chapter 3: The Age of the Earth, Dating Methods, and Evolution ....................................................................81 Why is this Chapter Important? .....................................81 Overview .......................................................................82 Helium and Accelerated Decay Rate .............................88 Coal Deposits Are Young...............................................92 Diamonds Are Forever Young .......................................94 Fresh Meat in Old Rocks ...............................................96 The Young Ocean ..........................................................98 Summary of Young Earth Evidence ............................101 Chapter 4: Do Fossils Show Evolution? .........................104 Why is this Chapter Important? ...................................104 Introduction .................................................................105 Strike One!—Evolutionary “Ancestral Forms” Never Existed ...........................................................107 Strike Two!—Evolutionary “Transitional Forms” Never Existed ...........................................................108 Strike Three!—Evolutionary “Divergent Forms” Never Existed ...........................................................114 With No Fossil Evidence to Support It, Gradualism Strikes Out! ..................................................................115 Explaining the Fossil Record—A Creation Model Homerun! .....................................................................115 Chapter 5: Do Fossils of Early Man Prove Evolution?........118 Why is this Chapter Important? ...................................118 Introduction .................................................................119 Misidentified Mammal ................................................121 Wholly Human ............................................................126 Deliberate Deception ...................................................129 Chapter 6: Natural Selection and Evolution: Do Darwin’s Finches Prove Evolution? ...............................................133 Why is this Chapter Important? ...................................133 The Naturalistic Worldview .........................................134 viii Contents Formula for Life ..........................................................136 Mutations .....................................................................137 Natural Selection .........................................................138 Finch Beaks .................................................................139 “Evolving” Bacteria .....................................................141 A Biblical Alternative ..................................................142 Chapter 7: Did Hippos Evolve into Whales? ..................144 Why is this Chapter Important? ...................................144 Overview .....................................................................145 Animals (that Don’t Belong) in the Progression of Whale Evolution .......................................................149 Ancient artiodactyl ......................................................150 Pakicetus ......................................................................151 Ambulocetus .................................................................152 Rodhocetus ...................................................................153 Basilosaurus ................................................................155 Dorudon .......................................................................156 Summary ......................................................................157 Chapter 8a: Are Humans and Chimps Really 99% Similar? (Basic Level) ...................................................................159 Why is this Chapter Important? ...................................159 A Basic Overview regarding Human and Chimp Differences and Similarities .....................................160 Chapter 8b: DNA Evidence: Are Humans and Chimps Really 99% Similar? (Intermediate Level) .....................164 Overview .....................................................................164 Comparing Human and Chimps DNA .........................165 Chapter 8c: DNA Evidence: Are Humans and Chimps Really 99% Similar? (Advanced Level) .........................173 Introduction .................................................................173 Reality of DNA and Genome Similarity ......................175 Gene Similarities—the Big Picture .............................182 The Myth of “Junk” DNA ...........................................182 Chromosome Fusion Debunked ..................................184 Beta-globin Pseudogene Debunked .............................185 ix Creation v. Evolution The Human-Chimp Evolution Magic Act ...................188 Confronting Human-Chimp Propaganda .....................188 Chapter 9: Vestigial Structures ........................................190 Why is this Chapter Important? ...................................190 Introduction .................................................................190 Vestigial Problems in Your Textbook ..........................192 Conclusion ......................................................................209 Helpful Resources ...........................................................213 Endnotes ..........................................................................215