ARTICLE ARCHIVES
More Tall Tales from Phil: Part 2
We here examine some additional comments by Phil Vischer and co-hosts Skye Jethani, Christian Taylor, and Jason Rugg in their podcast in which they attempt to defend deep time and also attempt to frame the literal/historical interpretation of Genesis as a recent aberration.
More Tall Tales from Phil: Part 1
In the previous article, we addressed some false claims made by VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer. Phil had tried to present the idea of young earth creation as a very recent idea started by the Seventh Day Adventists. This of course is historical...
False History of Creationism is Full of Beans
Our critic this week is Phil Vischer who is the creator of Veggie Tales. Phil apparently does not accept the history recorded in Genesis, and seems unaware of the science that confirms creation and the biblical timescale. He recently made some remarks on twitter that are demonstrably false. Here are Phil’s comments in purple text, with my response in black:
Distant Starlight in a Young Universe: Rømer, Maxwell, and Occam
We may freely stipulate the speed of light in any one direction to be anything between ½c and infinity, and the return-trip speed is set by the constraint that the average speed of light must always be exactly c in vacuum (186,282.397 miles per second). We here explore additional objections to the conventionality thesis. These have all been refuted in the technical literature within the past century. But few people have access to such literature, and so a review is expedient.
Distant Starlight in a Young Universe: Objections to the Conventionality Thesis
We will here investigate common objections to the conventionality thesis[1] – the principle that the one-way speed of light cannot be measured but is instead stipulated.
Distant Starlight in a Young Universe: Concepts of Simultaneity
We previously introduced this distant starlight issue and then examined potential solutions and their difficulties. We now move toward a solution to the issue. This solution is surprisingly straightforward, but will require some discussion of the nature of space and time as we now understand them. To that end, we will here investigate the concept of simultaneity and how this concept has developed over time.
Creation and Politics
What does our view of origins have to do with politics? Everything! A person’s view on origins will guide his or her thinking on how society should function. Our understanding of our beginnings will inform our view of politics because it will determine our understanding of the nature of man, the nature of the universe, the existence of God, our moral responsibility, economics, and the purpose and scope of government in society.
Distant Starlight in a Young Universe: Attempted Solutions
In this article we will continue to explore additional proposed solutions to distant starlight. Creation astronomers and physicists do not currently have a consensus position on the solution to this perceived problem. Some creationists are bothered by this fact, but it is the nature of science that we don’t know everything and therefore we make hypotheses to be tested. Furthermore, science advances only when multiple models are presented and then systematically eliminated on the basis of observations until only the most probable model remains. In this spirit, I will here present some of the positions held by creation scientists, along with the strengths and weaknesses of such proposals.
Distant Starlight in a Young Universe: An Introduction
Given the biblical timescale, that God created the universe roughly 6000 years ago, how are we able to see stars and galaxies that are billions of light-years away? If light takes one year to traverse a distance of one light year (about 5.88 trillion miles), shouldn’t light from a galaxy that is ten billion light years away take ten billion years to reach us? And we can see such galaxies, implying that the light has arrived. Does this imply that the universe is at least 10 billion years old?
How do I Know that I Know? – a Response (Part 2)
In the previous article, we have been addressing Dr. Richard Howe’s response to my question, “How does he know that he’s not in the ‘Matrix’ and that his sensory experiences have nothing to do with the real world?” This question is in light of the epistemology...
How do I Know that I Know? – a Response (Part 1)
Having had several years to think about the conundrum, Howe has provided a response to my question. He posted an article on his blog on June 18, 2020 entitled “How do I know that I know?” I appreciate the effort and I will respond here in the same iron-sharpening-iron spirit. Has Howe provided a satisfactory answer to the epistemological challenge? His article is in purple text, with my comments in black.
Supernatural Selection
What does it mean for something to be supernatural? We might think of the parting of the Red Sea, Jesus turning water into wine, the resurrection of Lazarus, or even the creation of the universe as supernatural events. These are all great examples of God’s power. But is that what makes them supernatural? Isn’t the normal operation of the universe also an example of God’s power? After all, the universe continues to exist only because God upholds it by the expression of His power (Hebrews 1:3).
Presuppositional Apologetics
Apologetics is the defense of the Christian Faith. According to 1 Peter 3:15, when unbelievers ask a Christian to give an explanation for why he or she believes in Christ, the Christian should be ready to give a rational defense of the Christian worldview. The Greek word translated as “defense” or “answer” in this verse is ‘apologia,’ which is where we get the term apologetics. However, Christians often disagree on what is the best way of defending the faith. Consequently, there are several different methods of apologetics.
God vs. Government
Many people have the impression that the Church is God’s institution and that the government is not. Consequently, the Church must abide by the Bible in all matters, but the government must stay away from religious matters. After all, isn’t there a separation of Church and state? In reality, both the Church and the state are God’s institutions and both are morally obligated to abide by biblical principles. When a government functions in the way God has specified, it is a blessing to all the people. But a government that will not follow biblical principles inevitably becomes a tyrannical “beast” that oppresses its own citizens.
Comets, Centaurs, and TNOs
Some of the smallest members of our solar system have been known since antiquity. Comets were very mysterious objects to the ancient world. They had an unusual “hairy” appearance.[1] Unlike planets, comets seemed to follow no predictable path. They appeared at an unpredictable time, brightened and moved in unpredictable ways, and faded into oblivion. Many cultures considered comets to be omens.