Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Creation Moments

In a bizarre twist of fate -- or through a great practical joke by God, if you're so inclined -- my car radio was recently damaged in such a way that it gets one and only one station -- Christian Family Radio. The tape deck is broken, the tuner doesn't work, the display's out of whack, even the clock is consistently two hours and forty minutes behind, but Christian Family Radio comes in loud and clear.

As Dave Barry says, I am not making this up.

Because I'm frequently bored in the car, and because I like some of the music, I often listen until I have to turn it off out of frustration. Most mornings, I'm treated to what they call "a Creation Moment."

They are priceless. What I love most is how they make it sound like you'd have to be a complete imbecile not to believe in young-Earth creationism.

Here's the general form of a Creation Moment:

1) Look at this amazing creature/organ/scientific discovery!
2) Isn't that cool?
3) Therefore, God is great, the Earth is young, and evolution is false.


Here's an actual example:

Your Busy Liver

Psalm 139:13 "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb."

An adult human liver is about the size of a small football. It weighs about three pounds, making it the body’s largest internal organ. Tucked neatly beneath the ribs, your liver performs more than 500 different tasks. It is a vital link between your heart, lungs and digestive system.

Inside the liver is a bewildering array of microscopic veins in which each drop of blood is processed. Here, blood conditions are constantly monitored to make sure that its chemistry meets strict standards. If more of some substances are needed in the blood, they are supplied. Useless chemicals are broken down into useful chemicals. Your liver makes proteins, and corrects blood clotting factors. Your liver also sees to it that hormone balances are maintained and that poisons are neutralized. If substances are needed to fight an infection, your liver makes them and adds them to the bloodstream. Your liver also stores vitamins and minerals and prepares itself to provide your body with quick energy when you need it. In addition, the liver makes bile, which is essential for digestion.

Structures like the liver have caused many evolutionists to abandon the idea that life is a result of millions of years of accidents. The liver is just too well-designed and integrated into the body to have been produced by purposelessness and mindlessness. As Scripture says, truly God has formed our inward parts!

Prayer: I thank You, dear Father, that I am so fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me to take good care of the wondrous body You have given me and grant me good health. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

References: The liver: the body’s refinery. Discover, Apr. 1984. p. 80.


Read or listen to them all at Creation Moments International.

Here's how they describe their beliefs:

* Creation Moments products reinforce our belief in:
* A literal interpretation of creation as presented in the Bible
* Divine design and purpose in nature
* A global flood (as described in Genesis)
* Special creation (uniqueness)
* Christ-centered scientific research
* A young Earth
* Christ as a man's only hope for eternal redemption. Christ is both Savior and Lord; was born of a virgin; was both God and man, died for our sins and rose again


Can you believe these folks are popular enough to have a national radio show? Sometimes America scares me.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Structures like the liver have caused many evolutionists to abandon the idea that life is a result of millions of years of accidents.

Yeah, because there's nothing evolutionists love to discuss more than the liver.

CyberKitten said...

JA said: Sometimes America scares me.

Only sometimes? America scares me all day, every day.... [bg].

dbackdad said...

That's a great site. Some nuggets: a dinosaur was found by Japanese fisherman in 1977 or this one, "Just as the fruit trees were created to provide fruit for Adam's first meal, the stars were created to be seen on Earth on the sixth evening. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the "stream of light" from a star to the Earth was created at the same time as the star was created. God, Who is beyond space and time, could as easily create a star as He could the stream of light extending out from the star into space. "

How convenient. If they (the creators of that site, not Christians in general) find something scientific that they believe will support Creation, they will gladly use it (no matter how often it is refuted). But if they can't explain something scientifically, then it is God's will.

Sadie Lou said...

I'm a mother of three children. I gave birth to all three of them naturally. They grew inside my body for 40 weeks and during that time, I was able to visit the doctor and hear their beating heart and once in awhile, I got to see a picture of them floating around inside me.
I'm amazed every day that there are so many babies being born that are 100% healthy. There is so much that can go wrong! Everything has to be exactly right.
I'm amazed that all three of my children escaped all those possible defects that I read about in all those prenatal magazines and books.
Our bodies were designed down to the very last detail and it's truly amazing.

asher said...

How absurd!

My shrink who went to Harvard Medical School was told by one of his professors that "Your liver will do more science today than you will do in your medical careers" But....

It makes more sense to believe that it evolved by itself by trial and error over billions of years. Thousands and thousands of bad livers were created over millieums and those entities died out. And let's not even cover the brain, the lungs and kidneys.

Talk about faith!

Wandering Coyote said...

I always get suspicious when Dave Barry says "I'm not making this up." Perhaps I shouldn't be.

Laura said...

It makes more sense to believe that it and every other intricate detail of every being on earth was created *Poof* exactly as it is, by an invisible man in the sky.

Talk about faith!

Orthoprax said...

Sadie,

"I'm amazed that all three of my children escaped all those possible defects that I read about in all those prenatal magazines and books.
Our bodies were designed down to the very last detail and it's truly amazing."

Were all of those defects which happen so often designed as well?

Anonymous said...

Yes, orthoprax, they were designed for non-believers. When believers' kids are born without perfect health, it's the devil who done did it to them. Or God smited them or something. Whatever.

Frankly, I'm more impressed with eyesight than liver function. But, I figure, honing down the process over millions of years, throwing extra bad genetics by the wayside, I shouldn't be that impressed by anything. Although, I'd be super impressed if God made the world peaceful, you know, considering he's already done with the liver and sadie lou's perfect babies.

Anonymous said...

If the human body was perfect, we'd extrude poop in small, odor-free cubes which we could then use as fuel in our cars. Until someone finds a perfect use for poop, I'd say we're still a work-in-progress (or we have a design flaw).

Anonymous said...

manure. A source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for plants which make food, which is more important than fuel. If it wasn't smelly, we wouldn't throw it out away from our homes to be recycled by the Earth.

Pooping a cube sounds painful. God designs better than you.

Jewish Atheist said...

Lol. Leigh-Ann and skcorefil, great discussion.

Baconeater said...

Leigh-ann, since God created us in his image, that would mean God has a pooper.

If he figured out how to exist without a pooper, he would have made man without one.

Conclusion, there are toilets in heaven.

Baconeater said...

Sadie Lou, isn't it amazing that sea turtles lay 50 to 200 eggs, most hatch, yet only a couple of the turtles hatched make it to adulthood.

Anonymous said...

Can you believe these folks are popular enough to have a national radio show?

JA, as bad as these people are, they aren't even close to being the worst out there. And the whole world scares me...

jewish philosopher said...

They're better than "Jewish" atheists!

Semi-insanity is better than total insanity. ;-)

Sadie Lou said...

Yes, orthoprax, they were designed for non-believers. When believers' kids are born without perfect health, it's the devil who done did it to them. Or God smited them or something. Whatever.

a good reason I hardly post here. Thanks.

Jewish Atheist said...

They're better than "Jewish" atheists!

I'm surprised, Jewish Philosopher. I thought you were Orthodox. Surely I qualify as a real Jew due to having a Jewish mother. Why the scare quotes?

Anonymous said...

Well, sadie lou, you can't say "Our bodies were designed down to the very last detail and it's truly amazing." without people thinking about all of the poor children who were born with birth defects. Sure, you were lucky. Lots of people are lucky. Lots of people aren't. Clearly, we weren't all designed "down to the very last detail" or G-d is just a jerk, like JP. Hey, did I say that? Oh yeah, I can say that - I haven't forgotten about the death sentence hanging over my head from JP.

skcorefil (what is a skcorefil?) - if they were small cubes, they wouldn't hurt. Would poop missiles be better?

Anonymous said...

Pooping a cube sounds painful. God designs better than you

Sigh. Such a lack of imagination. We wouldn't poop out our butts if we were perfect, we'd have a tiny little door, like a trash compactor, and we'd just reach in and remove our compacted cubes as needed.

I understand the "manure" argument, but I thought we were talking about humans. No one uses human waste as fertilizer, do they? I thought it was pretty much limited to the waste of herbivores and insectivores.

Baal Habos said...

Back in Yeshiva, I remember my Rebbeim saying all sickness, birth defects,etc are due to our Aveiros. And what about the Goyim? They suffer for the simple reason of "think how bad it would look for us jews, if we were the only sick ones".

What a warped theology.

Be that as it may, evolution is very counter-intuitive. I still have trouble with it myself. But as I learn more about it, its getting more reasonable. Funny, the Rabbis must same the same about OJ.

The more I read about Genetics though, the more it makes sense. (funny how the word Genetics is close to Genesis). ONe of my biggest issues is how the instructions (DNA) becomes a foot. Learning about RNA & Ribosomes starts to close those gaps.

Baal Habos said...

>Sigh. Such a lack of imagination. We wouldn't poop out our butts if we were perfect, we'd have a tiny little door, like a trash compactor, and we'd just reach in and remove our compacted cubes as needed.

LA
< you don't understand. God created us imperfect so we would need to pray to him/her; for example:

"Dear God, please make this traffic dis-appear. I need a bathroom real quick!"

Ben Avuyah said...

Fascinating discussion. I like the way Sadie Lou praises God's desinger capabilities due to the fact that all of *her* children were born without defect. Of course an overarching view of childbirth tells a different story.

There is something so personal about belief in God and Jesus that justifies these "explanations" in believers minds. It's almost like God is a lucky charm, an amulet, a magical salve in idea form, that when grasped by the believer confers individual immunity from harm. And other peoples downfall is not distrubing.

Perhaps Sadie's proof of design works for her becuase everyone else who may experience some of God's more notorious "poor design" is outside the circle of protection that Jesus provides for her.

So god's good design in her case "proves" a designer. Bad design in other cases...well that's their problem for not having as reliable Jesus salve as she has.

I think this is why religious people often ask the newly non religious what went wrong in their life. As this is the only scenario under which they would question their personal god.

There is something deeply disturbing about this entire mode of thought.

Laura said...

as flippy said "Clearly, we weren't all designed "down to the very last detail" or G-d is just a jerk"

I've always looked at the world and said that if everything is exactly as God designed it, then God is a real sadistic prick.

I have to say I've enjoyed the debate on the perfect pooper. That's just too funny. If we were perfectly designed, then we wouldn't need to excrete anything - we would be able to use everything our bodies take in...

Anonymous said...

If we were perfectly designed, then we wouldn't need to excrete anything - we would be able to use everything our bodies take in.

If we didn't make waste products in my perfect world, we wouldn't have my imaginary fuel for our vehicles. "Honey, do we have any of those leftover refried beans? I need to eat a lot today so I can drive the Hummer tomorrow."

Anonymous said...

Actually, human poop has a higher nitrogen content than herbivore poop.

Some cities sell it. This link talks about one.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4186/is_20040707/ai_n11700886

Milwaukee is known for their biosolids. They have been selling it since 1926. Today, 24 % of the solid waste is recycled in the US.

http://www.ehponline.org/qa/105-1focus/focusbeauty.html

Nitrogen cycles are important.

Google "biosolids" for more information.

skcorefil is liferocks backwards.

Jewish Atheist said...

Irviner Chasid

So you have concluded that god is a sadistic jerk, congrats... now what?

If God's a sadistic jerk, he's not the God that most people worship. Also, he's not a God I'd want to worship.

Sadie Lou said...

I need to clarify my comment, obviously. It's not because my kids were born totally healthy that I praise God. I was merely marveling at the miracle of birth and that my kids were born healthy and functioning.
I never said that if the opposite were true--if my kids were born with defects--I would curse God or find fault with Him or His ability to design. God clearly gives challenges to different people according to what they can handle or according to His purpose.
Just because my children were born healthy doesn't mean I have a "good" perspective of God and that he is just or that I am "lucky".
I think all of you that made comments to that effect were pretty quick to jump to the comclusion that I only praise God because I'm in a "good" situation. There are many more people who are in horrible situations that praise God.
I've heard the preachings of pastors in Uganda--proof that there are Christians suffering that still find reason to praise God.

Anonymous said...

All that proves is the reason you don't believe in Gd is because of your emotional dislike for Him, not out of any logic or rationality.

No, because there's no rational reason for me to believe in some imaginary thing in the sky. We were talking hypotheticals, so IF God existed (which I have never in my life believed), then s/he's a jerk. I can't have an emotional dislike for a being that I don't believe exists.

Interesting that you never see professional athletes praising God for their World Series, Super Bowl, or boxing championship losses. God is only "good" if you win.

Everyone who praises God would be in the exact same position if they praised fireflies as magical fairies. Or, worshipped Cheerios. Well no, at least you can get some nutrition out of Cheerios.

Sadie Lou said...

Interesting that you never see professional athletes praising God for their World Series, Super Bowl, or boxing championship losses. God is only "good" if you win.
Flippy, you know the weirdest Christians or you don't know enough of them or you are making up stereotypes from watching South Park or the Simpsons.

Anonymous said...

sadie lou, have you ever watched any professional sports? That happens ALL the time. Enjoy - the comments show that I'm not the only one who notices. http://tinyurl.com/nv5dj

You don't like that link, I can find you a quick dozen about coaches forcing players to pray before games and discriminating against players who don't or are of other religions.

irviner_chasid, there is zero evidence that God exists. There isn't any education available on "the matter". At least I had proof of Santa Claus when he left sooty bootprints on my fireplace when I was a child. Apparently he likes Jews too, or just their cookies & milk. You're not going to tell me he doesn't exist when I was educated in the matter as a child, are you?

Anonymous said...

All that proves is the reason you don't believe in Gd is because of your emotional dislike for Him, not out of any logic or rationality.

I personally don't believe in any "god" because I think gods are simply figments of imagination and/or crutches invented by people. You'd might as well ask me to believe in leprechauns. If someone else wants to believe in a god, please go ahead, just leave me out of it.

Orthoprax said...

IC,

"Maybe this will be too subtle for your level of understanding, but Santa Clause does indeed exist. He is a charachter, and families all over the world create his existance."

Are you saying that God exists in the same way that Santa Claus exists?

Anonymous said...

She exists as a person, but unless she has a marriage certificate, she isn't anyone's wife, no matter where her husband is.

Oh, so now God is a "concept"? Hey, there we agree. God isn't real, God is a concept, "a general or abstract idea".

Honestly, it's easier to argue with that guy who wants me dead. At least, while totally offensive, he doesn't talk in nonsensical circles.

David said...

Uh, wow.

Anonymous said...

Question
As Pasteur had verified already, and to the present time none could refut it, life begat life.

Now my question to you is the following: our efforts to create life, with the purpose to prove that evolution was the answer, we that have the greatest scientist available, the greatest laboratories, huge amounts of fund available, all the technical instruments to our disposal, reagents, universities supporting us, to the present time we have not being able to create the smallest thing alive, a cell. How could Mr. Random do it with no purpose, no hands, no mind, no interest, no lab, no instruments, no helpers, no counselors, with nothing, being nothing itself, do it.