contents: overheads to be used with chapter 11 of “truth in the balance,” copyright 2003 by...

Contents: Overheads to be used with Chapter 11 of “Truth in the Balance,” copyright 2003 by David Prentice, M.Ed., M.A.S.T.

REVISION DATE 11/27/2010

This material is made available by the author at no charge. It may be reproduced for use in a Christian environment such as

Sunday schools or Bible classes, but it may not be used for any commercial purposes.

To be certain that you have the most up-to-date version of this material, go to the Origins Resource Association website,

www.originsresource.org.

Follow the links to “Bible College Materials” and check that the revision date shown online is the same as shown above. If not,

download the latest version.

2007 by David A. Prentice


BASIC PREMISES OF EVOLUTION AND CREATIONBASIC PREMISES OF EVOLUTION AND CREATION

EVOLUTION:

1. Everything must be explainable by purely natural processes. a. Atheistic evolution: There is no God. b. Theistic evolution: There is a God, but he does not intervene in nature.

EVOLUTION:

1. Everything must be explainable by purely natural processes. a. Atheistic evolution: There is no God. b. Theistic evolution: There is a God, but he does not intervene in nature.

CREATION:

1. A supernatural intelligence created the universe. Though most things are explainable by natual processes, some things may not be.

CREATION:

1. A supernatural intelligence created the universe. Though most things are explainable by natual processes, some things may not be.

LIKE THE POSTULATES OF GEOMETRY, NEITHER SET OF PREMISES CAN BE PROVEN. THEY MUST BE ACCEPTED BY FAITH AS SELF-EVIDENT.


2. Since there could be no other natural processes besides evolution, evolution is the only possibility.


2. God is powerful enough to use any method he chooses, including instantaneous creation.


3. Since evolution has never been seen in human history, it must be very slow. The universe and earth have to be billions of years old.


3. Creation does not automatically require any specific age. a. Recent Creation: The earth is probably less than 10,000 years old. b. Gap Theory & Progressive Creation: Because evolutionists must know what they are talking about, the earth has to be billions of years old.

3. Creation does not automatically require any specific age. a. Recent Creation: The earth is probably less than 10,000 years old. b. Gap Theory & Progressive Creation: Because evolutionists must know what they are talking about, the earth has to be billions of years old.


DARWIN ON FOSSILSDARWIN ON FOSSILS

"But just in proportion as this process of extermination has acted on an enormous scale, so

must the number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed, be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of

such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely-graduated organic chain; and

this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against the theory.”

Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species


RICHNESS OF THE FOSSIL RECORDRICHNESS OF THE FOSSIL RECORD

Billions of fossils have been dug up so far. (South Africa’s Karoo Formation alone is estimated to

contain billions of vertebrate fossils.) The fossils have been classified into about 250,000

species. There should be millions of transitional forms.

Darwin has not been vindicated. Only a few fossils have been proposed as transitions between any two higher

categories, and even those are highly disputed.

The lack of transitions has led many to adopt a new model of evolution, Punctuated Equilibria.

The fossil record remains the most obvious and serious objection to Darwinian evolution.


HOW TO SET UP MODELS:HOW TO SET UP MODELS:

Use the basic ideas of Initial Disorganization versus Initial Complexity

to make predictions in as many areas as possible:

Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Paleontology, Geology, etc.

Whichever set of predictions better fits what we observe is much more likely to be correct.


3 VARIATIONS OF CREATION:3 VARIATIONS OF CREATION:Recent Rapid Creation

(perhaps within the last 10,000 years)Fossils should show a great deal of variation within kinds,

but clearcut systematic gaps between major groups.

The Gap Theory(creation and ruin in the distant past, recent re-creation)

Impossible to make any specific predictions - keeps adjusting to fit what the evolutionists say.

Progressive Creation or the “Day-Age” Theory(creation spread out over billions of years - really a theistic version of Punctuated Equilibria evolution)

Leads to exactly the same predictions as Punctuated Equilibria.


2 MODELS OF EVOLUTION FOR LIVING THINGS2 MODELS OF EVOLUTION FOR LIVING THINGSNeo-Darwinism:

Evolution occurred slowly and gradually. There should be millions of transitional fossils.

Many have abandoned this belief because of the systematic gaps in the fossil record.

Punctuated Equilibria:Evolution occurred in sudden jumps.

The biological evidence against this belief is overwhelming.• Not only would a male and female of each transitional type have to

acquire many identical mutations, they would also need many complementary ones in their reproductive systems.

• They would also have to live at the same time, in the same place, would have to meet, and would have to have lots of babies which bred only with each other.

• This would have to happen hundreds of thousands of times for each evolving line, for each new step of evolution.


HOW TO SET UP MODELS:HOW TO SET UP MODELS:

Use the basic ideas of Initial Disorganization versus Initial Complexity

to make predictions in as many areas as possible:

Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Paleontology, Geology, etc.

Whichever set of predictions better fits what we observe is much more likely to be correct.


EVOLUTION:Initial Disorganization

with later increase in complexity and unlimited diversification.

Not just change, but change in the direction of increasing complexity.

EVOLUTION:Initial Disorganization

with later increase in complexity and unlimited diversification.

Not just change, but change in the direction of increasing complexity.

TIME

Evolutionary “Tree”All life came from one simple cell


CREATION:Initial Complexity

with later deterioration and diversification within limits

Not just change, but change in the direction of decreasing complexity.

CREATION:Initial Complexity

with later deterioration and diversification within limits

Not just change, but change in the direction of decreasing complexity.

TIME

Creationist “Forest”All life came from multiple complex ancestors.


Fossil Predictions of Creation and EvolutionFossil Predictions of Creation and Evolution

CREATION(complex to simple)

A BRIEF SUMMARY:

1. Rock strata represent ecological communities. There should be a pattern of clearly defined fossil communities around the world.

1. Strata represent time periods. There should be a continual overlap of life forms with no consistent worldwide patterns.

EVOLUTION(simple to complex)


SUITES OF FOSSILSSUITES OF FOSSILSRather than using radioactive dating, geologists

identify each rock layer (Cambrian, Ordivician, Devonian, etc.) by a clearly defined community or

suite of fossils that is essentially the same no matter where in the world we find it.

If evolution occurred, different types from amoebas to humans would have had to evolve

at different rates in different places at different times.

There should be no worldwide pattern of clearly defined communities of fossils.

Yet this is precisely how we identify rocks.

EVOLUTION IS CLEARLY WRONG.EVOLUTION IS CLEARLY WRONG.




A BRIEF SUMMARY:


2. Catastrophism.


2. Uniformitarianism.



FOSSIL PREDICTIONS OF CREATION AND EVOLUTIONFOSSIL PREDICTIONS OF

CREATION AND EVOLUTIONEVOLUTION:

Uniformitarianism. “The present is the key to the past” -- a doctrinal statement

accepted without proof.

Presently observed processes should be sufficient to explain

the earth’s geologic record.There has never been a

worldwide flood.

CREATION:Catastrophism.

Everyday processes do not have nearly so much effect on

the earth as catastrophic events (volcanos, hurricanes,

earthquakes, etc.) The present is NOT the key to the past.

There should be evidence in the geologic record pointing toward

past catastrophic events.


The Taxonomic Classification SystemThe Taxonomic Classification SystemThe highest taxon is the kingdom, followed by the phylum, class, and order.

At the lower levels, “species” is a manmade classification and is not the same as a Genesis “kind.” A kind may possibly be as high as the “family” level. Species can change without changing the basic design of the kind.

The highest taxon is the kingdom, followed by the phylum, class, and order.At the lower levels, “species” is a manmade classification and is not the same as a Genesis “kind.” A kind may possibly be as high as the “family” level. Species can change without changing the basic design of the kind.

KingdomPhylumClassOrderFamilyGenus

Species

For example: humans belong to Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata (Subphylum Vertebrata), Class Mammalia, Order Primates,

Family Hominidae, Genus Homo, Species sapiens

HIGHER TAXA

LOWER TAXA




A BRIEF SUMMARY:


2. Catastrophism.3. Many higher taxa (kingdom,

phylum, class, order) should appear at the beginning. The number should decrease through time.


2. Uniformitarianism.3. Few higher taxa should be

represented in the earliest fossil-bearing rocks. The number should increase through time.





A BRIEF SUMMARY:




4. Sudden appearance of each basic type.




4. Gradual development of new basic types.





A BRIEF SUMMARY:





5. Stasis (resistance to basic change).





5. Continual gradual change.



ERA PERIOD EPOCH Appr. Beginning (Years Ago)

Cenozoic Quaternary Holocene (Recent) 10,000Pleistocene 1.8 million

Tertiary Pliocene 5.3 millionMiocene 23.8 millionOligocene 33.7 millionEocene 54.8 millionPaleocene 65 million

Mesozoic Cretaceous 144 millionJurassic 206 millionTriassic 248 million

Paleozoic Permian 290 millionPennsylvanian 323 million } CARBON-Mississippian 354 million } IFEROUSDevonian 417 millionSilurian 443 millionOrdovician 490 millionCambrian 543 million

Archaeozoic Precambrian 4.5 billion(incl. Ediacaran or Vendian) 650 million)

The Geologic ColumnThe Geologic Column

Most of these ages were assigned before radioactivity was even discovered.

Most of these ages were assigned before radioactivity was even discovered.

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BASIC PREMISES OF EVOLUTION AND CREATIONBASIC PREMISES OF EVOLUTION AND CREATION






3. Creation does not automatically require a specific age. a. Recent Creation: The earth is probably less than 10,000 years old. b. Gap Theory & Progressive Creation: Because evolutionists must know what they are talking about, the earth has to be billions of years old.

1. Everything must be explainable by purely natural processes.

a. Atheistic evolution: There is no God. b. Theistic evolution: Since the Big Bang,

God has had little involvement with nature.

1. A supernatural intelligence created the universe. Though most things are explainable by natural processes, some things may not be.

CREATION:CREATION:EVOLUTION:EVOLUTION:


The Hebrew word for “day” is

(YOM).Depending on context, it can mean

1. A 24 hour day,2. The daylight portion of a day, or 3. An indefinite period of time.

Every time throughout the Old Testament that is used with a number (over 350 times outside Genesis

Chapter 1) it always means a 24 hour day. This is the way it appears in the Creation account.

God obviously intended to say that these were 24 hour days.

God obviously intended to say that these were 24 hour days.

HOW LONG ARE THE “Days” in Genesis?HOW LONG ARE THE “Days” in Genesis?


All Scripture is inspired by God...All Scripture is inspired by God...

but this Scripture was written with His own finger.but this Scripture was written with His own finger.

For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is]... (Exod. 20:11)

For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is]... (Exod. 20:11)


COULD THE “DAYS” HAVE BEEN MILLIONS OF YEARS?

COULD THE “DAYS” HAVE BEEN MILLIONS OF YEARS?

The sequence of events in Genesis 1:

Day 3, plants created.Day 4, sun created.

Day 5, insects created.

The sequence of events in Genesis 1:

Day 3, plants created.Day 4, sun created.

Day 5, insects created.

How many million years can most plants live without sunlight?

How many million years can they live without insects to pollinate them?

How many million years can most plants live without sunlight?

How many million years can they live without insects to pollinate them?


YEARS SINCE CREATION (Massoretic Text) 0 500 1000 1500 2000

ADAM - 930 years ------------------------------------ SETH - 912 yrs ----------------------------- d. 1042 ENOSH - 905 yrs -------------------------- d. 1140 KENAN - 910 yrs -------------------------- d. 1235 MAHALALEL - 895 yrs ----------------- d. 1290 JARED - 962 yrs --------------------------------- d. 1422 ENOCH, 365 yrs (walked with God) METHUSALEH --------------- 969 yrs, d. 1656 LAMECH - 777 yrs --------------- d. 1652 NOAH - 950 yrs ------------------------------- d. 2006

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SHEM - 600 yrs -------- d. 2157 Arpachshad, 438 --- d. 2096 Shelah, 433 -- d. 2126 Eber, 464 ------ d. 2187 Peleg, 239 -- d. 1996 Reu, 239 ----- d. 2026 Serug, 230 - d. 2049 Nahor-- 147, d. 1997 Terah ----- 205, d. 2082 Abraham- 195, d. 2122 Isaac ---- 180, d. 2227 Jacob- 149, d. 2254

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Tower of Babel(between 1757

and 1996)


“But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female” (Mk. 10:6). He didn’t say “In the last 1/10,000 of earth’s history.”

“For [in] those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be” (Mk. 13:19). Evolutionists say mass extinctions have wiped out over 99% of all the species that have ever lived. Wouldn’t that be the worst affliction?

“... he [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning...” (Jn. 8:44)Not just during last 1/10,000 of earth’s history.

“... the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God...” (Eph. 3:10). Did God have to wait through 4.5 billion years of evolution before He could accomplish His purposes through the Church?

JESUS

PAUL

JESUS

PAUL

New Testament Clues for a Young EarthNew Testament Clues for a Young Earth

11-19


“When Moses writes that God created heaven and earth and whatever is in them in six days, then let this period continue

to have been six days, and do not venture to devise any comment according to

which six days were one day.

“But, if you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being

more learned that you are.”

“When Moses writes that God created heaven and earth and whatever is in them in six days, then let this period continue

to have been six days, and do not venture to devise any comment according to

which six days were one day.

“But, if you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being

more learned that you are.”

MARTIN LUTHER ON THE AGE OF THE EARTHMARTIN LUTHER ON THE AGE OF THE EARTH


Historical Ideas About the Age of the EarthHistorical Ideas About the Age of the Earth

Ancient Greeks such as Aristotle: Earth is extremely old, may have existed forever.

Genesis: Earth is young.1200s - Thomas Aquinas reverts to Aristotelian logic and old

earth.1700s - Buffon proposes days of Genesis as extended periods

of time. Cuvier proposes multiple global catastrophes over millions of years.Hutton rejects catastrophes, proposes uniformitarianism.

1800s - Lyell expands on Hutton’s ideas, says earth millions of years old. Darwin builds his theory on Hutton’s and Lyell’s ideas about uniformitarianism.

1900s – Radioactivity discovered, age of earth revised to billions of years.


Both sides look at thesame fossil evidence…

- We just interpret it

differently.

Both sides look at thesame fossil evidence…

- We just interpret it

differently.


OCCAM’S RAZOROCCAM’S RAZOR

“Entities Should Not Be Multiplied Beyond Necessity.”

A principle of logic that can be paraphrased as,

A principle of logic that can be paraphrased as,

“The simplest explanation that fits all the facts is usually the best.”

Not a hard and fast rule, but a good guideline. The fewer stories you have to make up, the better.

Not a hard and fast rule, but a good guideline. The fewer stories you have to make up, the better.


REASONS PEOPLE BELIEVE THE EARTH IS OLD:


1. Belief that it takes millions of years to form a fossil.2. Radiometric dating.3. Geologic features (separation of continents, Grand

Canyon, etc.) that are supposed to have taken millions of years to form.

REASONS PEOPLE BELIEVE THE UNIVERSE IS OLD:

REASONS PEOPLE BELIEVE THE UNIVERSE IS OLD:

1. If it’s only a few thousand years old, what was God doing all that time before He created it?

2. Starting from a “big bang,” it would have taken billions of years to reach its present size.

3. How could light from stars billions of light years away reach us in only a few thousand years?







Archaeozoic Precambrian 4.5 billion(incl. Ediacaran or Vendian, 650 million)

The Geologic (Evolutionary) Time ScaleThe Geologic (Evolutionary) Time Scale

Source: Univ. of Calif. Museum of PaleontologySource: Univ. of Calif. Museum of Paleontology


HOW DO YOU MAKE A FOSSIL?HOW DO YOU MAKE A FOSSIL?1. Bury something quickly so it doesn’t rot.2. Make sure the right kind of minerals are in

the mud or water.3. Apply lots of heat and pressure.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?CHICKEN BONES:

?OIL:

?


You may have heard that it takes millions of years to make a fossil. Wrong!

You may have heard that it takes millions of years to make a fossil. Wrong!

• Chicken bones have been turned into mineralized fossils in laboratories in 5 to 10 years.

• Chicken bones have been turned into mineralized fossils in laboratories in 5 to 10 years.

• Organic garbage (banana peels, etc.) has been turned into crude oil, otherwise known as “fossil fuel,” in as little as 20 minutes.

• Organic garbage (banana peels, etc.) has been turned into crude oil, otherwise known as “fossil fuel,” in as little as 20 minutes.

• Spark plugs are often used as fishing sinkers in Durban, S. Africa. The water has such a high concentration of minerals that they become coated and look like fossils in just a few years!

• Spark plugs are often used as fishing sinkers in Durban, S. Africa. The water has such a high concentration of minerals that they become coated and look like fossils in just a few years! Courtesy of Joshua GilbertCourtesy of Joshua Gilbert

Spark plugs from Durban harborSpark plugs from Durban harbor



The geologic column was pieced together from many locations around the world. When more than one stratum is present the order is fairly consistent worldwide.

However, the complete column does not exist in nature. Every layer can be found out of order somewhere in the world.









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A BRIEF SUMMARY:

1. Strata represent ecological communities. There should be a pattern of clearly defined fossil communities around the world.




5. Stasis (resistance to basic change).





5. Continual gradual change.



SUITES OF FOSSILSSUITES OF FOSSILSRather than using radioactive dating, geologists

identify each rock layer (Cambrian, Ordivician, Devonian, etc.) by a clearly defined community or

suite of fossils that is essentially the same no matter where in the world we find it.

If evolution occurred, different types from amoebas to humans would have had to evolve

at different rates in different places at different times.

There should be no worldwide pattern of clearly defined communities of fossils.

Yet this is precisely how we identify rocks.

EVOLUTION IS CLEARLY WRONG.EVOLUTION IS CLEARLY WRONG.













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How Ages Were Originally AssignedHow Ages Were Originally Assigned1. If a new fossil was previously unknown, it would be compared

to the rocks where it was found to see if they contained a known suite of fossils (Cambrian, Devonian, etc.). If so, the new one was assigned the same age as that suite.

2. Even if there was not a full suite, the discoverer would look for individual fossils found nearby. If any of them were defined as “index fossils,” he simply used their previously assigned age for the new type.

3. If none of the other fossils had been assigned an age, he would decide how highly evolved the new organism was and assign an age based on the assumption that evolution had taken billions of years.

4. Finally, if the new fossil was found in only one suite, then it could be used as an index fossil and its assigned age used anywhere that suite was found. Any new fossils found in the same layer would automatically be assigned the same age.


HOW EVOLUTIONISTS DATE ROCKSHOW EVOLUTIONISTS DATE ROCKSASSUME EVOLUTION

IS CORRECTASSUME EVOLUTION

IS CORRECT

C I RC U L A R

C I RC U L A R

R E A S O N I N G

R E A S O N I N G

Fossils must show pro-

gression from simple to

complex

Arrangestrata on a chart in “correct” order

Explain away out-of-order fossils and strata

Look for “tie-points” where radiometric ages match previously assigned age; reject ages that don’t fit (almost all!)

Geologic timetable and “correct” order of strata verified - Evolution Proved!


South of Cuba are the Grand Cayman islands, where four distinct ecological communities thrive at the same time and place.

0-200 ft: The Reef. Thousands of typical shallow water species: Coral, barracuda, stingray, eels, etc.

200-600 ft: The Wall. “Sponge belt.” Lots of various types of sponges. Worms, crustaceans.

600-1000 ft: The Haystacks. (Lots of de-bris broken off from above.) Sharks, star-fish, sea whip corals, sea urchins, etc.

1000+ ft: The Deep. (Totally dark.) Cookie-cutter shark, coffin fish, tripod fish, spidery-armed jellyfish, sea cucumbers, etc.

The Grand Cayman Islands: A Natural Demonstration Project

The Grand Cayman Islands: A Natural Demonstration Project

If we could instantly freeze the area, it would look just like the suites of fossils in the fossil record.

If we could instantly freeze the area, it would look just like the suites of fossils in the fossil record.


Ecological Communities Around the WorldEcological Communities Around the WorldAnimals and plants live in interdependent communities, or biomes.

These vary with climate, elevation above or below sea level, etc.

Shown are two of the ecosystems

found in Colorado. The same is true

worldwide.

(Denver Museum of Natural History – photos by the

author)

Likewise, there are seven distinct biomes

in Texas.

(Houston Museum of Natural Science – photo by the author)


WHAT ABOUT RADIOACTIVE DATING?WHAT ABOUT RADIOACTIVE DATING?

Electrons (-) are in or- bitals around the nucleus, which is composed of protons (+) and neutrons (neutral, shown in blue).

Number of neutrons deter-mines the isotope of the element.

Number of protons is the atomic number. This determines what element the atom is.

+ -

-

-

-

-

-

++++

Number of protons plus number of neutrons determines the mass number of the element.

-

Since protons are positively charged, they repel each other. Thus, every atom in the universe that has more than one proton should fly apart.

However, if certain numbers of neutrons are present, the protons stay together. Scientists call the force that keeps them together the

“Strong Nuclear Force,” but have no idea why it exists.

Since protons are positively charged, they repel each other. Thus, every atom in the universe that has more than one proton should fly apart.

However, if certain numbers of neutrons are present, the protons stay together. Scientists call the force that keeps them together the

“Strong Nuclear Force,” but have no idea why it exists.


WHAT IS RADIOACTIVITY? WHAT IS RADIOACTIVITY?

+ -

-

-

-

-

-

++++

-

An atom with an unstable nucleus (too many or too few neutrons for the number of protons) tries to re-lease excess poten-tial energy by emit- ting various particles, or releasing gamma radiation.

The radioactive atom starts out as one element called the parent and decays into a different element called the radiogenic daughter.

The daughter may or may not be radioactive. If so, it may in turn become the parent element of another radiogenic daughter.

The radioactive atom starts out as one element called the parent and decays into a different element called the radiogenic daughter.

The daughter may or may not be radioactive. If so, it may in turn become the parent element of another radiogenic daughter.

In Alpha () decay, thenucleus ejects two pro-tons and two neutrons at the same time. This lowers the atomic number by two and the mass number by four.

In Beta () decay, one of the neutrons in the nucleus breaks apart. It ejects a high-energy electron, leaving a proton in place of the neutron. This actually increases the atomic number by one, but leaves the mass number unchanged.


RADIOACTIVE DECAY RATESRADIOACTIVE DECAY RATES

Some radioactive “parents” decay

into their final “daughter” in one step, e.g. Carbon-14 to Nitrogen-14. Others go through

many intermedi-ates, e.g. Uranium-238 goes through

14 steps as it turns into Lead-206.

However, we do not know what

causes one atom to decay while

the one next to it does not, so we cannot predict

which individual atoms will decay.

To measure decay rates we average together large numbers of atoms in a statistical analysis called a “half-life,” the amount of time it takes for half of a sample to decay. After one half-life 1/2 remains; after two

half-lives, 1/4; after three, 1/8; after four, 1/16, and so forth.

To measure decay rates we average together large numbers of atoms in a statistical analysis called a “half-life,” the amount of time it takes for half of a sample to decay. After one half-life 1/2 remains; after two

half-lives, 1/4; after three, 1/8; after four, 1/16, and so forth.


RADIOACTIVE DECAY RATESRADIOACTIVE DECAY RATES

COMMONLY USED RADIOACTIVE DATING METHODSCOMMONLY USED RADIOACTIVE DATING METHODS

Half-lives range from microseconds to (supposedly) billions of years.

Since radioactivity was discovered only about a century ago, there is no way to verify long half-lives.

Half-lives range from microseconds to (supposedly) billions of years.

Since radioactivity was discovered only about a century ago, there is no way to verify long half-lives.

PARENT DAUGHTER HALF-LIFECarbon-14 Nitrogen-14 5730 yearsPotassium-40 Argon-40 1.3 billion yearsUranium-235 Lead-207 713 million yearsUranium-238 Lead-206 4.51 billion yearsRubidium-87 Strontium-87 47 billion years


Since we can’t be sure of any of these for any “clock” in nature, we should use many different methods to determine a maximum possible age.

Out of all the dating methods, less than 10% point toward a maximum of billions of years. The rest point toward millions or even thousands.

Since we can’t be sure of any of these for any “clock” in nature, we should use many different methods to determine a maximum possible age.

Out of all the dating methods, less than 10% point toward a maximum of billions of years. The rest point toward millions or even thousands.

Characteristics of an Accurate ClockCharacteristics of an Accurate Clock

1. Initial conditions known.What time did the clock say when it was wound up?

2. Known rate of change.The clock need not always run at the same rate, but if it changes we must know when and by how much.

3. Closed system. The clock must not have been reset or tampered with.


Conditions for Accurate Radiometric DatingConditions for Accurate Radiometric Dating

1. Initial percentage of parent and daughter in the rock must be known.We have no way to know this.The radioactive parents came from somewhere. According to evolution, the daughters could have been present to use as building blocks in making the parents in the first place. There would automatically have been a mix of daughter and parent from the beginning of the earth. We have no way to know what that mix was. This renders radioactive dating unreliable.

Most rocks contain a mixture of elements. Many include a radioactive “parent” and a radiogenic “daughter.”

Most rocks contain a mixture of elements. Many include a radioactive “parent” and a radiogenic “daughter.”


1 2

HYDROGEN HELIUM 1 43 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LITHIUM BERYLLIUM BORON CARBON NITROGEN OXYGEN FLUORINE NEON 7 9 11 12 14 16 19 2011 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

SODIUM MAGNESIUM ALUMINUM SILICON PHOSPHOROUS SULPHUR CHLORINE ARGON 23 24 27 28 31 32 35 4019 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

POTASSIUM CALCIUM SCANDIUM TITANIUM VANADIUM CHROMIUM MANGANESE IRON COBALT NICKEL COPPER ZINC GALLIUM GERMANIUM ARSENIC SELENIUM BROMINE KRYPTON 39 40 45 48 51 51 55 56 58 59 64 65 70 73 75 79 80 8437 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

RUBIDIUM STRONTIUM YTTRIUM ZIRCONIUM NIOBIUM MOLYBDENUM TECHNETIUM RUTHENIUM RHODIUM PALLADIUM SILVER CADMIUM INDIUM TIN ANTIMONY TELLURIUM IODINE XENON 85 88 89 91 93 96 99 101 103 106 108 112 115 119 122 126 127 13155 56 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86

CESIUM BARIUM HAFNIUM TANTALUM TUNGSTEN RHENIUM OSMIUM IRIDIUM PLATINUM GOLD MERCURY THALLIUM LEAD BISMUTH POLONIUM ASTATINE RADON 133 137 178 181 184 186 190 192 195 197 201 204 207 209 210 219 22287 88 104 105 106 107 108 109

FRANCIUM RADIUM RUTHERFORD- DUBNIUM SEABORGIUM BOHRIUM HASSIUM MEITNERIUM 223 226 IUM 261 262 263 264 265 268

Periodic Table of the ElementsPeriodic Table of the Elements H He

Li Be B C N O F Ne

Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar

K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr

Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe

Cs Ba Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn

Fr Ra Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt etc.

Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho E Tm Yb Lu

Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr

58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71

CERIUM PRASEODYM- NEODYMIUM PROMETHEUM SAMARIUM EUROPIUM GADOLINIUM TERBIUM DYSPROSIUM HOLMIUM ERBIUM THULIUM YTTERBIUM LUTETIUM 140 IUM 141 144 147 147 152 157 159 162 165 167 169 173 17590 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103

THORIUM PROTACTIN- URANIUM NEPTUNIUM PLUTONIUM AMERICIUM CURIUM BERKELIUM CALIFORNIUM EINSTEINIUM FERMIUM MENDELEV- NOBELIUM LAWRENCIUM 232 IUM 231 238 237 244 243 247 247 251 252 257 IUM 258 259 260

57

LANTHANUM 13989

ACTINIUM 227

La

Ac

La-Lu57- 71

Ac-Lr89-103

90 elements are known to occur on earth. Elements 43, 61, and 93 and above (shown in red) are known only in artificially manufactured form, though #43 is seen in some stars.

According to evolution, the 90 naturally occurring elements (shown in white) must have come from lighter “building blocks.”

90 elements are known to occur on earth. Elements 43, 61, and 93 and above (shown in red) are known only in artificially manufactured form, though #43 is seen in some stars.

According to evolution, the 90 naturally occurring elements (shown in white) must have come from lighter “building blocks.”


Conditions for Accurate Radiometric DatingConditions for Accurate Radiometric DatingMost rocks contain a mixture of elements. Many include a

radioactive “parent” and a radiogenic “daughter.”Most rocks contain a mixture of elements. Many include a

radioactive “parent” and a radiogenic “daughter.”

1. Initial percentage of parent and daughter in the rock must be known.We have no way to know this.

2. Rate of change must have been constant the entire time.We’ve been watching for less than 100 years, but we have seen half-lives change by up to a billion times as fast.


Changes in Radioactive Decay RatesChanges in Radioactive Decay Rates• Published decay rates are averages of experimental

values. Some are a little lower, some are a little higher.• Decay rates have been determined over less than 100

years but are applied to 4.5 billion years! This is like watching a jet fly past for one second then guessing how fast it has been flying for the last 522 days.

• Many believe the decay of individual atoms is purely random, but others believe there is some as-yet-unknown cause such as neutrino density.

• Experiments have produced changes in decay rates of at least 14 different elements.

• Under plasma conditions (all electrons removed), decay rates have been accelerated up to a billion times as fast.

This would render radiometric dating totally unreliable.This would render radiometric dating totally unreliable.

Evolutionists (and some creationists) believe the earth began in plasma conditions.


Changes in Radioactive Decay RatesChanges in Radioactive Decay RatesRecent studies at Purdue and Stanford Universities have revealed several anomalies in radioactive decay rates that

seem to depend on the sun.

The sun seems to be doing something that affects decay rates – perhaps by producing an as yet undetected

particle that makes nuclei decay faster.

1. The decay rates go through a 33 day cycle from fastest to slowest – believed to be the rotation rate of the sun’s core.

2. Decay rates speed up slightly in the winter when we are closer to the sun, and slow down slightly in the summer when we are farther away.

3. Decay rates slow down just before solar flares.

Whatever the cause, we can say with certainty that radioactive decay rates do change. This renders radiometric dating unreliable.

Whatever the cause, we can say with certainty that radioactive decay rates do change. This renders radiometric dating unreliable.

Source: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/sun-082310.htmlSource: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/sun-082310.html


Conditions for Accurate Radiometric DatingConditions for Accurate Radiometric DatingMost rocks contain a mixture of elements. Many include a

radioactive “parent” and a radiogenic “daughter.”Most rocks contain a mixture of elements. Many include a

radioactive “parent” and a radiogenic “daughter.”

3. None of the parent or daughter can have been added or removed the entire time.Is there any rock that has never gotten wet?

2. Rate of change must have been constant the entire time.We’ve been watching for less than 100 years, but we have seen half-lives change by up to a billion times as fast.

1. Initial percentage of parent and daughter in the rock must be known.We have no way to know this.

There is no way to be sure of any of these factors, let alone all of them.

There is no way to be sure of any of these factors, let alone all of them.


Potassium-Argon DatingPotassium-Argon Dating1. The elements potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) are abundant in

the earth’s rocks.2. K comes in three isotopes: K-39 and K-41, both stable, make

up over 99.9% of the known potassium. The unstable K-40 makes up just over 0.01% and has a half-life of about 1.26 billion years.

3. Almost 89% of the time K-40 decays into Ca-40, useless for dating because it also occurs as a non-radiogenic element.

4. The other 11% of the time K-40 decays into the inert gas Ar-40, used for K-Ar dating because it can be trapped inside a rock.

5. Rocks are assumed to have formed in a molten state, then solidified after hundreds of millions of years of cooling.

6. Any Ar-40 in molten rock would have leaked out. Thus, we use the ratio of K-40 to Ar-40 to determine how long ago the rock solidified.PROBLEM: If the rock ever heated up enough to soften again

(e.g., after a volcanic eruption), more Ar-40 could leak out and give ages that are wrong by billions of years!


HOW ABOUT CARBON DATING?HOW ABOUT CARBON DATING?

1. Cosmic radiation in the upper atmosphere strikes Nitrogen-14,

turning it into the unstable isotope Carbon-14.

2. Plants use the C-12 and C-14

in the air to build up their

cell structures.

3. The carbon becomes

part of the animals that eat

the plants.

4. When a plant or animal dies it stops taking in carbon. The C-12 does not change but the C-14 decays back to N-14 (with a half-life of 5730 years). By measuring the ratio of C-14 to C-12 in the carcass as compared to the atmosphere, we estimate how long ago it died.


PROBLEMS WITH CARBON DATINGPROBLEMS WITH CARBON DATING1. The carbon in many fossils has been replaced by other

minerals.You can’t carbon date something that doesn’t contain carbon.

2. If the animal or plant’s environment was low in C-14 it will give a false reading much higher than the real age.This happens frequently in sea creatures.

3. The ratio of C-14 to C-12 in the atmosphere keeps increasing. The older something is, the less C-14 was available and the less reliable the carbon date is. “Old” dates need to be adjusted accordingly.

4. Because of its short half-life, carbon dating works for ages of only a few thousand years.Since most fossils are supposed to be millions of years old, evolutionists don’t even try to carbon date them.

5. External factors can add or remove carbon or nitrogen.6. Some plants are able to exclude C-14 from their structures.

They, or anything that eats them, would automatically show a false age.


Reasons Fossils are not Dated by Other Radiometric Methods

Reasons Fossils are not Dated by Other Radiometric Methods

1. A good size sample of radioactive material is needed to perform radiometric dating tests. The particles in most sediments are too finely divided for reliable testing.

2. The only kind of radioactive material that can be directly dated is igneous (volcanic) rock. It would have been so hot when it was laid down that it would have destroyed any living thing in its path, rather than preserving it as a fossil.


Examples of Erroneous Radiometric Dates Examples of Erroneous Radiometric Dates• Checkurovka Mammoth: Hair carbon dated at 26,000 years, but soil dated

only 5,600 years.• Living Nevada snails carbon dated at 27,000 years.• Living mollusk dated by carbon-14 at over 2,300 years.• Two different C-14 ages 15,000 years apart from same block of peat in New

Zealand • Dried seal carcasses less than 30 years old carbon dated as old as 4,600

years.• Blood of seal freshly killed at McMurdo Sound in Antarctic carbon dated at

1,300 years• Rocks containing “Nutcracker Man” potassium-argon dated at 1.75 million

years. Bones found lower (should be older) carbon dated at 10,000 years.• Lava rocks from Hualalei in Hawaii potassium-argon dated at almost 3

billion years. Rocks less than 200 years old - formed when volcano erupted in 1801.

• Other new Hawaiian rocks from eruption of Kilauea potassium-argon dated at 22 million years.

• Moon rocks dated by various techniques show inconsistent ages ranging from 700 million to 28 billion years. (Moon supposed to be 4.5 billion years old.)


RECENT CARBON DATING RESULTSRECENT CARBON DATING RESULTSRecently developed tests for Carbon-14 using accelerator mass spectrometry are able to detect the presence of C-14 at 100,000

times lower concentration than previous methods.

Out of thousands of supposedly multimillion year samples tested, all but two contained measurable amounts of C-14.

Radioactive elements disappear within about 10 half-lives. Even if we are generous and stretch the limit out to 40 half-lives,

within about 250,000 years all the C-14 should be gone.

IT IS NOT.The “multimillion year” fossils must be

less than 250,000 years old!In fact, in most cases, they point to something less than 90,000 years (before correction for lower atmospheric C-14 in the past).


Isochron Dating – The Latest and GreatestIsochron Dating – The Latest and GreatestIsochrons are an attempt to eliminate the need

to know initial parent-to-daughter ratios. Isochrons are an attempt to eliminate the need

to know initial parent-to-daughter ratios. They use a

radioactive element (e.g., Rb-87) and two

isotopes of the element it decays

into: one radiogenic (e.g., Sr-87) and one naturally occurring

(e.g., Sr-86).

Ratio ofSr-87

(radio-genic)

to Sr - 86(natu-

rallyoccur-

ring)

As the amount of the radioactive parent decreases compared to the non-radiogenic isotope of the daughter, the radiogenic daughter should

increase correspondingly.

The ratio of radioactive-to-radiogenic in multiple rock samples is graphed on one axis, and the ratio of radiogenic-to-natural is shown on the other.

As the amount of the radioactive parent decreases compared to the non-radiogenic isotope of the daughter, the radiogenic daughter should

increase correspondingly.

The ratio of radioactive-to-radiogenic in multiple rock samples is graphed on one axis, and the ratio of radiogenic-to-natural is shown on the other.


PROBLEMS WITH ISOCHRON DATINGPROBLEMS WITH ISOCHRON DATING

1. It starts with the invalid assumption that rocks come out of volca-noes perfectly mixed. We know from observation that they do not.

2. We arbitrarily assign a meaning to the slope of the line. It could represent billions, millions, or thousands of years - but it could also be meaningless.

3. In some cases, the slope of the line is negative -- indicating the impossible situation of a negative age.

4. If the non-radiogenic element was ever added or removed from any of the samples, the technique is useless.

Ratio ofSr-87

(radio-genic)

to Sr - 86(natu-

rallyoccur-

ring)


The Cardeñas

Basalt at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is

supposed to be about a

billion years old.

The Cardeñas

Basalt at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is

supposed to be about a

billion years old.

The Uinkaret Plateau at the top is only sup-posed to be about a million.

The Uinkaret Plateau at the top is only sup-posed to be about a million.

Rubidium-Strontium dating showed an age of about 1.07 billion years for the Cardeñas, as expected.

Exactly the same technique was applied to the Uinkaret, which showed an age of 1.34 billion years -- a thousand times too old,

and 270 million years older than the rocks at the bottom.

Rubidium-Strontium dating showed an age of about 1.07 billion years for the Cardeñas, as expected.

Exactly the same technique was applied to the Uinkaret, which showed an age of 1.34 billion years -- a thousand times too old,

and 270 million years older than the rocks at the bottom.

Isochron Dating and the Grand CanyonIsochron Dating and the Grand Canyon

EIther the technique is faulty, or else the Grand Canyon is upside down!

EIther the technique is faulty, or else the Grand Canyon is upside down!


RADIOMETRIC “TIE-POINTS”RADIOMETRIC “TIE-POINTS”IF stratigraphic ages are really correct, andIF radiometric dating is reliable, Then we should be able to find a multitude of “tie-points” --

igneous (volcanic) rocks that match the assigned strati-graphic ages of each sedimentary layer containing fossils.

However, evolutionists do not depend on tie-points because there are so few of them.

A search of the literature reveals that In the entire world, only a hundred or so individual rocks (tie-points) have been found that match their assigned ages. The thousands of others (the vast majority) that don’t match the age that evolution says they should be are DISCARDED.

Instead of discarding the theory when it doesn’t match the data, evolutionists DISCARD THE DATA because it doesn’t match the theory!


THE FOUNDATION OF EVOLUTION:Uniformitarianism.

THE FOUNDATION OF EVOLUTION:Uniformitarianism.

The Bible warns us: First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation. They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. (2 Peter 3:3-7 RSV)

This is the UNPROVABLE geological dogma that everything happens by slow, gradual, uniform processes. (“The present is the key to the past.”)

There can never have been a worldwide flood.

This is the UNPROVABLE geological dogma that everything happens by slow, gradual, uniform processes. (“The present is the key to the past.”)

There can never have been a worldwide flood.


FOSSIL PREDICTIONS OF CREATION AND EVOLUTIONFOSSIL PREDICTIONS OF

CREATION AND EVOLUTIONEVOLUTION:

Uniformitarianism. “The present is the key to the past” -- a doctrinal statement

accepted without proof.

Presently observed processes should be sufficient to explain

the earth’s geologic record.There has never been a

worldwide flood.

CREATION:Catastrophism.

Everyday processes do not have nearly so much effect on

the earth as catastrophic events (volcanos, hurricanes,

earthquakes, etc.) The present is NOT the key to the past.

There should be evidence in the geologic record pointing toward

past catastrophic events.


IF THERE WAS A WORLDWIDE FLOOD, WHAT WOULD WE EXPECT TO FIND?

IF THERE WAS A WORLDWIDE FLOOD, WHAT WOULD WE EXPECT TO FIND?

Billions and billions of dead things buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the whole earth, even on top of

the highest mountains.

WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY FIND?WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY FIND?Billions and billions of dead things buried in rock layers

laid down by water all over the whole earth, even on top of the highest mountains!


We’ve seen that the first two are not reliable. Now let’s look at some arguments based on geology.

We’ve seen that the first two are not reliable. Now let’s look at some arguments based on geology.



1. Belief that it takes millions of years to form a fossil.

2. Radiometric dating.3. Geologic features (separation of con-

tinents, Grand Canyon, etc.) that are supposed to have taken millions of years to form.





The Failure of UniformitarianismThe Failure of UniformitarianismUniformitarianism is based on the belief that “The Present is the

Key to the Past.” Even according to evolution, though, many things have obviously not always happened in the same way

and at the same rate.

Uniformitarianism is based on the belief that “The Present is the Key to the Past.” Even according to evolution, though, many things have obviously not always happened in the same way


• The hypothetical “big bang”• Origin of the chemical

elements• Initial formation of the earth

and solar system – different composition for each planet

• Orbits of the planets not in the same plane as the sun’s equator

• Almost all the mass of the

“Methodological uniformitarianism was useful only when science was debating the status of the supernatural in its realm.”

- Evolutionist Stephen Jay Gould



solar system in the sun, but almost all the angular momentum in the planets

• Initial separation of the continents from the original supercontinent

• Supposed reversal of motion of the continental plates

• Reversals of the earth’s magnetic field


PLATE TECTONICSPLATE TECTONICSGenesis 1:9-10 says that there was originally one landmass. On this, evolutionists agree. (They call itPangaea.) Evolution- ists believe it broke up over hundreds of millions of years.

By contrast, young- earth creationists believe the split took place rapidly, during and after Noah’s Flood.

Animation from Univ. of Calif. Museum of Paleon-tology website http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu

Geologists around the world use a computer program called “Terra” to model the motion of the continental plates.

Few realize that it was written by a young-earth creationist geophysicist, Dr. John Baumgardner.

The program works much better if the continents were moving rapidly for a short time rather than slowly for millions of years.

Geologists around the world use a computer program called “Terra” to model the motion of the continental plates.

Few realize that it was written by a young-earth creationist geophysicist, Dr. John Baumgardner.

The program works much better if the continents were moving rapidly for a short time rather than slowly for millions of years.











• Clearly defined strata imply definite non-uniform events

• Clearly defined boundaries between strata

worldwide (e.g., K-T Boundary)• Complete geologic column not

found in nature• Out-of-order strata

Creationist explanation: flood action

Evolutionist explanation: overthrusting


Deformation of Sedimentary LayersDeformation of Sedimentary Layers

Which makes more sense?Which makes more sense?

Evolutionists believe that bending of

rocks occurred millions of years

after the sedi-ment hardened

into rock. Creationists

believe the sedi-ments were bent while still soft.

Evolutionists believe that bending of

rocks occurred millions of years

after the sedi-ment hardened

into rock. Creationists

believe the sedi-ments were bent while still soft.

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Right: Meteor Cra-ter in Arizona. Evo-

lutionists believe the meteor blasted through hardened rock; creationists

note that the crater looks very much

like the impact of a bullet in soft mud.

Above and right: Deformed strata in

the Swartberg Mountains of S.

Africa.











• Clearly defined strata imply definite non-uniform events

• Clearly defined boundaries between strata

worldwide (e.g., K-T Boundary)• Complete geologic column not

found in nature• Out-of-order strata

Creationist explanation: flood action

Evolutionist explanation: overthrusting

• Misplaced fossils• Mass extinctions – dinosaurs and at least six other times• Enormous fossil graveyards• Polystrate fossils


FOSSIL GRAVEYARDSFOSSIL GRAVEYARDS

The Karoo Supergroup of South Africa is estimated to contain

billions of Permian fossils such as this Bradysaurus.

Dinosaur National Monument in Utah contains thousands of

dinosaur skeletons.

The Lance Creek Formation of Wyoming contains an Ed-

montosaurus herd estimated at over 30,000 individuals.

The Grand Canyon’s Redwall Limestone is estimated to contain

billions of nautiloid fossils.Fossil-bearing sedimen-

tary mountains arecommon.

Large scale fossil graveyards are a

frequent occurrence

around the world.

Large scale fossil graveyards are a

frequent occurrence

around the world.

Photos by the author


THE GRAND CANYONTHE GRAND CANYONThe Grand Canyon is a mile deep, eight miles across, and over 200 miles long.

Evolutionists claim that the Colorado River would have taken millions of years to erode

the Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is a mile deep, eight miles across, and over 200 miles long.

Evolutionists claim that the Colorado River would have taken millions of years to erode

the Canyon.

Is there any evidence that the assumption of uniformitarianism is wrong, and that large scale erosion can occur quickly?

Is there any evidence that the assumption of uniformitarianism is wrong, and that large scale erosion can occur quickly?


Mount St. HelensMount St. Helens

A classic snow-capped mountain in southwest Washington State, before its eruption in 1980

A classic snow-capped mountain in southwest Washington State, before its eruption in 1980

Photo courtesy of Raymond Fleshman (www.creationism.org/sthelens/fleshman/index.htm)


The View From Spirit LakeThe View From Spirit Lake

U.S. Geologic Survey photos from www.creationism.org/sthelens/USGS1250/index.htm

Mount St. Helens before Mount St. Helens afterMount St. Helens before Mount St. Helens after


Effects of the Volcano on TreesEffects of the Volcano on TreesMillions of trees were knocked down by the initial steam blast.

1/8 of a cubic mile of rock from the top of the volcano crashed into Spirit Lake, creating a wave hundreds of feet high that swept down millions more trees. Shown

below are not islands, but floating log rafts.

Photo courtesy of Raymond FleshmanUSGS Photo


Mount St. Helens During the EruptionMount St. Helens During the EruptionAsh from Mt. St. Helens completely circled the globe.Ash from Mt. St. Helens completely circled the globe.

Energy released from this medium-sized volcano was estimated to be the equivalent of one Hiroshima-size atomic bomb per second for nine hours.Energy released from this medium-sized volcano was estimated to be the equivalent of one Hiroshima-size atomic bomb per second for nine hours.

U.S. Geologic Survey photos from www.creationism.org/sthelens/USGS1250/index.htm


Sediment Deposits at Mount St. HelensSediment Deposits at Mount St. HelensP

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The eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 produced fast mud flows which deposited hundreds of feet of finely laminated sediment into the North Fork of the Toutle River in just a few days.

The eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 produced fast mud flows which deposited hundreds of feet of finely laminated sediment into the North Fork of the Toutle River in just a few days.


Mount St. Helens and the Toutle RiverMount St. Helens and the Toutle River

• The eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 deposited hundreds of feet of finely laminated sediment into the North Fork of the Toutle River in just a few days.

• The sediment was so hot that it quickly turned into rock, damming up the river.

• 20 months later, a new mudflow broke through the new rocks and carved out a canyon about 1/35 as deep as the Grand Canyon in ONE DAY.

The Toutle River didn’t carve the canyon; it just drains it.

(Just like the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon!)

The Toutle River didn’t carve the canyon; it just drains it.

(Just like the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon!)


Soft Rock Erosion at Mount St. HelensSoft Rock Erosion at Mount St. Helens

Photo by the author

-- viewed

from two

miles away

The 1980 eruption filled the Toutle River valley with hundreds of feet of superheated mud, which rapidly hardened into rock.

A second eruption in January 1982 sent more superheated mud blasting through the new sedimentary rock, forming a network of canyons up

to 160 feet deep (1/35 as deep as the Grand Canyon) in one day. The Toutle didn’t carve the canyons -- it just drains them.


Hard Rock Erosion at Mount St. HelensHard Rock Erosion at Mount St. Helens

Hard rock erosion is thought to take thousands of years, at least. Yet the steam blast during the eruption of Mt. St. Helens carved out a 700 foot deep canyon through the solid granite of the

“Goat Rocks” in less than one afternoon.

Photo by the author

-- viewed

from three miles away


So Could the Grand Canyon be the Result of Slow Erosion?

So Could the Grand Canyon be the Result of Slow Erosion?

In order for the Colorado River to have carved the Canyon, it would have had to flow a mile uphill for millions of years.

In order for the Colorado River to have carved the Canyon, it would have had to flow a mile uphill for millions of years.

The Grand Canyon is a mile deep, 8 mile wide, 216 mile long gash through an uplifted area of the Colorado Plateau in north Arizona. The Grand Canyon is a mile deep, 8 mile wide, 216 mile long gash through an uplifted area of the Colorado Plateau in north Arizona.

The Kaibab Monocline, a mile-high upwarped formation at the east end of the Grand Canyon

The Kaibab Monocline, a mile-high upwarped formation at the east end of the Grand CanyonU

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Sorry, but gravity works in Arizona just like anywhere else!Sorry, but gravity works in Arizona just like anywhere else!


The Grand Canyon is

missing over 1000 cubic

miles of sediment, enough to

make a good size mountain

range. Yet it has a normal-

size delta composed of

soft, relatively recent

sediment.

The Grand Canyon is

missing over 1000 cubic

miles of sediment, enough to

make a good size mountain

range. Yet it has a normal-

size delta composed of

soft, relatively recent

sediment.

NASA satellite photo of the Colorado River delta at the Gulf of California

NASA satellite photo of the Colorado River delta at the Gulf of California

THE MISSING DELTATHE MISSING DELTA

If the Colorado River carved the Canyon over millions of years, where is the sediment?

If the Colorado River carved the Canyon over millions of years, where is the sediment?


The Colorado River: Not Enough Water!The Colorado River: Not Enough Water!Throughout the Grand Canyon are many mesas and

buttes where the Colorado River does not flow. Throughout the Grand Canyon are many mesas and

buttes where the Colorado River does not flow.

There had to be a much larger quantity of water at some time in the past in order to scour them out.

There had to be a much larger quantity of water at some time in the past in order to scour them out.

Photo by the author


Nautiloid Mass Burial at Grand CanyonNautiloid Mass Burial at Grand Canyon

Uniformi-tarian geo-logy says the Redwall Limestone was depos-ited slowly over hun-dreds of millions of years.

In 1999, geologist Dr. Steve Austin stunned the Geological Society of America with the discovery of billions of nautiloid fossils preserved

in a 2-meter thick layer of the Redwall Limestone. Nautiloids have soft bodies inside a shell. The bodies decay quickly.

The shells all point in the same direction. This indicates thatthey were deposited by a massive sediment flow over

a few days, not millions of years.

The Redwall Limestone is a layer of the Grand Canyon several hundred feet thick, spread over thousands of square miles.

The Redwall Limestone is a layer of the Grand Canyon several hundred feet thick, spread over thousands of square miles.

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Nautiloid photos by USGS


THE PETRIFIED FORESTTHE PETRIFIED FOREST

Not really a forest, but tens of thousands of trees and tree fragments lying on the ground, stripped of roots and limbs.

Most geologists believe they are allochthonous – that is, they floated into the area from someplace else.

That’s a lot of water!

Pho

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The Grand Canyon and the

Flood

The Grand Canyon and the

Flood

The Kaibab Monocline

would have served as a natural dam

holding back four states

worth of water at the end of

the Flood, until something

caused a split. The Colorado

didn’t carve the Canyon; it just

drains it.

The Kaibab Monocline

would have served as a natural dam

holding back four states

worth of water at the end of

the Flood, until something

caused a split. The Colorado

didn’t carve the Canyon; it just

drains it.

The Colorado Plateau east of the Grand Canyon includes many parts of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico higher than the Kaibab Monocline.

(U.S. government satellite image)

The Colorado Plateau east of the Grand Canyon includes many parts of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico higher than the Kaibab Monocline.

(U.S. government satellite image)


METEOR CRATERMETEOR CRATERThe meteor that caused Meteor Crater in Arizona went

through multiple strata, but did not fracture them.

Instead, the crater looks like the impact pattern of a bullet fired into soft mud. All the layers must have still been soft

when the meteor crashed through. They must not have been millions of years old.

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• The hypothetical “big bang”• Initial formation of the earth

and solar system• Initial separation of the

continents• Supposed reversal of motion

of the continental plates• Well-known catastrophes

such as Washington Scab-lands, meteor impacts,

major volcanic eruptions• Reversals of the earth’s

magnetic field• Clearly defined boundaries

between strata worldwide (e.g., K-T Boundary)• Enormous fossil graveyards• Many other examples






But if even one physical phenomenon has a supernatural cause, then all of evolutionary

logic is unreliable.

But if even one physical phenomenon has a supernatural cause, then all of evolutionary

logic is unreliable.

Methodological Naturalism, or

Everything must be explainable by purely natural processes.

It only takes one non-barking dog to show that “All dogs bark” is false.

THE FOUNDATION OF EVOLUTIONARY LOGIC:THE FOUNDATION OF EVOLUTIONARY LOGIC:










None of these is a compelling argument.

None of these is a compelling argument.


So far, this is just showing what’s wrong with the

evolutionary time scale.

Are there any positive indications that the earth might be much younger than billions

of years old?

So far, this is just showing what’s wrong with the

evolutionary time scale.

Are there any positive indications that the earth might be much younger than billions

of years old?


Maximum Ages Given by a Number of “Clocks”

Maximum Ages Given by a Number of “Clocks”

INDICATOR MAX. AGEIN SPACE:

1. Recession of the Moon 1,370,000,0002. Breakup of Galaxy Clusters 1,000,000,0003. Spiral Galaxies 1,000,000,0004. Beryllium in the sun less than millions5. Residual heat in the outer planets less than millions6. Instability of Saturn’s rings 1,000,0007. Volcanic activity on Io 1,000,0008. Poynting-Robertson Effect on space dust 200,0009. Short-period comets <10,00010. Lack of stage 2 and 3 supernova remnants <10,000

The true age could be anything less.The true age could be anything less.


Temperature and Thicknessof the Earth’s Crust

Temperature and Thicknessof the Earth’s Crust

Hot objects radiate heat into space. If the earth started as a ball of molten rock it would have cooled from the outside in, gradually developing a thicker and thicker

crust. Taking into account the measured rate at which the

earth radiates heat into space and including radioactivity as a heat source, the crust would have

reached its present thickness in no more than 45 million years – only about one percent of the age

evolution requires for the earth.

If it did not start as molten rock, its age could be anything less.

If it did not start as molten rock, its age could be anything less.


THE MISSING HELIUMTHE MISSING HELIUM

Several radio-active decay

series release alpha particles, or

Helium-4 nuclei. These quickly

capture two elec-trons from their

surroundings and become Helium

atoms.

If every bit of the helium in the atmosphere came only from the radioactive decay we are aware of, there is less than 4 million years accumulation.

The atmosphere could be less than 4 million years if:The atmosphere could be less than 4 million years if:

1. any helium was present at the beginning, or 2. there is more radioactivity than we know of, or 3. there is another helium source besides radioactivity,

1. any helium was present at the beginning, or 2. there is more radioactivity than we know of, or 3. there is another helium source besides radioactivity,

Only a few helium-4 atoms move fast enough to escape from the earth’s gravity. The rest gradually accumulate in the atmosphere.Only a few helium-4 atoms move fast enough to escape from the earth’s gravity. The rest gradually accumulate in the atmosphere.


HELIUM IN THE ROCKSHELIUM IN THE ROCKS• Many radioactive decay series produce helium. • Even though the helium starts out inside a rock, helium

molecules are so small that they can gradually work their way through the molecules of the rock until they escape.

• At the measured rate of diffusion, the escape time has been calculated to be on the order of a few tens of thousands of years.

• Many rocks supposed to be hundreds of millions of years old have been split open and found to contain significant amounts of helium.

The rocks cannot be more than a fewtens of thousands of years old,

NOT millions of years.

The rocks cannot be more than a fewtens of thousands of years old,

NOT millions of years.


CARBON-14 DECAYCARBON-14 DECAYCosmic radiation strikes Nitrogen-14 in the upper atmosphere,

turning it into C-14. The C-14 begins to turn back to N-14.

Direct measurements show C-14 forming 20% to 30% faster than it is decay-ing. This indicates that C-14 has been forming for less than 20,000 years.

Direct measurements show C-14 forming 20% to 30% faster than it is decay-ing. This indicates that C-14 has been forming for less than 20,000 years.

Starting from zero, the amount of C-14 would build up until it was decaying as fast as it formed. At present rates, it would

take less than 30,000 years to reach equilibrium.

The atmosphere must have been in its present condition for less than 30,000 years.

The atmosphere must have been in its present condition for less than 30,000 years.


THE MISSING METEORITESTHE MISSING METEORITES• Each year, a few meteorites

make it through the atmos-phere and land on the earthwithout burning up.

• Fossil-bearing rocks are sup-posed to have been forming for at least 530 million years.

• In this time, at least several billion meteorites should havebecome embedded one by one in the fossil-bearing rocks.

• Yet not one meteorite has ever been discovered preserved in any “ancient” rock layer under the surface, despite the discovery of perhaps hundreds of billions of fossils.

Either this is an astonishing coincidence, or else the rocks were NOT laid down over hundreds of millions of years.

Either this is an astonishing coincidence, or else the rocks were NOT laid down over hundreds of millions of years.

NA

SA

photo


PLEOCHROIC HALOESPLEOCHROIC HALOESIf a large number of radioactive atoms decay inside a

molten rock, no traces are left after the rock cools.

However, if the rock is solid when the atoms decay, they leave tiny spherical “scorch marks” known as pleochroic haloes. We can tell what

produced the haloes by their diameter and what’s left at the center.

SHELLS DUE TO: Po-214 (half-life 164 microseconds) Po-218 (half-life 3.1 minutes) Po-210 (half-life 138 days)U-238 “parent” (4.5 billion years) No Uranium “Parent”

“Parentless” Po-210 haloes can only form in rocks that are solid within a few years, Po-218 within

a few minutes, and Po-214 within a few thousandths of a second.

Thousands of known haloes are from fast-decaying isotopes of Polonium. In order for them to leave haloes at all, the rocks

must have solidified within a few half-lives of Polonium. For Po-214, the rocks had to harden within seconds!

Thousands of known haloes are from fast-decaying isotopes of Polonium. In order for them to leave haloes at all, the rocks

must have solidified within a few half-lives of Polonium. For Po-214, the rocks had to harden within seconds!


IMPLICATIONS OF PLEOCHROIC HALOESIMPLICATIONS OF PLEOCHROIC HALOES

Pleochroic haloes do not prove that the earthis young. However, they show that rocks con-

taining them had to solidify in a matter of seconds rather than hundreds of millions of years.

Whenever the basement rocks wereformed, they were formed fast.

No one has ever successfully rebutted Dr. Robert Gentry’s contention that

the haloes point strongly towardinstantaneous creation.

Pleochroic haloes do not prove that the earthis young. However, they show that rocks con-

taining them had to solidify in a matter of seconds rather than hundreds of millions of years.

Whenever the basement rocks wereformed, they were formed fast.

No one has ever successfully rebutted Dr. Robert Gentry’s contention that

the haloes point strongly towardinstantaneous creation.


DOES THIS PROVE THE EARTH IS YOUNG?

NO.

BUT IT SHOWS THAT IT COULD BE, AND THAT THERE IS NO

COMPELLING SCIENTIFIC REASON THAT IT HAS TO BE BILLIONS OF

YEARS OLD.

DOES THIS PROVE THE EARTH IS YOUNG?

NO.

BUT IT SHOWS THAT IT COULD BE, AND THAT THERE IS NO

COMPELLING SCIENTIFIC REASON THAT IT HAS TO BE BILLIONS OF

YEARS OLD.

contents: overheads to be used with chapter 11 of “truth in the balance,” copyright 2003 by...

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