Typical “Hand Waving” by Another Evolutionist

Recently, I reported in my blog on a news article that appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer (our hometown newspaper) concerning the three-year anniversary of the opening of the Creation Museum (with over 1,000,000 visitors in that time), and the opening of the new Kneehigh exhibits (special interactive exhibits for children) inside our existing museum. In response to that well-done and accurate news article, Frank Traina (a former sociology professor from Northern Kentucky University) responded with the following letter published online (and the first paragraph was published in the Cincinnati Enquirer yesterday as a letter to the editor)—I have added comments to some sections:

Editor:

The Creation Museum may bring dollars to Cincinnati and delight to some, but it feeds into a creationist bubble that isolates people from what really happens in nature. Science overwhelmingly proves that God created the world in a different manner than that described in the Bible 3,000 years ago. By examining the fossil record, the genetic code of life, the distribution of animals and plants on the earth, and the similarities found in living organisms there is no question that life forms have evolved.

[COMMENT: Note the “hand waving.” This is so typical of letters to the editors and guest columns in newspapers written by evolutionists that really say something like, “Trust me—evolution is true—it is so obvious—don’t worry about the details—the arguments are too technical for you to understand anyway—just trust me, evolution is true—the whole of science depends on evolution—trust me, I am an expert—don’t trust those creationists—trust me.”]

One can read every page of the Bible and not find specific mention of the age of the earth

[COMMENT: This former NKU professor is not thinking through this logically. If the Bible (which was completed around 2,000 years ago) had given a specific age for the earth, it would now be wrong, as the earth has aged another 2000 years! The Bible doesn’t give a specific age, but gives a detailed history so that one can add up the ages of various eras of history from the beginning, to enable one to arrive at an accurate age estimate for the earth.]

nor of the temperature of humans. But by using a scientific tool called a thermometer one can find out a person’s temperature.

[COMMENT: The Bible is primarily a book of history (a history of redemption, most of all), but it also makes some big picture statements about biology, geology, astronomy, etc. which are totally scientifically accurate (e.g., kind after its kind—there was a global Flood, etc). The Bible, of course, does not give specific details about how to build and use a thermometer. However, without the biblical God—if the universe was the result of random processes—there would be no basis for empirical science, as such science only makes sense on the basis of a God who created—and the laws of nature (and logic) He put into place that don’t change. Actually, using a thermometer is a great example for this professor to use. A thermometer is something we can observe. We use it; we take the temperature, and we can do it over and over again—this is real observable science.

However, when claiming life arose billions of years ago, or humans supposedly arose from ape-like creatures, etc., this is not observable science. It is a belief applied to the evidence of what we can see in the present in an attempt to interpret that evidence in relation to the past. This is historical science—knowledge about the past when we weren’t there. This is totally different to using a thermometer in the present.]

By using a few of the 40 accurate and proven tools of radiometric dating (some of which measure billions of years) one can find that the earth is 4.5 billion years old.

[COMMENT: This is a bait-and-switch tactic. First, you talk about something you can use in the present and directly observe and use over and over again—a thermometer. Then move to talk about dating methods that involve fallible assumptions about the past (initial conditions; rates of change, etc.) Yes, one can use these in the present, but the method itself is not like a thermometer at all; the method is based on beliefs (assumptions) about the past that can be totally wrong. They are fallible assumptions, and different methods can give contradictory results.]

As an evangelical biblical scholar recently noted,

[COMMENT: Presumably a reference to the scholar Bruce Waltke who is not the “conservative evangelical scholar” some claim he is. He has supported evolution and millions of years for much of his academic life.]

the continued rejection of evolution in the face of all the growing evidence will reduce the evangelical churches to that of a cult. Cults are bigoted; promote isolation in thought, often led by an authoritarian leader, often bizarre in doctrine and/or behavior, exercise strict control over their members, and sometimes exercise thought control. Are we seeing the emergence of creationist cults divorced from both nature and the spirit of Christianity, but obsessed with fighting evolution?

[COMMENT: This is the third time recently that the word “cult” has been used in regard to Answers in Genesis or those who take a stand on a literal Genesis as we do. It was used by Bruce Waltke; it was an accusation against us used by the Nazarene Professor Karl Giberson in the USA Today newspaper, and now Frank Traina is using it. I guess when you can’t combat powerful logical and scientific arguments, you try another tactic: using emotional language like “cult” in hope that by throwing such “mud,” some will stick. It was interesting that ten years ago when AiG was applying for rezoning of land for the Creation Museum, some local opponents also tried this “mud slinging” tactic. That, of course, did not work, as AiG (as one can see from our statement of faith) represents mainstream orthodox Christianity.]

Frank Traina Wilder, KY

The letter above is found at this link.

Dr. Traina owns and runs Sunrock Farm near NKU and about 20 miles from our museum. However, many unsuspecting parents (and church groups) may not realize that he uses this farm (as was written in the newspapers some time ago) to teach evolution to children. In 2007, in an article about the secularists that would be protesting the opening of the Creation Museum, Frank Traina was reported as saying:

"We don't get into protests," said Frank Traina, of Wilder, who is vice president of the nonprofit Society for Evolution Education, or SEE [see description of SEE below]. "But we were rather inspired by the Creation Museum's presence." Traina is hosting workshops on his Sunrock Farm from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays through June 16. He will help teach families about "the basic principles of the evolution of animals and plants," he said.

From what we’ve been told, it would seem the majority of public school students within three hours of Cincinnati have gone to Sunrock Farms to be indoctrinated in evolution. That is really what the place is all about: a working farm being used to promote evolution. One of the signs (assuming it is still there) by the pond tells the students they are looking at their ancestor, pond scum. Well, if you bring your children to the Creation Museum, we won’t tell them they are from pond scum. We tell them they are special—made in the image of God—and that, because of our sin, we are alienated from God. That’s why God Himself gave his Son to be our Savior to provide a free gift of salvation, so we can come back to our Creator and live with Him for eternity. What a different message to that of Sunrock Farm!

For your information, on their website, SEE states:

The Society for Evolution Education (SEE) is a membership organization which provides family programs, secondary school tours, and adult lectures and seminars to help people in the Greater Cincinnati area develop an understanding of and an appreciation for the science of evolution.

We offer introductory programs that help translate scientific concepts into simple language that can be understood by children, youth, and adults with no background in evolution science. We offer advanced programs that refine the understanding of more sophisticated learners. In every program, the animals on the farm and the plants in our Evolution Garden make concepts like natural selection easy to observe and understand.

SEE is committed to a respectful dialogue among a broad spectrum of groups in the Greater Cincinnati community. We collaborate with scientists at Northern Kentucky University, the University of Cincinnati, the Museum of Natural History, and the Krohn Conservatory. We network with school and community groups across the city in order to reach a diverse group of learners.

Of course, such responses like that of Frank Traina come in on an almost daily basis. The spiritual battle continues!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken