RE: Biogeography Question

From: Vandergraaf, Chuck (vandergraaft@aecl.ca)
Date: Wed Jan 19 2000 - 00:56:39 EST

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            Danyelle,

            I am appalled that a professor can get away with ridiculing the
    religious conviction of his students! Talk about being politically
    incorrect. In less tolerant societies, this fellow's life span would be
    short.

            I am not going to give you much of a scientific answer to your
    questions. Let me try it this way: sometimes I think that we, in the last
    year of the current millennium, have too high an opinion of ourselves and
    too low an opinion of those who went before us. Yes, the professor is
    correct: it is difficult to imagine all those animals on the ark. But was
    this not obvious to the people for whom this was written initially? I would
    think that the average Israelite may have asked the same questions about the
    capacity of the ark, handling the waste, etc., if (s)he understood the
    story the way we do. This, to me, is the crux: what did the story mean to
    the average Israelite. We may very well have lost the ability to "get the
    point" and, rather than considering us more educated that these Israelites,
    we have lost what they had.

            My suggestion: concede the point to the professor in that we may not
    be able to reconcile a global flood with the geological record and that we
    cannot explain the story of the flood in detail. We do, however, understand
    the significance of the flood. We also understand the significance of the
    birth of the Christ child and of the resurrection. In that respect, the
    professor is showing a considerable lack of understanding. That lack of
    understanding can only be removed by the Holy Spirit.

            Shalom!

    > Tjalle T. Vandergraaf, BS, PhD, FCIC
    > Engineered Barriers and Analysis Branch
    > Whiteshell Laboratories
    > Pinawa, MB
    > R0E 1L0
    > Canada
    > phone: 204.753.2311 ext. 2592
    > fax: 204.753.2690
    > e-mail: vandergraaft@aecl.ca
    >
    >
    > Hello! My name is Danyelle Mislow. I am a college student at Florida
    > International University. I am attending a biogeography class this
    > semester
    > and I have a few questions for you. I have searched for the answers,
    > but have
    > not have any luck.
    > Last Friday was my first class meeting which meets only once a week
    > for three
    > hours. I can honestly say that for about two hours of the time my
    > professor
    > was trying to disprove the bible. His argument was since there are
    > probably
    > between 5 and 50 million "kinds" of animals. plants, and microbes
    > living on
    > earth today and probably billions of species that have lived in the
    > past "How
    > could Noah have got all of this on the ark? If he did how could all
    > of these
    > animals and insects spread over the earth?" My professor says that
    > this was
    > impossible! How did the animals get to Alaska? This was another
    > question?
    > I sat quietly while he and my classmates laughed over the Bible. I
    > need some
    > evidence or something to take to my next class. I need answers.
    > Can you help me or tell me how or where to get answers? I love God
    > with all
    > my heart, but I love science also. I am interning also to be a
    > biology
    > student. I have found it very difficult to be a Christian and
    > Scientist. Any
    > advice?
    >
    > Thank You,
    > Danyelle Mislow
    >



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