Re: Salty Oceans

From: Bert M (bert@massie-labs.com)
Date: Thu Nov 23 2000 - 09:10:52 EST

  • Next message: Glenn Morton: "Neanderthals behaved like us!"

    And they quote Gleason Archer (the OT Scholar) when it suits them and reject him
    when it does not. Bert M.

    Keith Littleton wrote:

    > On Wed Nov 15 2000 - 01:49:00 EST and in "Salty Oceans"
    > at http://www.calvin.edu/archive/asa/200011/0160.html
    > Jim Hofmann (jhofmann@fullerton.edu) wrote:
    >
    > >Greetings: As some of you know, I teach courses on
    > >evolution and creation with my colleague Bruce Weber
    > >at Cal State Fullerton. You can find our course at
    > >
    > >http://nsmserver2.fullerton.edu/departments/chemistry/evolution_creation/web/
    > >
    > >Jonathan Sarfati has recently posted a report on a young
    > >earth creationist argument published by Austin and Humphreys
    > >back in 1990. This is an argument based upon calculations
    > >of inputs and outputs for salt in the oceans. You can
    > >find SarfatiUs summary at:
    > >
    > >http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/3910.asp
    >
    > ... text deleted ...
    >
    > There is certain irony in the "salty oceans" argument
    > made for a Young Earth by Young Earth creationists
    > that I find somewhat amusing. This and similar Young
    > Earth arguments is based an assumption of an absolute
    > uniformity of the rates by which salts enter and leave
    > the ocean by different processes that would gladden
    > the heart of Lyell and his fellow uniformitarianists.
    > The same Young Earth creationists that regularly heap
    > abuse upon this version of uniformitarianism, readily
    > embrace its assumptions when it suits their purposes
    > for proving a Young Earth. It is ironic the same
    > modern geologists and paleontologists that these
    > Young Earth creationists falsely caricature as practicing
    > Lyell's uniformitarianism would reject the
    > hyper-uniformitarism that Austin and Sarfati assume in
    > their arguments as being unrealistic to the point
    > of being completely useless for making the calculations
    > they make.
    >
    > To paraphrase Goldwater, these Young Earth creationists
    > must think "Uniformitarianism in defense of a Young
    > Earth is no vice." :-) It is strange to think that
    > Austin and Sarfati are closet uniformitarianists when
    > it serves their arguments.
    >
    > Keith Littleton
    > littlejo@vnet.net
    > New Orleans, LA
    >
    > Dr. Stephen Franklin: "It's all so brief, isn't it?
    > Typical human lifespan is almost a hundred years,
    > but it's barely a second compared to what's out
    > there. It wouldn't be so bad if life didn't take
    > so long to figure out. Seems you just start to
    > get it right and then .. it's over."
    >
    > Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova: "Doesn't matter. If we
    > lived two hundred years, we'd still be human.
    > We'd still make the same mistakes."
    >
    > Franklin: "You're a pessimist."
    >
    > Ivanova: "I am Russian, Doctor. We understand
    > these things."
    >
    > Babylon 5 Episode "Soul Hunter"
    > http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/002.html



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Nov 23 2000 - 08:46:48 EST