On Tue, 14 Sep 1999 12:14:50 EDT, Bertvan@aol.com wrote:
BV>I often find your thoughts interesting, and sometimes wonder what your
>disagreement is with those "creationists" who do not insist upon a literal
>translation of genesis. Some "creationists" merely believe God designed the
>process by which life evolved-that it did not occur by "random mutation".
And some creationists (like me) who have no problem with common
ancestry but believe that known natural processes cannot generate new
information and therefore increases in information (eg. new designs)
were by *non-*random (ie. *directed*) mutation!
BV>Many people have been intimidated into notion that they must do battle
>against anyone who calls themselves a "creationist"--or anyone like me who
>refuses to denounce creationists. The neo Darwinist establishment has
>managed to convince the public that any criticism of neo Darwinism is
>"creationism", that "science" should denounce anyone criticizing the
>slightest aspect of Darwinism, that such strident criticism is a noble battle
>against ignorance and superstition.
Well said! This taking on by TE/ECs the midset of the scientific materialist-
naturalists against their fellow Christians who are creationists is evidence
that TE/ECs, to varying degrees, have been taken "captive through [a] hollow
and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic
principles of this world rather than on Christ" (Col 2:8).
Steve
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"DNA replication is so error-prone that it needs the prior existence of
protein enzymes to improve the copying fidelity of a gene-size piece of
DNA. `Catch-22,' say Maynard Smith and Szathmary. So, wheel on RNA
with its now recognized properties of carrying both informational and
enzymatic activity, leading the authors to state: `In essence, the first RNA
molecules did not need a protein polymerase to replicate them; they
replicated themselves.' Is this a fact or a hope? I would have thought it
relevant to point out for 'biologists in general' that not one self-replicating
RNA has emerged to date from quadrillions (10^24) of artificially
synthesized, random RNA sequences." (Dover G., "Looping the
evolutionary loop", Review of "The Origins of Life: From the Birth of Life
to the Origin of Language", by John Maynard Smith and Eors Szathmary,
Oxford University Press: 1999, in Nature, 399, 20 May 1999, pp217-218)
Stephen E. Jones | sejones@iinet.net.au | http://www.iinet.net.au/~sejones
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