The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his065/fossl_f.arj/FOSSL-F.TXT

Text File | 1990-11-26 | 6KB | 112 lines

                Another look at the fossil record will reveal an interesting
        fact. The creationist theorizes that life appeared suddenly and
        in complicated form with many varieties. The evolutionist believes
        that life became more complex through slow and gradual change. If
        evolution is to support its model then there should exist millions
        and millions of fossils that are preserved in a state of change.

        That is to say, the environment and natural selection forced
        species to go through a change of structure. The invertebrates
        slowly and gradually changed and gave life to the vertebrates.
        In that case, the fossil record must be full of creatures which
        are in a state of transition. Some may have one-half or one-quarter
        of a back bone while others may have a backbone that is too large
        for their body structure. The fossil record should have myriad
        transitional forms.

        In the same manner, the fossil evidence
        should document the tremendous change from lizard to bird. The
        change from the scales of a lizard to the feathers of a bird
        should be well represented in the fossil record. This is a dramatic
        change from a crawling animal to a flying animal. Such a quantum
        leap in structure and function should be supported by millions
        of years of fossil evidence.

        What in fact does the fossil record
        reveal with regards to transitional forms? There is a lack of trans-
        itional forms in the fossil record (Morris 83). Darwin attributed
        this deficiency of evidence to the relatively short life of paleon-
        tology at the date his book was published (1859). However, in the
        more than one hundred years that have transpired, the evidence of
        transitional forms has not improved (Morris-Parker 96). Since Darwin's
        time, paleontologists have been baffled by the lack of transitional
        forms (Coffin 424).

        Instead of a history of change and transition
        the evidence shows stability of species. Each species has remained
        relatively fixed. There is a variability about a mean. The dog
        family can be used as a good example. The Great Dane is an ext-
        remely large dog weighing more than one hundred pounds, while
        the Chihauhau is the smallest of dog species and may weigh between
        one and six pounds. There is tremendous variation in size between
        these two, but they are both dogs.

        This is exactly what is seen
        in the geologic record. There is a variability about a mean within
        a particular kind of species but distinct separation between types.
        Birds always remain in the bird family and lizards are always in the
        lizard family.

                The fossil record also shows an amazing amount of stability
        for some particular species. The Horseshoe Crab has remained stable
        for "hundreds of millions of years" and remains with us to this day.
        The Ginkgo tree has also remained stable and shown no evidence of
        change during "millions" of years and into the present (Coffin 339).
        This has baffled evolutionary scientists because it is contrary to
        the prediction of constant change and increasing complexity as time
        progresses. Some species have died out and become extinct, while
        others have appeared suddenly only to disappear again.

                There are other branches of science which also support the
        creation model. The recent revelations on the extreme complexity
        of the DNA molecule combined with the science of probability has
        shown that there is no chance for life to have occured by accident
        (Morris-Parker 235-239). The age of the earth is also highly debated.
        Recent studies of the decay of the earth's magnetic field, helium
        and radiocarbon in the atmosphere have indicated that the earth
        may be tens of thousands of years old rather than billions of years
        old (Coffin 330-340). Studies of the Mount St. Helens volanic errup-
        tion have shown scientists that during a cataclysmic event geologic
        changes can occur which were thought to have taken thousands of years
        (Austin).

                The fossil record documents what creatures lived in the
        past. By looking at the evidence, without the pre-bias of evolution,
        one can come up with some startling conclusions.





                        References Cited


        Austin, Steven A. "Mount St. Helens and Catastrophism." Acts and
                Facts. July 1986.

        Coffin, Harold. Origin by Design. Hagerstown, MD: Review and
                Herald Publishing Assoc. 1983.

        Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species by Means of Natural
                Selection. Akron. OH: The Werner Co.  1859.

        Gish, Duane T. "Fossil Evidence for Creation."  Conference Echoes.
                WFSI. Annapolis, MD: 9 March 1976.

        Gish. Evolution the Fossils Say No!  San Diego, CA: Master Books.
                1973.

        Levi-Setti, Riccardo. Trilobites.  Chicago, IL: The University of
                Chicago Press.  1975.

        Morris, Henry M.  Evolution in Turmoil.  San Diego, CA.: Master
                Books.  1982.

        Morris and Gary E. Parker.  What is Creation Science?  San Diego, CA:
                Master Books.  1982.

        Volpe, Peter E.  Understanding Evolution.  New Orleans, LA: William
                C. Brown Co.   1972.