Sunday, December 1, 2013

A Sunday citation

Here is a great quote that I found in the Old Testament institute manual. This quote is by Dr. Harold G. Coffin, who was (I don't know if he's still there) a professor of paleontology and research at the Geoscience Research Institute, Andrews University. For those wanting to read the full quote with all the evidence he presents, click here.

"On a television panel celebrating the centennial of Charles Darwin's book, Origin of Species, Sir Julian Huxley began his comments by saying, 'The first point to make about Darwin's theory is that it is no longer a theory, but a fact. No serious scientist would deny the fact that evolution has occurred, just as he would not deny the fact that the earth goes around the sun. [Sol Tax and Charles Callender, eds. Issues in Evolution, p. 41.] This is a confusing statement that tells only part of the truth. First, the word evolution must be defined.

"The world itself merely means 'change,' and on the basis of this definition, evolution is a fact. However, most people understand evolution to mean progressive change in time from simplicity to complexity, from primitive to advanced. This definition of evolution is not based on fact. The study of inheritance has revealed principles and facts that can prove evolution--if we understand evolution to mean 'change.' But the obvious minor changes occurring to living things today give no basis for concluding that limitless change has happened in the past. ...

"Yes, new species of plants and animals are forming today. The almost endless intergradations of animals and plants in the world, the fantastic degeneration among parasites, and the adaptations of offense and defense, lead to the inevitable conclusion that change has occurred. However, the problem of major changes from one fundamental kind to another is still a most pressing unanswered question facing the evolutionist.  Modern animals and plants can change, but the amount of change is limited. The laboratories of  science have been unable to demonstrate change from one major kind to another, neither has such change happened in the past history of earth if we take the fossil record at face value.

"Constant exposure to one theory of origins, and only one, has convinced many that no alternative exists and that evolution must be the full and complete answer. How unfortunate that most of the millions who pass through the educational process have little opportunity to weigh the evidences on both sides!" (Coffin, Creation, pp. 13, 15.)

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