Insixdays

The next time you have a can of soda, throw the empty can across the room and see if aluminum can fly. Before you even do that I bet you can tell me what will happen. But I tell you, having been a professional pilot for almost 46 years, I can attest to the fact that indeed, aluminum can fly. It can fly very well, thank you! Yes, aluminum itself has no inherent property of flight. The difference between a soda can and a Boeing 777 is purpose, organization, information, energy and engineering. In other words, it took intentional design.

A modern jet airliner is composed of millions and millions of individual parts, but the interesting fact is not one of them can fly! It takes all those parts, working in unison and with a designed purpose, to actually launch you into the air, fly from Denver to New York City and safely land again.

You can take a sheet of aluminum, roll it up into a ball (simulating randomness), throw it through the air and it does not fly. But take that same sheet of aluminum and fold or mold it into wings and a fuselage and launch it into the air and it flies (1). What is the difference: purpose, information, organization, energy and engineering. You as the designer took an heavier than air object with no inherent ability for flight, added the proper ingredients, put in a little energy, and made it fly.

It took purpose, information, organization, energy and engineering to make it work. You also had a little help as the aluminum sheet had to be produced by ore being mined, melted, processed and flattened into thin, paper-like sheets. The airplane you created did not just appear into being, on its own, by itself, out of nothing.

So if it took all that intelligence, work and energy to make aluminum fly, what would make a person think otherwise when contemplating the origin of the earth and the universe which are many, many magnitudes more complex?

Everything we see on the earth and in this universe not only looks designed by someone, it was designed by someone. The Bible clearly states that the designer is the triune God, through the Lord Jesus Christ and not some outer space aliens. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1).

It is a sad fact that not only do many evolutionists believe in a big bang, billions of years old universe, but so do many Christians. These believers have compromised both their faith and the Scriptures to accept the authority and word of man rather that the authority and Word of God.

That’s what this whole debate on creation versus evolution rests on folks; the Authority of Scripture. Either the Bible means what it says and says what it means or it isn’t worth the paper it is printed on. Yes, I do trust in a literal interpretation of Genesis. Why? Because God has told us throughout Scripture (both in Old and New Testaments) that is how Genesis should be understood. Genesis is not myth nor fables nor poetry. It is literal history and history books are not symbolic.

Contrary to what many Christian leaders and pastors teach and believe, the topic of Creation is extremely important and foundational to all Christian doctrine. In Genesis 1, God says He created the world and the universe in the way and sequence he stated. If that is true, then the big bang, old earth evolutionary theory is false. If what God stated in Genesis 1 is not true then all of Christianity is false and the big bang theory reigns supreme.

Why? Because God either is lying or worse, doesn’t know what He is doing or talking about. If either one is true, then we are all in a heap of trouble folks! It would project a very bad outcome for God’s ability to raise me from the dead let alone give me eternal life. If evolution is true, then God created the world with death in it, so death is not the wages of sin as stated in Romans 6:23. If death is not the consequence of sin, then Jesus our Lord paid an awful price through His blood and suffering on the cross, for nothing.

To trust in Creation as taught in Genesis is to trust in the Gospel of life and the Authority of Scripture. To believe that God used evolution to bring life into existence on this earth is to follow the gospel of death, Darwinian evolution

I have taken a stand and have chosen to follow the Gospel of life and teach the Truth of Creation to the World. I pray that you do the same.

1. http://www.instructables.com/id/Aeroplane-from-an-Aluminium-Can-and-it-flies-too/

Information: The Engine of Creation

by Brian A. Catalucci, MS

Introduction

For more than a century Christians have looked for the scientific silver bullet that would destroy Darwinian evolution and prove biblical creation to be true. We already know from God’s revealed, infallible Word how the universe, the earth, and all life came into being: He spoke them into existence (Genesis 1; Exodus 20:11; Hebrews 11:3). This fact alone refutes Darwinian evolution. Yet in a world where secular researchers reject the supernatural and divine revelation, many Christians still feel compelled to provide empirical (observable and repeatable) evidence to confirm the Bible’s claim.

The problem is that neither creation nor evolution is observable or repeatable. Empirical science alone can’t prove a miraculous, onetime historical event any more than it can prove evolution. Instead, we must make assumptions, and our conclusions are only as good as our starting assumptions.

Evolution is based on a faulty initial assumption, while belief in creation is based on facts revealed by the only eyewitness, the Creator Himself. The issue is not science or the evidence, but how we interpret the evidence through our worldview. Does our worldview make sense of the world we observe today? Does our worldview give us the correct interpretation of reality?

God’s Word says we should always be ready “to give a defense to everyone who asks” (1 Peter 3:15). When witnessing to unbelievers, we should challenge their worldview and show how the biblical worldview makes better sense of our world.

Information: The Engine of Life

Over the past few decades, many Christians have looked for the silver bullet that would destroy Darwinian evolution and prove Biblical creation (per Genesis 1) to be true. Sadly, this would not be possible as we would need empirical (scientific) proof of such an event to make that claim.

Empirical proof of a past event (historical science) is not possible using current “operational science”. As Christians, we should have faith that the way the universe, the Earth and all life came into being is as described in God’s Word: He spoke it into existence.[i]

Empirical evidence for creation normally will not change an unbeliever’s mind because it is not about the evidence, but how a person interprets the evidence through their worldview. Nevertheless, we should always be ready “to give an answer to every man that asketh…” (2). When witnessing to unbelieving family members, friends, and others we should always first challenge their worldview and use evidence to support the Biblical worldview. In my opinion, based on my studies and experience, the most powerful, available evidence that supports the Biblical account of creation is information. Yes, there are other great evidences, but I believe they all rest on an information foundation.

Information of Life  

Life consists of more than all the physical parts working in unison—it requires the information to run the parts. Scientists still don’t understand where this information could have come from.

Explaining life requires much more than the spontaneous generation of complex new physical features, such as the first DNA, cells, organs, and brains. Life also requires something intangible—vast amounts of instructions stored in DNA. This is separate and independent from the physical world, yet just as essential for any form of life.

Where did all the information come from? As far as scientists know, information only comes from preexisting information. So this is one of the most difficult and insoluble puzzles for Darwinian evolution—and one of the most powerful evidences that confirms the biblical account of creation.

What Is Information?

So what is meant by information? Simply put, information is a conceptual, nonmaterial entity (something that exists) that conveys meaning, which can be used to make something, to do something, or to communicate something.

It is the basic ingredient of producing anything functional in this world, and the key to functionality is organization. Information is needed to build any organized system, such as a machine. It is the fundamental building block of the created universe. Without information it would be impossible to make, do, or communicate anything, and life itself could not exist.

The only place information can originate is from a higher source of information. My work as a computer scientist is a good illustration. If you want to build a computer system, all the information that goes into that system must come from a higher source of information: a computer designer and a software engineer.

To discover that higher source of information for our entire universe, we must look to the Bible for the answer. In John 1:1, God’s Word states, “In the beginning was the Word [Christ]”; and in Colossians 2:3, “in whom [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Wisdom and knowledge include information. So, according to the Christian worldview, every bit of information in our universe existed prior to the creation, because it was hidden (contained) in Jesus Christ.

In Genesis 1 and Psalm 33 the Bible clearly reveals that Jesus spoke His universe into existence through only His Word: all the mass, all the energy, and of course, all the information.

All information existed before the creation of the material universe, arising only from the nonmaterial, biblical God (John 4:24). Information is a fundamental, nonmaterial entity, separate from mass and energy. This means information has no material or physical existence. You cannot see it, touch it, smell it, or taste it. You cannot weigh it on a scale like a bag of sugar or store it in your refrigerator. Yet it is as real as and has more importance and power than any physical or material entity that exists.

Other important nonmaterial entities exist. First and foremost is God. Others are outgrowths of information, which I call the children of information, including logic, mathematics, the laws of science, thoughts, emotions, morality, truth, justice, love, hate, intelligence, and consciousness to name a few. The most important and useful things in our universe have no physical existence, yet we use them every moment of our lives. So does every plant, insect, bird, and animal in existence.

The Unseen Language of Life

Dots and dashes of Morse code are arranged into words in books. In the same way, DNA molecules store information for complex proteins using four nucleotides. Where did this language come from?

Information’s Special Connection to Matter

Because information is not a property of matter, a rock does not contain or create information. Interestingly, to store, use, or display information in our world, a material medium is needed: a piece of paper to display written words, a schematic to detail the design of a Boeing 747, a DVD to store songs and movies, DNA to record protein instructions, and your brain to know how to drive a car.

This nonmaterial characteristic of information is easy to demonstrate. For example, all cell phones require a computer that runs a software program (the information) to control all the phone’s functions. If you weigh the phone, it has a specific weight (say, 4.6 ounces or 130 g). If you delete the software program (billions of bits of information), the phone has the exact, same weight but is now just a useless hunk of metal, silicon, and plastic.

Without information, nothing in this universe would live, operate, or communicate. For example, a Boeing 747 has over six million parts but cannot fly without nonmaterial, organized information on how to design and build all the correct parts and put it together in the exact sequence allowing it to fly. Suppose that all these parts could be manufactured and assembled by chance without prior knowledge of aerodynamics and engineering—the pieces still could not fly. Even more information is needed to fuel the machine and then fly you safely from Chicago to Beijing!

 An Interesting Conclusion

This leads to an interesting conclusion: information is major evidence that disproves the evolutionary, materialistic worldview and strongly confirms the biblical worldview.

You see, information is in all life: it is contained in the DNA of every living cell of every plant, animal, and human being on this earth. It is the blueprint that tells a cell how to grow, reproduce, and operate. It explains why you grew up with the body of a human and not a carrot.

DNA is the most complicated, intricately organized computer program and database system in existence. It is also the most compact information storage mechanism known to man. The question is: where did all its information and programming come from?

Evolution depends on unguided, random, and accidental processes over millions of years. Yet mutations and natural selection have never been proven conclusively to add the kind of genetic information required to produce life. At best, they merely shuffle around existing information. In fact, mutations and natural selection often remove information from DNA.

Secular scientists must answer the question, “How could a purely materialistic system like evolution add nonmaterial information to the DNA computer system to change one kind of creature into another?” Also, “How did the first cell obtain the information and control system necessary to fuel its ‘engines’ and keep them running (metabolism)?” Darwinian evolutionists have yet to answer these questions.

Material entities cannot create nonmaterial entities. Hydrogen and rocks do not create information contained within DNA molecules. In the book In the Beginning Was Information, Dr. Werner Gitt, a renowned specialist in information theory, showed that only nonmaterial entities (such as God and man’s spirit) can create new information. This gives very strong support to the biblical worldview.

So we can rest comfortably in our 747s, knowing intelligent beings built them safely from highly organized and detailed information the Creator placed in the universe for our benefit and His glory. Evidence of God’s wisdom is all around us, not just in the physical world but in the intangible information that keeps life running.

Brian A. Catalucci has a master of science in computer science and engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is currently working on his PhD in Christian Apologetics.

Resources

47. Gitt, In the Beginning Was Information, third English ed. (Christliche Literatur-Verbreitung Bielefeld, 2001), 47.
48. Gitt, B. Compton, and J. Fernandez, Without Excuse (Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Creation Book Publishers, 2011), 119, 124, 129, 285.

A portion of this paper appeared in Answers Magazine, July – Sept. 2015, Answers in Genesis

[i] Genesis 1, Exodus 20:11 and Heb 11:3 KJV

At one of my past conferences I stated that Aliens and UFOs are manifestations and creations of Satan and his angels. They are designed to deceive people into accepting evolution and rejecting God as both Creator and Savior. Since then I have been asked to provide more information on these fallen angels, so let’s see what Scripture has to say about them.

All angels, both good and bad, were created by God. According to Exodus 20:11, they were all created during Creation Week:the six literal days of creation as described in Genesis 1. According to Job 38:4-7, the sons of God (what Scripture references as angels) shouted for joy and watched as God laid down the foundations of the earth. I think it would be good Biblical speculation that all the angels were created sometime during the first two days of creation.

The word angel in the Greek and malak in the Hebrew both mean messenger. Angels are agents of God to carry out all his purposes. They are spiritual beings, yet can take physical form. They can appear as men (male) when doing God’s bidding (Gen 19:1 and Luke 24:4). There are probably hundreds of millions of angels (Heb 12:22 and Rev 5:11) and they even have names such as Gabriel, Michael and yes, Lucifer. They can appear so real as human beings that we may meet them and not know it (Heb 13:2) and that even the men of Sodom desired to have homosexual relations with them.

Angels are also more powerful then men (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 and 2 Pet 2:11) and they also can kill at the command of God (Ex 12:23). Satan himself can masquerade as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) and “his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” In Revelation 12:14 I believe Scripture tells us that approximately one third of the angels were ejected from heaven and cast to the earth and now roam the earth with Satan (Job 1:7). These cast down angels (fallen angels) also have the ability to possess humans as seen in Luke 11:24-26 and Scripture clearly teaches that Satan and his followers are out to deceive and destroy mankind ever since that day in the Garden with Eve. Because of all this I believe that Satan and his followers have immense powers that are used to deceive and control humans and are the root cause of aliens and UFO sightings as I stated in my presentation.

The following paragraphs are my opinion based on my reading of the Scriptures although many theologians I have spoken to and have read believe the same.

In the past, I believe that these fallen angels have tried to destroy mankind and ruin the “line of Christ”. This is spoken of in Scripture in Genesis 6: 1-7. This is a hotly contested passage where “sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose” and ….. “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown”. I believe that a simple reading of Scripture here and in other passages clearly show that these “sons of God” (bene elohim) were angels and because of what they did they had to be fallen angels. “Bene elohim” is used six times in the Old Testament and in the passages outside Genesis (as in Job) it clearly refers to angels. This particular passage shows that these fallen angels, whether directly in the form of men or by possessing men, bred with human women and whose offspring were the Nephilim. The literal meaning of Nephilim is “fallen ones” from the Hebrew root word Naphal.

Why should one believe that these were fallen angels rather than Godly men of Seth breeding with ungodly women as some people have believed? There are two passages in Scripture that give more information about Genesis 6. In Jude 6-7, God tells us that there are “angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode” and who are “kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day”. This passage clearly links the perverted sexual practices of Sodom and Gomorrah with angels who have not “kept their own domain”. They are kept in chains awaiting judgment day and not allowed to roam the earth as other fallen angels because of what they did. These angels did something so bad that God placed them in everlasting chains in hell.

In 2 Pet 2:4-5, God tells us that he did not spare these angels but sent them to hell (tartarus) for their sin. This word for hell is only used here in Scripture and this passage ties these angels to the time of Noah and the “sons of God” in Genesis 6. In 1 Pet 3:18-20, this passage may also tie these same angels to the time of Noah where it states that Jesus “went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient.” These spirits were in prison which is a good reference to chains. Is it possible that angels could have sexual intercourse with human women and conceive children? If that were possible what would be the status of those children who were part human and part angel? I will leave those questions to later. In the meantime, study those passages and the surrounding context and tell me what you believe they mean.

From time to time I mention some of our passionate speakers—each thoroughly equipped in apologetics to help teens and adults (some speakers can do K–6 programs) defend our Christian faith in these increasingly secularized times. One of our adjunct speakers is Brian Catalucci, based in Colorado. Here is what he wrote to us recently:

“At my conference in Longview, Washington last month I had a good number of attendees come up to me and say that they really learned a lot at the conference—including the problem of many people in the church supporting man’s word vs. God’s Word regarding origins—and how science confirms the Scriptures.

One of the most interesting was a gentleman who came up to me and said that my presentations were done in a way that, for the first time, made him really understand the issues, even though he had attended numerous other creation seminars. His statement validated my aim to teach my material in a way that people can understand it and then employ it in their lives and witnessing”. Brian Catalucci

We realize that most Christians (especially in the western half of America) may not have the opportunity to travel and tour our Creation Museum and future Ark Encounter here in Northern Kentucky. But we can bring the creation/gospel message to them—when they host one of our excellent speakers.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken