how do you k now what you k now? or at least what you think you know?

2007 by David A. Prentice

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT

YOU KNOW?Or at least what you think you know?

? ?

?? ?

?


Review of DVDReview of DVD QuestionsQuestions

The 6 days of creation The 6 days of creation are really 6,000 years, are really 6,000 years, right?right?

Did God use evolution Did God use evolution to create anything?to create anything?

It’s okay to say It’s okay to say something happened something happened millions of years ago, millions of years ago, right?right?

AnswersAnswers WRONG! They are just WRONG! They are just

Normal Days!!!Normal Days!!!

NO!!!NO!!!

WRONG! And we WRONG! And we should tell our kids should tell our kids that it’s not okay that it’s not okay every chance we getevery chance we get


WHAT MOST PEOPLE THINK:

Evolution is science...

Creation is religion.


BOTH ARE RELIGIONBOTH ARE RELIGION ReligionReligion: “any specific system of : “any specific system of

belief, worship, conduct, etc., often belief, worship, conduct, etc., often involving a code of ethics and a involving a code of ethics and a philosophy.” & held with great philosophy.” & held with great devotiondevotion

Who or what started everything, Who or what started everything, why, and what does it all mean? why, and what does it all mean?


Initial Complexity vs. Initial Complexity vs. DisorganizationDisorganization

Creation: Everything started Creation: Everything started complex and is slowly becoming complex and is slowly becoming worseworse

Evolution: Everything started Evolution: Everything started disorganized and is slowly disorganized and is slowly becoming betterbecoming better


EVOLUTIONISTSEVOLUTIONISTSNone are true atheistsNone are true atheists

““Atheistic” Atheistic” evolutionistsevolutionists

- There are few of these - There are few of these leftleft

Most are “Theistic”Most are “Theistic”- Intelligent designIntelligent design- Aliens or “God”Aliens or “God”

Claim they believe in Claim they believe in no God but that no God but that everything happened everything happened by natural processesby natural processes

Their God is called Their God is called “natural processes”“natural processes”

Some “god” created Some “god” created the universe using the universe using evolutionevolution


EVOLUTIONISTSEVOLUTIONISTS Some believe in Some believe in

Neo-Neo-DarwinismDarwinism

Most believe in Most believe in Punctuated Punctuated EEquilibriumquilibrium

Evolution Evolution happened very happened very slowlyslowly

Evolution Evolution occurs in jumps occurs in jumps – like x-men– like x-men


CREATIONISTSCREATIONISTS Day Age TheoryDay Age Theory

What we believe: What we believe: Recent Rapid Recent Rapid Creation:Creation:

Creation happened Creation happened over millions of years over millions of years through evolutionthrough evolution

Creation happened Creation happened around 4,000 years around 4,000 years agoago

Day Age Theory is the same as – THEISTIC Day Age Theory is the same as – THEISTIC EVOLUTIONEVOLUTION


Review of 1Review of 1stst Class Class

QuestionsQuestions Is Evolution science or Is Evolution science or

religion?religion? Creation believes the Creation believes the

world started perfect world started perfect and is getting and is getting __________ __________

Evolution believes the Evolution believes the world started world started disorganized and is disorganized and is getting _________getting _________

AnswersAnswers ReligionReligion

Worse Worse - “Initial Complexity”- “Initial Complexity”

BetterBetter- “Initial Disorganization”- “Initial Disorganization”


The Bible says that one kind of The Bible says that one kind of animal can evolve into another animal can evolve into another kind, right?kind, right?

Does evolution say that given Does evolution say that given enough “millions of years”, any enough “millions of years”, any animal can evolve into any other animal can evolve into any other animal?animal?

Most evolutionists are atheists Most evolutionists are atheists (don’t believe in God), right? – (don’t believe in God), right? – think hard . . . think hard . . .

The “god” of atheists is called The “god” of atheists is called __________________________

WRONG!!!WRONG!!!

Yep.Yep.

Nope! all believe Nope! all believe in some “god”in some “god”

Natural Natural Processes or Processes or random chancerandom chance


Punctuated Equilibrium says Punctuated Equilibrium says evolutions happens in sp_rts evolutions happens in sp_rts (like in (like in x-menx-men))

Neo-Darwinism says evolution Neo-Darwinism says evolution happens sl__lyhappens sl__ly

Genesis 1-3 happened about Genesis 1-3 happened about how many years ago?how many years ago?

Day Age Theory & Progressive Day Age Theory & Progressive Creation are the same as Creation are the same as Th__st_c EvolutionTh__st_c Evolution

SpurtsSpurts

SlowlySlowly

Around 4,000 Around 4,000 years agoyears ago

TheisticTheistic


WHEN WILL THIS REVIEW

BE OVER?

Smile because we’re almost

done


Present + Repeatable + Observable = SCIENCE


TRUE SCIENCEWe’re on page 4


= = ScienceScience which is which is TestableTestable

Are we currently conducting an Are we currently conducting an experiment about a pen?experiment about a pen?

PRESENTPRESENT Can someone else repeat our Can someone else repeat our

complicated experiment?complicated experiment?+ Repeatable+ Repeatable

Are there people here doing and Are there people here doing and watching the experiment?watching the experiment?

+ Eyewitnesses+ Eyewitnesses


Past + Non-Repeatable +

Eyewitness Account

= HISTORY

Who was the first President?


= = HISTORYHISTORY which is NOT which is NOT testabletestable

Page 5Page 5 Is G.W. currently the president?Is G.W. currently the president?

PASTPAST Will the same G.W. ever be president Will the same G.W. ever be president

again? Can we ever re-live the revolution?again? Can we ever re-live the revolution?+ Non-Repeatable+ Non-Repeatable

Were there Were there reliablereliable people who saw and people who saw and wrote about what G.W. did in the past?wrote about what G.W. did in the past?+ Eyewitnesses+ Eyewitnesses


Page 6

History or Belief?


= = BeliefBelief which is NOT which is NOT testabletestable

Are the pieces currently being put Are the pieces currently being put inside?inside?PASTPAST

Will this fossil ever be made for the 1Will this fossil ever be made for the 1stst time again? How can we be sure how time again? How can we be sure how this fossil was put together?this fossil was put together?+ Non-Repeatable+ Non-Repeatable

Are there any eyewitness accounts of Are there any eyewitness accounts of when it was made?when it was made?+ No Eyewitnesses+ No Eyewitnesses


Present + Repeatable + Observable = SCIENCE

Past + Non-Repeatable +

Eyewitness Account = HISTORY

Past + Non-Repeatable + No Eyewitnesses

= BELIEF


WHAT TV AND TEXTBOOKS SHOW US...


Last QuestionsLast Questions Which two are Non-Repeatable:Which two are Non-Repeatable:

Science Science HistoryHistory Belief Belief

Which two must have Eye WitnessesWhich two must have Eye Witnesses Science Science HistoryHistory Belief Belief

Which is history and which is only belief?Which is history and which is only belief?Evolution CreationEvolution Creation

= History!!!= Only Belief!!!


THE ORIGINS CONTROVERSY:Not Science vs. Religion, but Religion vs. Religion.

CREATION EVOLUTIONis a religion

based onREVELATION.

is a religion based on

SPECULATION.

Page 8


IS IT LOGICAL TO BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION?IF man evolved from apes,

Your brain evolved from an ape brain.

IF your brain evolved from an ape brain, Your logic evolved from ape logic.

How do you know it evolved right?Maybe you’re not even asking the right questions!

Evolution is logical ONLY if you are a modified ape.


HOW CAN YOU BE SURE YOU REALLY EXIST?(Could you be living in “The Matrix”?)

Descartes: “I think, therefore I am.”If you didn’t exist, there would be no one to ask the question!

Did you make yourself? Either (1) you have always existed, or (2) you made yourself and forgot about it, or (3) something out-side yourself -- your concept of God -- made you.

Would God take the trouble to make you and then completely deceive you about reality?

If not, maybe your senses are at least partially reliable. There really is a universe out there!


1. Personal Experience through the five senses. I know a bee sting hurts; I know how to ride a bike.

2. Reliance on Authority. I know the sun is 93 million miles away; Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.3. Logic.

I know 2 million + 2 million = 4 million, even though I’ve never counted that high. I know I have a brain, even though I’ve never seen it.

4. Feeling or Intuition. I know she’s the one for me; I know God has called me to the ministry.

5. Wishful Thinking (you really want it to be true) I just know I’m going to win the lottery!

6. Bluffing (lying) - you try to persuade others for an ulterior motive. You should buy these tickets from me because I know this team is going to the Super Bowl this year; I know evolution is a fact!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “KNOW” SOMETHING?WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “KNOW” SOMETHING?


REASONS TO BELIEVE OTHERS WHO TRY TO PERSUADE US OF WHAT THEY “KNOW”

IS IT BECAUSE:(1) They claim to have personal experience, OR(2) They appeal to an authority we trust, OR(3) We have checked out their logic and found it trustworthy?

OR are we willing to trust their (4) intuition, (5) wishful thinking, or (6) bluffing?


THE PREHISTORIC PAST:

1. No living person has personal experience.2. There are no eyewitness accounts except the

Bible, which is unacceptable to skeptics.

SO HOW DO WE “KNOW” ABOUT THE BEGINNING?Through LOGIC ONLY.


If I am at Mount Everest, then I am at the highest mountain in the world.

TRUE.

CONVERSES IN LOGICCONVERSES IN LOGIC

THE CONVERSE:If I am at the highest mountain in the world,

then I am at Mount Everest.ALSO TRUE.

A converse is reliable ONLYif there is an exact one-to-one match between the “If” and “Then” parts - a

biconditional (“if and only if”).

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A converse is NOT reliable if there is more than one possibility.

If I am at Victoria Falls, then I am at one of the largest waterfalls in the world.

TRUE.THE CONVERSE:

If I am at one of the largest waterfalls in the world, then I am at Victoria Falls.

FALSE. (not reliable)

THE INVALID LOGIC OF EVOLUTIONTHE INVALID LOGIC OF EVOLUTION

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AT ONE OF THE AT ONE OF THE LARGEST WATERFALLSLARGEST WATERFALLS

IF AT VICTORIA FALLS

IF AT NIAGARA FALLS

IF AT ANGEL FALLS

IF AT OTHER LARGE WATER-

FALL

IF AT KAIETEUR FALLS

PROPER LOGIC FLOWPROPER LOGIC FLOW

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All teaching of “evolution only” in schools rests on the invalid use of a logical converse.

If I am at Victoria Falls, then I am at one of the largest waterfalls in the world.

TRUE.THE CONVERSE:

If I am at one of the largest waterfalls in the world, then I am at Victoria Falls.


THE INVALID LOGIC OF EVOLUTIONTHE INVALID LOGIC OF EVOLUTION

If evolution is true, then the universe and life would exist. TRUE.

THE CONVERSE:If the universe and life exist, then evolution is true.


1-22


UNIVERSE EXISTS

ATHEISTIC EVOLUTION CORRECT

THEISTIC EVOLUTION CORRECT

YOUNG-EARTH CREATION CORRECT

SOMETHING ELSE CORRECT

POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE UNIVERSEPOSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE UNIVERSE

OLD-EARTH CREATION CORRECT

1-23


EVEN WITH CORRECT LOGIC, FALSE PREMISES CAN LEAD TO FALSE CONCLUSIONS.

All dogs bark. (Or, “If an animal is a dog, then it barks.”)Fido is a dog.Therefore, Fido barks.

Not if

Fido is a

Basenji!

Basenjis do not

bark.

If any one of our premises is wrong, then our conclusion is unreliable.

1-24


WHO?

WHAT?

WH

AT

NO

T?

HOW

?

GOD?

HOW TO TELL SCIENCE FROM STORYTELLINGHOW TO TELL SCIENCE FROM STORYTELLING

1. WHO said they saw it? Can I trust them?

2. WHAT did they actually see?

3. WHAT are they NOT telling me?

4. HOW could I test this to see if it’s true?

5. What does GOD have to say about it?HOW DO YOU

KNOW THAT?

1-25

how do you k now what you k now? or at least what you think you know?

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