Nelson Glueck Wins Again

Posted in Biblical on November 21st, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

A while back, I published an article about world famous archaeologist Nelson Glueck and his strong statement …

“As a matter of fact, however, it may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. (Glueck, Nelson, Rivers in the Desert, New York: Grove Press, 1959, pp. 31-32.)

Glueck apparently also claimed to have found King Solomon’s mines in Faynan/Edom and got laughed at. But a recent discovery has vindicated him. Enjoy …

King Solomon’s Copper Mines?

ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2008) — Did the Bible’s King David and his son Solomon control the copper industry in present-day southern Jordan? Though that remains an open question, the possibility is raised once again by research reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For years, scholars have argued whether the Edomites were sufficiently organized by the 10th to 9th centuries BCE to seriously threaten the neighboring Israelites as a true “kingdom.” Between the World Wars, during the “Golden Age” of biblical archaeology, scholars explored, as Levy describes it, with a trowel in one hand and Bible in the other, seeking to fit their Holy Land findings into the sacred story. Based on his 1930s surveys, American archaeologist Nelson Glueck even asserted that he had found King Solomon’s mines in Faynan/Edom. By the 1980s, however, Glueck’s claim had been largely dismissed. A consensus had emerged that the Bible was heavily edited in the 5th century BCE, long after the supposed events, while British excavations of the Edomite highlands in the 1970s-80s suggested the Iron Age had not even come to Edom until the 7th century BCE.

“Now,” said Levy, director of the Levantine Archaeology Lab at UCSD and associate director of the new Center of Interdisciplinary Science for Art, Architecture and Archaeology (CISA3), “with data from the first large-scale stratified and systematic excavation of a site in the southern Levant to focus specifically on the role of metallurgy in Edom, we have evidence that complex societies were indeed active in 10th and 9th centuries BCE and that brings us back to the debate about the historicity of the Hebrew Bible narratives related to this period.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases…1027174545.htm

Yes, it sure does. Combine this kind of cool stuff with the ongoing demise of the Documentary Hypothesis, the Rise of the Rohl Chronology and such, and Biblical historicity advocates like me are finally starting to have fun again!

Evolution’s New Wrinkle

Posted in Creation/Evolution on November 14th, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

Evolution has a new wrinkle. So says Science Daily in report that came out this month. I would not call it a wrinkle. I would call it a fatal flaw. But you’ll never get scientists steeped in evolutionary doctrine (yes, I said doctrine) to admit this. Something tells me that they will hear about this and just try to work it into evolutionary theory. It appears to me that most scientists do not want to admit that the evidence for an Intelligent Designer (the God of the Bible) is overwhelming and getting stronger every day. Enjoy …

Evolution’s New Wrinkle: Proteins With ‘Cruise Control’ Act Like Adaptive Machines

ScienceDaily (Nov. 12, 2008) — A team of Princeton University scientists has discovered that chains of proteins found in most living organisms act like adaptive machines, possessing the ability to control their own evolution.

The research, which appears to offer evidence of a hidden mechanism guiding the way biological organisms respond to the forces of natural selection, provides a new perspective on evolution, the scientists said.

Yes … a new perspective. Like perhaps we should quit calling it ‘evolution’ which carries implications of randomness and blind forces. Let’s start calling it what it is … Designed Adaptation. Which of course causes us to ask ‘Who is the Designer?’ Other evidence indicates that it’s the God of the Bible. Read more »

Junk DNA and the Central Dogma: More Failure for the ToE

Posted in Creation/Evolution on November 9th, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

An article just came out this month about ‘junk DNA’ and how that they have now found that not only were they wrong about it’s ‘junk’ status, it’s actually “one of the important ingredients distinguishing humans from other species.”

‘Junk’ DNA Proves Functional; Helps Explain Human Differences From Other Species

ScienceDaily (Nov. 5, 2008) — In a paper published in Genome Research on Nov. 4, scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) report that what was previously believed to be “junk” DNA is one of the important ingredients distinguishing humans from other species.

“The findings by Dr. Bourque and his colleagues at the GIS are very exciting and represent what may be one of the major discoveries in the biology of evolution and gene regulation of the decade,” said Raymond White, Ph.D., Rudi Schmid Distinguished Professor at the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, and chair of the GIS Scientific Advisory Board.

Not only that, but the “Central Dogma” set forth by Francis Crick 50 years ago is also wrong. There are now whole websites dedicated to documenting the history of this collossal failure of evolutionary theory, such as this one … http://www.junkdna.com/ and this one … http://www.whoisyourcreator.com/junk_dna.html

Read more »