This coming Monday (November 9) happens to be “Chaos Never Dies Day.” I know—who thinks of these things, right? But somebody did. And on the website TimeAndDate.com, you can find some ways to “celebrate” and also the thinking behind the annual reminder: “Feel like your life sometimes spirals into a chaotic mess? . . . This made-up holiday encourages people to realize that chaos is part of life and that it will never die.”

Believe it or not, when I made my blog plans for the year, I did not realize how close this “holiday” was to this historic U.S. Presidential election. I also didn’t know that the “fourteen days to flatten the curve” would turn into almost eight months (and counting) of restrictions, regulations, and the chaotic control it has become. I also really didn’t know that my pastor would be in the middle of a sermon series called Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World. Nevertheless, chaos is the theme all over right now.

What I did know is that I wanted to use the opportunity of “Chaos Never Dies Day” to introduce you to my Fun Fact about the Second Law of Thermodynamics:

What does the Second Law of Thermodynamics state?
The Second Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the law of entropy, says that the total entropy of the universe can never decrease. This law confirms the universe had a beginning.

Several months ago, I introduced you to the word “entropy.” Entropy is a measure of disorder. When something is orderly (or “very good”) and it becomes disorderly, the amount of change in order can sometimes be measured by its entropy. In that blog post, I was specifically relating it to “genetic entropy,” also known as “gene depletion,” because we do see this kind of tendency toward disorder when it comes to our DNA, whether from generation to generation or within a person’s life.

But more commonly, we associate entropy with the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In this case, we talk about the amount of usable energy that is available. This is something I teach my chemistry students about, and it helps us understand what chemical reactions could or could not happen, based on the amount of energy they release or absorb from their surroundings. What is interesting is that when you study science and read more about the technicalities of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, there are some specific aspects to it that some scientists disagree on.

For example, some Creation scientists disagree about whether the Second Law was in place before Adam sinned or if it was put into place as part of the Curse. Some scientists are quick to point out that the Second Law is not the same thing as genetic entropy or necessarily the same thing as a general tendency toward disorder—or chaos. Evolutionists have a hard time overcoming the Second Law in their hypotheses about organisms becoming more complex over time, but creationists sometimes put too much emphasis on the Second Law as a definitive answer to disprove evolution. The law itself can be somewhat complicated to understand. Although I have several articles on my website regarding the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the one I would most encourage you to read if you would like to know more specifically about it would be this one by Dr. Jason Lisle.

For my blog post here, I want to draw your attention to the part of my Fun Fact that says, “This law confirms the universe had a beginning.” From the standpoint of the Second Law confirming the beginning of the universe, this truth doesn’t necessarily eliminate many evolutionary theories, as even many of them do acknowledge a beginning. However, one of the interesting points Dr. Lisle offers in his article mentioned above is that since the universe had a beginning, it also had to have a cause.

So, to me, this Fun Fact has two great take-aways:

1. There are actually four Laws of Thermodynamics. These “laws” are among the many rules of math and science that govern our universe. They are unwavering truths that allow scientists to consistently develop theories and make discoveries. If there is a law, there must be a lawgiver. Someone established consistency and order when creating the universe as we know it. Randomness and chance don’t make laws.
2. As Dr. Lisle points out, if the universe had a beginning, then it must have had a cause. Only the biblical worldview gives a clear, consistent, reliable answer for Who that cause was.

Remember, these “Fun Facts” I am introducing you to are actually “Fundamental Facts” that you can easily memorize. They are tidbits to help you answer the call of 1 Peter 3:15, always being ready “to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (NIV). It is great if I can pique your interest and help guide you to study more information and truth about the topics in the facts themselves. My primary goal is to get you thinking and to provide cues to help you remember more solid truths.

But at the end of the day, I always want to emphasize to you the hope that we have in our living God. Even in the midst of uncertainty and ever-growing chaos, we know nothing comes as a surprise to Him, and He has the end all planned out. Do you know this God? If not, today would be a great day to get to know Him!
 
Don’t just take my word for it! Visit YouFormedMe.com/geology/secondLaw.html to read, watch, and listen to supporting research and commentary from scientists, doctors, theologians, and more!
This blog is from a special series of “Creation Fun Facts” by Terri Kammerzell, starting from June 10, 2020. Read the introduction at TruthOfGenesis.com/blogs/building-a-biblical-defense-of-creation.

Yesterday (October 22) was “Galapagos Day.” The Galapagos Conservation Trust uses this day each year to raise awareness about the marine species that live at the archipelago and the threats they face. The Galapagos Islands, about 600 miles west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, are well known because that is where Charles Darwin realized and began to develop his “theory” of evolution, while observing finches.

During his five weeks on the island, Darwin noticed that the finches had variations in their beaks, tails, body types, and feathers. In particular, he observed that the variations in the finches’ beaks gave some of the birds specific abilities others didn’t have, which would allow them to adapt better and survive longer than other variations. From these observations, Darwin went on to extrapolate that the same principles could be applied to other animal kinds evolving into whole new animal kinds. This is known as “Darwinian Evolution.” We will discuss Darwin and his idea of evolution more in upcoming weeks.

But this week let’s focus on this particularly important question:

Did the finches Darwin observed on the Galapagos prove evolution?
In reality, the Galapagos finches have shown their God-given abilities to adapt and survive tough times, while keeping within their created kind.

This year I’ve had the privilege of joining with my friends from the Creation Fellowship Santee in virtual weekly fellowships. We’ve had a number of great speakers—authors, Creation scientists, Christian apologists, pastors, and more—come share with us from week to week. One of our first speakers was Bill Morgan, who leads his own Creation fellowship in Garden Grove, CA, and also does an extensive amount of street witnessing. One of the things he taught us that evening was how to give an answer for our belief in God the Designer. When questioned about evolution, he encouraged us to respond with, “Apes make apes, people make people, and crows make crows.” This isn’t religious; this is genetics. Genetics is the field of science that focuses on organisms’ genes, which are made up of DNA or RNA.

Good scientific theories are those that are testable, repeatable, and observable. The truth of it is that the only thing Charles Darwin observed on the Galapagos Islands were finches making finches. Did their beaks vary? Yes, but they were still finches.

In the first chapter of Genesis, we see the phrase “after his/their kind” used ten times. It is important to understand what “kind” is. In terms of biological classifications, “kind” is the equivalent of either genus or family, not species.
Since that time, the only conclusive scientific observations that have ever been made have been that animals reproduce after their kind. Apes do not become people any more than they become crows. Dogs do not become cats. Whales do not become dogs.

However, we do see extensive variations within kinds. Variations are the result of certain genes—sometimes favorable and sometimes hazardous—being passed on from generation to generation within a kind.

For example, most scientists—evolutionists and creationists alike—believe that all the dog species we see today shared a common ancestor that was much like a wolf. However, over time, sometimes as the result of intentional breeding and sometimes as the result of adaption, some genes have been handed down from generation to generation that have changed the way dogs look, and have offered a variety of different species, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. It is important to understand that in every generation of dogs, dogs still make dogs. And even more importantly, never is any new information added to their DNA, or genetic code.

I’m going to leave this talk right there because in just a few weeks, we’ll pick up where we left off when we talk more about Darwin’s idea of evolution. For now, whenever you see a bird flying by you, just remember that it is one of its kind.

Don’t just take my word for it! Visit YouFormedMe.com/theories/galapagos.html to read, watch, and listen to supporting research and commentary from scientists, doctors, theologians, and more!
This blog is from a special series of “Creation Fun Facts” by Terri Kammerzell, starting from June 10, 2020. Read the introduction at TruthOfGenesis.com/blogs/building-a-biblical-defense-of-creation.

Happy Senior Citizen’s Day! Did you know that President Ronald Reagan declared this a national holiday in 1988, and two years later the United Nations made it a world holiday, to be observed on August 21 each year? The day is to help raise awareness of issues that affect the older and (usually) wiser generations. You can celebrate the day by taking some time to bring cheer to your own aged relatives or find some others who need it. In 2020, although the opportunity for physical contact might be less, the need to cheer these folks is undoubtedly greater.

While you may want to refrain from calling them such names as “fogie” or “fossil,” I, nevertheless, thought it would be a good week to introduce my Fun Fact about the fossil record:

What is the fossil record?
The fossil record is a “recording” of history found in sedimentary layers and made of fossils, which are the remains or traces of plants and animals found in rocks.

As I mentioned in my first blog, posted on June 10, these Fun Facts I’m introducing to you are “evidence” or “science” -based. But it’s important for us to understand that there is another perspective to Creation apologetics: presuppositional. The best way to explain the difference is that we all—believers and unbelievers—live on the same planet and have access to the same evidence. How we interpret that evidence depends on our worldview (which is a network of our pre-assumed beliefs). It’s kind of like the prescription of the glasses you wear which makes your view of things a little (or sometimes a lot) different than other people’s views. The fossil record is probably the best Fun Fact I have to illustrate this.

The fossil record is a “recording” of fossils, and that is undeniable. But your worldview will determine how you view that recording, and even how you view those fossils. It happens to be through the lens of Scripture and a biblical view of origins that we are able to explain the fossil record more clearly and with fewer unanswered questions.

I’ve known some Christians who believe that an evolutionary approach to explaining the origins of the world is incongruent with the Bible, but they’ve never taken time to learn of the confidence we have in the evidence which actually supports the biblical account. Instead, they try to dismiss whole truths and categories of science because they assume that evolutionists have “created” them to support their humanistic ideas. It’s so important to be able to know the difference between real science, real evidence, and faulty interpretations. One example is natural selection. Many people have often attributed natural selection to Charles Darwin, suggesting he made up that idea and it is the equivalent of evolution. However, natural selection is a scientific process that was discovered long before Charles Darwin.  In reality, it is just the predetermined variability within a kind allowed by a creatures DNA code. He just manipulated it to try to prove his erroneous ideas. We’ll talk more about that later when we discuss other Fun Facts.

The fossil record is another example of this, though. Some Christians don’t understand that fossils do exist and that there actually is a recording of them. They assume that evolutionists have made up their existence. Fossils and fossil layers do exist. It’s our worldview that determines how we explain their existence.

So here are some highlighted findings for you to keep in mind about the fossil record, in terms of how it actually supports the biblical accounts of Creation and the global Flood:

• What Makes up the Fossil Record: More specifically, the fossil record is made up of large horizontal layers, deposited by moving fluid. The layers, or strata, are classified vertically by primary material deposited in them, which has distinct colors and textures that differentiate layer from layer. The layers were deposited on a continental scale, so that we see the same layers in the Grand Canyon as we see in the eastern states and other locations across North America. Additionally, we find comparable layers on other continents all over the world. Not all layers exist in all places, but where the sedimentary layers do exist, the layers are always in the same order.
  
  
• Evidence for Rapid Burial: Evolutionists would suggest that the fossil record was laid down slowly, over millions of years. However, in order for fossilization of a living organism to occur, it has to happen rapidly. In fact, most organisms that die do not fossilize. Instead, they are eaten, scavenged, or recycled back into their environment. So, a fossil is only formed when the organism dies and is buried rapidly, such as would have occurred during Noah’s Flood. In fact, evidence of rapid burial includes fossils of animals who were in the middle of a fight, animals in the process of eating other animals, and even animals giving birth! What’s more, some animals fossilized so swiftly that their soft parts still remain. We especially see this in the discoveries of dinosaur soft tissue with red blood cells. Soft tissue cannot last more than a few thousand years, which means there is no way the sedimentary rock layers containing them can be millions of years old. (We’ll talk about this more at a later date this year too.)
  
  
• More Rapid Burial Evidence in Trackways: Trackways are the evidence of movement, like footprints, of animals. Scientists have found that when examining the fossil record layers from bottom to top, as new layers introduce the fossils of new animal kinds, the first layers contain those animals’ trackways. That means that in one layer, an animal’s footprints—not its hard parts—are fossilized. Then, in the layer above it, the animal’s hard parts are fossilized. There is no way that there could have been a long period of time between the fossilization of an animal’s trackways and its hard parts. That had to have happened rapidly. What’s more, in many of the trackway fossils, scientists have found evidence in the heel-and-toe patterns that the animals were walking or climbing (or running) away from the direction the water current was carrying them. (This is particularly noteworthy in higher layers that were supposedly “desert deposits” laid down with little to no water. There was clearly a strong current carrying these animals.)
  
  
• Order Within the Layers: Evolutionary geologists make claims that the layers of the fossil record resemble ages, suggesting the fossils contained in them are those of organisms that died over specific and progressing time periods. However, if the fossil record had been formed rapidly during a global flood, what we would expect to find is that the lower layers contain the fossils of marine life (shells, clams, trilobites, worms, etc.). The higher you go up the layers, you would expect to find a mix of marine and terrestrial organisms with a greater percentage of terrestrial animals the higher the layer. Guess what the fossil record contains? Lower layers that contain the fossils of marine life with higher layers that contain a mix of sea and terrestrial animals. Instead of each layer representing eras of time of elongated history, it is more likely that each layer represents a stage of the Genesis Flood, and even a geographical location of the types of organisms that were living in and then rapidly buried during each stage.
  
  
• No Transitional Fossils: Finally, for Darwinian evolution to be true, the fossil record should have evidence of transitional fossils. However, there are no transitional fossils. The fossils always show that chickens produce chickens, zebras produce zebras, turtles produce turtles. Animals reproduce after their own kind, just as God ordered them to do in the Bible. No transitional fossils.

Scientific models are based on good, testable hypotheses. When it comes down to it, the fossil record is much more congruent with the hypotheses scientists make based on the historical narrative of the Bible rather than on the fictional alternative of naturalistic evolutionary processes.

Next week, we’ll cover the topic of sedimentary rock. I had a health coach who was also a science teacher and seemed to be confused between the terms “sedimentary” and “sedentary.” Every week she encouraged me not to be sedimentary. Today, I’m encouraging you to visit a senior citizen dear to you and help keep them from becoming too sedentary.
 

Don’t just take my word for it! Visit YouFormedMe.com/geology/fossilRecord.html to read, watch, and listen to supporting research and commentary from scientists, doctors, theologians, and more!
This blog is from a special series of “Creation Fun Facts” by Terri Kammerzell, starting from June 10, 2020. Read the introduction at TruthOfGenesis.com/blogs/building-a-biblical-defense-of-creation.

I chose to feature this week’s Fun Fact in memory of this Sunday’s (August 8th) 101st anniversary of the death of Ernst Haeckel, German zoologist, philosopher, naturalist, and more. Some of you might not be familiar with Dr. Haeckel. After all, his name is not nearly as widely used as that of Charles Darwin. In fact, you might even wonder how to pronounce it. Here’s an easy way to remember: it is a homonym for the action of a person (heckler) who harasses a public speaker or performer with distracting and often abusive or insulting remarks. It’s actually quite fitting that the two are homonyms because Ernst Haeckel essentially heckled the Creator of the universe, providing distractions away from God and His message to us contained in the Bible.

In past blog posts I’ve discussed that many times throughout history we have seen eager evolutionists in pursuit of evolutionary theories with an intent to disprove a Creator God to Whom we are accountable. It might encourage you to know that countless people who have followed similar pursuits have actually come to the realization that the scientific data, when analyzed objectively, points to the validity and accuracy of the Genesis account of origins. Remember that I mentioned in my “Big Bang vs. the Bible” post that science—real science—is actually the friend of the believer. But also you may recall that last week we talked about Romans 1:20, which reminds us that everyone knows God exists. (In reality, the Bible tells us there are no atheists.) However, when we back up just a bit, we read in verses 18-19: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them” (NKJV).

While studying the topic of Creation apologetics (reading numerous articles and books, and watching and listening to numerous presentations), I have often heard leading apologists point out that many people promoting evolutionary theories—theories that posit alternatives to a Creator God—are “compromised” in their beliefs. They have intentionally suppressed the truth in unrighteousness. On the other hand, I’ve also heard a number of Creation scientists demonstrate compassion for some of their evolutionary colleagues, assuming that these people honestly believe what they say they believe and are not intentionally trying to mislead anyone.

What does Romans 1 tell us? Whether consciously or not, everyone--everyone—knows God exists because He has revealed it to them. And those who deny it are suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. When it comes to suppressing the truth consciously, there is no better example than Ernst Haeckel.

Who was Ernst Haeckel?
Ernst Haeckel was a German zoologist who promoted evolution by creating fraudulent pictures of human embryos that—although proven to be erroneous—still appear in modern textbooks.

And before you start to thinking that 101 years ago was a very long time, so surely his impact couldn’t still be relative, let me tell you about another comparable number of years: 99. It was 99 years between Ernst Haeckel publishing his fraudulent pictures and the infamous Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed the murder of unborn children.

If you have ever visited a Creation learning center or museum, you may have passed through a hall displaying the deadly effects of evolutionary ideas. None was more deadly than the evolutionary idea of Ernst Haeckel. His ideas about embryonic development were used to so highly convince the U.S. Supreme Court that babies in utero were not actually human beings until a certain point, that they voted to allow the killing of these developing “animals.” This was on the basis of Ernst Haeckel’s infamous “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny” theory. Let’s break that down.

Essentially, “ontogeny” is a subdivision of biology that deals with the study of the origin of an organism. To “recapitulate” means to restate or summarize. And “phylogeny” is a subdivision of biology that focuses on evolutionary relationships between groups of organisms. So what Haeckel was saying is that in the womb we literally go through our supposed evolutionary stages, starting out as goo, then becoming fish, and then progressing to human beings.

Can you appreciate the implications of such a theory? How about if it is accompanied by drawings (yes, I said “drawings,” not “photographs”) to support these hypotheses? That’s exactly what Haeckel did. Even though he had a contemporary in the UK, Thomas Henry Huxley, who was doing similar research and discovered this idea to be untrue, Haeckel wanted so badly for it to be true and to support his theory that he created fraudulent pictures, which not only still appear in some modern textbooks, but have influenced our nation’s moral climate for decades and have justified the murder of innocent lives.

Since the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, there have been such leaps in scientific and technological advancement that were the case brought back before the U.S. Supreme Court, on scientific merits alone, the judges would have to acknowledge that a human embryo is a human baby from the moment of conception. The sad truth, however, is that because the fraudulent “science” gave socially moral permission for tens of millions of murders, politics and agendas of unrighteous suppression of the truth could still interfere with a decision that honors the Lord.
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Indeed, Ernst Haeckel, the most conniving heckler of all time, has on his hands the blood of over 1.5 billion innocent lives worldwide . . . and counting.

 
Don’t just take my word for it! Visit YouFormedMe.com/people/haeckel.html to read, watch, and listen to supporting research and commentary from scientists, doctors, theologians, and more!
This blog is from a special series of “Creation Fun Facts” by Terri Kammerzell, starting from June 10, 2020. Read the introduction at TruthOfGenesis.com/blogs/building-a-biblical-defense-of-creation.

          Instead of taking a long, one-week, vacation, this past summer our family did two extended weekends away.  Our first trip was to Cincinnati and Kentucky.  The first day held a Cardinals versus Reds game at the Great American Ballpark, in the over ninety-degree heat.  Even though it was hot, the Cardinals beat the Reds with a final score of twelve to eleven, and since we are Redbird fans, the evening was awesome.

          Day two of our weekend vacation meant indoor air-conditioning and the Creation Museum, both of which I was excited to experience.  My husband and I had the privilege of visiting the museum a few years after it opened in 2007.  However, this was the first visit for our fourteen-year-old son, and parents know experiencing things through the eyes of your child is priceless.  Whether you are planning to visit for the first time, or you have been before, this list will provide you with the terrific tips for making the most of your time there.  You can also find our top ten tips for visiting the Creation Museum’s sister attraction, The Ark, here. 

          The Creation Museum highlights our amazing Creator and is a must-see attraction for anyone interested in exploring a visual representation of the book of Genesis, and the history of the world.  Located in Petersburg, Kentucky, make plans to experience this state-of-the-art facility, where millions of people have been impacted by the way the Bible comes to life!

          10.  DO THE 4-D SHOW.  Right after you enter the museum, the 4-D theater is on the right.  Our son wanted to do this half hour show first thing.  A clock outside the theater counts down until the next viewing.  The workers give you 3-D glasses to wear once inside, and there is a caution given for people who are sensitive to flashing lights or are prone to seizures.  The 4-D elements are water and wind.  We were one of the last guests to enter, so we had to sit on the end of a front aisle.  We didn’t feel any water but children next to us did.  We did feel bursts of air during those thematic parts.  It was an incredible show on the six days of creation, and we think it’s a must see for everyone who visits the museum.
 
          9.  LISTEN TO THE GUEST LECTURE.  Georgia Purdom was the staff lecturer of the day, and we listened to her hour-long presentation after we finished the 4-D show.  If you’ve never heard any of the speakers from Answers in Genesis, they offer fantastic presentations answering tough questions in easily understandable language.  I’ve heard the material before, and it still was interesting to me!  Click Here to watch her talk:  youtu.be/yt0LdAtNLe0

          8.  STOP FOR FUDGE.  Our family loves chocolate, and our fourteen-year-old couldn’t resist Uncle Leroy’s fudge shop, right outside the lecture hall.  They carry many different varieties, including mint chocolate, buckeye, and maple pecan.  We settled for a half-pound of plain chocolate, and it was delicious.

          7. WALK THE GROUNDS.  The botanical gardens are beautiful and offer over one mile of paved walking trails.  You can stroll through a butterfly garden, wobble along a suspension bridge, or take a selfie by a small waterfall.  It was an abnormally hot day, in the mid-nineties, and there was enough shade, so it was not unbearable.  The gardens are meticulously maintained and easy to navigate. 

          6.  ENJOY EXCELLENT EATING OPTIONS.  For lunch we ate at Noah’s Café, which is located on the top floor, inside the museum.  They have hot items like paninis, cheeseburgers, and chicken, or cold sandwiches, such as wraps, chicken salad, and more.  There is a small salad bar, fresh fruit, and yogurt as well.  Another eating spot, the Palm Café, is located downstairs, and it had pizza.  We also stopped at the Noah’s Coffee (which is next to Noah’s Café), where we all had ice cream before we left.
 
          5.  PICK FROM PLENTY OF PICNIC SPOTS.  While our hot day didn’t warrant weather for outdoor eating, there are plenty of picnic spots with long tables available.  If you have young children, you could eat lunch outdoors and then enjoy the new playground.  These are in close proximity to each other on the grounds.
 
          4.  ESTIMATE AT LEAST AN HOUR FOR THE 7 C’s EXHIBIT.  Whether you’re looking to visualize what Adam and Eve may have looked like, see an animatronic dinosaur, or compare differences between the evolutionary story and Biblical history, the 7 C’s exhibit is the place to go!  It will take about an hour to walk through it quickly.  Plan for more time, if you want to stop and read the information more thoroughly.
 
          3.  GET A PARKING PASS.  When you exit the gated museum, you will need to have a parking pass.  You can get them at the Creation Museum Admissions or Guest Services.  Estimate $5.00 for a standard vehicle and $10.00 for an oversized vehicle.
 
          2.  ZIPLINERS SHOULD GET A RESERVATION.  One of the many side attractions at the museum is ziplining.  If you want to do one of the many different packages of ziplining courses, the museum recommends you make a reservation in advance.  If you call 859-586-3568 the Screaming Raptor Ziplining service line will ask you to leave a message, if they don’t answer.
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          1.  SEE THE SHOW AT THE PLANETARIUM!    Hands down, the most impactful experience for all of us, this time at the museum, was seeing the Created Cosmos at the Stargazer’s Planetarium.  There are two shows to choose from, the one we saw, or Aliens: Fact or Fiction.  The shows are 23 minutes long, and separate tickets are required.  We had a lifetime membership pass, which included the $9.00 per person cost of the show.  The thirty-foot-diameter dome helps simulate a space-like experience, and the content of the show humbled us, making us feel the awe and wonder of our amazing God.