Science and the Bible by Bolton Davidheiser Chairman, S cience Division Biola College
^ ¿ ■ L A B E L S $ i q o S T A N D A R D S P E C I A L T I E S C O . P. O. BOX 4382 • SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFO RN IA TONGUES and HEALING Free literature exposing the spreading Tongues and Healing Movement. CHRISTIAN CORRESPONDENCE P.0. Box 3035 Colorado Springs, Colorado
LIFE ON THE MOON
T h e r e is m u c h concern lest man made devices may contaminate the moon. Space vehicles, unless ef fectively sterilized, might carry liv ing organisms to the 'moon before suitable investigation could be made to ascertain whether or not indigen ous life exists there. If inadequate measures are taken to prevent ter restrial forms from being carried to the moon, and if at a later time life should be found there which is simi lar to possible contaminants from the earth, it will be difficult or impossi ble to discover whether or not ‘this kind of life existed on the moon before contact was made by man made machines. Interest in this cen ters around hope that evidence will be found to show how life originated without a creative act by God. One scientist believes that early in the moon’s history organic matter may have been formed and may persist about 30 feet below the surface, pro tected from radiation and extremes of temperature by debris thrown over it by the impact of meteorites. So great is the fear of scientists that contamination might spoil the chance to observe evidence of the be ginning of life on the moon that measures are advocated to prevent space ships from carrying even dead bacteria. It is thought that the ma terial of dead bacteria might act as templates to produce more organic molecules in such quantities that they would later be mistaken for organic substances native to the moon. The possibility of this happening in so inhospitable an environment must be exceedingly remote. Such elaborate precautionary measures illustrate the lengths to which scientists will go to avoid the minutest chance of some circumstance invalidating their ob servations. One may wonder how, in contrast, scientists can sometimes be so glib in stating as facts views which are in no wise substantiated. This is nowhere illustrated better than in the field of evolution. It seems that no matter what opinion is given by a scientist about anything in respect to evolu tion, a search of the scientific litera ture will reveal that someone else has expressed the opposite view. Men with opposing views express them
selves dogmatically about matters which are mutually exclusive. For example, concerning a lower jaw with teeth found in Egypt, one au thor says that the teeth show that this creature was ancestral to all monkeys, to the apes, and to man. Another author says that the teeth show that it could not have been an ancestor of man, and he implies that it was not ancestral to monkeys or apes either. Usually such statements are safe, because objections raised by other scientists are also merely opinions. Sometimes, however, a dogmatic state ment can become embarrassing. In 1925 a skull was found near London Bridge, 42 feet below the surface. At least one author said in print, with out a “ perhaps” or a “maybe,” that this “ London Man” was a descendant of the “ Piltdown Man.” Later the “Piltdown Man” proved to be a hoax. Sometimes it is said that a natural explanation must be sought for the origin and development of life because creation is too simple an explanation and it is not scientific. This point of view may be at least somewhat illustrated by a ridiculous example. While detectives are working on a case, someone says, “ I did it,” and presents evidence to show that he really did. But the detectives object and say, “ That makes it too easy. We must find clues and solve this case in a scientific manner.” According to calculations by Pro fessor Edward Anders of the Univer sity of Chicago, meteorites strike the earth at intervals between once every thousand years and once every mil lion years with a force sufficient to eject matter all the way to the moon. The time in passage varies from a few days to ten million years. Scien tists believe that highly developed forms of life lived on earth 600,000,- 000 years ago, and that bacteria were on earth untold millions of years before that. The conclusion to be drawn from this is that the moon is already so badly contaminated that difficult measures taken now to avoid contamination would be a waste of effort. There is a much more urgent need to win human souls for life in Heav en than to speculate about the origin of life in the heavens.
A M E R IC A N S U N D A Y -S C H O O L U N IO N STUTTERING STEPHEN The Story of Stephen Paxton, pioneer Sunday-school missionary A SLIDE PRESENTATION N a rra te d in D ram atic M o n o lo g u e by Ethel Barrett At the Organ Console— Loren Whitney Illustrated in Color by—R. S. Denby, II # 23 M inutes Running Time. • Film s are lo an ed or show n b y
Am erica n Sunday-School Union R epresentatives on a fre e -w ill o ffe rin g basis. A rrang em ents fo r the use o f film s m ay be m ade by w ritin g to:
AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION Department KB
18 16 Chestnut Street P h ila . 3, Pa. Please schedule "STUTTERING STEPHEN" for the (Name of your church organization) Choice of dates 1st_______2nd_________ 3rd Tima Noma Addr«««
MARCH, 1963
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