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Creation 18(2):5, March 1996

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Letters to the Editor

Carbon dating guess

Dear Editor,

Imagine my surprise when I read the following from the magazine 3-2-1 Contact which is based on the children's/science television series from the Public Broadcast System. This is from the December 1995 issue in answer to a question by a reader.

'How do scientists date fossils?' After a description of the carbon-14 dating method the writer admits '... scientists can't use the carbon-14 method to date really old fossils. They have to guess their age.'

'They have to guess their age'? Scientists who claim evolution is an established fact, who claim that creationism is simply ignorant, blind faith, have to guess the age of fossils!

I encourage all who may be undecided about creationism vs. evolutionism to be attuned to instances when evolutionists admit they do not have the evidence to back their theory.

Ron Doak, Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA.

All from Noah?

Dear Editor,

After showing a family member Bone of Contention by Sylvia Baker he seemed convinced of a world-wide Flood.

But he was sceptical that Noah, his wife, and family were the beginning of the world's population (other than Adam and Eve).

How do we tell someone that a red-head, an oriental, a black-skinned person, etc., came from these?

Was Noah's wife of different race? And were the sons' wives all different?

Could you please print this, and your answer?

Kylie Martin, Federal, ACT, Australia.

[When a large breeding group is broken into smaller groups which then breed only among themselves (as the dispersion from Babel implies), different racial characteristics can arise rapidly. Genetics shows that one pair of middle-brown parents could produce all known shades from very white to very black in one generation. See The Answers Book, chapter 8, 'How Did All the Different Races Arise?', for a longer discussion. — Ed.]

Adam and Eve's blood

Dear Editor,

While Don Batten's answer about blood groups (December-February) may be possibly how God created, I think Scripture suggests a different answer.

In Genesis 2:21-22 it is clear that God created Eve out of Adam, from tissue taken from his rib. I think the strong implication is that Eve was genetically identical to Adam except for her sex chromosomes.

In other words, Eve would have had all of Adam's chromosomes (and genetic material) except his Y chromosome. God would have simply doubled Adam's X chromosome to form a generative cell with which He made Eve.

If this is the case, Adam and Eve would have had identical AB blood group alleles. The O group allele is best explained then as a mutation of the A or B allele in human descendants of Adam and Eve after the Fall.

I do enjoy your excellent magazine and appreciate the foundation it provides in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a world infiltrated by naturalism.

(Rev.) A. Adams, Cardinal, Ontario, Canada.

[Dr Batten replies: Your suggestion is valid and logical. It is possible for O-type blood to arise through mutation since this would entail the loss of the ability to synthesize the A or B antigen in an individual. It is relatively easy to lose something through mutation.

However, I have never understood Eve to be a genetic 'clone' of Adam. This would limit the amount of genetic variation in the first couple, making the large amount in their descendants difficult to explain.

Considering the creative input needed for 'rib-to-Eve', there would seem to be no reason why God may not have simultaneously created changes to the rib DNA information. Of course, since we are not told, we can only speculate.]

Hands-on creation

Dear Editor,

I recently came across the following testimony to creation in the Hand Safety manual produced by the New Asian Shipping Co. Ltd, Hong Kong.

'Your hands are your most valuable tools. Nothing has ever been invented that can match them for usefulness and adaptability.'

The rest of the book gave instructions on how to care for them. Such testimony to our Creator is right in front of our eyes, if only we want to see it!

Alexander R. Williams, Dampier, Western Australia.

Four-eyed fish lesson

Dear Editor,

I have been fascinated by Anableps (the four-eyed fish, December-February) since I read an article a number of years ago.

I was immediately impressed by the analogy of our spiritual walk. Like Anableps, a believer has two pairs of eyes — in our case, physical and spiritual. Also like Anableps we live in one environment but have the God-given ability to 'see' into another — the heavenly realm.

If we are prepared, by prayer and study of the Word, to develop our spiritual vision, we will be able to discern the attacks of the enemy and go on the offensive ourselves as we are enjoined to do in Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12.

Unlike Anableps, our wonderful Creator has made us living souls with a spiritual dimension, capable of fellowship with Him.

The uniqueness of this little four-eyed fish, as with much else in God's creation, contains valuable lessons if we take the time to contemplate.

John Allen, Greytown, New Zealand.

Evolution flaw

Dear Editor,

I am 12 years old and love reading Creation magazine.

About six years ago, I read a book which pointed out to me one of the most obvious flaws in evolution. How did animals survive before they developed their special capabilities?

I mean, if birds learnt to fly, or grew wings in later generations, how did the first birds survive until they learnt to fly? They would have died, full stop, no more birdies. Or any animal for that matter.

Then how come we have animals today? Simple! God made them right first time!

B.S., Mooroolbark, Victoria, Australia.