Ernst Mayr Archives – Rational Faith

Question Evolution Day 2022 – The Cambrian Explosion

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Duane Caldwell

A Trilobite and Anomalocaris featured in the Chicago Field Museum’s exhibit on the Cambrian Explosion

Question Evolution Day 2022

Christians are called to make “the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ep 5.16) February 12, Darwin’s Birthday, has become a great opportunity to do that. Like Halloween has become an opportunity to give people gospel tracks when they come to your door asking you for stuff, the day some are celebrating Darwin and evolution is the perfect opportunity to offer them the red pill by suggesting they question evolution on Question Evolution Day. If they’ve never heard about it, point them to Cowboy Bob’s page here to show them it’s a real thing, then go on to present them questions and evidence that will help them to see just how wrong and meritless Darwin’s theory of evolution is. Here at Rational Faith, we’ve been doing that for the past few years since hearing of it.

So for this year’s Question Evolution Day informational giveaway we’ll take a brief look at one of the problems Darwinian evolution has with what’s known as the Cambrian explosion. There are a number, but to keep it somewhat brief, we’ll focus on just one of the numerous issues.

The Problem of the Cambrian Explosion

Paleontologist and celebrated evolutionist Stephen Jay Gould, co-author of the evolutionary theory of “Punctuated Equilibrium”, is quoted as saying: Continue Reading

15 Reasons:Why Evolution has never happened-Part 2

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Duane Caldwell

DNA Mutation

In the first installment of this series, I stated that Darwinian Evolution and its modern counterpart Neo-Darwinism, (the theory whose supporters want you to believe that non-living particles can become living people by undirected natural processes and large amounts of time), is an irrational belief kept alive by those unwilling to accept the truth. In support of that statement I proffered 15 reasons why evolution is not and could never be true. Since it could never be true, it follows it has never happened. In part one, I gave the first five reasons. Here are the next five reasons.

15 Reasons why Evolution is impossible and never happened (Part 2)

6. Limitations of Natural Selection

Neo-Darwinian theory posits that all species – all of them – are the result of natural selection acting on random mutations from an original common ancestor – often called the “last universal common ancestor” or LUCA. But even a cursory examination of the theory shows it to be fatally flawed in its conception. Continue Reading

Evolution and Software – A Fundamental Misunderstanding – or an Outright Fraud?

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Duane Caldwell

“Digital Snake Oil”

MIT Technology review published an online article titled, “Evolutionary algorithm outperforms deep-learning machines at video games“[1] I wondered to myself what do they mean by “evolutionary”? Though it’s impossible, could they really mean evolution as in Darwinian evolution, or were they just using evolution to mean successive changes in design, the way we might say something like “the evolution of the car has gone from the Model T to the Mustang”, in which case we don’t really mean Darwinian evolution – we’re really just talking about successive changes in the design of an item.

But as I read on, I was amazed to read that they were really talking about Darwinian processes: “This technique is based on the process that created the human brain—evolution.” (Darwinists believe the most complex biological organ known to man came about by ignorant, random, purposeless forces.) The technique they’re referring to is a new approach to computer programming, and the evolution they are referring to is in fact Darwinian evolution. They make that clear in the next sentences:
Continue Reading

MicroEvolution: Dispelling the Myths and Misconceptions

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Duane Caldwell

As the above image implies, there’s a mist that surrounds the concept of microevolution that conceals clarity on the matter. If you’re not a close follower of the theories that comprise Darwin’s theory of evolution[1], you are probably laboring under a misconception of what microevolution is. That misconception is furthered (it appears to me) by Darwinists seeking to bolster the evidence-lacking theory. To dispel the mists surrounding this often abused term, and shine the light on the truth, following are five myths or misconceptions, and the reality or the truth behind each one.

As I point out in an article titled “Games Evolutionists Play: The Name Game” part of the problem with demonstrating the falsity of Darwinism is that evolutionists keep changing the definition in an attempt to keep evolution from being falsified. So let’s start with a firm definition. Jonathan Wells, author of “Icons of Evolution” provides a firm definition of both micro-evolution and macro-evolution in the glossary of his book “The Myth of Junk DNA“: Continue Reading

Mt. Improbable and other impossible evolutionary dreams

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Duane Caldwell

A peak in Daedunsan Provincial Park, South Korea in the role of “Mt. Improbable”

Evolution’s Mr. Improbable is really Mt. Impossible

I’ve exposed many of the tricks, logical fallacies and games that evolutionists play and use to try to convince themselves and others that the patently false theory of Darwinian evolution is what they claim: the “factual” account of the origin of man and all life. But when I came across these outrageous claims that are so clearly false, yet delivered with such arrogance and a deep belief in absurd statistical claims, I couldn’t help but wonder if these evolutionary evangelists intentionally ignore the obvious problems in order to convince themselves and others; or if they are so blinded by evolutionary dogma that they really can’t see the problems with what they’re saying.

Whichever the case, evolutionists tend to disbelieve any evidence that contradicts their theory, but a failure to believe valid evidence doesn’t make the evidence wrong. What it actually does, is place a burden of proof on the disbeliever to demonstrate why their interpretation of the data is better than another. Here is where evolutionists tend to leave the bounds of reality for flights of fancy into the world of Wonderland logic – where you can make any irrational claim you’d like, and believe it’s true. Because in the looking glass world of evolutionary theory – stories of how things happen don’t actually have to work in the real world. Since everything requires millions of years and can never be proved anyway; it just has to look true and sound true to like minded believers when they look at through the evolutionary looking glass. Unfortunately for evolutionists, not everyone looks at evolution through the looking glass. For those who prefer to stay grounded in reality and not follow the evolutionists down their rabbit hole, it’s not hard to spot the many problems and fallacies and point them out, as I will do here. Continue Reading

GULO and other Irrational Atheist Arguments – Part 1

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Duane Caldwell

7 Popular, but Fallacious Arguments used by Atheists

Evolutionists believe glowing eyes evolved multiple times independently.

Arguments that are demonstrably wrong yet still believed demonstrate the irrational nature of atheist and evolutionist belief.

The Biblical book of Acts recounts an event where a demon possessed girl who made a business for her masters from telling fortunes took to following around the Apostle Paul, shouting:

“…These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.¹

For those wondering why the apostle cast out a demon providing free advertisement for him, the answer is simple: God’s people are forbidden from having anything to do with demons² – even if what they do is initially helpful. The amazing thing to Christians is that Paul put up so long with it. I mention it because I likewise feel troubled by the recurring contention of Atheists that the pseudo-gene known as GULO or GLO proves common descent. So let me
cast out this demon and be done with this irrational contention once and for all. And while I’m at at it I’ll address 6 other irrational atheist arguments as well. (I use irrational in the sense that these arguments are easily demonstrated to be fallacious.) So following are 7 arguments used by evolutionists and atheists alike which are logically fallacious – and thus those who continue to use them – having read this – are showing themselves to be irrational in their anti-Christian beliefs.

To understand the atheists’ and evolutionists’ contention for these first two items that they present as evidence – GULO and LUCA – one must first understand one of the core theories of evolution – common descent. I say one component because according to the well respected late evolutionist Ernst Mayr, there are 5 basic components that make up the theory of evolution.³ The theory of Common Descent states that all creatures – from the worm in the ground to your cat and dog to you and your family are all descendant from a single common ancestor. That’s why they talk of the evolutionary “tree of life.” The common ancestor is at the trunk of the tree, and all other species make up the limbs and leaves. This concept is key to the next two items.

1. “GULO proves Evolution”

What is GULO and how does it supposedly prove evolution?

GULO and the implications for evolution

L-gulonolactone oxidase – commonly known as GULO – is a gene designed to synthesize vitamin C from glucose or galactose, but in some groups of animals, the GULO gene does function in that manner, and so it is given the label of “pseudogene.”⁴

Additionally, the gene is “broken” reportedly in the same place in multiple species resulting in a loss of the ability to synthesize vitamin C. Humans are not able to synthesize vitamin C. Neither are guinea pigs, chimpanzees and several species of monkeys along with some species of birds, bats and fish. Evolutionists look at these facts and conclude that the only way the gene could have broken in the sample place is if the gene of a common ancestor became broken, and that same broken gene was then inherited by subsequent descendants. Thus to their way of thinking the only way this broken gene would show up in multiple species is if it started in a common ancestor.

Recent evidence refutes this conclusion, and the attempts by evolutionists to salvage their conclusion makes matters worse – Continue Reading

Tag Archives: Ernst Mayr