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Rating: 
Summary: A Very Trustworthy Book
Review: Creationism is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. To be Christian you cannot at all be an evolutionist, despite what some people say. To say that you are a Christian and a believer in evolution is to just spit in the face of Christ as He was crucified and as He rose from the dead. To say that you are a Christian and a believer in evolution is to spit in the face of God the Father, Son, Holy Ghost because you are believing in something that says there is no need for salvation, that there is no personal relationship with God from the beginning. You cannot be both, like a man riding on two horses...one foot on each...sooner or later you will have to choose which horse you'll ride on...and usually believers in evolution and Christianity usually turn into unbelievers in the end...Time and time again, Creationism shows that the apostles behind evolution created this "scientific religion of evolution" to try to destroy Christianity. These apostles of evolution themselves say there is no firm facts or reliability behind evolution, but they cannot believe in creationism because...for one thing...that means they would have to face their sins before the judgment of the holy loving God. Henry Morris' book shows the terrible impact and war between the truth of Creationism and the satanic lies of evolution. The more Christians don't stand up to the evils of the world (like evolutionists) the less holiness and love and hope in the world. I directly blame the taking away of Christianity's morality and truths in our governments, in our schools, to school shootings date rapes and drugs in our children's hands. Like Henry Morris' book shows, we as Christians must stand up to the evils of the world, fight back with Christian facts and truths. It is all a part of the great commision the Lord Jesus gave to us who believes that He and only He (as the Son of God the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Soulwinner) is the way, the truth, and the light.
Rating: 
Summary: One star - despite many valid points
Review: Henry Morris makes a number of valid points in this book - but then again, Jack T. Chick makes a lot of valid points in his viotrolic fundamentalist cartoon tracks. The real question is: is it worthwhile to shift the wheat from the chaffe in Morris's work? The answer is no. Henry Morris's "flood geology" or "young earth creationism" has been rejected by every - read that again, literally - EVERY Christian who has seriously studied science with an open mind. (If you think that I - a card-carrying, evangelical Southern Baptist - am implying that all young earth creationists are deluded, YOU'RE RIGHT!) The Biblical evidence and the scientific evidence simply isn't there to support the assertion that the earth is merely 6,000 years old. If Morris had simply made a mistake in handling the Word, he could be forgiven. But Morris has been a vociferious advocate of the Young Earth position for more than 50 years! He continues to use arguments, such as the moon's dust or the earth's magnetic field, that sound good to laypeople, but which have been definitively rebuked by scientists. This is BEARING FALSE WITNESS, people! To make matters worse, Morris and his disciples have been at the forefront of slandering true scientists with a heart for God (e.g., Hugh Ross, who has probably endured more unjust slander from so-called "Christians" than any man since Luther). Morris has good points to make about evolution, but none about the age of the earth. Consider this: Darwinian evolution is such a sham that even growing numbers of non-Christian scientists from every discipline from biochemistry to neuroscience (e.g., Michael Behe, Robert Jastrow, John Polkinghorne, and Jeffrey M. Schwartz) have denied Darwinism's validity. But NO SCIENTIST, NONE, EVER has EVER EVER EVER EVER disputed the ancient age of the earth based on scientific data alone. And if the Bible is so clear that the earth is 6,000 years old, why do so many arch-conservative Christian leaders (e.g., Norman Geisler, James Dobson, Gleason Archer, Chuck Colson, to name but a few) believe that the earth is old? Morris is bad news. The good things he has to say are overwhelmed by the falsehoods and misconceptions.
Rating:
Summary: I'll call this book: "The war against Reason"
Review: I agree with the reader from Bellingham, MA about the insanity of the Young Earth position. But he also says: "Consider this: Darwinian evolution is such a sham that even growing numbers of non-Christian scientists from every discipline from biochemistry to neuroscience (e.g., Michael Behe, Robert Jastrow, John Polkinghorne, and Jeffrey M. Schwartz) have denied Darwinism's validity."
Creationists draw up these "lists" to convince the public that evolution is somehow being rejected by scientists, that it is a "theory in crisis." Most members of the public lack sufficient contact with the scientific community to know that this claim is totally unfounded. Scientific issues are NOT decided by who has the longer list of scientists! Evolution is healthier and stronger than ever. Let your kids enjoy its wonders at: http://evolution.berkeley.edu
Rating:
Summary: Taking God's Word Seriously
Review: I find it a sign of spiritual and intellectual imaturity when a young christian goes to the University, reads some books and then comes to Church and tries to debunk the Word of God based solely on human speculation. Well..."been there, done that". However, the more I read human stuff (and I read a lot of it for professional reasons), the more I realise that nothing compares to God's Word. Henry Morris is one of my favorite authors because he takes the Bible seriously. He starts from the Bible and debunks human "wisdom" (lack of it). That's the way to go. If you read what the Bible says about human wisdom, you have not choice but to do what Henry Morris does. Here are some points about the book that I would like to emphasise: 1) Evolution could not be God's method of creation. It is too cruel, inefficient and irrational. Jesus' nature (the incarnate WORD), life and character are a vivid refutation of evolution. 2) (remember that in 3 days Jesus rose again with a new body. He didn't need 3 billions of years of struggle, suffering and death to evolve one). 3) Evolution is part of different pagan traditions that developed (specially after Babel) in the darkness of sin. These traditions have always been with us. Platonism and Aristotelism are just to examples of how these traditions influenced christian theology (Augustine and Aquinas), because christian theologians thought that the Bible might be missing something. Henry Morris, followint the teachings of Jesus and His apostles (v.g. Peter, Paul) simply states that the Bible is not missing something. If one reads the Bible, one has to conclude that that's exactely what the Bible teaches about itself. 4) The Sermon of the Mount is the proof that God has nothing to do with survival of the fittest. Every time christians engage in deception, violence, murder and genocide (which unfortunately they have done), they are violating the laws of the Creator and showing that "all have sinned: all fall short of God's glorious ideal" Rom 3-23). 5) Contrary to popular belief, science hasn't proved evolution, nor could it, because evolution simply didin't happen. If you think science has proved evolution, think again: a) the origin of the universe and the origin of life remain a mistery. Even Miller and Urey have confessed that life may be much more complicated than they have thought. How can one affirm evolution as a fact when the first step (the origin of life) of it remains a profound mistery? The prebiotic soup and abiogenesis are nothing but a just-so story. b)It is still to be found a single mutation that is able to create new DNA information that codes for new functions and structures. Mutations reshuffle, duplicate sort, exchange, remove or maintain pre-existing information. They just don't create new information. Natural selection removes information. Speciation is not evolution. Creationist only deny the latter. They perfectly accept (and predict) natural selection and speciation. c) There are no transitional forms in the fossil record and in molecular biologicy. Based on evolution's predictions, we should expect trillions. The few that have been put forward are highly controversial, even among evolutionists. Not a single one is consensual among evolutionists themselves. d) Vestigial organs are not vestigial organs after all. The same is true about "junk-DNA". Both turn out to have a design function. So much for another "proof" of evolution. e) Evidence of design is overwhelming and growing. Examples of irreducible complexity and complex specified information abound. Fine-tuning is everywhere. Billions of examples. f) Some so called bad design is simply not bad design, or it may be the result of deterioration. The Panda's thumb is actually excellent design, after all. Steven Jay Gould was just a "nasty little boy". g) Gradualism didn't happen. Creationists will have to agree with Steven Jay Gould on this one. h) Saltationism and punctuaded equilibrium are "scientific" nonsense. Creationists will have to agree with Richard Dawkins on this one. i) Many geologists speak in terms of (Lyell's) uniformitarianism. But the rocks and the fossils themselves are shouting: "Flood!". The Flood remains the best explanation for the existence of numerous flood traditions, the fossil record, the continental drift, the ice age, oil and coal deposits, the catastrophic evidence of rock formation and displacement, etc. j) "Ontogenesis recapitulate phylogenesis". Just one more example of a failed attempt to prove evolution. Nice try. It has been refuted and Haeckel's embrios denounced as fake. The problem is that for many decades this was used to persuade people that evolution was a scientific fact. Many imature young christians used it to "debunk" God's Word. k) Creationists are not against science. God's created universe is there to be known and studied. However, the Universe is not just matter, energy, space and time. It is also information. Information is the bridge between God's mind, the universe and human's mind. The more we appreciate it, the more we can see God's glory. Human brains and the Earth itself have been designed by God for scientific discovery. Creationists just distinguish between operational science and origins naturalistic speculation. But the universe is also about God's moral law. Sin is a kind of virus that also affects the workings of the Universe. That's way God cursed the universe when sin entered the world. The Universe has large amounts of information, but not all the information we need. There are somethings about God, creation, sin, curse, Flood, Babel, redemption, new creation, etc. that the unÃverse is unable to inform us about. That's way we need the Bible.
Rating:
Summary: Embarrassing
Review: If I were a Christian, I would be deeply embarrassed by Morris's habitual errors of fact and logic, and above all, by his seething hostility toward scientists and any field of study that challenges his own beliefs. From beginning to end, this book is a ranting, almost maniacal, tirade against the theory of evolution, which Morris attacks so strenuously that he apparently neglects to cast a critical eye toward his argument. Morris's assertion that evolution is the root of all evil (almost literally) is simplistic and riddled with logical errors. For example, Morris states adnauseam that evolution was central to Nazi doctrine, which he offers as proof that it is "Satan's lie," and the cause of everything from pornography to the dissolution of the nuclear family. Curiously, Morris is not equally troubled by hideous misapplication of Christian doctrine throughout history. Similarly, Morris attacks evolution by pointing to mystical beliefs that predate it, yet he exempts Christianity from the same scrutiny. Remarkably, Morris fails to demonstrate even the most rudimentary understanding of evolution, offering only naive interpretations and superficial historical facts about Darwin (Morris's devil incarnate). Morris's "science" is so sophomoric he appears to fabricate it on the fly, never pausing to analyze it, or even to check fundamental definitions. For instance, Morris asserts that evolution "...goes squarely against the second law of thermodynamics." However, the 2'nd law applies only to "closed" systems, and therefore to none of Morris's scenarios. Morris also asserts that the "...study of biology shows no evidence whatever of evolution occurring in the present,..." which is such a muddle it's difficult to interpret. Is he unaware of 20'th century biology? Would he expect to see speciation happening before his eyes? Perhaps a more earnest writer could use such a statement to launch a deeper discussion, but for Morris it is the argument in toto. To counterbalance Morris's view, I urge both theists and atheists to read Robert Wright's book, "The Moral Animal." The contrast between Morris and Wright is so extreme at several levels that you will find it entertaining if not deeply informative
Rating:
Summary: One star - despite many valid points
Review: Morris' book is arranged in a reverse chronology, discussing the role/effects of evolutionary thought from the present into the past. Morris does make some good points, and at least presents some of the currently fashionable ideas in the world. The book is fairly well-documented and reasonably thorough, but has some problems. Having read a fair amount of modern creation literature over the past year, I've noticed that the key arguments in favor of the position tend to be trumpeted ad nauseum. That is not to say they're wrong, but personally, I'm suspicious of anything recited in a manner resembling a slogan. I say all this because the many contra-evolution arguments made by Morris are approaching slogan status. He's not alone, because many proponents of evolution state their views in a similar manner. The problem in both cases, is that the points of issue become analyzed and discussed in a decreasingly thorough and critical way. The result is an "I'm right...no, I'M right..." dialogue that is both wearisome and unhelpful. At any rate, here are my problems with the book: #1 (closely related to my previous point) The scientific points interspersed within the book are stated in a very "now of course you know this as obvious" manner. As I discussed earlier, this isn't helpful. These points must be covered in more depth. If the publisher won't allow another 100 pages, then don't publish it. #2 Despite the thoroughness with which Morris discusses the more recent socio-political roles of evolutionary thought, the book becomes progressively more speculative. The further into the past Morris travels, the more elucidation of brain children we find. We all speculate. We take things for granted and make assumptions all the time, rarely giving them much thought. However, speculating on the quality of hamburger McDonald's is going to sell you is a far cry from speculating on the primeval, Satanic conjuration of the idea of evolution. This leads right to #3...In addition to Morris' speculation noted above, he has a certain fondness for numerology and the "gospel in the stars" idea. Biblical support for these ideas is ambiguous at best (fully lacking at worst), yielding interpretation that's inconclusive. More recently, I've been getting my feet wet in genuine biblical scholarship: original languages, literary-cultural-historical context, etc. Though a profound neophyte in this area, I've become very suspicious of SOME, not all, of the exegesis performed by the writers of creation literature. What biblical research is performed by these writers seems very narrow, focusing almost solely on creation support. That borders on eisegesis, i.e. reading INTO the text your own ideas. This is not to suggest the bible doesn't indicate creation. That actually IS fairly obvious. However, there appears to be a tendency to strengthen the creation argument by seeking to impose creationary support on biblical passages that have nothing to do with creation. The bible is a collection of 66 books written (**with a specific intent**) by many men over many miles over many years, and within many literary, cultural, and historical contexts. In light of that, the interpretational method employed by many of the creation writers is highly questionable. Are they wrong? I don't know (yet - smile), but given the magnitude of the bible's implications (if true), surely greater care in it's study is warranted. Morris is almost deified in some Christian/creation circles. Though his prolonged vocal stance on this issue is admirable, I've grown to mistrust him. To Morris' disciples who may be preparing an effigy for me now - I'm being honest, and as fair as possible. The truth is no small matter, and that's what I seek. This book is not recommended.
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