To everyone,
Please understand that I am not attempting to undermine the existence of God. I am trying to explore science and how it explains our origins. Walt, maybe I will check that video out.
To musicman,
Well you can read about the author here. He sounds pretty shady to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harun_YahyaOne complainant, a fashion model named Ebru Simsek claimed she was blackmailed.[58], and then slandered as a "prostitute" in fax messages sent to hundreds of different newspapers, TV channels, major business companies, foreign consulates and government offices for
refusing to have sex with Adnan Oktar.
Adnan Oktar founded the Science Research Foundation (SRF, or BAV in Turkish), whose objective is "to [establish]...peace, tranquility and love,"[7] though the BAV is described in the media as "a secretive Islamic sect"[8] or a "
cult-like organization, that jealously guards the secrets of its considerable wealth."[9] In 2008 he was sentenced by a Turkish court to three years in prison for "creating an illegal organization for personal gain."[
The Atlas of Creation
His latest publication, The Atlas of Creation, was published by Global Publishing, Istanbul, Turkey in October 2006.[36] The book contains over 800 glossy pages and weighs 12 pounds (5.4 kg). Tens of thousands of copies of the book have been delivered, on an unsolicited basis, to schools, prominent researchers and research institutes throughout Europe and the United States.[37][3] Some of the schools that received copies were in France as well as prominent researchers at Utrecht University, University of Tilburg, University of California, Brown University, University of Colorado, University of Chicago, Brigham Young University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Georgia, Imperial College London, Abertay University and several others.[3] When the book was sent to French schools and universities, controversy resulted and the book sparked further concern about Islamic radicalism in France.[3] In 2007, Harper's Magazine contributor Scott Horton reported that 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez has Oktar's Atlas of Creation on a stand at the entrance to his US government office.[38]
The arguments used by the book to undermine evolution have been criticized as not logical while evolutionary biologist Kevin Padian has stated that Oktar has no understanding of the basic evidence for evolution.[2][3] Biologist PZ Myers wrote: "The general pattern of the book is repetitious and predictable: the book shows a picture of a fossil and a photo of a living animal, and declares that they haven't changed a bit, therefore evolution is false. Over and over. It gets old fast, and it's usually wrong (they have changed!) and the photography, while lovely, is entirely stolen."[39]
Richard Dawkins reviewed the book (later translated into Turkish) noting that it contains a number of factual errors, such as the misidentification of a sea snake as an eel (two unrelated species)[40] and in two places uses images of fishing-lures copied from the internet instead of actual species[41][40]. A number of other modern species are mislabelled.[40] However, Oktar himself claims that Nicholas Sarkozy, Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair were influenced by his book[42].
It is important to consider motives and agendas people may have when putting forth an argument.
Peace,
Steve
Author
Topic: Theory of evolution and God (Read 15394 times)