Just Joined - Christian with Paleontolgy Background

Greetings everyone,Even though this is the first time I am on this forum, I have been researching issues on the creation/evolution controversy for over 30 years. My graduate research is in paleontology and fossil stratigraphy, although my studies have gone into many areas. Interestingly, I married into a fundamentalist Christian family. Once this community of believers found out who I was, I was blessed with literally hundreds of discussions/debates. A number of these encounters were quite intriguing.I hope you will enjoy my contribution to this forum. My plan is to review past discussions before getting too actively involved.All the best

Oh, I love archaeolgy!My background is invertebrate paleonology and fossil stratigraphy with the Hamilton Group in the Devonian Period. It's not exciting as vertebrate paleo and dinos, but it does help me discuss problems with flood geology.

No, it's just Jeff.Speaking of being thick skinned, my wife's uncle once called me a Satan worshipper in front of a crowded church. He got a little angry with me. He claimed I did not believe in the "plain truth" of a literal interpretation of Genesis. I replied, "Which particular literal interpretation are you referring to?" He said, "The most literal". I then said, "The biblical verse, 'go forth and multiply and replenish the earth' was actually first commanded to Adam (and not Noah). To not accept that God told Adam to "refill" the earth (thus, Adam was not the first) means to not accept the most literal interpretation."Not that I fully embrace this particular interpretation, but I am not too fond of restrictive literal interpretations.

Hi Buzsaw,Just by looking at these replies, this forum is beautifully diverse. This is awesome.Considering primates are made up of 60% water consisting of the exact chemical proportions as the oceans, these conversations should be worthwhile. Also, since the term "fundamentalist" finds its origins from "The Fundamentals" published in 1910-1915 focusing upon the Five Fundamentals, I would place myself in your camp. The difference is that the five fundamentals has nothing to do with the reality of nature. This is where we most likely part ways.Edited by Jeff Davis, : No reason given.

I am going to love it hear with all of these replies. I am in the middle of publishing a Jack the Ripper article, a book, and getting six kids off to school. My responses will be a little slow, but I think I've found a home.best,

Hi Slevesque,I was hoping someone would take the bate about this particular argument. Just as you stated, the composition of the oceans 365 million years ago was most likely different than today. Additionally, all tetrapods find their origins with lobe-finned riverine fish, so the composition should have less salt just as your statistics show.best,

Hi Minority Report,Genesis 1:22 conflicts with the YEC argument:And God blessed them, saying, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.Notice how the same phrase is used for sea creatures as it was with Adam and Noah with the exception of the word fill, rather than replenish. The original Hebrew word, male, was used in Genesis 1:22, but the King James translators consciously used the word fill instead of replenish. If the translators intended replenish to mean fill, then they would have used fill just as they did in Genesis 1:22.In the case of "restrictive", there are now over 30 thousand Christian denominations, with a new one popping up each week. Each one believes their "interpretation" of God's Word has been guided by the Holy Spirit. Even from a Christian perspective, most have misinterpreted something yet do not believe they have. The true meaning behind the verses are not so clear cut. In the case of Genesis, there are dozens of "literal" interpretations. When I talk about restrictive, it is when a literal interpretation dogmatically held on by YECs hijacks the thinking process. I have more.best,

It's all about genetics and the discovery of the Nogo-66 receptor (NgR) and homologous genes, so we'll discuss this later.best,

For the YECs,I am excited that you are on this forum. I once debated YEC Tim Wallace through his email (of course he never showed it on his website). He got so angry after about 10 emails that he refused to dialog with me again. My goal is to honestly discover the truth and quitting doesn't help.best,

"[Buzsaw] The word "fundamental," according to the Online Dictionary, is Of or relating to the foundation or base; elementary:. A Biblical fundamentalist holds to the most elementary literal fundamentals of the text.Something to think about before the topic is discussed: You have a problem with one word, replenish, whereas your hypothesis will be shown to counter many of the textual fundamentals of Genesis 1.In the meantime I suggest you check out the Hebrew/Aramaic manuscripts from which Genesis was translated. They don't use the term, replenish or anything implicating such, according to my Hebrew/Aramaic Interlinear of the Old Testament.Your fundy inlaws and wifie should like this.Talk to you later."Well Buzsaw, the most literal interpretation of the Bible comes from the geocentrists and the flat earthers. There are dozens of verses hinting at the Sun orbiting around the earth (I can list a dozen if you want), and at best two verses merely hinting the contrary. Why do you not embrace the most literal interpretation?Also, the Hebrew term for replenish is "male", so it is used.My fundi friends would merely find emptiness in these arguments.best,Edited by Jeff Davis, : No reason given.Edited by Jeff Davis, : No reason given.Edited by Jeff Davis, : No reason given.

Buzsaw,The following is the English translation of the Hebrew Bible in accordance with the Jewish Network. The keepers of the Hebrew Bible certainly translate the Hebrew word "male" to "replenish". To be perfectly honest Christian fundi's are the only ones arguing against this."28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'
29 And God said: 'Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed--to you it shall be for food;
30 and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, I have given every green herb for food.' And it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."