Science And Faith
with Bill Nugent 
Sometimes people's hearts are open more to logic or science, rather than Scripture. God has gifted Bill in bringing both together in a way we can understand.
Check with him each month for a different message.
DEFENDING THE FAITH #302
 
DNA MUTATION RATE
DISPROVES DARWINIAN EVOLUTION
by Bill Nugent
 
The recent mapping of the human genome (DNA) has been revolutionizing science and has immense practical applications in many fields, including law enforcement. You've certainly read that DNA evidence compellingly links perpetrators to crimes and sends them to jail. DNA evidence has set innocent people free. The DNA evidence also reveals the fatal flaws of Darwinism.
 
Did you know that each baby is born with twenty new genetic mutations? These are usually very minor "point" mutations that each involve only one nucleotide base pair in the DNA. These new point mutations are usually neutral or slightly harmful to the child. Nevertheless, it is very significant that mainstream geneticists are writing about the commonplace occurrence of mutations in DNA.
 
I will show that this generation by generation mutational deterioration of the DNA gives a major blow to the Darwinian evolution hypothesis.
 
Recently a German scientist attacked one of my articles on my blog over at Wordpress.com. He's affiliated with the Max Planck Institute of Berlin. He questioned what I wrote in an article about Haldane's Dilemma having to do with the large number of genetic differences between humans and chimpanzees. In his comments he acknowledged that a conservative estimate of the mutation rate is twenty glitches or copying errors in the DNA every generation. This is extraordinary and is clear evidence of genetic entropy. Scientists now generally agree that the DNA of humans is mutating rapidly.
 
All geneticists, whether evolutionary or creationist, agree that the overwhelming majority of mutations are harmful or neutral. Even the neutral mutations have not been proven to be totally harmless. Even neutral mutations constitute a subtle degradation of the genome.  
 
Cornell University geneticist, Dr. John Sanford, in his book Genetic Entropy, discusses, on page 26, the findings of a leading geneticist who sorted through thousands of mutations to find only 186 beneficial mutations versus 453,732 harmful mutations. That's a ratio of 2,439 harmful mutations to every one beneficial mutation. The upshot is that the human genome is devolving, not evolving.
 
Evolutionists claim that harmful mutations are being eliminated by natural selection but this is not true. The mildly harmful mutations only tend to be eliminated over generations. The truth is that scientists in the field of population genetics have found that bad mutations are gradually accumulating in human DNA.
 
Most of these point mutations are claimed to be neutral; they don't hurt us or help us. A point mutation involving the sequence of one base pair in a gene that codes for a protein would result only in a slightly modified protein that is still useful to the body. Yet, as I Mentioned earlier, even "neutral" mutations constitute a subtle degradation of the DNA with unknown overall consequences. However, some point mutations can be horribly crippling or deadly. The mapping of the human genome has shown that cystic fibrosis is caused by a random change of just three base pairs in a gene that codes for a 1,480 base pair long ion transport protein. 
 
There are nearly 4,000 diseases caused by DNA mutations and they are being studied all the time. How many beneficial mutations are being studied? Do a web search and you will find very few and even these beneficial mutations are not unequivocally beneficial. In other words, the "beneficial" mutations also affect some other biological pathways negatively.
 
Let's put this in theological perspective. The book of Genesis, in the third chapter, gives the historical narrative of man's fall into sin against God. This passage continues to describe the consequences of sin which is the curse. The curse manifests itself in many ways including the gradual breakdown and degradation of complex biological systems.
 
Operational geneticists of all theological persuasions or no theological persuasion observe the compelling evidence that the genome is degrading. The few beneficial mutations are crushed by an avalanche of neutral and harmful mutations. Furthermore, we must remember that mutations are errors that don't add new information to the DNA. Mutations don't add new base pairs that would add new organs to a body. Even gene duplication is a mere repeat of pre-existing information in the DNA. One cause of genetic mutations is radiation. Radiation doesn't carry nucleotide base pairs and add them to the DNA. Radiation damages DNA as it is synthesized and rearranges the sequence of base pairs that already exist in the DNA.
 
In short, the beneficial mutations are far too few in number and their failure to add new information renders the "beneficial mutation followed by natural selection" paradigm insufficient to account for the arrival and uphill change of living organisms.
 
There is much dissent against Darwinism in the scientific community. Many scientists have embraced Intelligent Design as a new paradigm and affiliate with the Discovery Institute of Seattle Washington.
 
Other scientists go further and believe in the Christian God as Creator. God has provided for forgiveness of sins by sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Christ came in fulfillment of over 300 prophecies that were written in the Old Testament hundreds of years before His birth. The prophets foretold that in His suffering and death on our behalf, Christ would take upon Himself the penalty we deserved for our sins, thus making atonement. "The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). He rose from the dead to offer forgiveness of sins to all who repent and call on His name. Turn to Christ today to receive forgiveness of sins!
 
Steps to salvation:
Jesus said "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7).

1) Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2) Believe that Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you, to take upon Himself the penalty of your sins (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18).
3) Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:13).
4) Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth (John 1:12, Acts 2:38).
5) Follow Jesus Christ as Lord (John 14:15).

Prayer to receive salvation:

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer: "Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen." 
If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!


Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA 
Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback! 
Info and ordering link available at his website: www.gracelawandsonship.com 

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From: B1E1Nugent@aol.com
Subject: Defending the Faith #301 The New Religion of Sex and Murder
Date: September 2, 2016 at 3:39:31 PM EDT
To: nooge5676@yahoo.com

DEFENDING THE FAITH #301
 
THE NEW RELIGION OF SEX 
AND MURDER
by Bill Nugent
 
Have you heard of the Four Horsemen of the New Atheism? The four horsemen are four of the most prominent atheists of the twenty-first century. The four men began using the term "four horsemen of the new atheism" after meeting together at Christopher Hitchens' home in 2007. The men are: prominent evolutionist Richard Dawkins (1941-  ), philosopher Daniel Dennett III (1942-  ), philosopher/neuroscientist Samuel Harris (1967-  ) and the late author Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011). They've invented a new secular religion.
 
Atheists say that God is dead. If God is dead, someone has to take His place. The new god is the self. But then, does the self have any transcendant worth or absolute morals? The postmodern American secular self is driven by megalomania and erotomania. They claim people are descended from apes. Why not act like apes?
 
The four horsemen are leaders of the "new atheists." The new atheists are an outspoken breed of secularists. Some of these radicals have openly called for the suppression of Christianity in America. One prominent new atheist even defended the killing of Christians. Mark Tushnet, a "progressive scholar" of Harvard University opined that "The culture wars are over; they lost, we won." I've got news for him; the culture wars are not over. Truth will win in the end.
 
Richard Dawkins and the other contemporary atheistic thinkers pride themselves on reason, empiricism and science. It's ironic that they would be concerned to try and shape society given that they regard human beings as nothing more than soulless descendants of apes. If they really believe humans are merely intelligent animals why go to such lengths to protect them? Why all the books and lectures and demands for gay marriage and  abortion?
 
We butcher and eat billions of cattle, pigs, chickens and fish each year. No one cares. The animal rights movement is a tiny fringe movement and even most of them don't want to outright ban pork chops. Western people have traditionally regarded humans as a higher order of being because humans have souls and animals do not. Animals have no conscious existence in the afterlife. Animals have no future according to the traditional view. 
 
Atheists claim that humans have no conscious existence in the afterlife according to the Humanist Manifesto of 1933. Atheists claim that humans are like animals and have no future after death. I guess they would say Hitler and Stalin got away with it all.
 
If humans have no future, humans have no transcendant value. The new atheists, if they really took their belief system to its logical conclusion would not be social activists. The only rational response of the sincere atheist would be apathy.
 
Could it be that even the most militant atheists intuitively know deep in their hearts that humans do have souls and therefore humans have real value after all? Could these new atheists secretly believe that humans do have a conscious existence after death and the eternal souls of people were put there by God and all souls are accountable to God? The Bible in Romans 1:20 says that God has made Himself known to all people through nature and that "they are without excuse." Romans 1:18 says that certain people "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (NAS). The atheists know the truth deep in their hearts yet they suppress it.
 
Ted Koppel of ABC's Nightline said a few years back, in his famous statement about the Ten Commandments: "They are the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions." Many people, all across the religious and political spectrum applauded Koppel's brave, slightly politically incorrect statement. After all, who could be against the Ten Commandments?
 
It was a "few years back" that Koppel made his claim. Recent developments in the course of western civilization, especially in academia, have given the clear impression that our mind molders are trying to repeal the seventh commandment which states "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Many, if not most, of these same opinion shapers are also trying to repeal the sixth commandment which reads: "Thou shalt not kill."
 
Have you ever noticed that most of what we've been arguing about in the political arena regarding social issues has been about sex? There's been furious battles over gay marriage and the commands of city governments to allow men in women's locker rooms if the men are transgendered. The seventh commandment, which forbids adultery has generally been understood to be taken as a summation of the prohibition of all sexual deviancy. The seventh commandment forbids fornication and homosexual acts which are elsewhere specifically forbidden in scripture.
 
The secular mind shapers also seem to be trying to repeal the sixth commandment that forbids murder. Unwanted pregnancy is what follows rampant fornication and adultery. The answer to that is murder of the unborn by abortion.
 
The Ten Commandments, down through history, have had an enormous influence on the formation of English common law and American jurisprudence. You can certainly argue that the western democracies are far from being Christian now but one would certainly concede that western governmental philosophy has sprung from the Judeo-Christian faith over the last two millennia. It's a shame that we now see the new atheists attempt to impose a new secular religion of sex and murder.
 
Popular Christian author, Frank Turec has said that the American secular religion is a religion of idolatry of sex. Sex is what we most passionately argue about in politics and the culture wars. We debate over abortion, gay marriage, coed bathrooms and who should pay for contraceptives. Turec says that most people are not on a truth quest but are on a happiness quest; but they should know that the greatest happiness comes through discovering the truth.
 
Jesus Christ offers not shallow religion but rather a deep personal relationship with God. Jesus offers forgiveness of sins because He died for our sins. Jesus came in fulfillment of over 300 prophecies written in the Old Testament hundreds of years before His birth. The prophecies foretold that in His suffering and death, Jesus would take the penalty of our sins upon Himself. Christ was raised from the dead to offer forgiveness of sins to all who turn to Him in repentance. Turn to Christ today to receive forgiveness of sins!
 
Steps to salvation:
Jesus said "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7).

1) Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2) Believe that Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you, to take upon Himself the penalty of your sins (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18).
3) Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:13).
4) Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth (John 1:12, Acts 2:38).
5) Follow Jesus Christ as Lord (John 14:15).

Prayer to receive salvation:

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer: "Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen." 
If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!


Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA 
Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback! 
Info and ordering link available at his website: www.gracelawandsonship.com 

Back issues of Defending the Faith archived on website. <>{
(C) 2016 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.
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