Scripture for Today, 1-7-19: Evolution & Birds

How to Conclude Evolution is Truth
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The techniques used by phylogeneticists to make their ‘trees’ laden with evolutionary conclusions; they simply assume that evolution is a fact and then stuff their data into their algorithms, which will always produce an evolutionary result.
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Bible says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

Genesis 1:1-2, 27; Psalm 33:6, 90:2, 121:1-2; Isaiah 40:28; Amos 9:6; Revelation 5:13
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Dr Jon Ahlquist is a molecular biologist, ornithologist and artist who before his retirement specialized in molecular phylogenetics. With a B.S. from Cornell University, M.S. and Ph.D. from Yale University (all in biology) he subsequently taught and researched at Yale. He taught ornithology, comparative vertebrate anatomy, avian biology, mammalogy, animal ecology, conservation biology, principles of systematic biology, systematic zoology, molecular evolution, and molecular systematics. He was a strong believer in evolution although claims he was never an atheist.

As an evolutionist, Dr Ahlquist agreed with creationists who pointed out that even at 98%, the genetic differences between apes and humans were still huge; tens of millions of DNA ‘letters.’ Great similarity of DNA is not surprising, given the similarity in form and function between the two. However, that similarity is not evidence for common ancestry.

At just 15 years of age, a mentor [who wore his faith on his sleeve] organized a one-man show of 30 of Jon's best paintings. Especially given his age, Jon’s efforts were seen as newsworthy. His now much higher profile helped him sell most of the paintings. His mentor was editor of the school’s weekly newspaper writing many editorials touching on spiritual matters. His valedictorian graduation speech was evangelical in a nutshell: "You are now going out into the world. What are you going to choose—God or mammon?" There were about a dozen direct references to Christ.

Despite espousing evolution, in 1988, he says he was not an atheist ... I was a ‘theistic evolutionist.’ I thought I could simply place the DNA evidence on a secular time scale. You could reasonably accuse me of ‘fence sitting’ and be correct. Molecular evidence of any sort proves nothing about evolution. We all have the same data, the difference is how we interpret it. ​Jon admits he did not think deeply about the ramifications of theistic evolution he said:

"Once it was pointed out to me that it meant the existence of evil and death before Adam and Eve, and was therefore biblically impossible, I felt quite stupid."

He was also challenged on the science by an astute Bible teacher who pointed out to Jon that the problem was not with the data, it was the interpretation forced upon it. 

"Once I got it into my thick skull that Darwinism is just one more humanistic philosophy from the "Enlightenment," designed to write God out of everything, the battle was over. It’s not even science, it’s political ideology and demagoguery—end of story. The Holy Spirit had forced me off the fence."

​Dr Jon Ahlquist is now a believer in the YOUNG EARTH creationism (YEC) a religious belief, which holds that the universe, Earth and all life on Earth, were created by direct acts of God less than 10,000 years ago about 4000 years old not millions. 

Jon now says the bottom line is:
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“It’s all a part of the Lord’s amazing design.” 

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
Romans 1:20 

​More here and here