Saturday, December 05, 2009

 

Pearls Before ...


A 1.8 million year-old ground sloth skull was discovered near Beaumont, California, according to this story from the San Bernardino Sun, "Fossil find in Beaumont fuels earth age debate." The fossil dates from the Ice Age and is the first ground sloth to be discovered west of the Rockies. Not everyone is pleased:

Creationists who believe the earth is only about 10,000 years old balk at talk about the fossil's age.

Among them is Frank Sherwin, a writer and speaker with the Dallas-based Institute for Creation Research.

Sherwin, who holds a master's in zoology from the University of Northern Colorado, said while such findings are exciting, claims made about the ancient date of the skull should be met with skepticism.

"The fossil record doesn't document these alleged millions and millions of years the evolutionists talk about," Sherwin said.

His organization believes man and animals were created at virtually the same time. Secular scientists stumble over the complexities of the natural world and continue to adjust the age of the earth to fit their theories, Sherwin said.

Drat those scientists! Constantly changing their theories! And the shocking evidence of their perfidy is:

He noted that most secular scientists today date the earth at about 4.5 billion years, in contrast to Charles Darwin and his peers, who about 150 years ago argued whether the earth was 20 million years old or 200 million years old.

No doubt Mr. Sherwin, should he need an operation, will reject anesthesia and the quaint notion of sterilization and have his procedure done the way it would have been done when Darwin was in medical school, before the fickle medical profession adjusted its practices to its theories!

Then the story goes into the existence of creationist accommodationists who allow for an old Earth and how that's better for the faith of young people. There is much drivel to go around and the story, which ostensibly was about an interesting fossil find degenerates into a theological squabble.

And people wonder why Americans are so scientifically illiterate.
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Comments:
The fossil dates from the Ice Age and is the first ground sloth to be discovered west of the Rockies.

Huh? There are numerous ground sloths known from the La Brea tar pits, so somethings not quite right there.
 
It seemed strange to me too but I wasn't up on ground sloths. Perhaps the scientists were talking about a particular species or group? Or the reporter just might be as big a moron as his take on the story indicates ...
 
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