When we arrived at our campground last night, we discovered
that it had once been a refueling air base for American pilots during
WWII. In fact, the entire area held
special significance during WWII.
Placentia was also the place where President Theodore Roosevelt and
Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter, which was the
precursor for NATO. While not much
remains to be seen, it was an honor to set foot on the ground where so many
heroes had once stood.
We determined to travel to another green dot on the map
today. With name similar to the gannet
colony’s “ecological reserve,” we
assumed that this, too, would offer some amazing wildlife. So we traveled through the southeastern barrens,
a rolling and mostly treeless landscape, onto the Fortune Head Ecological
Preserve.
When we arrived, we saw a retired lighthouse and a viewing
platform with a few interpretive signs.
A car with four folks in it was just leaving. One of the occupants asked if we knew about
the site.
David told them, “No… we were just following a green dot on
the map.”
“So were we!” one exclaimed.
They kindly directed us to walk the trail below the viewing deck to see
the magnificent rock formations.
Rock formations? We
did the walk. Here is a photo of what we
saw:
 |
| Newfoundland's Fortune Head Rock Formations |
Okay… it was hardly the wildlife that I expected to find
here. But, wanting to be a good sport, I
stood in the gale-force winds and began reading the interpretive signs. Unfortunately for you, my dear readers, it
rankled me to the point that the soapbox has been pulled out yet once again,
and I must write…
The interpretive signs explained that these rock formations
on Fortune Head were the “best location in the world to study the stacked
appearance of trace fossils, small shelly fossils, and Cambrian microfossils.”
It further stated as fact that Fortune Head fossils
illustrate the evolution of life from simple Precambrian organisms to complex
Cambrian lifeforms to the present state of man.
For those of you who know me best, I was appalled. I wanted to shout… “Evolution of man from an
amoeba or some chemical is a THEORY… not a proven fact!”
This particular plaque offers a certain point of view… not
proven science. So often when David and
I travel, we find this sort of drivel.
There is no balance in an offering, only one point of view. I feel that it is a travesty that the people
who posted this edict made no mention that evolution was a theory… instead
offering it as simple fact without question.
Based on my research, it is truly a stretch to say that the
Precambrian fossils are the precursor to the human beings that we see
today. In fact, there is not even a
proven link between the soft-bodied fossils of the Precambrian age to the complex
animal fossils of the Cambrian explosion.
Evolution is not the only argument supported by strong
evidence. For those who do not believe
there is a God, evolution is their answer… but for those of us who do believe
in a creator God, there are certainly other explanations.
I admit that I am not a sedimentologist… but I consider it
an honor to call one of the greatest sedimentology minds in the nation my
friend. If John stood with me at this
moment, I know for certain that he would be able to guide me through each formation
and its meaning. John’s gift is to take a rock and make its story come alive,
explaining the mysteries God has chosen to reveal in it.
The fact is, evolution simply does not explain the origin of
man. Based on my research… from reading
more books than I can count, viewing dozens of documentaries, and sitting at
the feet of some brilliant minds to learn from them… I am convinced that evolution
is a debatable theory.
I encourage you to do the same homework. If you would like a beginning place, may I
suggest renting the Illustra DVD Darwin’s
Dilemma from your local library. If
you prefer reading books, here are three excellent choices: Lee Strobel’s Case
for a Creator, Steve Myer’s Icons of
Evolution, or, for young readers, a book by Bickel and Jantz called Creation & Evolution 101. If you need more references, please let me
know.
As for David and I?
We are definitely going to investigate those little green dots on the
maps a bit more before trekking out to see one!
I feel better for having written this… thank you, dear friends, for offering me a moment to do so. The soapbox has now been put away. Good night and sweet dreams!
Thanks for sharing your point of view about creation. It's the first time I've heard the either/or polarization of evolution versus belief in the creator God. Please remember that many lovers of God don't find conflict between the two. But, yes, I agree evolution should be stated as a working theory. Working theories typically get stated as facts only to be overturned as additional evidence comes to light. In fifty years we'll all laugh about how antiquated our 'facts' were!
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate your comment and thanks for responding. Unfortunately there has been, indeed, a deep polarization between the theory of evolution and Intelligent Design or a Creator God. When I was in school (and perhaps you, too), evolution was taught as a theory. My young high school and college friends tell me that they now feel that they must leave their faith outside the door to their science classroom. College professors who believe in Intelligent Design (including one that I know) have been chastised and in some cases denied tenure for their beliefs (for more details, view Ben Stein’s documentary, EXPELLED).
ReplyDeleteHow did we get to this degree of polarization? Mostly because of a group of evolutionists euphemistically called the “four horsemen” (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens) who have declared themselves to be new atheists. They believe that everything should be analyzed strictly through scientific inquiry and advocate that “religion should not simply be tolerated but should be countered, criticized, and exposed by rational argument wherever its influence arises.”
As for me, I feel that the pendulum has swung as far as it can go from the days of the Scopes Monkey Trials… and that the resulting cultural impact has been a tragedy for us all.