Greene's Creationism Truth Filter  
Let us discern for ourselves
   what is right;
let us learn together
   what is good.
       —  Job 34.4
The heart of the discerning
   acquires knowledge;
the ears of the wise
   seek it out.
    —  Proverbs 18.15
Site Navigation
 Home
 Links
 Essays & Articles
 "LUR List" Discussion
on YEC
 "CreationProcessAge"
Archive on YEC
 Poetry
 Email Me

[ Sign GuestBook ]
[ Read GuestBook ]
GuestBook by
TheGuestBook.com
 Visitor # 
Counter

The Mars-List Discussion on Creationism
(Introduction & Table Of Contents)
"mars-list" (derived from the Mars Hill reference in the New Testament book of Acts) is a listserv email discussion list. Like the LUR List creationism discussion that I participated in which you can read at this website (LUR List creationism discussion), mars-list is run by members of the Church Of Christ. However, you will see that the "flavor" of this mars-list discussion is significantly different from the LUR List discussion. While there are still a couple of obstinate YECs (there's even a geocentrist!) participating in mars-list, most of these YECs are at least willing to acknowledge a few things. As a result, unlike the discussion in the LUR List forum, this discussion progresses beyond the stage of getting YECs to acknowledge that SN1987A does constitute a significant problem. Later on we get into some substantial discussion of the apparent age concept.
All posts are mine, except for the posts and comments of others which I was directly responding to.
While the Church of Christ is certainly conservative and committed to biblical inerrancy, please don't take from the discussion shown here the idea that young earth creationism is an "official creed" of the Church of Christ. As is occurring among the members of many other conservative churches, members and congregations of the Church of Christ are "struggling" over this issue. A few Church of Christ congregations openly support views different from the creed of young earth creationism. Additionally, unlike most churches, the Church of Christ has no hierarchy. Each congregation is autonomous. Since there is no organizational entity with any religious authority in the Church of Christ beyond each individual congregation, there is no "body" that decides on or dictates any kind of official creed for the church. (However, young earth creationism "exclusivism" is alive and well in the Church of Christ.) As you will see, my criticisms are directed at the young earth creationism doctrine and at the attitudes of many young earth creationists, and not at the Church of Christ. (Yes, the geocentrists are decreasing in numbers and influence, but it's a slow thing.)
If I have any criticism toward the Church of Christ in general, it would be this: What is it about the prevailing attitudes engendered in your particular "religious culture" that makes such common and blatant misrepresentation as this acceptable and respectable? To other people you preach adamantly (and, I believe, rightly) that they should examine the truth and take it for what it is, regardless of what they personally believe. Is that nothing more than a Sunday morning sermon?
The interesting and intriguing aspect of the ancient universe in the context of discussing the young earth creed is that when astronomers look out into the universe, they are literally observing the past. The trivial example is that the sun you see in the sky right now is actually the sun as it was about 8 minutes ago. The more distant the astronomical entity that is being observed, the farther in the past it is. Therefore, young earth advocates really have their work cut out for them in trying to deal with this particular aspect of reality.
Is there any way in which young earth advocates can deal with this? Read on...
There are dozens of posts in this discussion. I have broken them up into 15 web pages, to ease the download. Each page contains its own Table Of Contents, and the entire Table Of Contents of all posts is included below.
 [ TOC ]   [ PART 1 ]   [ PART 2 ]   [ PART 3 ]   [ PART 4 ]   [ PART 5 ] 
 [ PART 6 ]   [ PART 7 ]   [ PART 8 ]   [ PART 9 ]   [ PART 10 ]   [ PART 11 ] 
 [ PART 12 ]   [ PART 13 ]   [ PART 14 ]   [ PART 15 ]   [ HOME ]   
When you subscribe to the mars-list discussion group you receive a "Welcome to Mars-List" message, which includes the following comments (9/5/98):
PLEASE NOTE: Though Mars-List is a private list as far as MTSU is concerned, realize that when you submit something for list distribution you are posting before the PUBLIC. List owners will retain the right of distribution. As long as you share the list--as the list--you are permitted to distribute material from Mars-List. It would be considerate to obtain consent from the original author first. Do not post private letters to the list for further discussion unless you either get permission from the original author, or you remove all personal references so that it is anonymous.
The Desire
We wish to continue in the Markslist request that Mars-List is a place where brethren are free to discuss controversial issues, and we hope that they will do so with respect for one another and in the "gentleness and meekness of Christ." This is not the 'Jesus turning over tables' list.
We desire that Mars-List will be a good resource as well as a "place" of good-spiritedness. Remember that occasionally those who do NOT share a "like precious faith" are on the list. What they see on the list may be how they view all Christians.
In regard to "fair use", as part of the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) [Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.htm]:
(Sec. 107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use:-
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include -
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(This page created 2/24/01. Currently under construction.)

The Mars-List Discussion on Creationism
Table Of Contents
(all posts, Parts 1-15)
  -» -» -»   UNDER CONSTRUCTION   «- «- «-  
  -» -» -»   UNDER CONSTRUCTION   «- «- «-