Customer Reviews

Darwin's Leap of Faith: Exposing the False Religion of Evolution

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This book is not academic but quite popular, this may be why it consists for a great part of cutting and pasting citations. This is acceptable in the first part of the book, where they show much evidence for persecution in the American society of those who do not believe in "evolution". They succeed here also in showing the tenets and cultural impacts of the religion of evolution, (although I would rather recommend Johnson's Reason in the Balance.) The trouble begins with the part on the empirical evidence for evolution, which is not impressive (I would rather recommend Denton's Evolution, or Johnson's Darwin.) And the authors miss the major argument (failing to show the incompatibility of evolution with some of the most basic truths such as consciousness, morality, free will, beauty, rationality, as O'Hear does in his Beyond Evolution.) And the parts on the Big Bang or on geology ("flood geology") are catastrophic. I doubt the authors understand much about this issues. I would rather recommend other books (in the direction of Intelligent Design), but this present book may satisfy Young Earth Creationists.

I value much the apologetic efforts and courage of the authors, as their site and TV show, but I hope they will become more critical of Young Earth Creationism, it does more evil to Christianity by discreting it, in my opinion.

I normally don't read books (or watch movies, for that matter) that have litle promise. When I went to the Christian bookstore to look at the available material on the subject of Creationism (vs. Evolutionism), I encountered a variety of possibilities, including those books writen by Behe and Johnson. However, I determined that they were too involved for my non-scientific mind to comprehend.

Then, when I saw Leap of Faith, I thought this would be more my style, as it is more apologetic and less scientific. However, I must say that I was disappointed in Leap of Faith. I kept waiting for it to deliver what I thought it would, but the authors really seemed to concentrate on showing the bias Evolutionists have toward Creationists. The vast majority of what I read was not very new. The clip and paste technique of the many quotes became very tedious, and I found myself doing more skimming than close reading.

In addition, I found several grammar/structure errors that made this book appear rushed. The note preceding the "Notes" on page 351 said there was a temporary loss of the author's library, making some citations incomplete. This concerned me. Would it not have been better to have taken the time to find these lost items or else dump the quotes/information in question? I thought so. Maybe these are little things, but I wondered how closely the authors/editors fine-tuned this book. (It's amazing to me, though, to read on the back cover how Mr. Weldon has authored/coauthored more than 75 books! Perhaps this explains the lack of detail.)

The authors also gave little room for disagreement. While I hold to a young earth and no possibility of Theistic Evolution as they do, I wish they would have been a little more fair in explaining the other views on creation. While I don't minimize the importance of the necessity of believing that God is the Creator of the world (and Evolution could therefore not be true, since it is based on naturalism and secular humanism and is therefore atheistic in nature), I sometimes wonder if we Christians too often major on the minor points (i.e. expending endless energy defending a literal 7-day creation vs. the possibility of an older earth). I'm sure the authors would disagree with me on this.

I guess if I really want to tackle the issue, I should consider taking some time and reading "Darwin's Black Box" (on my bookshelf--it looks good, but it scares me!) or other fine works on the subject.

I came looking for evidence to support Creationism and left empty handed. The authors continuously miss quote others in their poorly reasoned diatribe. Most of the quotes are from secondary sources and while there are notes referencing the sources there is no bibliography. The book is void of evidence, even in the sectionstitled "Creation Evidence" It is apparent that the authors have not read Darwin of if they did read him they did not understand what they read. They assign him intentions which he explicitly denies in his writings. All in all, the book is a great disappointment, lacking in evidence and filled with poorly reasoned attacks on evolution. I would suggest you save your money, even a good creationist will be disappointed by this book.

I came looking for evidence to support Creationism and left empty handed. The authors continuously miss quote or take quotes out of context. Most of their sources are secondary and while there are notes referencing the sources there is no bibliography or index. The book is void of evidence, even in the sections titled "Creation Evidence". It is apparent that the authors either did not read Darwin or misunderstood what they did read. They cosistantly mischaracterize his studies and writings, and they assign him intentions and thoughts which he explicitlly denies in his writings. All in all, the book is a disappointment. I would suggest you save your money.

In recent years more and more scientists in many specialties have spoken out against naturalism or vertical evolution [also known as macroevolution]. Geneticists, mathematicians, cosmologists, astronomers, philosophers, physicists, and even some in the areas of biology, anthropology, and other fields have voiced doubts as to whether naturalistic Darwinian evolution has any real evidence or merit. Unfortunately the public [and media] really misses the main issue, which is NOT the Bible versus science, but whether purely natural processes are responsible for all that we see, both living and non-living. It is not a 6-day creation religious belief versus the "facts" of science but the FACTS of SCIENCE which show incredible design and coding versus a happenstance event--or actually quadrillions of random events, all happening as if by design, to create a complex living creature that can reproduce itself.... This is but 3% of my review at criticalreviews.com an Amazon associate. Check it out under Book Reviews, Science

This book can be a good introduction for those who are relatively new to being exposed to the fallacies of the evolutionary theory. The book can be broken down into two basic sections. The first section shows the obvious bias of evolutionists against creationists. With some of the statements the evolutionary community accepts, one has to wonder how they can call any creationist "close minded". This is perhaps the best section to read for those who have no idea that the evolutionists are militant in their beliefs. The second section deals with the specifics of how evolution cannot only be improbable, but impossible. This gives some hard "ammo" for creationists to debate evolutionists. The largest problem with the second section, is the authors seem to grapple with how deep they will dicuss the issues. As the book at times seems more like a C.S. Lewis book, it will at this point lose the everyday person who is reading this book as an overview of evolution. Nevertheless, I would recommend the book, simply because of the wealth of knowledge it contains. Many authors and scientists are quoted in detail throughout the book. This gives us an excellent sample of many of our most educated minds. But I couldn't help but feel at times that about 30 pages should have been chopped off the book. This would steamline the book a little more, and the reader would probably not become "bogged down" with certain sections.

I will simply say that, just using their quotes from atheists, the authors present an excellent prima facie case against evolution. Yes, evolutionists admit they have no missing links. Yes, evolutionists admit that Archaeopteryx was indeed a bird. Yes, evolutionists disagree on so many things that it is obvious they are desperate. Also, I wish the people that accuse the authors of misquoting sources would offer some proof. This book is not necessarily a book about creationism, but a book against evolution. The atheists' reviews of this book are obviously so closed-minded that I doubt their validity. Heck, the least they could do is say a few good things about it. The fact that they rip it to shreds indicates (to me, anyway) closed-mindedness. On the down side, this book does contain some quotes that are semi-pointless and prove nothing. However, good job, for the most part.

Wonderful book. Exposes the true colors of Darwinism and shows that it's a religion more then a scientific theory. Their best evidence is no evidence and it seems very clear.

John Ankerberg and Weldon do a great job in presenting their case, and this book should be read widely (it's sold enough copies). Great for both evolutionists and creationists alike.

Very powerful, thought-provoking, and intellegent. Also suggested:

"Evolution: A Theory in Crisis" by Dr. Michael Denton. (1986)

"Nature's Destiny" by Dr Michael Denton (1998)

"Darwin's Black Box" by Dr. Michael Behe (1996)

"Darwin on Trial" by Professor Phillip Johnson (1991)

"Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds" by Professor Phillip Johnson (1997)

"Not By Chance" by Dr. Lee Spetner (1985)

"The Natural Limits to Biologic Change" by Lane P. Lester (1987?)

"The Answers Book" by Ken Hamm and co. (1996)

"The Genesis Flood" by Dr. Henry Morris and Dr. J.C Witcomb (1970?)

This is one of the best books about the creation/evolution controversy on the market. This book contains a detailed analysis of the current evolutionary theory. It examines the influence of evolutionary ideas in society, the politics of science, and the scanty evidence for the theory.

This well-documented book exposes the lack of evidence for evolutionary theory and shows that evolution is not even a good hypothesis. It also shows that evolutionary theory fails logical analysis (by listing 12 logical fallacies committed by evolutionists, pp 143-144).

If you are looking for a book that will help you to understand the debate, this is definitely the book to buy.

This book is primarily a sampling of some of the literature available on the creation/evolution issue, such as The Long War Against God, Bones of Contention, The Origin of Species Revisited, Darwin's Black Box, etc. It mainly consists of quotes from many sources, and little by way of original analysis that hasn't been expressed in any of the other works. As such, it is a helpful introduction to the issues and a good springboard from which to explore some of these more detailed works. As a collection of many different viewpoints, it does serve as a good argument against evolution from many different areas. This quote sums up the book pretty well:

"'It is unfair, unethical, and demeaning to science as a profession for evolutionists to incessantly charge creation scientists with quoting out of context, misquoting, distorting science, and telling outright falsehoods. These tactics are simply an admission of weakness on the part of evolutionists and of their inability to refute scientific challenges to their sagging theory. If the facts are on their side, they should simply state the facts, and the facts would speak for themselves.' [-Gish]" (56)

There were a couple of things I found interesting. In 1992 Ankerberg edited out Stephen Austin's work from a video and book he was working on, in favor of Hugh Ross. Currently (2007) Ankerberg continues to endorse Ross' organization and has himself made several old-earth statements. This book was published right in the middle of these two landmarks (in 1998), and has some interesting features. The recommended reading list contains a book by Austin, but nothing by Ross. In fact, the book specifically mentions him: "Again, many Christians believe God used the Big Bang to create the universe and even that it fits perfectly with Genesis. Astronomer Hugh Ross is probably best known for this view... To the contrary, biblically speaking, is there anything to suggest that God did not use the Big Bang event to create the universe? In fact there is." (270) This to close an entire chapter devoted to the scientific case against the big bang. Ankerberg has also made statements against a literal 24-hour creation day. This book, on the other hand, explicitly states many times the strong scientific and biblical arguments for a literal 24 hour day creation, 6,000 year old universe, and a global flood. He recommends several young-earthers in his book list (Wise, Austin, Morris, etc.) I'm confused. Not about the scientific and biblical evidence, (which seems clearly to support a young earth/global flood), but about John Ankerberg, and where he actually stands on these issues, and why he published this book? It seems kind of two faced to me.

One other area of interest in this book, gleaned from several quotes he took:

"Society for Amateur Scientists `...that life has adapted and changed through time is as well established as the fact that the earth goes round the sun.'" (68)

"Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal: `Evolution...is as well established in science as are the principle of gravity and the fact that the earth orbits the sun....Virtually no active scientist challenges the fact that evolution has occurred." (68)

"Another prominent evolutionist, Sir Julian Huxley, claimed in his famous keynote address at the Darwin Centennial held in 1959 at the University of Chicago, "The first point to make about Darwin's theory is that it is no longer a theory, but a fact. No serious scientist would deny the fact that evolution has occurred, just as he would not deny the fact that the earth goes around the sun." (72)

"Finally, Marston Bates of Harvard University said in his The Nature of Natural History 91950, p.222) that as far as the evidence for evolution is concerned, `there is no more question of this among contemporary scientists than there is of the relative movements of the planets within the solar system.'" (73)

"California Academy of Sciences: `The appropriate place in the science curriculum for the notion that organisms have been designed is the same as that for the notion that the earth is located at the center of the universe.'" (84)

"As atheist Richard Dawkins, author of The Blind Watchmaker and The Selfish Gene, asserts: `The theory is about as much in doubt as [that] the earth goes around the sun.'" (119)

But interestingly:

"Evolutionary cosmologists and astrophysicists cannot explain how, in an exploding universe, matter could ever become concentrated into the intricate systems we see. For example, the M13 globular star cluster contains an estimated one million suns. About 100 such star clusters are known and they apparently surround our galaxy on all sides. `When the distribution of these objects is plotted, it is found that they form a nearly spherical system and that the center of this system is identical with the center of our galaxy.' [-Astronomy, July 1997]" (256-7)

The authors address these quotes, and many others by evolutionary groups, in the context of their argument. Perhaps if the authors would investigate the facts surrounding the current consensus regarding the structure of the solar system and even the universe, they could write another book: "Copernicus' Leap of Faith: Exposing the False Religion of Geokineticism." I won't hold my breath.