Customer Reviews

In Six Days : Why 50 Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

"In Six Days", for those wishing to understand "young earth" creation theories, provides thought-provoking questions and answers. As with any book that looks at a highly charged issue, it is important to come to it with an open mind. That many reviewers here on both sides of the issue cannot keep from vehemently pointing fingers at each other says nothing about the actual content of "In Six Days", unfortunately, so I hope this review can find some middle ground. Rather than making this review simply another in a line of rabid apologetics for one side or the other, I hope to relate whether the book succeeds in accomplishing what it intends.

To create this book, many Christian scientists (of various disciplines) from around the world were asked "Why do you believe in a literal six-day biblical creation as the origin of life on earth?" The fifty best responses ultimately were included.

Sadly, this format makes "In Six Days" less than useful - on any level. The answers provided resemble testimonies rather than useful scientific analyses. Respondents tended to repeat each other, answer too generally, or (conversely) too technically on a single point. Further compounding the problems of the book, the great majority of the scientists refer to points outside their own discipline. If I were looking for serious answers to important questions about a six-day creation, would I want to read a mechanical engineer's musings on organic chemistry? Probably not. This book would be infinitely more helpful if the question had been posed as "What are five discoveries within your field of expertise that point specifically to a six-day creation?" But as phrased here, the original question automatically leads to unfocused answers.

In truth, only about twenty of the respondents provide compelling arguments. Of those twenty, half spoke about ideas outside their disciplines. That doesn't leave the reader with much unimpeachable "ammunition" to counter evolutionists.

This is not to say that nothing here satisfies. Twenty percent of the respondents had compelling information that either casts doubt on treasured pro-evolution precepts or supports a God-inspired young earth. Unfortunately, for those that have some passing knowledge of the Creation vs. Evolution hysteria, few of those ten scientists had anything new to contribute to the body of work out there already in the pro-creation community. For this reason, it must be assumed that this book is intended for people who have never explored the claims of creationists. Given some of the issues already mentioned, the result is less than stellar.

And this is a shame since there are many excellent books that make strong arguments for the creation viewpoint. Several of the scientists quoted in "In Six Days" refer to these books. My question is then: "Why not skip 'In Six Days' and just read those more scholarly and better-constructed books?" One book, "Darwin's Black Box", was mentioned repeatedly - it's probably a good bet.

If you have some knowledge of the debate, pass on this book. If you know someone who is asking questions and doesn't have a tremendously technical bent, "In Six Days" might work for them in spots. Otherwise, there are increasingly more pro-creation, young earth, and intelligent design books out there that offer the reader a better use of their time.

From my experience working in a laboratory with scientists I have learned that many scientists accept the world view of those around them, which is often called evolutionary naturalism. They see this world view as natural and valid partly because they are unfamiliar with the intelligent design world view, but also because of the tendency to accept the greatly distorted picture of creationists commonly presented by the media. Most scientists have little familiarity with the estimated 10,000 conservative creationists and the other 30,000 creationist scientists in America alone. This book consists of brief discussions to introduce the reader to the evidence behind the creation worldview, and as a result helps the reader to understand the thinking process of these estimated 40,000 creation scientists. The common response to ideas that we are unfamiliar with is to react emotionally, and reject as out of hand the unfamiliar views. This tendency is apparent in some reviews of this book (although to compare a theistic world view with the Nazi scientists that rejected Einstein's ideas is a cheap shot). This book is a must for all persons interested in this rapidly growing international movement. It helps the reader to understand why so many scientists now accept some form of intelligent design. The book contains a balance of scientists from a wide variety of backgrounds. In harmony with the trend towards pluralism, it would seem that more effort should be expended to understanding this often misunderstood and commonly maligned minority. This book will help remedy this gap.

John Ashton does his best, but he can't even come up with 50 scientists who support a young earth without including botanists, horticulture scientists, and mechanical engineers. Actually, fewer than half of the scientists presented in this book make specific arguments against an old earth. Their testimonials are sincere, but far from convincing for anyone looking for actual scientific evidence.

Ashton, like all of the other answersingenesis crowd, suffers from an all or nothing mentality when it comes to supporting creation. Either one must swallow a narrow-minded interpretation of Genesis based on flawed hermeneutics, or one must reject God.

Any reader who is looking for an honest evaluation of science within a Christian context will find nothing helpful here. If you are specifically looking for 50 scientists with evidence based arguments against an old earth, you won't find that anywhere.

I found "In 6 Days.. to be an outstanding collection of essays by noteworty scientists from a variety of disciplines. Perspectives from Mechanical engineers, Biochemists, Mathematicians, Zoologists, Meteorologists, Medical Researchers, etc. are represented. Serveral of the scientists are well known for their excellent work in promoting Creation Science (like Dr. John Morris, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, and Dr. Werner Gitt). And, this assortment of scientists quickly dispels the common myth that "good scientists" do not believe in a literal understanding of the book of Genesis and how we all got here. Though the essays do become technical at times (which is to be expected...and appreciated) they are always explained and not above the understanding of the layman. For example, Dr. Ed Holroyd, PhD in Atmospheric science, explains his fascination with the stars and their proof for, not only the supernatural creation of them, but very recently. He relates:

"...there is an interesting phenomenon among the stars that gives a time scale in agreement with that in the Bible. By watching other galaxies of similar composition to our own, we know aboiut how often there are supervovae explosions in our Milky Way because of the nebula remnants of the explosions. We can calculate that we should be able to detect those nebulae for millions of years before they diffuse and blend into the background. Our radio telescopes can see through the dust with ease and detect many more supernova remnant than we can see at optical wavelengths. How many supernova remnants are out htere in our own galaxy? There are only enough for about 7000, not millions of years of explosions."

And such statements are made over and over again in the book with clarity and punch. From the design complexity of DNA, to the make up of intelligent language, to the improbabilities of evolution vs. the 2nd law of thermodynamics etc. the authors share the sparks that started the bonfires of their faith. And this is a remarkable thing, for they show powerfully that a person can have a fundemental belief in Biblical inerrancy, therefore believing in a literal Genesis account, and still believe in objective science. And that, is about time!

Moreover, the testimony type format of the book is very effective. For, not only do they present the arguments in favor of Creation and revealing the bankruptcy of evolution, they also do so in a way that reveals their own journeys of faith. It puts interest and substance into the essays.

This book provides tremendous proof in favor of God creating the world in 6 literal 24 hour days and puts further nails in the coffin of Darwinism. This book should be read by every person wh o is a skeptic, who has a passion for Creation or science, or just anyone who wants a better perspective on how literal creationists see things. This is a refreshing, solid book (both scientifically and theologically) and I highly recommend it.

This book is gold. Quite obviously some people don't like it (just read some of the other reviews) and aren't even remotely willing to consider that evolution has many major flaws that some scientists aren't as prepared to overlook.

An undecided but open-minded reader should get something out of this book, as will many creationists seeking to understand better some of the issues, but if you have made your mind up that evolution is absolutely true, you're better off spending your time coming up with some better reasons why a few dozen highly qualified scientists would believe in a six-day creation than the following inaccurate reasons given by other reviewers here:

1) Creationists regularly lie

2) Creationists can't be real scientists

3) Creationists approach the issue with preconceived ideas that they fit the facts around.

4) All evolution is science

5) Thermodynamics is not a problem for evolution

This book addresses all these arguments (and much more) and it's simply not true to claim that evolutionists have refuted many of the points (or all) raised in the essays here.

I work in the media and I can't help but think that something smells when outspoken supporters of evolution so often resort to name-calling and intimidation to press their point. It reeks of the very anti-knowledge campaigns they claim creationists use - or even worse - their case is weak.

Most creationists I have actually taken the time to observe remain calm and willing to approach any evidence with an open mind. Check out the writing styles of each of the essays in this book. There is no underlying message that you're an embarrassment to the human race if you believe in evolution. Conversely, just about every evolution book, every evolution website, every evolution Radio program, TV doco, movie etc... uses various forms of intellectual snobbery to try to prove its point and put people down. Frankly, I find this offensive and closed-minded. The human race deserves better.

Read this book for a breath of fresh air.

First let me say that Darwin died even before the discovery of electrons. People who haven't asked serious questions about Darwinian evolution since 5th grade science class should not even be allowed to write reviews. (The same goes for people who haven't asked questions about Genesis since Sunday school.) Darwin never had the benefit of basic knowlege we take for granted, such as DNA, which was discovered long after his death. Imagine if you walked through an entire museum filled with greatly varying sculptures, paintings, and photos. Then you discover that under a microscope, all the brushstrokes and clay are done in such a way as to form tiny letters: "GACTCTAGTAA." Darwin never got to see that a code, the same programing, was the underlying thread running through the animal kingdom. So open your mind a crack and say, "Let's not rush off to church, but perhaps it's time to stop trying to patch up the Darwinian model?"

The book's biodiversity essay was quite good. We all know from documentaries what happens if you subtract even just one animal from an ecosystem:

-the plants that were fertilized by that animal would die,

- the predators that ate that animal would die, and that predator's other prey would thrive and decimate their food sources and die off,

-the plants that were eaten by the animal run wild and overgrow other plants so that those would also die,

-then the animals that ate THAT plant would then die, ad nauseum.

So that said, how did the first species survive after crawling out of the ooze? What did it eat, and where did its food in turn, get ITS food? The writer continued on to raise further issues in that essay.

The other blow was the mathematician writing about the probability of the human skeleton and body randomly acheiving its current configuration. Extremely compelling stuff; his computations were fascinating probabilities with one digit followed by half a page of zeroes.

The major problem I have with this book is that it too heavily discusses only a literal six-day creation, that is, six 24-hour days. But it's well known among scholars that the Hebrew word "day" can stand for a time period or era, like when we say, "Back in my day I had to walk to school 3 miles uphill in the snow." In some verses it can mean about 1 year, and in others 1000 years. This problem adversely affects the whole view of the book (right from the title,) thus the 4 stars instead of 5.

The positive thing is that though these essays might not be perfect, they do raise many rational questions. People can't blindly stick to evolution without questioning, just like you can't blindly assert creation without questioning; we are reminded that evolution still has many questions it cannot answer, and it is time for an alternative theory.

Relish that the previous reviews are strongly conflicting! I find it humorous and a exciting because authentic issues of faith are rarely clearly resolved. Does this book touch on issues of faith? Certainly!, not as a scientific rebuttal to the theory of evolution but as a sketch from different scientific thinkers as to why Chreation, with it's own untestable mysteries, is convincing to them. If I had no doubt that evolution is an impregnable fortress of truth, and were looking to pick a fight, this book would not change me into a Bible-thumping creationist. Fact is, there are thousands of scientists (not just 50) who believe that a creator God is more than nursery rhymes. There are multiple arguments that stack up agaisnt both creation and evolution. Here, 50 scientists, in one chapter apeice, share the arguments that cast evolution in a fog. To think that each chapter is a complete and convincing appology to evolutionists, as several of the reviewers of this book anticipated, seems to miss the point. The point is that thinking people find faith in the Bible to be as relavent as science. (Let hardcore evolutionists shake their heads here--you will not be convinced by faith or reason).

As for me, I have been an old earth, young creation Bible believer; but this book has moved my mind toward a young earth, young creation persuasion. Some of the arguments in the book will hit you, others may not. The beauty of this book is that it's written by 50 authors--all with qualified scientific credentials. Each took one chapter to share a scetch from their personal story of doubt, reason, and faith. If you want to line your quiver with darts to throw, it might produce a few, but you have missed the target. This book is about the experience of those who have balanced reason and faith and can not disqualify either. I recommend this book to evolutionists and creationists to don't know everything yet.

This collection of essays achieves what it sets out to do, namely to demonstrate that a significant number of scientists believe literally in all or part of the Biblical account of Earth history. I found the format more readable and authentic than a combined work, showing the range of perspectives and ideas from the many authors, many of whom have impressive credentials.

This book os a good read to inform both sides of the Creation vs Darwin debate. It is simple and to the point but it doesn't dig deeply enough to confuse the normal reader. All topics are covered including Creation, Evolution, and Present Circumstances in biology and geography.

All in all the book is great for learning the basics. It touches on everything without becoming slow and uncumbered by numbers and statistics. Designed to be a tool for helping make an simple arguement it is not the end all for an in depth research project.

First off, I am a believer in Divine Creation and I applaud publishing houses like Master Books for making quality books about Creationism available. All books promoting the truth about Creationism, if they are sincere and scholary written, have their place and their value. This book has its place and its value also. The strength of this book is that one is able to read the viewpoints of fifty credible scientists in one easy to read book and discover why it is that they have chosen to believe in a Divine Creation over secular belief systems like evolution. The viewpoints are condensed so that one is able to get right to the "meat and potatoes" of their arguments. By the time one is finished reading this book, they will have been exposed to almost every pro Creation argument existing. The arguments are presented from fifty different points of view giving the reader a wonderful overview as to why a belief in Creation is rational. The fact that so much material is covered from so many perspectives makes this book an excellent introduction to Creation Science. Many books like Duane Gish's excellent "The Fossils Still Say No" focus usually on just one or two arguments in the Creation versus Evolution debate, while this book touches, although not in great depth, on almost every argument, which is why I highly recommend this book as a great introduction to the subject.

One of the drawbacks to this book is that much overlap of material occurs between the 50 different essays, although sometimes it is beneficial to hear the same argument presented in a different fashion from a different angle to really appreciate the force of the argument. Another drawback is the glaring ommission of such notable Creation scientists such as Duane Gish from among the fifty scientists selected to write essays for this book. The final drawback is that some of the authors admit in their essays that their main reason for believing in Creation are their deeply held religious beliefs. This is very sad because a belief in Creation rests on firm, solid, scientific evidence, making it a viable choice over any competing secular belief system. Religious faith is great, but Creationism has much positive, objective scientific evidence in its favor. To cite faith as the main reason for your belief in Creationism undermines all of the physical evidence, of which there is plenty. This then gives ammunition to the evolutionists by allowing them to state things like "see, the only reason people believe in that stuff is because of their religion. There is no "real" evidence!" The whole point of Creation Science is to establish evidence, in the laboratory, not just the church, that Divine Creation is an actual fact and that the theory of evolution is false. The ultimate goal, I suppose, is if it can be proved that Creation actually occurred, then it would be possible to convince many non-believers (atheists) that belief in a Creator is no longer a fairy tale or wishful thinking but, in fact, that belief in a Creator is intelligently superior to non-belief. That is, after all, the purpose of this book: to convince non-believers. This is a book of apologetics on the topic of Creation. I, thus, feel that the inclusion of the material discussed above should have been left out, not because of "censorship", but because it only serves to reinforce the beliefs already held by the same non-believers that this book is trying to convince to believe otherwise, hence, the book undermines its own purpose. It is for the preceding reason that I subtracted one star from the books rating, otherwise the book is great.