In the Beginning: A Scientist Shows Why the Creationists Are Wrong (Paperback)

by Christopher McGowan (Author) "MY JOB AT TORONTO'S ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM gets me into some pretty unusual situations - a monastery in Kremsmunster to examine fossil reptiles, a rain..." (more)
Key Phrases: Richard Leakey, Louis Leakey, Devonian Period (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (February 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879752408
• ISBN-13: 978-0879752408
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,707,987 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars some parts too technical, August 22, 2008

By	Robertson Thomas (Hongcheon, Gangweon, South Korea) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most of the book is interesting. As the above reviewers noted, there is a section on each of the major transitions which Creationists say don't exist. There is a synopsis of the history of Creationism and Evolutionism. There is also a synopsis of the geological column. Like Frank Zindler, McGowan goes along with the Flood myth and describes the overwhelming task entrusted to Noah and his seven trusty assistants.

When McGowan tries to describe skeletons in simple layman terms, however, he didn't make it simple enough for me. Rather, I used the occasion for speedreading practice. For those who are unwilling to aceept transitions on faith, he should probably have relegated such discussion to the appendix.

It's a good book. The most thorough books on C/E that I know of are "The Counter-Creationism Handbook" by Mark Isaak and "Science and Earth History" by Arthur N. Strahler, but this is still a good one.

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does a great job debunking creationist nonsense., January 31, 1997

By A Customer

Denton covers most of the major creationist claims, and shows why creationism is bunk. Those who detest creationists for trying to force their pseudoscience into schools will find this book invaluable, and those who are unfamiliar with the subject will find this a good introduction

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "There are no transitional fossils" , March 31, 2005

By	M. A Pasek (Tucson) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Without a doubt, the author gives the strongest evidence I've read that the typical creationist barb "there are no transitional fossils" is rubbish. Usually right after they say this, they quote some mainstream scientist to prove their point. However, that's clearly not the case, as McGowan shows.

Covering reptile-mammal, dinosaur-bird, fish-amphibian, amphibian-reptile, unicellular-multicellular, invertebrate-choradate, ape-human, horse, and other transition fossils, the author leaves no group behind and provides demonstrable proof that there is a visible transition in things both living and fossilized.

I subtract a star since the author does not argue against many other creationist claims (which are covered adequately elsewhere, but it wouldn't hurt to have a few more mentioned) and because the author's work is mainly a response to Morris' and Gish's books published in the 70s.