Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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119 of 151 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A less-than-inspiring format for a compelling topic, January 6, 2003
"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.
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52 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Refreshing and Solid Book!, October 24, 2000
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.
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126 of 177 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For those interested in truth..., March 7, 2002
By A Customer
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.
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by Michael J. Behe
