Category Archives: General Interest

A Window Perspective on Species and Asteroids

Posted on by

One goal we have … as we sit at the window … is to think about concepts that span science and Scripture. To pull together what often appears as two distinctly different spheres of thought may seem abstract at first. Or actually lacking relevance if you don’t feel comfortable with one of the two!

Still, think about the news headlines from science that appear below. The first opens the door to what only Hollywood could have imagined … until now. To bring back lost species also, almost, harkens to stewardship and the biblical mandate to be stewards over all life on the earth. Might the resurrection of past species be biological redemption? Read the news clip and we’ll give this more attention at the end of this blog post.

A second thought comes to mind as the topic of near misses by asteroids comes to our attention. Might our ability to detect these passing asteroids bring to mind something of scriptural importance. This idea is consistent with the notion that all of science information really subtends and dovetails with scriptural information. Why? The answer is simply: All information exists to our attention. If there is a spiritual realm and God, then all the information serves to inform us of what is an ultimately coherent experience … even when at first we don’t see connections. But that is why it’s worth sitting at this window to look, think and understand.

Read the clip on asteroids and we’ll give some added perspective … something with a twist … at the end of this post.

——————
HEADLINE: Should we restock extinct species?

Researchers are looking at ways to use ancient DNA to resurrect long-extinct species. Species such as the Tasmanian tiger and the passenger pigeon may be good candidates for “de-extinction.” In particular, scientists are exploring three possibilities: cloning, “reverse engineering” using the extinct species’ closest living relative, and “breeding back” using strategic mating to bring back characteristics of the extinct animal. National Geographic News (3/10)

HEADLINE: Round of passing asteroids reminds scientists that we’re not alone

A 460-foot-long asteroid, discovered a week ago, passed the Earth this weekend at a distance of about 600,000 miles, scientists say. Asteroid 2013 ET was about eight times larger than the one that exploded over Russia in February and was among a few space rocks to pass by this weekend. Astronomers warn that many others will likely follow suit. “We’re not sitting here on our pale, blue dot on our own in nice safety. … This should be a wakeup call to governments,” said Paul Cox, a telescope engineer. Reuters (3/9)     
——————-

Instead of stewardship, the first thought might be that resurrected species may only help to prove creation as opposed to (macro-) evolution. Recent discoveries in epigenetics and the role of junk DNA may come to assist our understanding that “switches” (turning genes on and off) outside of structural genes make a species what it is. If ancient DNA fails to bring back the exact species gone extinct, we may learn further that appearance of species is not so mechanical as evolutionary theory often suggests. The way switches are set in motion may pose an extra-material dimension to the otherwise material biological perspective. Even worse, the habitat, the niche or place in the ecosystem that previously allowed an extinct species a place to live is gone … will remind us how much global changes and human impacts have altered the earth for all life—present and past!

Regarding asteroids, those of us who have studied Scripture know of biblical passages that refer to what seem references to material bodies hurled to the surface of the earth. Such events are part of prophecy and a defined sequence of events. While the topic of an asteroid disaster of biblical proportions seems good stuff for a Hollywood script, the window view thought is one of looking to the future. If divine influence directs an asteroid or meteor to strike the earth with impeccable timing … it will be biblical and not just chance timing. The idea of such a strike is simply greater due to recent heightened awareness from the scientific community. Until that biblical timing … so many space rocks have simply missed us!

Might our thoughts at the window help to unify a view that is inclusive of science and Scripture … possibly so. The point of this post however is as simple as saying that there is no need to be sensational … the reality of life just falls within both realms—sufficient to cover a span from science to Scripture. And if you hadn’t pulled ideas and facts together in such a way … the window is a place to think, consider, and even decide what you see has an eternal aspect beyond this material moment.

Broaden your horizon, throw back the shutters, take in the full view and look to the future … today and over the time horizon ahead.

Director, WindowView.org

“Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.” (Revelation 8:10 NKJV)

Share

Political Strife – Israel, Egypt, US … and You

Posted on by

The following headlines and news clips are part of the daily posts at Watch.org. We relay these here at WindoView to make a point concerning the problems humans have on both the political and moral fronts. Who are the righteous ones to lead Israel? The internal struggle in the biblical Land is a focal point. The events around Israel have everything to do with the time line we march along into the future.

Internal discord is not Israel’s alone … As the following headlines reveal. We just don’t get along very well as a species. And further, our judgement concerning what is normal and Godly, is subject to inspection by a comparison to God’s teaching … So often translated ‘ law,’ but then compare the teachings that make up Torah and the Law, and there is a standard to be used. A standard that even the highly regarded elected ones don’t always use.

If we learn anything from the book and the former stories of Israel, it’s this … all goes well when we abide in God’s will, all goes sour and even into bondage and exile when He is ignored.

At the end of this post is an expanded section of Scripture. A portion is quoted in the news post, but we add the full section so you can read the apostle’s complete quotation for greater context.

The real question to each one of us, all around the globe, is where do you stand with respect to entering the kingdom? What moral or political dilemma separates you from the simple truth?

———— Consider These News Headlines ———-

HEADLINE: Peres grants Netanyahu two-week extension to form coalition;
PM says those who ‘ganged up’ on him are reason for his failure

As Lapid-Bennett union remains steadfast, PM says those who ‘ganged up’ on him are reason for his failure, claims ultra-Orthodox are ‘ready to accept’ sharing the national burden.

Having used up the allotted four-week period to form a coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned to President Shimon Peres Saturday evening and requested an extension that could enable him to form a majority government.

Peres granted the prime minister an extra two weeks, allowing him through March 16 to assemble a coalition. No further extension is legally permitted.

“Mr. President, you tasked me with forming a coalition 28 days ago — a broad, governing coalition to address the wide issues facing Israel — the economy, our security, and also our sharing of the national burden. We need a responsible government to face these demands,” Netanayhu said.

HEADLINE: Talks between Likud and Jewish Home break down

Negotiator says Bennett’s national-religious party opposes inclusion of ultra-Orthodox in coalition; Netanyahu now has 15 days to muster a majority

Talks between Likud-Beytenu and the Jewish Home party ended abruptly on Friday, with a top negotiator declaring that Naftali Bennett’s national-religious faction opposed the inclusion of the ultra-Orthodox parties in the next government.

“The Jewish Home party wants Haredim excluded from the next coalition exactly like Yesh Atid wants them excluded,” Likud’s chief negotiator, attorney David Shimron said after the meeting at the Kfar Maccabiah Hotel in Ramat Gan.

HEADLINE: US carrier in front line of Obama’s battle with Congress over $85 billion ‘sequester’ cuts, with more to follow

Docked in its home port in Virginia rather than patrolling the waters of the Persian Gulf, the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its 3,360 officers and crew are this weekend on the front line of the latest conflict to embroil America.

The battleground is not military but budgetary, however, as the Truman’s nuclear-powered might is shackled by a rancorous new fight between President Barack Obama and his Republican foes.

The two sides are locked into an apparently endless fiscal confrontation over radically different political and fiscal philosophies on the role of government. The resulting conflict over spending cuts and tax rises seems certain to dominate Mr Obama’s second term in the White House.

HEADLINE: Kerry arrives in Egypt seeking crucial reform

Opposition leaders reject meeting with US secretary of state, who’s called on them to cancel boycott of parliamentary elections

US Secretary of State John Kerry is calling on bickering Egyptian leaders and opposition politicians to forge a political consensus that will allow the country to emerge from economic crisis.

Kerry, on his first overseas trip as a member of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, was scheduled to meet Saturday with a number of opposition figures along with Egypt’s foreign minister. He will see President Mohammed Morsi on Sunday.

US officials said Kerry was particularly concerned that Egypt takes the reforms necessary to qualify for a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan package.

HEADLINE: The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:
Obama on Gay Marriage: America’s Gone Through ‘Same Evolution I’ve Gone Through’ –

President Barack Obama said Friday that the country as a whole has gone through the same “evolution” he has in now supporting same-sex marriage. During a press conference Friday, Obama was asked about his Justice Department’s brief in the California voter-approved Proposition 8 case before the Supreme Court that will decide whether the state – and possibly other states – can ban gay marriage.

“As everybody here knows, last year upon a long period of reflection, I concluded that we cannot discriminate against same-sex couples when it comes to marriage, that the basic principle that America is founded on, the idea that we’re all created equal, applies to everybody regardless of sexual orientation, as well as race or gender or religion or ethnicity,” Obama said. “I think that the same evolution that I’ve gone through is an evolution that the country as a whole has gone through, and I think it is a profoundly positive thing.”

—————
Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (I Corinthians 6:1-11 NKJV)
————-

Peace,
Director, WindowView.org

Share

A Coral Group Sings Change Tune

Posted on by

Sadly, a swim along the shore of a tropical island … these days … brings us to an encounter with change in the form of vanishing coral reefs.

20130101-160719.jpg

St. Croix and all the islands of the Caribbean suffer the same plight. Water temperatures, chemistry, and perhaps other factors now lay waste once fertile reefs. Some evidence of the occasional brain coral or fan still populated the more vanquished areas. In some areas vast under water fields of Elk horn coral lay bleached and lifeless.

There are on our planet select areas that support dense living coral, but even the Great Barrier Reef in Australia now is undergoing dramatic change.

The Bible states we are to be stewards. Elsewhere it refers to the earth wearing out like an old coat. And regardless of whether change is directly due to human activity, or other factor, is less relevant when we take a sobering look at the fact that three decades ago, yes THREE, the corals were all relatively healthy … all over the planet. Change comes quicker than we want to acknowledge.

What is the value to coral life, or any life for that matter? How integrated is coral to the greater scheme of all life on earth? … so as a Ph.D. Biologist I’ll just chime in and say it is all so integrated as to be on purpose. To visibly see one part fade brings the thought that earth’s life support is fading.

While not wanting to sound dour, reality speaks through visual data. Follow the evidence … where does it lead us? One thing about WindowView is we say: “Look, Think, and Discern!” Discern based on your window observations! Snorkel the shoreline and LOOK for yourself. We did … today.

There are signs that some corals are resistant to factors that bleach and kill all others. But would the resistant ones bring back the larger reefs? Not soon perhaps.

The coral today sing a tune that grows softer … to nearly a whisper. To this we say: “Take some time to think about life and its importance!” Are you here by chance or purpose? And if on purpose … how will you respond? Remember, WindowView is about looking … but it’s your window through which you see the evidence for life, relationships, and purpose that really matters the most. Might this be the bigger view where there is a Science and Scripture Harmony … Welcome to WindowView!

Director, WindowView.org

20130131-210417.jpg

Share

Political Stupidity AND Solar Smarts

Posted on by

The other day we wondered what the total cost of the Iraq was was … and doing a Internet search led us to the total figure of $797 BILLION.

Next question: What might that money have accomplished aside from conducting a war effort.  If humans could generate more electricity to power homes and electric cars, might that help turn the US away from other energy dependencies.  Might it combat global change and even benefit the entire planet?

In hind sight, political leaders in Washington (present and former Presidents, current and past Congress persons, PACS, NGOs, the whole lot of the intellectual elite … all get a finger pointed at them here) can be blamed for following a really dumb strategy.  What does war accomplish in this case?  This is not a plea for peace and love, etc. This is a look at the window’s view!

Lets consider this a view to CORPORATE all inclusive blame. Actually, is anyone or everyone aware of what humans might have done?

Yep, hindsight is great stuff for sure … but we sit in the window and look out at the world and this is what we see.  There are approximately 69 million single family homes in the US.

QUESTION: If a typical basic solar installation for a home is $25,000, then how many homes might be covered if the US Government had offered a 50% subsidy ($12,500) to those homes adding solar to supplement power in the home and local power grid?

ANSWER: 63.7 MILLION homes could have added solar with the 12,500 dollar subsidy.  Okay, so not every home is a prime candidate for solar.  What if the Government gave a $25,000 subsidy to all homes that qualify for a full subsidy.  That halves the total installations to half the number of dwellings, but also remember these would be selected from the more efficient installation sites.  Total installation fees to cover 31.9 MILLION homes would mean power from the sun to create a more robust power grid and to help support a more broad electric car transportation base.

The added electric input from solar would also reduce dependence on coal, oil and gas … and even with current technology, less efficient solar collectors, the implications are still HUGE.

The real lesson to learn here is that the US and other countries around the world are short sighted on political and nationalistic conflicts and not making decisions for long term benefit … benefits to the country and addressing global change concerns that will certainly confront us for generations to come.

And what of Iraq?

Well, civil unrest in the Arab states recently taught us how the political leadership in Iraq would have been ousted over the same period we could have been installing solar collectors. And the real crime is … mounting debt, lost jobs, deferred clean energy, and avoidance of other benefits.  Is anyone paying attention?

The writer of this article is not particularly political, neither conservative nor liberal, not really Democrat nor Republican … but from an OBJECTIVE view looking at human choices we all can think of … that is the Window’s View!

What do you think?  Have you written a politician a note recently?  Well?

Invite them to the window!

Director, WindowView.org

Share

Darwin’s Doubts Backed by Information Science

Posted on by

IMPORTANT VIDEO:

Take a small portion of personal time and watch an incredible video.  This has no religion to it, other than to set us straight on what scientists believe true or false, and is based on the principles of chemistry, physics, and information theory.  Watch to see what Darwin would use today to say evolution theory is unfounded–and explicitly why doubts are well founded.  He would say the evidence in nature tells another story, reveals another valid scientific perspective, and would ask you to be a critical thinker.  That in essence is exactly what this video does.

EVERYONE CAN WATCH THIS!

Aslo note, the host of this video explains the reasons, terms, and logic behind the science as presented. This helps a wide audience gain a solid understanding.  They in fact don’t tell you what to conclude, because frankly, in simple terms, you will be left with the obvious conclusion.  This clear and well explained information is truly a vital perspective to understanding what we see is in the Window View!

I recommend this video and it is presented with permission. You will be amazed by facts that perhaps you’ve not considered before now.

Director, WindowView.org

Video on "Programming of Life"

Share

The Gift of Intelligent Design: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Posted on by

Gift Giving for Hanukkah or Christmas?

Here is an old idea … but maybe a good one just the same!

From time to time we see older writings that helped to move people’s thinking.  Two of the significant  book titles we have referenced at WindowView qualify as still applicable, still relevant, and still worth a read.

A Crisis or An Opportunity!

The first title that comes to mind is “Evolution: A Theory in Crisis.”  This writing, by Dr. Michael Denton, raised a lot of controversy when first released in the late 1980s.  Is this too old to be important?  Fact is Dr. Denton suffered the criticisms of many a critic.  Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say suffered at the hands of the cynics.  Over the past year, 2011, I queried several individuals who are central proponents of the intelligent design movement.  I asked if they knew of any criticism that posed a set back to anything Dr. Denton wrote.  I’m saying that these folks were being fair in their assessment, because others refused to answer the question without a lot of rhetoric.  The answers tell me that the text written by Denton has withstood the critics.

What may be most important is that Dr. Denton wrote a book that inspired many other minds to write about science and the unique qualities to living beings that reflect design … and thus the thought that you and I are not mere products of chance, trial and error, and evolution in general terms.  There is a place to use the word evolution, but do read Denton’s text.  There are reasons to restrict the broader uses of the word.  The idea that cells are filled with sophisticated specific information and molecular machines is still an astounding thought.  To revisit Dr. Denton’s text is a timely venture–indeed for today, why wait longer!

 

Evolution A Theory in Crisis

Inspired Thinking – A New Look

A second title of importance … comes with the idea that Denton’s book inspired an academic to think about putting ideas on trial, like putting Darwin’s thoughts and theories on trial, was the momentum leading to Phillip Johnson’s writing entitled “Darwin On Trial.”  And critics have had their day with Johnson, but the underlying thoughts on how humans have continually defined their life experience in material terms — materialism in the naturalistic sense — brings us back to what is on the other side of the coin.  If material naturalism is a shadow of what really is at the heart of our existence, then that requires opening up one’s mind.  Could you even do that?  What might happen to our thoughts on the value to being alive?  What is on the other side of that coin? This puts us at the cross roads of science and Scripture without even cracking open the biblical text.  Science itself forces some revealing questions.

Order this book online

Darwin On Trial

But here is the value to stepping back for a minute.  A couple and a half decades ago, Phillip Johnson pointed to others as the next generation to think about how life reflects design.  Even Darwin struggled with the notion of life’s many features reflecting evidence of design, but he got distracted by one side of the coin so as to deny the preponderance of evidence (on that other side) that told him design had it’s place in understanding life.

The reality is Darwin rationalized away the possible further exploration of the concept of intelligent design.  But if alive today, perhaps you’d be faced with a Darwin who would tout design qualities in nature to declare a whole other side to his thinking.  That coin has two sides you know!  Oh perish the thought critics might say.  True, Darwin is gone now.  But if he had only a look at electron micrographs of cells as science sees the details today … then we’d be in another ball game–there might even be a different Darwin to deal with.  Have you looked at the intricacies of living cells or biochemical machines?

DNA and Evidence for Design on an Information Base of Specificity

What we will offer is a third title of a more recent text by Dr. Stephen Meyer: “Signature in the Cell.”  If you explore the story on intelligent design, you’ll find that Denton and Johnson cleared a way for the writings of Dr. Meyer–and others.

Order This Book Online

Signature in the Cell

No matter where you are in thinking life is not a mere product of chance or only material causes explain being here … Dr. Meyer spins a tale of science and history and of the specificity and probabilities that really make us think.  A well written text, readable by a wide audience, is just the ticket … and so too worth your exploration.

And if you are giving a gift for Hanukkah or Christmas, it might be due to a belief that there is a G-d of Israel and that life is not by chance but a product of His will.  Perhaps that is the origin of specificity!

Happy Holidays!

Director, WindowView.org

Share

More Data and Confirmations Would Be Nice!

Posted on by

Science and Bible: Looking Forward 

Are there data to support the real location for the Ark of the Covenant, Noah’s Ark, the site where the Israelites crossed the sea?  Perhaps more convincing than UFOs or bumps that we hear in the night, archeological evidence for places and events recorded in the Bible can and have come to light.  In fact, many archaeological digs within the borders of Israel have aligned very nicely with clearly stated Scripture.

 Consider This!

Recently, we were sent an e-mail with an attached Power Point presentation.  The file for this PPS file can be downloaded here and you can view this without the software used to make the presentation.

Click on image to watch presentation

We offer this more for fun than as proof.  Even the title of the presentation asks if we are witnessing fact or fiction.  Being objective is fair-minded.  Making a conclusion on limited information really requires more information.  From the WindowView perspective, more solid evidence and scientific confirmation would substantiate the information as presented.  Still, events are described and places where these events or objects are placed do exist.  So there is a story here to hold our interest.

 Multiple Perspectives – Make Your Own Conclusions

Still, part of what we share here involves the work of Ron Wyatt, now deceased.  Information is posted on a web site that directly supports his claims and listings along with speculations are given on a well-known wiki.    The Wyatt Museum  site even has withdrawn certain claims because those who now run the web site appear to be making an effort to post only what they can say is reliable.  That wins us over a bit, but still opens the questions to what is reliable evidence.  And that point you will see made at Wikipedia.  We welcome you to do some exploring on your own.  Our disclaimer is to be aware that this may be more for fun than data that is backed up with clarifications and further data.  Still, like noted above, the events and places cited have backing from writings that have many times been shown reliable.

 Is There Life Elsewhere in the Universe?

And then we are reminded that Scripture states that in time, like now perhaps, humanity will be approached by incredible findings.  The prospect that a current NASA probe to Mars may confirm former life activity on the now barren red planet could be likewise impressive.  At the Window we think it possible to be in possession of data that back up both the biblical accounts as well as data for ancient extinct life on Mars.  How so?  Other writings support the notion that microbial life on Mars could have easily originated from age-old Earth ejected materials landing on Mars.  Water on Mars is no longer of great quantity due to the loss of Mars ability to hold onto surface waters.  And NASA is driven by their compulsion to explore.  Images of the Mars’ surface strongly suggest water.  But if we find evidence for organic life once on that planet, it may be years before we understand the true origin of that life.  And we think the confusion will drive many a person to believe we are mere material beings with no spiritual hope of a greater truth.  And that point is critical to understanding who we really are, in reality.

Isn’t The Real Point Already Self Evident!

The point we are going to leave you with here is simple.  There is so much to the biblical account that is self-evident that further data in support of the explorations of a Ron Wyatt are really not so necessary.  In fact, the issue of sin is so self apparent and the Bible’s treatment of the subject so clear, we are well advised to contemplate the truths inherent in Scripture.  If you need a reminder as to the problem of sin, look at the evening news!  Look at the news from around the world!  So the information in the Power Point presentation is indeed interesting, certainly worth a deeper look, but not required to know that a faith in the God of Israel is warranted.  And that is where the future events lead all of humanity to a cross roads of decision.  An eternal destiny is in the balance … yours!

The photos and many points presented in the linked presentation are worth your attention.  If at the very least it opens the window a bit more and gets you to think about who you are and why we are alive … and what Eternity holds for us all … then that’s the main point … take a look and enjoy.

Director, WindowView.org

Share

A NASA Headline Without Discernment Misleads

Posted on by

NASA researchers have found some of the building blocks for life in meteorites, indicating that the components for life on Earth may have originated in outer space.  Is this news?  Is the story complete? Does the media discern or mislead?

What the recent article says: “Meteorites contain a large variety of nucleobases, an essential building block of DNA.”  Okay, there is fact to the statement, but where does this lead us?

Consider that there will always be those humans who want a material and scientific explanation for life in the universe. But the same science that brings data is also the platform for discernment. Wishful thinking by space agency personnel may relate to the desire for new funding and more exploration. To be clear, this blog post would be in favor of more exploration. Science can be awesome, fun, and wonderful.  But assumptions are not science at its best, so consider the following words from the IBTIMES:
—–
IBTimes Headline
NASA: DNA Found on Meteorites Indicates Life May Have Originated in Space. (full article here)
from August 9, 2011 12:51 PM EDT

“Researchers from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., report evidence that ready-made DNA parts could have crashed to the surface on objects like meteorites, and then assembled under Earth’s early conditions to create the first DNA.

“The discovery was made using samples from 12 carbon-rich meteorites, nine of them from Antarctica. The team extracted small fragments of the meteorite and ran them through a process to determine their structure. What they found was adenine and guanine. These are two of the nucleobases needed to make the rungs of DNA’s spiral ladder (in addition to thymine and cytosine, which were not present in the sample).”
—–

For our readers we say the fact of utmost importance is knowing the chemistry. Is this news story a springboard to a realistic scenario that potentially leads to a credible account for a chemical origin to life on earth. What the story does not tell you is that there are physical/chemical reasons why the meteorites have the guanine and cytosine, but not the early earth. Further even if the other two of four building blocks were present (and possibly not so because of other physical/chemical reasons in space) the odds of these chemicals surviving on early earth present huge problems.

You, the unsuspecting reader, are left with huge assumptions. And the vast majority of the initial problems to be surmounted by the presence of the building blocks and making any DNA what so ever on early earth … all that has been addressed already by scientists who have written on this topic. We recommend a reading of “The Mystery of Life’s Origin” by Thaxton, Bradley, and Olsen. The authors of this short book outline a methodical approach to considering the conditions on early earth and how chemicals would occur or encounter. The survival of enough chemistry on early earth, of the right type and sufficient quantity, leaves life out of the picture as opposed to leading to a plausible scenario.

You can obtain a free copy of the PDF version of the book shown here:

The media fail to bring other important facts to your attention. Let’s say enough of all the building blocks could exist on earth, all in the right spot, under the right conditions. Would that do the trick? Chemistry is not the entire story. Information coded into DNA, even if it could be made from the four bases, is the next problem. And the rather implausible leap from chemicals to complex information is also not mentioned by the IBTIMES. They just have no discernment, like NASA has no increases to it’s budget for the near future!

To address the latter part of the DNA and life story, you really need to read “The Signature In The Cell,” by Stephen Meyers. The complex information in DNA and the manner in which DNA is made poses what might be identified insurmountable problems. Real science looks at every aspect to the larger story. Origin of life symposia over the past several decades has lead scientists flat with no plausible scenario for a workable chemical origin to life. From there, no plausible explanation other than raw chance is provided for the high order of information that is present in our DNA of the cells in our bodies and in all of life.

So, the IBTIMES does you a huge disservice if you read their article and say … “Wow, maybe it’s really true that life is everywhere in the universe.” The prospects for livable planets in all of the galaxies across the entire universe is still another problematic area. Here too, as we describe on another page of WindowView, is a prospect that is diminishing and less likely.

A good imagination and deep scientific questions are all good stuff, but really, in further consideration, life on earth is more ‘the only’ than ‘one of many.’ And that we believe, in spite of life anywhere else (that, yes, may exist), is important to getting us to reflect on purpose to life. And that is a question built into our awareness, but not by chance.

The purpose of this blog post is much like the entire WindowView web presence.  We really want you to think that Science and Scripture both have something to tell us.  If you think science is the ‘last word’ on our being here, you have not thought it through and not considered all the ‘data’ that exists here.  If you read the suggested books and look at the links provided here, you will have an opportunity of a life time … let us know if you do, we think it will change your life.

Director, WindowView

Share

Science Data, Current Events, and Nature as Biblical Indicators

Posted on by

Earthquakes and Tsunamis Abound

Maybe you would not agree that just because an earthquake occurs something prophetic is about to take place.  On the other hand, prophetic statements that base a premise on certain occurrences, if true, mean that we can take note of conditions just in case the signs of the time are relevant.  The dilemma might be in the ‘if true’ condition.  Still, let’s just take note of the recent 12 to 18 months to make an incredible observation.  A series of earthquakes in various locations and a pronounced set of related tsunami waves have come to our attention in recent time.  Even places that typically do not experience earth quakes have had seismic activity.

[Graphic above of March 11, 2011 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration image overlaying a representation of the intensity of the post-quake tsunami on Pacific after Japanese quakes; tsunami energy moves left to right]

Take a look at the following news clips and the dates.  Then we’ll put this in a biblical context:

2009

Earthquake in Italy Kills at Least 92 (Apr. 6): An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 strikes central Italy, killing at least 92 people and leaving 40,000 to 50,000 people homeless. The town of L’Aquila is the epicenter of the earthquake, but as many as 26 towns are reportedly affected. (Apr. 7): The death toll of the earthquake has rises to 235 with many still missing, said Italian primeminister Silvio Berlusconi. The number of people left homeless has been reduced to 17,000. Rescuers are still working to pull bodies from the debris.

Earthquake in Indonesia Kills 60 (Sept. 2): About 60 people die when a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits the island of Java, which is the most populous area of the country.

2010

7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Devastates Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Jan. 12): The beleaguered country of Haiti is dealt a catastrophic blow when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. It is the region’s worst earthquake in 200 years. (Jan. 13): Prime Minister Préval expects fatalities to near 100,000. The United Nations mission in Haiti is destroyed, 16 members of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti are killed, and hundreds of UN employees are missing. (Jan. 14): International aid begins pouring in, and the scope of the damage caused by the quake highlights the urgent need to improve Haiti’s crumbling infrastructure and lift it out of endemic poverty (Jan. 19): Authorities attempt to bury those killed during the earthquake and its aftermath, experts estimate a staggering death toll of 200,000 people.

Chile Hit By 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake (Feb. 27): Fatalities are relatively low, with some 750 people killed in the devastation. However, as many as 1.5 million people are displaced. Strict building codes in urban areas, helped to limit the amount of damage. Buildings and homes in poorer areas—many built with adobe—did not fare as well. Chile’s electricity grids, communication, and transportation systems are badly damaged, severely hampering rescue and aid efforts. The epicenter of the quake was 70 miles northeast of Concepcion in central Chile. Massive waves continue to cause additional damage along the coast.

7.2 Earthquake Shakes Mexico & California, Kills Two (Apr. 4) A 7.2 earthquake, centered in Mexico is felt for miles, shakes California and kills two. It is the strongest earthquake the state has experienced in 20 years.

Earthquake in China Kills Hundreds, Injures 10,000 (Apr. 14): A 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes China’s Qinghai Province, killing at least 400 people and injuring another 10,000. Many buildings and homes have collapsed, though since the area is less densely populated than the Sichuan Province, where the devastating 2008 earthquake occurred, the death toll and overall damage is expected to be lower.

2011

Earthquake Strikes New Zealand’s Second Largest City (Feb. 22): A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand, killing at least 75 people. The United States Geological Survey reports the earthquake is part of an aftershock sequence from a 7.1 earthquake that hit the same area last September.

Earthquake Strikes Japan (March 11): Off shore quake of 8.9 magnitude sent a tsunami wake onto Japan.  Hours later tsunami wave hits Hawaiian islands and tsunami watches are alerted to the west coast of North and South America.

Scripture Quotation

Mark 13:8 (King James Version): “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.”

Take Note — The Window View!

“Beginnings of sorrows.” is a reference to the last part of the current period of time before the Messiah of Israel returns.  Will it … might it … happen?

Let’s just say people have noticed the recent set of quakes.  It jogs the mind of those who can relate to what Scripture says.  In this case, the recent series of quakes seem like a backdrop to other layers of events on earth.  As this blog entry is being written the ongoing unrest in the Middle East continues with some leaders being ousted from office and active battles raging in Libya.  The nation rising against nation would be a reference to other conflicts and not just the civil based uprisings within specific countries, but both kinds of occurrence are now in the news!  The recent spike in food process and other troubles, including prevalent hunger and localized famines do in fact exist today.

The question we will leave you with is simple, if true … then when might that be?  Might the pronounced set of events of this day be worth reflection, to the point of considering that biblical truth exists in the midst of all we see?

Also remember, the Bible speaks of ‘birth pangs,’ which are episodes of activity much like the contractions that come one after the other just before a child is born. This set of earthquakes comes ‘together’ in yet one more ‘pang’ of compression that is a driving force moving us to the end of this age.

These are the very events that come into the Window’s view.  Something just like this, if NOT THIS exactly, is what will characterize the biblical events that are to come.  The point is the conditions have picked up, arisen to our attention, and are cause for reflection.  To those who pass off such events as just natural phenomena, there will be one day, the surprise that the ‘if true’ becomes ‘is true.’  And after that … all bets are off and the biblical results come rolling in like tsunami hitting the beach.

Think about it!

Director, WindowView

Share

Excuse Me – But Why Am I Here?

Posted on by

Recently I was communicating with an old friend from way back in the high school era.  The joy of finding a long lost person gave way to telling each other our stories … where we’ve been, who we ended up with, and lots about what we’d done along the way.

But Who Are WE?

Invariably the stories run to some kind of end point.  Ah, this is where I am in life.  And when I described how I’d found disappointment in the way some or many persons had treated me in my life’s trek … I relayed the news that I’d started to ask the big questions in life.  I found myself in a way that began to differentiate who I was compared to the large majority of people.  Does that separation somehow make me the “odd man out?”  Or did I find something right and everyone else is on the outside?

A Night’s Realization

Well here is a test for you.  Have you thought about who you are and about others, only to find yourself putting your head down on a pillow at night, in the silence of the darkness, to realize something kind of freaky.  Like we know we are conscious and that means we are alive. Alive. What is that? And then the big question: “Why is there a me?”

Of all possible things … there is a universe, there is a planet called Earth, and I am here.  But why?  Out of all the thoughts I have each day … why does it strike me as strange that I am alive!

But then, why are we here?  It really didn’t need to be so.

The Big Story I Told

In telling my personal story, I noted that at one point in my career I started to ask both scientific and theistic questions.  The answers to the merging issues put an answer to the “Why Am I Here?”  The answers came over time and as new information from biblical archaeology, from a hard core examination of evolution and how Darwinism has its major issues unaddressed by the majority, how the Bible agrees with a universe that has an origin before which there was no space or time,  new discussions on life revealing evidence for design and thus opening the door to a designer, and studies of Israel and historical events that lead to a forward looking of chronological events that have been and will come according to the biblical text.  Science data revealed another side of the coin of truth.  Remarkable!  The Bible describes what was to come, what came, and what will come in the future ahead.  And we live on that time line, right now!

So maybe you don’t believe it.  But did you look at any of this?  Did you have that freaky moment late at night that pierces one’s being to ask why you are here?  And what if the scientific data and biblical information really do answer the question?

WindowView is a product of merging thoughts that go to answer why you are here.  It’s not a mistake, you are meant to be a stranger in a place where you are traveling here, in this space and time, to discover that there is a future … an eternal future.  Yeah, that seems strange doesn’t it?  But if it’s true, then why not embrace it and learn more and then be joyed by the fact that there is more to life than the mess we face here!  In this way, the future gets better, not worse.  A look around Earth today we see a lot of confusion.  Why not get beyond the confusion and clear up the view!  If science and theism bring you to a whole truth … you may not be in the majority, but at least you’ll know where YOU are headed!  And that answers the question: “Why Am I Here!”

Science can really tell us how special life is.  The Bible can tell us more about why we are here.  Together, these two perspectives give us a really wonderful big picture!

Director, WindowView.org

Share