December 30, 2006 by Dr. Mc.

The founders of our country established a wonderful and frustrating tradition, upon which America has grown. It is free enterprise. It is the free market system. When Products compete, consumers win. When political parties compete, the people win. When ideas compete, everybody wins. But when products are not allowed to compete freely, product quality stands still and innovation dies. Today competition is not allowed in America in at least one important area. Ideas are not allowed to compete in the science classroom. Perhaps that is the reason fewer young people are going into science fields. Evolution will never be a truly great theory, because opposing ideas are not allowed to challenge it. Without competition, there cannot be excellence. Without competition among ideas in science, science stagnates, and people lose interest. Excellence demands competition.

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December 29, 2006 by Dr. Mc.

I just discovered that the first amendment in the Bill of Rights can be directly linked to the political action of a Baptist evangelist. Elder John Leland was a first class evangelist of the Gospel, but that did not deter him from using his weight as leader of the Virginia (Orange) Baptists to secure freedom of religion in the Constitution Bill of Rights. In 1788, with the final state endorsements to the Constitution being desperately sought, James Madison met with Leland to persuade him to endorse the Constitution for Virginia. Leland promised support under one condition: That Madison develop amendments to the Constitution to assure religious liberty. They agreed, and true to his word, Madison authored in 1791 what we know today as the Bill of Rights, the first of which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” When we look at the life purpose of such people as Leland, can we misunderstand the purpose of the First Amendment? With this results, is there any doubt that religious groups should be involved in political action?

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December 23, 2006 by Dr. Mc.

Americans who are dissatisfied with how long it is taking to make Iraq into an independent democracy should review their own history. Our Declaration of Independence did not receive the initial two signatures until 3 years after the Boston Tea Party, and the last signature was not added for another 5 years. The British Empire did not agree in writing to the new government for another 2 years at the Treaty of Paris. The interim required involvement from, among others, France, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, and American aborigines. Even then, it was another 77 years before our greatest internal contradiction was squarely addressed, and that required Civil War. But of course we began with an advantage. We began with a people who had some concept of self-government.

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December 15, 2006 by Dr. Mc.

Ask any Christian what Adam and Eve ate that caused mankind to fall, and they will probably say an apple. Ask the same person how Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves, and you will be told with fig leaves. Everyone associates the two items with Adam and Eve, but they are not named in the Bible. Recently I discovered both mentioned (only one time each) in Paradise Lost first published in 1667. It is a beautiful epic poem, full of good logic and thought, and the parts where Scripture is exact, Milton did not contradict. It is good historical fiction, even good science fiction, but it’s still fiction. What I find interesting is that such fictional ideas come to us hundreds of years later, and we don’t even know from where they come. No one asks; the ideas are just accepted without going to the source. I see no harm in this example, and maybe they WERE apples and fig leaves, but there can be harm in attributing to either Scripture or science that which is someone’s speculations, not actually there in the source. Historically, any differences between Scripture and science have been based on one group or both buying into some assumptions handed down until they became as sacred as the real source. Examples include spontaneous generation, the underground water cycle , and an earth-centered universe. I believe it is true today concerning the theory of evolution. More people need to be looking at the facts from both sources.

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December 9, 2006 by Dr. Mc.

This week on Townhall.com Weekend Journal, Michael Medved and Dennis Prager square off on whether congressman-elect Keith Ellison should be allowed to substitute the Koran (Qur’an) for the Bible at his swearing into office ceremony. Prager says, “No,” as I understand him, because the Bible symbolizes the values upon which America is founded. This makes sense, because, regardless of one’s personal faith, these are the values that must be upheld. Medved says, “Yes,” as I understand him, because Ellison should be allowed to swear on the religious text of his adherence. (What good is an oath upon an object to which you have no allegiance, besides the personal religious affront?) Christianity is often accused of being intolerant, because its book holds that Christ is the only way to salvation; but the book also holds throughout that we must be allowed to choose our way (Deu 30:19), even if it is the wrong way, because without choice there can be no love (Deu 30:20). Like it or not, this is at the foundation of every “free” nation. Yet from either Prager’s or Medved’s position, it should be obvious that we wouldn’t even be having this discussion in a Qur’an-based nation. Islam’s book holds that no one should even be allowed to follow any other way (Surah 9:33). i.e., individuals and governments are admonished to FORCE all within their power to follow their book. Medved and Prager (interestingly enough, both Jews) conclude that both books should be present: the Bible to represent the values of our nation, and the Qur’an (or whatever volume a person might choose) to represent their personal accountability. Ellison speaks of respect for all beliefs when speaking of Islam, but I will be amazed if both books are present by his choice. The position of the Qur’an is quite clear about all other religious books.

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December 7, 2006 by Dr. Mc.

Most pro-Darwinists, claim that “religious conservatives” (alas, most Darwinists do not like those two words separated and want all objectors viewed in this light) want to strike Darwinism from the science classroom. Perhaps some do, but most objectors to the status quo want more on Darwinism in the science classroom, as it is done in the better private schools and home school settings. It is the public schools where the diet is restricted to only the pros of Darwinism. Interestingly, Darwinism is based on two simple concepts: chance mutation, and survival of the fittest. That is to say, change in organisms occurs by random chance, and then the best changes survive to advance the species. Let’s just consider the second: Honest thought (and the economics of free enterprise) suggest that the survival-of-the-fittest concept actually has merit, and the only reason anything should be protected from competition is that it has some redeeming value, and that it might not survive otherwise. Examples include spotted owls and Chihuahuas, but the list should not include theories. Theories should not be kept as pets. Strengths and weaknesses of all theories should be explored freely by all students, and let the fittest theories survive.

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