Letters From Grandpa #1
- LETTERS FROM GRANDPA
- 1
Dearest Grandchild,
As I listen to the news I am deeply saddened by the terrible condition of the world. I am an old man and will soon leave these troubles behind. You, however, if the Lord wills, will be around for many years. Your generation will have to try and solve the problems my generation has created. As you know, Grandpa believes the Bible and, of course, I want you to believe it too. As you grow older and leave home you will probably come into contact with a lot of people who don’t believe the Bible. Unfortunately, some of these unbelievers may be your teachers at school. If you have to make a choice between pleasing your teachers, and pleasing God, I hope you will always choose to please God. Someone has observed that many Christians have had their faith “smiled away”. Their professors offer no evidence against the Bible, only a condescending smile. The peer pressure, and the desire to get a good grade, is often so great that many abandon their faith without any rational reason for doing so.
Peter wrote of times like this. “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:3-7)
Please note that these “scoffers” are guilty of “deliberately forgetting” evidence. In particular, they will forget or deny a world wide flood. Grandpa doesn’t want you to ever forget evidence. You must never be afraid of the truth, and you must always have the courage to follow the truth wherever it may lead.
Another piece of evidence the scoffers deliberately forget, is that virtually every scientific discipline we have today originated with men of faith, who were also men of God.
One of my heroes was the late Dr. Henry Morris. He was one of many scientists who believe that God created the universe. In 1970 he founded the Institute for Creation Research. Today there are dozens of similar organizations filled with scientists who are also believers.
In this first letter I want to tell you about a little book written by Dr. Morris in 1982. It is titled Men of Science, Men of God. Dr. Morris was not afraid of truth and believed that the Bible actually encourages scientific investigation. He invites us to consider these words from the Bible.
“Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over
the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Gen 1:26 - 28)
Note that only man has been created in the image of God. Our unique identity enables us rule over everything else God created. When you go to the circus you will see lions, tigers, and even elephants that have been trained by man. Your home contains lumber grown, cultivated, and harvested by man. Your car is made of material taken from the earth and made useful by man. Fossil fuels and electricity are also forms of energy that are no value at all without the intelligent input of man. Your faith in God will never hinder you from discovering truth! It will actually help you. Faith in God encourages investigation.
Here are a few of the 101 men of science and men of God mentioned by Dr Morris. Remember! All of these scientific pioneers believed in God!
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Leonardo da Vinci is considered to be the founder of modern science.
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Johann Kepler is the founder of physical astronomy.
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Francis Bacon is the founder of the “scientific method”.
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Blaise Pascal is the father of the science of hydrostatics.
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Robert Boyle is the father of modern chemistry.
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John Ray is the father of English natural history.
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Nicolaus Steno developed the principles of stratigraphical interpretation.
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Thomas Burnet was one of the first geologists.
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Isaac Newton discovered the law of universal gravitation.
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Carolus Linnaeus is the father of biographical taxonomy.
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Matthew Maury is the father of hydrography and oceanography.
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Louis Agassiz is the father of glacial geology and glaciology.
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Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, was a Christian. His first message sent over the telegraph was Number 23:23, “What God hath wrought”.
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Dr. Wernher Von Braun said: “I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science”.
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Louis Pasteur, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, debunked the theory of the spontaneous generation of life. Incredibly, many who claim to be scientists, still “believe” in it #
In 1963, ten scientists formed the Creation Research Society. All members believe in the inspiration of the Bible, the deity and substitutionary atonement of Christ, and a six-day creation. It soon grew to over 700 scientists with one or more postgraduate degrees, plus 2,000 sustaining members. These statistics are many years old. I don’t know how many members there are today.
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As mentioned before, the Institute for Creation Research was founded in 1970. By 1988 they
had produced about 70 books and monographs, and offer a wide range of extension programs.
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By 1988 there were about 100 other creationist groups organized.
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I don’t know how many there are today, but when you have a question about evidence, I’m sure any of these faith based organizations will be happy to help.
Not far from our home in South West Missouri is the birthplace of the late Dr. George Washington Carver. If you have not yet visited this historical landmark, Grandpa will be happy to take you there. Dr. Carver was one of the most famous scientists in the world and is known as the Father of Synthetics. He read the Bible every day, and even took it with him into his laboratory. He not only believed that God created the heavens and the earth, he also believed that God guided him in his scientific discoveries. He attributed, for example, his ability to synthesize some 300 different products from the peanut to the guidance of God..
I believe that God can also guide you. Please do not forget the evidence, and never let your faith be “smiled away”.
Love always,
Grandpa Boyce