Letters From Grandpa #219

LETTERS FROM GRANDPA # 219

Dearest grandchild,

Today’s letter will deal with bias and prejudice on the college campus. This has been a constant source of concern to me as many godly young men and women have had their faith “smiled away” by unbelieving professors. In general we are led to believe that religious people are unscientific and prejudiced while the academics on campus are only interested in the facts. Experience teaches us that there are prejudiced people everywhere.

Today’s letter will feature Mark Armitage. Mark is a scientist with 30 publications to his credit. He is the past president of the Southern California Society for Microscopy. He was hired by the California State University Northridge in 2010. In the summer of 2012 Mark was excavating at the world famous dinosaur dig at the Hell Creek Formation in Montana when he discovered the largest triceratops horn ever unearthed at that site. When examined under a microscope Mark discovered soft fiber and bone tissue that could be stretched. He published his findings in the Nov. 2012 American Laboratory Magazine which featured pictures of this soft tissue on it’s cover. Later this discovery was also mentioned in the Feb. 2013 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Acta Histochemich.

Following these publications a fellow professor stormed into Mark’s office and shouted “We’re not going to tolerate your religion in this department”. Say what? Since when Is a scientific discovery religion? Not long after, however, Mark was terminated. Apparently only certain scientific discoveries are acceptable. Mark sued the university and after a two year long legal battle the university paid him $399,500. Naturally they admitted no wrong doing but the six figure settlement is an eloquent rebuttal.

Scientifically speaking there is no way that a 68 million year old bone could possible still have soft stretchy tissue. The thought that the earth might be young, however, is a death knell to evolution. Time is their god! The solution to every problem faced by the evolutionist is “time”. They cannot explain, for example, how life came from non living material, but if you give them enough “time” then they “believe” that anything is possible. Since they have out of hand rejected any possibility of God, time is their only alternative. Taking away “time” is therefore like sacrilege to an evolutionist.

In 2008 Ben Stein was featured in a documentary titled “Expelled — No Intelligence Allowed” This documentary highlights prejudice throughout the scientific community. It set a record for documentaries by opening in 1,052 theaters and grossing over $2,900,000 the first weekend. Those who cannot face the reality of soft tissue in a dinosaur bone, however, summarily dismissed this “documentary” as “propaganda”. I hope you will see it for yourself and make up your own mind!

I mentioned before a Chinese scientist who concluded that the universe reflects intelligent design. When asked if such conclusions placed him at odds with his government he replied. “In China we can criticize evolution but not the government. In America you can criticize the government but not evolution”. If you doubt this is true, try criticizing evolution and see how many government grants you get.

In general, your faith will not be a hindrance to your career as long as you keep it to yourself. Mark Armitage paid a price for merely going public with a discovery. Even though vindicated by the courts he considers that he is now blackballed in the scientific community. Imagine the outrage he would create if he was as public about his faith as the prophet Daniel. When King Darius decreed that

anyone who prayed to any god or man except the king himself would be thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel dared to pray three times a day facing Jerusalem with the windows open. As you know, Daniel not only survived the lion’s den but caused Darius himself to issue the following decree: “Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly! “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” (Daniel 6:25-28)

Perhaps you are too young to remember, but on Jan. 8, 1956 five American missionaries died as martyrs in the jungle of Ecuador. Their killers were Stone Age savages known as “Aucas”. This is a derogatory term meaning “naked” or “savage”. The martyrs were Nate Saint, Roger Youdarian, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, and Jim Elliot. I was privileged to visit the jungle where they died with Steve Saint whose father was one of the martyrs. Before he died, Jim Elliot wrote: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”. You may be interested to know that these martyrs did not die in vain. The “Aucas” are now Christians and call themselves “Huaranis”, which means “The People”. I slept in a hammock beside these former killers without fear.

Facts are stubborn things! I am thankful that Mark Armitage discovered some facts and had the courage to publish them. May we also stick to the facts and be willing to give up what we cannot keep

to gain what we cannot lose.

I love you,

Grandpa Boyce