Thursday, July 23, 2015

Clever Questions Atheists Can’t Answer! (With Answers) #1: Creationist Credentials

This was the first question of one of those "questions atheists can't answer" posts.  I was thinking about answering the others, but they were so pointless and sophomoric I decided it wouldn't be worth bothering.  But, since I already went to the trouble of doing the research for this one, I figured I might as well leave it up.

1. If creationists can’t do science, then why do Kent Hovind and Duane T. Gish, who are creation scientists, have professional degrees in science?
First of all, I would never say “creationists can’t do science.”  What I would say is, creationists don’t do science, because they start with a conclusion and reject any evidence that doesn’t fit with it.[i]  That’s not how the scientific method works.  And if you believe that evolutionists do the same thing, just read On the Origin of the Species, compare it to the modern “neo-Darwinian synthesis,” and see how different they are.  If Darwinism were just a religion that rejects contrary evidence like creationism does, why would the current scientific consensus be so different from the original “Bible” of that non-existent religion?

Now, to the specific credentials of the two named creationists.  I’ll start with Kent Hovind, since he’s the one I’m more familiar with.  He does not have any degrees in science, that is simply a false statement.  He has a Bachelors Degree of Religious Education from Midwestern Baptist College[ii], he then went on to receive his doctorate from Patriot University, a school which has only religious authorization; it is not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education[iii] or recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.[iv]  On a page of Hovind’s old website on which he was defending his dubious credentials, he claimed that he received a Doctorate in education from Patriot.[v]  That’s already not a “professional degree in science,” but if you look at his doctoral dissertation, it says right on the front page that it’s for a “doctor of philosophy in Christian education.”[vi]  If you’re calling that a professional degree in science, I can’t help you.

So how about Duane Gish?  The only thing I really know about that guy is he’s the namesake of the “Gish Gallop,”[vii] a cheap debating tactic (which people who are so sure they’re on the right side of the argument shouldn’t need to use).  But does he have a scientific degree?  Indeed he does; a B.S. in chemistry from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from U.C. Berkeley.  Those are decent scientific credentials, so I’ll just return to my original point that I don’t claim creationists can’t do science, I claim that they don’t.  But don’t take my word for it; Gish himself said, “We cannot discover by scientific investigation anything about the creative processes used by the Creator.”[viii]  I got news for ya, buddy, if you cannot discover by scientific investigation anything about a claim you’re making, then that claim is not scientific (no matter what credentials you have). 




[i] “By definition, no apparent, perceived or claimed evidence in any field, including history and chronology, can be valid if it contradicts the scriptural record. Of primary importance is the fact that evidence is always subject to interpretation by fallible people who do not possess all information.”
https://answersingenesis.org/about/faith/
[ii] http://www.escambiaclerk.com/MyImages/2005406964.pdf
I’m not posting this affidavit to impugn Hovind’s character (he can do that just fine himself), but because I know how important it is in discussions like this to have sources that are above reproach, I figured what more unimpeachable source could there be than something signed by Hovind’s own hand?  Although, I do think it’s strange that he doesn’t even mention Patriot University here.

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