Is there a difference between "observational" and "historical" science as Young Earth Creationists (YECs) say? As you can read in any number of Answers in Genesis articles, YECs claim that there are two kinds of science: "Operational Science" where we are making observations about the present, and "Historical Science" where we try to come to …
Why I Will Never Visit a Closed Communion Church
I like to have a set of simple, common-sense rules that help life run smoothly. Things like "don't keep people who cause drama around," or "don't spend time where you're not welcome." I have not been to a church that practices closed communion in a while, but the last time I did I was keenly …
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A Laundry List of Misinformation a la Ken Ham in Edmonton
Ken Hem himself was up here in Edmonton this week giving a bonus talk after being the keynote speaker at a big homeschooling convention in Red Deer. Why bother going to such a thing? It was free, and if honest Christian scientists don't show up to things like that, then the echo chamber stays tightly …
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Being Pro-Life On The Planet Of The Apes
I went to see War For The Planet of The Apes recently, and despite how silly it seems at face value, I find the series covers some thoughtful stuff. In the modern reboot series, many apes are accidentally infected with a virus that was adapted to treat Alzheimer's in humans through gene therapy, but gives …
Field Trips: Edmonton River Valley Leaf Fossils
I was hiking along the shore of the North Saskatchewan River here in Edmonton a few weeks ago and came across some pretty stellar leaf fossils. These are so finely detailed they look like they could have been made yesterday, but how old are they? That's always my first question when I find a fossil, …
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There Are No Fingerprints of God On Nature
When I was a teenager, I was that nerdy conservative Christian type of teenager who loved to read about evidences for God and Christianity and argue about them with people. It was pretty fun and really helped me learn a lot, despite some things being a bit cringe-y in retrospect (but hey, whose teenage years …
Introductory Evolution As A Comic
I'm part of a Facebook group that discusses creationism and evolutionary science in debate format. It can be fun, but there is a definite, unfortunate, trend. Most vocal folks on the YEC side don't seem to have a good handle on what evolution actually is. You can't have much of an intelligent conversation with someone who …
The Morality of Vaccines Made Using Embryonic Cell Lines
Vaccines certainly cause a lot of public tension. I'm not just talking about those who disagree that vaccines are safe and effective; how some vaccines are made can raise some understandable moral concerns. To make some vaccines, like the Rubella vaccine for example, we need to use diploid[1] human cells from human embryos. In this …
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Consensus and Confidence: 2 Important Questions to Ask About Every Scientific Idea
These are the first two questions I use to quickly sort scientific claims into "worth considering" or "rubbish," and I think others might find them useful too. Every day I see scientific claims of all sorts floating around the internet, and that's pretty great to see because I'm pretty excited about science. Unfortunately I don't …
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Book Review: Lent Is Not Rocket Science
Author: W. Nicholas Knisely Publisher: Forward Movement, Cincinnati, OH Date of Publication: 2015 Title: Lent Is Not Rocket Science: An Exploration of God, Creation, and the Cosmos. This is the first year that I've done something pretty regularly for lent and it's been a nice addition to life. I picked up Lent Is Not Rocket …
Stem Cell Monk 