Evolution Research - General Evolution News

McLean, Virginia. - A distinguished Christian professor of science and religion defended Intelligent Design by presenting an unsolved genetic puzzle on Thursday during a three-day apologetics conference at McLean Bible Church.

Dr. Paul Nelson (info), a Biola (Note 1) professor and apologist, approached the heavily debated theory of Intelligent Design from a biological angle. He set out on an intense 45-minute session entitled "Intelligent Design in Three Easy Steps" to argue that science supports the idea that an intelligent being designed the universe.

...For most of the evening, Nelson used specific examples of genes, enzymes, proteins, and cells with a focus on ORFan (open reading frame) genes, which are sequences of DNA that codes for protein.

Nelson looked at a pattern in biology that pointed strongly to design and challenged Darwin’s theory of common descent. Darwin said that if there were systems in nature that could not be arrived at by some gradual means or process then his theory could be reasonably doubted; the evolution theory requires gradual steps in biological developments.

To challenge Darwin's theory of evolution and defend I.D., Nelson focused on the growing discovery of new ORFan genes that are not in the GenBank database.

Full article at "Intelligent Design Defended by Unsolved Genetic Puzzle"
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Paul Nelson co-authored "Homology:
A Concept in Crisis" with Jonathan Wells (Note 2):

Abstract
Before Darwin, homology was defined morphologically and explained by reference to ideal archetypes -- that is, to intelligent design. Darwin reformulated biology in naturalistic* rather than teleological terms, and explained homology as the result of descent with modification from a common ancestor. Descent with modification, however, renders design unnecessary only if it is due entirely to naturalistic mechanisms. Two such mechanisms have been proposed, genetic programs and developmental pathways, but neither one fits the evidence. Without an empirically demonstrated naturalistic mechanism to account for homology, design remains a possibility which can only be excluded on the basis of questionable philosophical assumptions.

*In this article, "naturalism" and "naturalistic" refer to the philosophical doctrine that nature is the whole of reality, and that intelligent causation does not qualify as a scientific explanation.

Featured Book: "Three Views on Creation and Evolution (Counterpoints: Exploring Theology" by Paul Nelson, Robert C. Newman, Howard J. Van Till (Amazon UK | US)

Note 1: Biola University is a private Christian university founded in 1908 and located in Southern California.

Note 2: See an earlier post "'The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design': Scientist Exposes Evolution's Weaknesses" (Amazon UK | US)

Books on Creationism from the Science and Evolution Bookshop: UK | US

Books on Intelligent Design from the Science and Evolution Bookshop: UK | US

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