David Bloomberg
P.O. Box 20302
Springfield, IL 62708
August 30, 1996
Letters to the Editor
Illinois Times
P.O. Box 3524
Springfield, IL 62708
To the Editor:
As the Chairman of the Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL), I once again have to respond to the erroneous claims of a creationist. In this case, it is Todd Osgood, whose letter you printed in your August 29 edition.
He makes numerous errors in just one sentence dealing with evolution. He begins by stating: "when you consider that the theory of evolution (and I emphasize the word theory)…"
By emphasizing the word theory, he seems to be implying, as per standard creationist rhetoric, that a theory is just some guy’s idea. It’s not. Indeed, by emphasizing that it is a theory, he is telling the world that there is a great deal of evidence supporting evolution. If he would have read a basic science text, he would have found an explanation of this. Or he could have checked with scientific organizations, such as the New Orleans Geological Society, who in 1985 tried to explain to people like him what a theory is:
"’Theory’ – to a scientist – is a concept firmly grounded in and based on facts, contrary to the popular conception that it is a hazy notion or undocumented hypothesis."
Mr. Osgood shows that he does not understand what evolution is by stating that the theory of evolution "is based on the firm foundation that life created itself…" Indeed, the theory of evolution is concerned only with what occurred (and continues to occur) after life began. It has nothing to do with the origin of life.
Mr. Osgood continues with another standard creationist claim that has been debunked so many times I find it amazing that it’s still in use. He said evolution "violates the second law of thermodynamics by becoming more and more complex over millions and millions of years." It would take much more room than I have here to fully explain why this claim is incorrect; however, I will point out that the second law of thermodynamics refers only to a closed system. The Earth is not a closed system, as we are continually receiving energy from the Sun. This alone invalidates Mr. Osgood’s claim. Furthermore, even in such a system, parts of the system may become more complex (decrease in entropy), but that will be offset by an increase in entropy in other parts of the system. In other words, even if the Earth were a closed system, looking solely at one part of that system, as creationists making this claim do, is again incorrect.
Creationism is solely a religious belief, without a shred of scientific evidence to support it. Calling it "creation theory," as Mr. Osgood has, makes a mockery of science. Anybody who is interested in the creation/ evolution debate or REALL can contact us at P.O. Box 20302, Springfield, IL 62708. We are always happy to help get information to anybody asking for it.
David Bloomberg, Chairman
Rational Examination
Association of Lincoln Land
