From: danwell@IASTATE.EDU (Daniel A Ashlock)
Subject: New Evidence for Creation! NOT!!
Reply-To: danwell@IASTATE.EDU (Daniel A Ashlock)
Organization: Iowa State University
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 19:08:16 GMT

   What an incredible example of creationist reasoning:

   (I) Take information out of context,

   (II) Using two data points,

   (III) Select a simple model without justifying it, 

   (IV) and "prove" something with the above garbage while ignoring
        10^12 _facts_ that show the statement proved to be wrong in
        any case.

Point-by-point:

In article <1992Oct1.135043.23660@cbnews.cb.att.com>, ran@cbnews.cb.att.com
(Robert A. Neinast) writes:
> 
> A new scientific study has now given us the data to show that the
> creation certainly occurred after 33,000 BC and strong evidence
> shows that it probably occurred in 5386 BC.

   No, it hasn't.  I notice that the scientific study you sight did not
contain the model you have chosen to figure out how human body
temperature changes with time.  Why is a least square fit of a line the
proper choice of model? Answer: because it shows what you want it to.  I
deduce from the justification for your model that you give below (i.e.
none) that you are a dishonest jerk who will say anything to prove what he
has decided already to be true.
 
> In the "Journal of the American Medical Association", Philip Mackowiak has
> recently measured the average human body temperature (he's at the University
> of Maryland).  His result is 98.2 degrees F.  There is significance to these
> new findings, since the 1868 study of Carl Wunderlich showed that,
> in humans, the average body temperature at that time was 98.6 degrees F.  He
> collected the data using OVER ONE MILLION PEOPLE.  This pretty well points
> to the fact that, just as maximum lifespan of humans has been declining
> since the Fall (c.g. Methuselah--Gen 5:27), so has average body temperature.

   Could you please address the reason _given in the study you cite_ for
thinking the original study might have had a systemic flaw?  A systemic flaw
does not go away no matter how many trials you have (I read the summary that 
appeared in Science).
 
> A least-squares fit to this data yields the following precise equation
> for body temperate vs. time:
> 
> 	Temperature = -0.0032258064 * Year + 104.6258063552   .
> 
> Surely, body temperature could never have been above the boiling
> point of water.  This equation shows that body temperature would
> of been 212 degrees in 33286 BC, so it is clear that the creation must
> of occurred after that date.

   No, it's clear you've only considered one, very implausible, explaination.
What you are doing is proof by lack of imagination.  Yuck.  Bleacch.  
Icky-poo.

>  We can better pin down the date
> for creation by considering the perfection of God.  What better
> evidence of the flawlessness of his Plan than to create humans with
> body temperature exactly midway between the boiling and freezing
> points of water: 122 degrees F.  The above equation shows that
> this occurred in 5386 BC, in remarkable agreement with other estimates
> for the time of the Fall.
> 
> Maybe this will finally silence the unbelievers.

   Or did you just forget the smilies?

Dan
Danwell@IASTATE.EDU
Newsgroups: talk.origins