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Creation Strikes Back
Evolution is a viable science but adheres to two preposterous First, that life on earth randomly arose from chemicals swirling in the primordial ooze. Second, that man is merely the latest addition to primate succession, advancing from apes. Author Robert Core proves a creational God instigated both the single cell dawning of life and the advent of man. In an incredible twist, Creation Strikes Back shows it is far more probable Chimpanzees arose from man rather than vice versa.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 12, 2013
If you begin with the Bible as God’s honest truth, and add an appreciative-but-critical respect for evolutionary studies, where does the journey lead you? For Robert Core, it led to a startling conclusion.
Before delving into the review, I should probably make my bias clear up front. Proper science cannot be shackled by religious belief, and thus I do not see a niche for this book outside already-believing Christians with a soft spot for science. My four-star rating reflects an entertaining voyage with an opinionated expert culminating in a bizarre conclusion that I’m certain I won’t forget for a looooong time. This is certainly a new twist on evolution!
In typical dry humor, Core insists—quite seriously, I must add, and with much thought—that the biological relationship between man, ape, and chimpanzee is Biblical. I’ll not elaborate further on the book’s most titillating premise; best to leave it at that as a teaser.
Along the way, Core jumps into the debate about whether the odds are too great for life to ever form randomly on its own. This debate refuses to die because, much as creationists want to make it into an exercise in probability, it’s only half about the numbers. It’s also a philosophical puzzle. Core (a retired biology instructor) calculates the odds of randomly “getting a DNA sequence correct” as .25 to the power of 1 trillion. Pretty slim chance, eh? But of course, there is no particular reason why life has to be designed with a four-nucleotide DNA code, so where do these odds really get us? To see why the debate about the origin of life is as philosophical as it is numerical, consider that as I write this, I am sitting in front of my library, in which nearly 1,000 books are arranged in a particular order. Wow, what are the odds of that order happening by chance? My calculator throws up its hands trying to calculate the factorial of 1,000. Must be astronomical! (It is.) I’m sitting in front of a miracle!
In other words, until it’s proven that there’s something inherently special about this particular recipe for life, its odds are meaningless. Nevertheless, the debate rolls on … not so much about whether it is unlikely for life to happen by chance, but how unlikely, and whether the odds preclude seriously considering happenstance. Several scholars have weighed in on the issue, including Hubert Yockey, Frank Salisbury, and Henry Quastler. Even Carl Sagan has stuck his head in on the debate. For as much as my own unprofessional opinion matters, I side with Core. The most likely answer to the puzzle is that life must have had a little help getting started.
But having reached the conclusion that life probably didn’t start by chance, where do we go from there? Core points us to scripture. He leads us through chapter one of Genesis, falling prey to the temptation to take the Genesis myth and “science it up,” harmonizing the facts of evolution as we know them with Scripture. Because the book is too short for a detailed explanation, it’s best if you already have basic understanding of evolutionary theory, biology, and cosmology. The book reads a little like two crinkly-eyed old scientists reminiscing to one another on a Central Park bench … but that’s what makes it worth reading! It’s also best if you’ve learned how to laugh at yourself, because if you haven’t, somewhere along the way Robert’s sarcastic humor will strike too close to home. And I do hope you aren’t easily offended, because the writing is really funny and Robert does have something to say.
Just be sure you stop reading before day “seven” of the six-day creation, or you will never feel comfortable again visiting the primates section of your local zoo.
(this book is due for publication 1/7/14 by Tate Publishing)
Before delving into the review, I should probably make my bias clear up front. Proper science cannot be shackled by religious belief, and thus I do not see a niche for this book outside already-believing Christians with a soft spot for science. My four-star rating reflects an entertaining voyage with an opinionated expert culminating in a bizarre conclusion that I’m certain I won’t forget for a looooong time. This is certainly a new twist on evolution!
In typical dry humor, Core insists—quite seriously, I must add, and with much thought—that the biological relationship between man, ape, and chimpanzee is Biblical. I’ll not elaborate further on the book’s most titillating premise; best to leave it at that as a teaser.
Along the way, Core jumps into the debate about whether the odds are too great for life to ever form randomly on its own. This debate refuses to die because, much as creationists want to make it into an exercise in probability, it’s only half about the numbers. It’s also a philosophical puzzle. Core (a retired biology instructor) calculates the odds of randomly “getting a DNA sequence correct” as .25 to the power of 1 trillion. Pretty slim chance, eh? But of course, there is no particular reason why life has to be designed with a four-nucleotide DNA code, so where do these odds really get us? To see why the debate about the origin of life is as philosophical as it is numerical, consider that as I write this, I am sitting in front of my library, in which nearly 1,000 books are arranged in a particular order. Wow, what are the odds of that order happening by chance? My calculator throws up its hands trying to calculate the factorial of 1,000. Must be astronomical! (It is.) I’m sitting in front of a miracle!
In other words, until it’s proven that there’s something inherently special about this particular recipe for life, its odds are meaningless. Nevertheless, the debate rolls on … not so much about whether it is unlikely for life to happen by chance, but how unlikely, and whether the odds preclude seriously considering happenstance. Several scholars have weighed in on the issue, including Hubert Yockey, Frank Salisbury, and Henry Quastler. Even Carl Sagan has stuck his head in on the debate. For as much as my own unprofessional opinion matters, I side with Core. The most likely answer to the puzzle is that life must have had a little help getting started.
But having reached the conclusion that life probably didn’t start by chance, where do we go from there? Core points us to scripture. He leads us through chapter one of Genesis, falling prey to the temptation to take the Genesis myth and “science it up,” harmonizing the facts of evolution as we know them with Scripture. Because the book is too short for a detailed explanation, it’s best if you already have basic understanding of evolutionary theory, biology, and cosmology. The book reads a little like two crinkly-eyed old scientists reminiscing to one another on a Central Park bench … but that’s what makes it worth reading! It’s also best if you’ve learned how to laugh at yourself, because if you haven’t, somewhere along the way Robert’s sarcastic humor will strike too close to home. And I do hope you aren’t easily offended, because the writing is really funny and Robert does have something to say.
Just be sure you stop reading before day “seven” of the six-day creation, or you will never feel comfortable again visiting the primates section of your local zoo.
(this book is due for publication 1/7/14 by Tate Publishing)
February 17, 2014
A hallmark of any mature Christian must be respect for the bible as the inerrant, authoritative word of God. God's word is the source of all wisdom and truth, and should not be tampered with either by embellishments or subtractions. The bible contains dire warnings for those who would intentionally distort its truth. The temptation for many today is nevertheless to "adjust" God's word to fit our ever changing culture.
This brings me to the author, Robert Core. Robert's lack of respect for, and flippant treatment of, the scriptures is astounding. Core's zeal to merge his version of "science" with the bible derails virtually all consideration of sound exegesis or use of caution. His scriptural interpretations are novel and reckless.
Mr. Core claims that he left the scriptures "largely intact" in his treatment (as though only "some damage" to the bible is acceptable.) I regard Mr. Core's contention that he left the scriptures largely intact to be false. Let the reader decide.
My list of grievances is by no means complete, but a few of my objections follow (marked *.)
I could go on. To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ: Only read this book as a counter example!
This brings me to the author, Robert Core. Robert's lack of respect for, and flippant treatment of, the scriptures is astounding. Core's zeal to merge his version of "science" with the bible derails virtually all consideration of sound exegesis or use of caution. His scriptural interpretations are novel and reckless.
Mr. Core claims that he left the scriptures "largely intact" in his treatment (as though only "some damage" to the bible is acceptable.) I regard Mr. Core's contention that he left the scriptures largely intact to be false. Let the reader decide.
My list of grievances is by no means complete, but a few of my objections follow (marked *.)
*We should "make peace with the bulk of evolution, which is harmless."
*Various emerging life forms are capriciously assigned either "evolution" or "creation" status at the author's will.
*Adam and Eve are portrayed as mentally deficient "homo erectus" versions of humans, capable of verbal communication only by grunting.
*Core introduces death to creation prior to the fall of man.
*Core writes, "To ensure that Adam knew that “he would surely die” if he helped himself to the fruit of the forbidden tree, God pointed [since, according to Core, they were incapable of understanding verbally] to a dead animal, probably a snake, to drive home his point."
*Core writes, "God did not know how Adam and Eve would react to the forbidden tree," and did not know that they would fall.
*God is omniscient only "as to things that are not transient like thoughts or actions."
*Core writes, "Abel worked the fields and Cain tended sheep but when it came time to give thanks to God, each went about it a little differently. Abel gave the very best crop offerings to God as a tribute, while Cain only gave a second rate portion from his flock." [ (Note!) According to Gen 4 (NLT) "2 When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock.]
*Core has God creating extra people at random, with no scriptural warrant, so as to avoid the "incest" problem.
I could go on. To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ: Only read this book as a counter example!
September 7, 2016
Author Robert Core takes on a highly speculative, albeit engaging, mix of scientific and historical conjecture concerning the first six days of creation. The book, although fantastic and incredible in material was hilarious, as Robert is quite the sarcastic charmer as he propounds his viewpoint. Other speculations were fantastic as they were intriguing. The initial portion of the book does an interesting job at speculating creation using scientific theories and data (matter, energy, etc. God using substances after ex nihilo), the latter portion of the book is quite speculative, although the author admits it as an engaging way to start the conversation going between theism and atheistic Darwinism.
December 25, 2014
Robert Core is a teacher and researcher in plant breeding and genetics. In Creation Strikes Back, Core provides an interesting synthesis of empirical observations from experimentation and paleontology with his interpretation of the passages in the early chapters of Genesis.
For me the strength of this book was twofold:
(1) Core gives an excellent summary of genetics, molecular biology, and particularly transcription in terms that a non-expert in these areas can understand. In this regard, Core's gifts as a teacher shine through.
(2) Core's summary and critique of current hominid paleontology was well constructed and thorough. He was willing to point out numerous problems with the state of the evidence (something I find is rarely done by apologists for hominid evolution when they are writing for the non-expert reader).
The book is worth reading for these sections alone and I will refer back to this book to re-read these chapters time and time again.
On the other hand, Core is a plain-speaker and writes with an astringent style that will not appeal to all readers. He often interjects his philosophical and political perspectives into the discussion (don't we all to some extent?) and I think this would be annoying to some readers.
For my part, I value intellectual honesty, forthrightness, and plain-speaking highly and so these portions do not detract from the overall value of the book for me.
For me the strength of this book was twofold:
(1) Core gives an excellent summary of genetics, molecular biology, and particularly transcription in terms that a non-expert in these areas can understand. In this regard, Core's gifts as a teacher shine through.
(2) Core's summary and critique of current hominid paleontology was well constructed and thorough. He was willing to point out numerous problems with the state of the evidence (something I find is rarely done by apologists for hominid evolution when they are writing for the non-expert reader).
The book is worth reading for these sections alone and I will refer back to this book to re-read these chapters time and time again.
On the other hand, Core is a plain-speaker and writes with an astringent style that will not appeal to all readers. He often interjects his philosophical and political perspectives into the discussion (don't we all to some extent?) and I think this would be annoying to some readers.
For my part, I value intellectual honesty, forthrightness, and plain-speaking highly and so these portions do not detract from the overall value of the book for me.
January 27, 2014
Very we'll structured, and very, very interesting form of view of evolution. Simply an awesome and enjoyable book.
January 27, 2014
This was a great book and very informative! I would highly recommend this book!
January 31, 2014
Fascinating book with a Fascinating perspective!!
January 27, 2014
If you are Christian, You must read this book!! I cannot wait to share this book with others!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews