UPDATE: The owner of the homeschool blog with the evolutionary viewpoint has requested that we include her blog name and URL, which you will find at the end of this post. 

A few days ago, while checking our dashboard for this blog, we noticed a new incoming link from another home schooling blog. Curious to see how they found us and what they were writing when they posted our link, we decided to check it out.

Turns out it was a homeschooling blog with a decidedly evolutionary point of view, and they weren’t happy that we had made a post dealing with the subject of evolution. (You can read that post here.) Our post was not favorable to the evolutionary viewpoint as we are convinced that it is false and that creation is the only model that explains the origins of life.

This particular blog, which shall go nameless, titled their post “New Homeschooling Blog. Blech.” I think you can begin to get the idea already. They named us by name and provided a link [which they apparently wanted their readers to avoid, for fear they might read some truth ].

We refuse to play the “attack others by name that don’t agree with our viewpoint” game, so we will not mention the name of this particular blog. But here’s an excerpt of their post:
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“Wait a minute. I have to admit something. This blog annoyed me and that’s probably why I’m dishing out the snark now. See, there’s a Christian Worldview section. Uh huh. That’s where the blog authors like to post stuff like this:

“Both claim to be based on “science”, yet neither one is observable, repeatable, nor testable. They are both presented as fact in spite of this. And even though evolution is still the theory of evolution last time I checked, when you see it presented in the media, the word theory is seldom used”.

First off, there are a freakin’ pile of Christians for whom this stuff is NOT part of their Christian worldview. Be specific. Label the section “Evangelical Literalist Christian Worldview,” and leave me and the majority of Christians, who have no problem with evolution, out of your issues. Okay?

Second, don’t go on about what’s science and what isn’t if you don’t even understand what the word theory means in relation to science. For future reference:

“In science, a theory is a mathematical or logical explanation, or a testable model of the manner of interaction of a set of natural phenomena, capable of predicting future occurrences or observations of the same kind, and capable of being tested through experiment or otherwise falsified through empirical observation. It follows from this that for scientists “theory” and “fact” do not necessarily stand in opposition“.

Honestly, that’s basic science. Calling something a theory in relation to science has real weight. Think of Atomic Theory for instance. Is someone going to seriously argue that because the word theory is used we’re not really splitting atoms or electrons don’t exist?

Ugh. People”.
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Not wanting to leave this unchallenged, Brian posted the following (long) comment on their blog:

“According to your definition of “theory”, evolution doesn’t even qualify as one. What is “logical” about a life form creating itself and then somehow undergoing billions and billions of random changes that just happen to work out right? And it’s certainly not a “mathematical” explanation, nor is it “testable”.

Here’s another definition for you from Wikipedia, which is where it appears that you got your definition. This one is on the Scientific Method portal:

…”there are features that distinguish scientific inquiry from other methods of developing knowledge. Scientific researchers propose specific hypotheses as explanations of natural phenomena, and design experimental studies that test these predictions for accuracy. Any hypothesis that cannot be subjected to a test is not considered to be scientific”.

Evolution “cannot be subjected to a test” because it is something that supposedly occurred in the past and is not occurring today. And before you jump all over that, natural selection (changes within a species that are occurring at present) is not evolution, and there is no recorded instance of a new form or function being observed to have developed through natural means.

A theory is most certainly NOT the same as a fact. A LAW is the same as a fact, but a THEORY is not. That’s why they’re called The Laws of  Thermodynamics, not the Theories of Thermodynamics. The terms are not interchangeable.

One thing I’ve observed in my own experience is that many people who hold the evolutionary viewpoint seem to be openly hostile to the creationist viewpoint. They would be better served by rationally presenting the scientific merits of their position to help these poor misguided souls see the error of their ways. If evolution were true, that is…

In case you haven’t figured it out already, I’m the author of Homeschool Insider blog. Yes, we are relatively new, and yes, we certainly do not do everything perfectly, far from it. We’re still learning, and hope to never cease learning.

However, I think it’s rather tactless to single out a blog with a viewpoint that is in opposition to your own, especially a new one, and begin a very negative attack simply because you don’t agree with its viewpoint.

As a home schooling Dad myself, I like to think that we are all in this together regardless of what our viewpoints may be on controversial issues. I don’t think we do anyone a service by sniping at each other.

You’re certainly entitled to your own opinions on evolution (even though I truly think it’s a bunch of baloney) and I’ll defend your right to hold that opinion any day of the week.

As for me, I don’t plan on searching out homeschool sites that hold the evolutionary viewpoint and singling them out, but I certainly will argue against evolution in general.

In fact, if you’d like to debate this issue in a civil, scientific manner, I welcome the opportunity. (brian@homeschoolinsider.com)

I think it’s only fair that evolutionists start offering some real scientific evidence to support their theory if they are so convinced they’re correct. If evolution is an entirely natural process, as is claimed, then there should be abundant amounts of observable, testable evidence that can be verified by experimentation.

A final thought: Why is it that the vast majority of universities, which are supposed to be schools of free thought, won’t even allow DEBATE on the scientific merits of evolution? If the evidence is so overwhelmingly in their favor, they should welcome such a discussion”.

The owner of this blog responded to what Brian had written, and we’ll pick up on it tomorrow. In the meanwhile, please post your comments as we’d like to hear your feedback.

UPDATE: The owner of the homeschool blog with the evolutionary viewpoint has contacted us personally and requested that we include her blog name and URL in our posts because of copyright issues. She also graciously indicated that she would not consider it to be an attack on our part by listing those details, so here is that information now: 

Blog: Day By Day Discoveries
URL of post:  http://daybydayhsing.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-homeschooling-blog-blech.html

We’ll continue to give the link in future posts referring to or quoting from the blog.

Also, we had a technical issue with our comment box not appearing to some users, which we believe we have corrected.