Arthur Smith Woodward1 was a brilliant scientist born in 1864 and schooled in southern England. His passion and college degrees focused upon “paleoichthyology” – the study of fossil fish. In 1901 he became the Keeper of Geology at the Natural Museum in London, and by 1910 was elected a “Fellow of the Royal Society” and recognized as the world expert on fossil fish. He performed field work in South America and Greece, published numerous papers, and received several awards and medals.
Arthur Woodward knew science, but he was completely unprepared for a visit in February, 1912 from Charles Dawson2, an “amateur archeologist” (archeology is the study of the remains of ancient man).
Dawson visited Sir Woodward to show him fossil bones he reportedly discovered in a quarry near Piltdown in extreme southern England. After reconstruction, the bones formed an apparent, ancient human skull, similar to but smaller than modern man. Woodward spent that summer in the field with Dawson collecting additional bone fragments, teeth and most importantly, a jaw-bone that seemed closely related to an ape. It appeared as if the two species had merged and suggested the discovery of the “missing link” between man and ape.
They announced their initial findings in December, 1912 and the creature became known as “Piltdown Man3.” The scientific community erupted. Some experts, especially in Britain, hailed the find as the greatest discovery of the century. Others were extremely skeptical, and some suspected the remains were a hoax. Sir Woodward strongly advocated the fossils’ authenticity. The original fossils were extensively studied over the next 40 years, and eventually, over 500 technical papers were released.
The “Missing Link”
The “Missing Link” is a fanciful name for what today is termed a “transition fossil.”
From an evolutionary biologist’s perspective, these fossils represent the biological transition between one group, such as apes, and another group, such as man.
In 1953, Time magazine published an article with several lines of evidence that resolved the mystery. The Piltdown remains were shown to be a composite forgery from three species: 1) a Medieval human skull; 2) a 500-year-old lower jaw of an orangutan; and, 3) fossil teeth from a chimpanzee. The bones had been stained with an iron solution and chromic acid to mimic great age; and the chimpanzee teeth had been filed. Though never proven, Charles Dawson himself is the prime suspect of the forgery, which is now regarded as one of the greatest of all scientific hoaxes.
So why spend such time discussing a hoax?
Because it’s a great example of the disaster that occurs when one leg of the stool of Truth is flawed, and how Satan, the great Deceiver, is at work to make it happen. But first, let me briefly share another side of the story.
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Two Bible verses formed the backbone of a flawed, astronomical model that was adopted by the Catholic Church in the early Renaissance period. According to the Church, Scripture provided undeniable proof of geocentrism4—the belief that earth set at the center of the universe and the sun, stars, and planets rotated about it. The two following verses made it clear; anything else was heresy:
- He established the earth upon its foundations, so that it will not totter forever and forever (Psalm 104:5)
- . . . In them (the heavens) He has placed a tent for the sun… it rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens and its circuit to the other end of them (Psalm 19:4-6; also see Ecclesiastes 1:5)
Many early scientists disagreed with the geocentric model. In 1535, Nicolaus Copernicus5 published his treatise De revolutionibus orbium coelestium which introduced and mathematically defended the heliocentric model. This model placed the sun at the center of the solar system. The earth rotated upon its axis and orbited the sun, along with the other planets.
Galileo Galilei6 supported the heliocentric model and in the early 17th century built his telescope and looked into the night skies. For the first time ever, human eyes beheld sunspots and the phases of Venus. Galileo published his findings in 1613 and 1615, confirming heliocentrism through his physical observations. A series of exchanges between Galileo and the Catholic Church eventually led to the Inquisition court which found him guilty in 1633. The court condemned him to house arrest for the remaining few years of his life.
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We now have two examples that illustrate both sides of an ugly conflict over creation. And, the conflict is rooted in Satan’s deception! Let’s consider this by example:
Piltdown Man
In 1859, Charles Darwin published his treatise on evolution, The Origin of the Species. A firestorm erupted between the church and those supporting Darwin’s theory. By 1910, archeologists were in search of transition fossils they believed would support Darwin’s theory and provide the “missing link” between ape and man.
In Romans 1:18-23, God declared that truth is expressed through what has been made. In other words, “study My creation to learn of Me.” Many scientists, especially earth scientists, disbelieve in God and His Word, but, ironically, they follow His command in Romans 1 and diligently study the earth. Apparently, Charles Dawson believed that God’s creation needed a little help and purposely “planted” the perfect missing link – a human skull and the jawbone of an ape. So, let’s summarize a few points from above:
- Scientists focus almost exclusively on God’s creation (the earth and the heavens)
- Many scientists disbelieve and even discredit God’s word as fable or “campfire tales”
- The desire by some to “prove evolution” was so strong that a corrupt action was taken
So, one leg of the stool – the truth as expressed through creation – was corrupted by mankind’s determination to prove an evolutionary argument.
Geocentricity
By the mid-1700’s, overwhelming astronomical and mathematical evidence had proven the heliocentric model. The Church softened its stance in the mid-18th century, and by 1835 removed its prohibitions against it. Today, practically everyone in any developed country understands and accepts the heliocentric model.
Interestingly though, when the two previous verses (Ps. 104:5; 19:4-6) are read and discussed in an adult, church classroom (I’ve done this over a dozen times in various churches), at least a few individuals become confused, agitated, or even upset. They become strongly conflicted on the basis that “the Bible and its verses are truth – they can’t be wrong.” So, what’s going on?
The Bible has always been the absolute authority in the church. However, we get ourselves in trouble when words and verses that were used by the writer as analogies, poetry, etc., are interpreted in a literal sense. For example, several Old Testament verses speak of God as “The Rock” (e.g. Psalm 19:14). If that was meant as a literal definition of God, then I want to know what kind of rock. Is He granite, marble, or gneiss?
Clearly, God allowed the inspired writers to use analogies in His word. Galileo, in his own defense against the court, argued for the Word’s use of analogies. He also included this insightful quote from Augustine (from about 1200 years earlier):
“One does not read in the Gospels that the Lord said: I will send you the Paraclete (i.e. the Holy Spirit, added by JRC) who will teach you about the course of the sun and moon. For He willed to make them Christians, and not mathematicians.” (Augustine, approximately 400 A.D.)
I believe this explains why these two verses still upset a few students in each class—they consider all Bible verses as literal. It may be the first time they were “stretched” by a biblical analogy. And, that’s why the Church opposed Galileo in 1633. Now, let’s summarize the major points from this example:
- Most modern Christians focus exclusively on the Bible as God’s literal source of authority
- Many Christians disbelieve and even discredit the Creation as a source of truth/authority
- The support of geocentrism on the basis of Scriptural authority was so strong that a corrupt action was taken (Galilleo was falsely convicted).
In this case, a different leg of the stool was corrupted by the misuse of the Word to support an incorrect astronomical model. Do you see the emerging pattern? Let’s contrast the views more directly:
Scientific View
Truth is sourced primarily from nature
Distrust/discredit the Bible
Scientific interpretation fueled corruption
(through the Piltdown Man)
Christian View
Truth is sourced primarily from Scripture
Distrust/discredit nature and science
Scriptural interpretation fueled corruption
(through Galileo’s imprisonment)
This has Satan’s fingerprints all over it. Two of the three legs of our stool—His Word and His creation—when integrated, reveal the full character of God and our relationship with Him. Satan, through his deceptive nature (2 John 1:7), began centuries ago to divide and polarize the two groups that would support each of the legs. The geocentric conflict was perhaps the first exposure of this Satanic plot.
Today, the two groups viciously attack each other in debates and writings. Cynicism and hatred have replaced patience and love. Would Jesus endorse such behavior? The foundational support from the third leg of our stool—Jesus Christ—has been crippled by their vehement words. “Hatred of others” and “Jesus” cannot co-exist within any “defender of the faith.”
This blog seeks to expose this Satanic perversion.
Scientists must recognize that the statistically unexplainable, the awe-inspiring discoveries, and the amazing intricacies in a water-worn pebble WILL reveal God’s invisible attributes if we “simply look.” Numerous scientists have come to God through their study of His creation.
Christians must realize that scientific observations of His creation are NOT a threat to His Word or His Church. Furthermore, faulty interpretations and/or misrepresentations of His creation, such as the sun rotating around the earth, discredit the truth. We can avoid such errors if we “simply look.”
We (Christians) have His Word and with it comes serious responsibility. Do we trust science? Do we appreciate His creation? And, most importantly, are we accurate and truthful in our statements regarding His creation? We MUST speak TRUTH!
I leave you with this final and relevant challenge. Have you taught, debated, or defended the human footprints that reportedly co-exist with dinosaur tracks in the limestone strata at Glen Rose, Texas? If you have not been to the State Park to personally inspect them, you might ought to do so before you teach any further.
1Wikipedia: Arthur Smith Woodward
2Wikipedia: Charles Dawson
3Wikipedia: Piltdown Man
4Wikipedia: Geocentrism vs Heliocentrism
5Wikipedia: Nicolaus Copernicus
6Wikipedia: Galileo Galilei