September 1964

VOL. II;  No. 6;  September 1964

 
Dedicated to:
Special Creation
Literal or Natural Interpretation of the Bible
Divine Design and Purpose in Nature
A Young Earth
A Universal Noachian Flood
Christ as God and Man, Only Savior 

The Bible-Science Newsletter was published by the Bible-Science Association, Inc.

-- Rev. Walter Lang, Editor;  Caldwell, Idaho

(This was the first issue put out in a folding newsprint format.)

    A NEW FORMAT
The last two issues of the Bible-Science Newsletter were printed in 4000 copies, the last issue being run twice in order to fill the demand. The J. R. Simplot Company, food processing plant in Caldwell, donated time and labor in printing the last four issues in their print shop. This has been of great help to our modest Newsletter program.

4000 copies of each issue is more than a company can do as a volunteer service. Arrangements have been made with a commercial "printer. To save costs the Newsletter will be printed in newspaper form. It will be published regularly on the 15th of each month with the exception of July and August. Twin-Cities Printers of Caldwell will be the publisher.

A second-class mailing permit is pending for a non-profit organization. This permits savings in postage. Pictures can be more easily inserted into the publication and we feel the new format should be very readable.

    REMARKABLE GROWTH
Our mailing list at present numbers about 2400 names. At the beginning of our last issue we had 900 names. Nearly 1000 names were added during a ten-day period in July. Dr. Jack Andrews, a dentist in California, sent a list of 400 names, and a sizeable check. Another 300 names were added from the Evangelical Theological Society furnished by Dr. Laird Harris.

Mrs. Jean Sumrall and Mrs Nell Segraves of Los Angeles furnished long lists. Mr. E. W. Haack, executive director of the South Wisconsin District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, sent names and addresses of 300 teachers of the area, and financial support.

Every day requests come in for the Newsletter. About 6000 copies of the Newsletter were distributed at thirty-two District conventions of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. We thank those who helped in the distribution and we thank the District presidents for their fine support.

1000 additional copies of the September and October issues of the Newsletter will go to California to promote the forthcoming Institute. 500 copies of the October issue will go to Burley, Idaho for distribution at the dedication of a new church.

We now have 65 foreign addresses on the mailing list, and many more from Canada. Some of these include native workers in the mission fields.

    BIBLE-SCIENCE INSTITUTE, LOS ANGELES
A considerable amount of work and effort is being expended to make the Los Angeles Bible-Science Institute a success. These five locations have been designated:

ALHAMBRA - Emmaus First Lutheran Hall.
SAN   FERNANDO   -   First  Lutheran
ANAHEIM - Zion Lutheran Hall
INGLEWOOD - Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
SAN DIEGO - Trinity Lutheran Church

Possibly a lecture will be held at the Church of the Open Door in downtown Los Angeles, and at Biolo College during the daytime.

    Lecturers for the Institute are as follows:
Dr. George Howe, biologist at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California. He will speak on fern fossils with the topic "God Created Plants."
Dr. Walter E. Lammerts geneticist who will return in September from a four-month plant safari in the Pacific. He will speak on "Mutations and God's Power."
Clifford Burdick M.S., geologist from Tucson, Arizona, who will speak on "Geology and the Bible."
Dr. Bolton Davidheiser, biologist at Biola Institute. His topic is "Evidences of God in Biology."
Wilbert Rusch, M.S., biologist and instructor at Concordia Junior College, Ann Arbor, Michigan. His lecture is entitled "Science and the Bible."
The Rev. Walter Lang, Caldwell, Idaho, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church. His subject is "Genesis One and Two."

Sponsor of the Institute is a group known as the Southern California Lutheran Men. To promote the Institute they have reprinted the article "The Importance of Creation Study" by Dr. John Koltz, in the Creation Research Annual, and are distributing 5000 copies. 10,000 flyers have been ordered and they have requested 1000 copies of this Newsletter for distribution.

All who can attend are invited to keep open the dates November 9-13.

    Evolutionary Conflict in Calif.
This Newsletter in previous issues has reported on the conflict on evolution taught in the public schools in the states of Washington and Arizona and has mentioned the case in California. The two women most prominently involved in the issue, Mrs. Jean Sumrall and Mrs. Nell Segraves, recently sent us a complete report of the proceedings. We herewith give you a summary of the report.

On July 29, 1962 Mrs. Sumrall and Mrs. Segraves questioned John F. Kennedy, then president of the United States, whether there should be a banning of indoctrination in evolution in the public schools as well as the banning of Bible reading. They also asked the California Board of Education for a ruling on this matter.

Legal counsel for the Los Angeles Board of Education, Jerry F. Hal-verson, went to some lengths in defining the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States' Constitution, holding the government shall never force religion upon its people nor promote worship activities. He held the same to be true with regard to indoctrination in evolution. Assistant Attorney General of the United States, Norbet A. Schlei, said a-bout the same thing in a letter to President Kennedy in reply to a request for a ruling on this matter. We quote him: "On the other hand, if State officials prescribed the teaching of atheism in the public schools, it is likely, in view of the Engel case and other pertinent decisions of the Supreme Court, that the Court would find such practice unconstitutional."

Jerry Halverson of Los Angeles in his opinion stated: "It should be noted that in connection with the advocacy of religion . . . the objective teaching about religious, irreligious, or atheistic concepts is not prohibited. That is, a public school district may undertake to instruct about subjects such as religion or theories in the same fashion in which it may teach about politics or political theories. What the public schools are prohibited from doing, by the recent decision, is to instruct that such theories are true or correct, or to instruct in such a way as to deliberately impress upon the student that the State considers such theories as true or correct."

On May 24, 1963 these ladies presented to the California Public School Board evidence that a conflict existed between teachings in the school system and religious teachings. Their evidence included the following: an article by Walter E. Lammert, an essay "We Are the Offspring of God" by Paul Zimmerman; three legal Opinions by the aforementioned Schlei and Halverson and George Holden of the Orange County Counsel; a legal Opinion by Attorney General Stanley Mosk of California; an officially adopted statement by the California Board on teaching of religion in public schools; a recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Max Rafferty; a statement by Wm. Morris; a long list of quotations from textbooks showing there was indoctrination of evolution in the public schools; another legal Opinion to Robert Badham regarding "patriotic propaganda"; an Opinion concerning seven documents distributed by the Orange County school system alleged to be "sectarian religious publications".

The Board considered these matters on October 14, 1963, but did not feel there was enough proof of indoctrination of evolution in the schools. This was after October 11 on which date Mrs. Segraves and Mrs. Sumrall had presented resolutions prohibiting the beaching of evolution as fact in the public schools.

They quoted from the United States Supreme Court Decision of June 17, 1963: "That the state may not establish a 'religion of secularism' in the sense of affirmatively opposing or showing hostility to religion, thus 'preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe' ". They also brought Opinions showing there was nothing in the Supreme Court Decisions which prohibited teaching about religion and God.

    Their complete Resolution was as follows:
"1. Disseminating, as rapidly as possible, to the classroom teachers the essentials of Attorney General Mosk's Opinions and the U. S. Supreme Court Decisions of June 17, 1963, and furnishing the complete Opinions and Decisions to Superintendents, Principals and Legal Counsels and especially to the State textbook adoption agencies, curriculum commissions and textbook publishers, and

2. Immediately reviewing all textbooks and removing from use in the public schools those illegal textbooks which promote, or state as a fact, atheistic and agnostic assumptions and conjecture, and

3. Developing philosophically balanced textbooks and curriculum for use in the public educational system of California, and

4. Locating and procuring textbooks and educational materials already available which would be applicable to such a balanced curriculum and lawful under the Constitution of the United States."

The California Board of Education on December 17, 1963 sent a directive to all school administrators, explaining there could be no worship, but allowed for teaching about religion. It further stated: "So if the State is forbidden by the Constitution to promote the Christian religion, it is also forbidden to promote a godless religion of secularism or atheism. It would seem to follow, therefore, that no teacher is at liberty to teach a point of view denying God any more than a teacher is at liberty to promote a particular religious sect". The directive also states: "There is not found in the Decision any tendency to discount the importance of religion in general or of Christianity in particular.

Justice Clark says, 'the place of religion in our society is an exalted one'. He refers with approbation to the Engel versus Vitale case in which the court said, 'We are a religious people' ". Again we quote "While religious worship services are not to be held in the schools nor is any religious person given the right to promote his particular point of view . . . Our schools should have no hesitancy to teach about religion . . . We want the children of California to be aware of the spiritual principles and the faith which undergird our way of life."

All this indicates the hard work of these two women brought about real results. If the schools and teachers follow this Directive, there will be a brake upon evolutionary indoctrination.

    Bible-Science Assn.
Grace Lutheran Church in Caldwell has been helpful to the Bible-Science Newsletter during its first year of operation. The program has grown to the extent that it was deemed advisable to form a separate organization. This organization is completely separate from the Creation Research Society but will work closely with them. It will deal with the promotion of creation concepts.

Membership fee will be $5.00 annually with a $2.00 rate for students. Those who have already contributed in that amount will automatically be members until June of next year when it is hoped the first annual meeting can be held. The Newsletter will continue to be mailed to all who request, whether or not they are members.
Objectives are the same as those stated on the Newsletter heading. It is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting creationism.

    Its first officers are as follows:
President — Paul R. Hoekstedde, Los Angeles, California.
Vice-president — Wm. Gehrke, Denver, Colorado.
Secretary — Ed Rochlitz, Caldwell, Idaho.
Treasurer — Herman Voss, Caldwell, Idaho.
Board of Directors — Dr. Jack Andrews, Los Angeles; Dr. Larry Kier, Denver; and Ernest Manthie, Petsokey, Michigan.

    BIBLE-SCIENCE WORKSHOP AT PORTLAND, OREGON
About sixty-five pastors attended a pastoral Workshop on Bible and Science Relationships sponsored by the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, August 24-28. It was held at Concordia College in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Klotz, professor at Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Indiana, spoke on the topic of Bible
and Science relationships. His lecture is summarized on another page. Dr. Alfred von Rohr Sauer presented a lecture on Genesis One and Two; Job 38-42; and Psalm 104. He also showed pictures taken on an archaeological expedition in the Holy Land.

Attendance at this Workshop was double that of previous workshops.

    South African Museum
Wm. Tinkle, biologist now retired, of Eaton, Indiana, is an active member of the Creation Research Society also its secretary. He tells of the problems at the Transvaal Museum at Pretoria, South Africa. They have an exhibit of a series of models of skulls the first of which is to be an ape and the last a modern man. This was an attempt to prove that man descended from the ape. The Minister of Education demanded this exhibit be removed to which the scientist who arranged the exhibit gave a heated reply.

He did not cite scientific facts to bolster his position, but made a vituperous tirade on the church. He said: "The bigotry intolerance, and small-mindedness of a small but powerful group of ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church was driving Africaners away from the church and might still result in the Dutch Reformed Church losing most of its influence in South Africa.

Dr. Meester did not mention the real source of the protest against his exhibit, namely Dr. J. J. Duyvene DeWitt, head of the Zoology Department, University of the Orange Free State. Why not? It would weaken his case if people knew that a man with training equal to his own was opposing his exhibit on the ground that it was not founded upon facts.

Tinkle notes that if this "connecting line" between the animal kingdom and man can be removed from the Transvaal Museum it will be easier to get rid of unfounded authoritarian education in this country. Series of pictures in textbooks have the same affect, namely, the impression that human evolution is settled beyond any doubt. This attitude leads away from a healthy search of nature to learn whether evolution is true Tinkle wrote to the Board of the Museum on March 10, 1964. In part he said:

"Before my retirement due to age I was head of the Science Department of Taylor University, Upland, Indiana, U.S.A., and had charge of the college museum. I am secretary of the Research Society, composed of about a hundred persons trained in science, living in the United States, Canada, and Europe, with a membership of 300 or more. As you know a museum is an educational institution which has the duty of acquainting people with concrete facts. From its exhibits, people should be stimulated to seek facts for themselves. You will agree with me that a museum should not simply quote authorities, as Mediaeval schoolmen quoted Aristotle, with the final remark, "Ipse dixit." (He himself said so.)

"A weakness of modern people is that they do not distinguish between a scientist and a wizard. A scientist does not obscure but reveals his thoughts and methods to all. But one who sets forth and illustrates a theory, as for instance of man's descent, does not do this. Not fact but interpretation is exhibited, and minds are closed to other interpretations. The data which have led the exhibitor to this conclusion are not given, and the visitors at the museum are not interested in learning such data because they think they already have the fact. This is not education but obscurantism.

"The officers of the Creation Research Society advise that this exhibit be removed.

"We hasten to add that we do not expect you to leave a vacant space on your tables but to set up such exhibits as will help people to seek facts, to weigh and compare them, and so arrive at conclusions for themselves. Exhibit plaster-casts of a large number of human skulls, not simply the few which some successor to Aristotle claims to be significant.

Don't overlook several skeletons of modern type found in a cave in China along with typical Peking type man which has received so much publicity. Show drawings of the cave at Fontechevade, France, where, in 1947, Mille. Germaine Menri-Martin proved that some people of modern type lived before Neanderthal Man, the typical cave dweller. Even in your own country it is stated that skeletons of modern type are found along with the famous Australopithecus.

"While restoration of human types are attractive, they are not authentic unless made from complete skulls, such as that of the Old Man of Cro-Magnon. The Piltdown skull was restored in several different ways before it finally was proved to be a hoax.

"Finally, in trying to arrive at the truth about man's ancestry don't forget that monumental work, the Bible. Our ideas of God and man will be warped if we reject the record the Bible, which says that man was created in the image and likeness of God."
 

(The on-line presentation of this issue (starting with Vol. II, No. 4; 
and those following contain only excerpted sections and contents.)


 
MAIN: 
MAIN:  www.creationism.org