"No theologian could ever be a historian. The historian has only one concern: truth, whereas the theologian has something else at stake: his dogma." Joseph Ernest Renan (1823-1897)
By their own words shall you know them.
Gems from the Creationist slagpile:
"If one is willing to make adjustments in the historical claims of the Bible, they can be correlated with the archaeological evidence, if one is willing to take some liberties with the archaeological evidence." - J. Maxwell Miller
"It is precisely because Biblical revelation is absolutely authoritative and perspicuous that the scientific facts, rightly interpreted, will give the same testimony as that of Scripture. There is not the slightest possibility that the *facts* of science can contradict the Bible." -Dr. Hank Morris in first paragraph of "Scientists Confront Creationism" edited by Laurie R. Godfrey
"There is no observational fact imaginable which cannot, one way or another, be made to fit the creation model." - Henry Morris -President, Institute for Creation Research
"But the main reason for insisting on the universal Flood as a fact of history and as the primary vehicle for geological interpretation is that God's Word plainly teaches it! No geologic difficulties, real or imagined, can be allowed to take precedence over the clear statements and necessary inferences of Scripture." Henry Morris, _Biblical Cosmology and Modern Science_ (1970) p. 32-33
"It is precisely because Biblical revelation is absolutely authoritative and perspicuous that the scientific facts, rightly interpreted, will give the same testimony as that of Scripture. There is not the slightest possibility that the *facts* of science can contradict the Bible." - Henry Morris in first paragraph of "Scientists Confront Creationism" edited by Laurie R. Godfrey
"The "stars" associated with the solar system, such as the planets and asteroids (and it should be remembered that the term "star" in Biblical usage applies to any heavenly body other than the sun and moon) would be particularly likely to be involved , in view of the heavy concentration of angels, both good and evil, around the planet Earth. " --Henry Morris, President, Institute for Creation Research
"Light was first intermingled with darkness. This "darkness" seems to have been not all absence of light, but a created "darkness," the exact nature of which is not revealed. Maybe it was akin to what scientists today call a Concentration of cosmic dust, dark "nebulae" or the like. When Light appeared for the first time, it was obscured partly by some dark matter and it did not unveil its brilliance." -Rabbi Schwab, Jewish Creationist
"A second possible thing that creationists might look for is some kind of an instrument that will detect darkness. It is my conclusion, based on [scripture] that darkness is a positive thing. " -Richard Niessen, Professor, Christian Heritage College
"If God cannot be taken literally when He writes of the rising sun (S- U-N), then how can one insist that he be taken literally when writing of the rising of the Son (S-O-N)! " -Professor Gerardus Bouw, Baldwin- Wallace College
"We really have dinosaurs today, without any question. You just need the right weather conditions, as I see it, to get huge creatures. And in the ocean, of course, we have huge creatures....this is where the plesiosauruses seem to be today, and perhaps also this fire breathing dragon is still down there -- very rare, but occasionally there." --Rev. Walter Lang, Founder, Bible-Science Association
"This problem seems formidable at first, but is easily resolved when the implications of God's creative acts are understood. The very purpose of creation centered in man. Even the angels themselves were created to be "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." (Hebrews 1:14). Man was not some kind of afterthought on God's part at all, but was absolutely central in all of His plans.
"The sun, moon, and stars were formed specifically to "be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years," and "to give light upon the earth" (Genesis 1:14, 15). In order to accomplish these purposes, they would obviously have to be visible on earth. But this requirement is a very little thing to a Creator! Why is it less difficult to create a star than to create the emanations from that star? In fact, had not God created "light" on Day One prior to His construction of "lights" on Day Four. It is even possible that the "light" bathing the earth on the first three days [before the sun was created] was created in space as en route from the innumerable "light bearers" which were yet to be constituted on the fourth day." --Henry Morris, President, Institute for Creation Research; on why it appears that the light from distant stars has been travelling for so long.
"We still do not know the full answer to the problem of the total purpose of all the stars. Especially is this true of the innumerable stars that can only be seen through telescopes.... The stars that are visible to the naked eye are, of course, valuable for navigation as well as beauty, but these only constitute an infinitesimal fraction of the total numbers of stars. What, then, was the purpose God has in creating all the others?... "
"Since in Scripture stars are frequently associated with angels, it may be that the stars are in some way involved in the ministries of the angels.... This possible association of angels with the stars, incidentally, is the only suggestion that Scripture makes concerning intelligent life on other worlds..."
"The physical stars, which are somehow associated with the spiritual host of heaven, may thus be also involved in this heavenly warfare. The "stars" associated with the solar system, such as the planets and asteroids (and it should be remembered that the term "star" in Biblical usage applies to any heavenly body other than the sun and moon) would be particularly likely to be involved, in view of the heavy concentration of angels, both good and evil, around the planet Earth."
"There are a number of Biblical references indicating that in some way the stars may actually participate in human battles Numbers 24:17; Judges 5:20; Revelation 6:13; 8:10; etc.).... In any case, the possibility is at least open that the fractures a nd scars on the moon and Mars, the shattered remnants of an erstwhile planet that became the asteroids, the peculiar rings of Saturn, the meteorite swarms, and other such features that somehow seem alien to a "very good" universe as God must have created it may have been acquired later. Perhaps they reflect some kind of heavenly catastrophe associated either with Satan's primeval rebellion or his continuing battle against Michael and his angels..."
"The long fascination of men of nations with pagan astrology can only be understood if it is recognized that there is some substratum of truth in the otherwise strange notion that objects billions of miles away could have any influence on earthly events. Certainly the physical stars as such can have no effect on the earth, but the evil spirits connected with them are not so limited."
"...the well-documented association of certain "U.F.O." sightings with occultic influences and tendencies suggests that the "rulers of the darkness of this world" (Ephesians 6:12) are increasingly imaginative in their battles for the minds of men." The preceding were all more 'wisdom' from -Henry Morris, President, Institute for Creation Research