John N Clayton Archives

May 24, 2024May 23, 2024

What Repentance Means

A man recently told us, “I can’t repent because I haven’t done anything I need to repent of!” That statement shows ignorance of what repentance means and what we individually should do about it.

The Hebrew word translated as “repent” in the Old Testament is “nacham,” which means to rue or be sorry, as with a sigh. Genesis 6:6-7 tells us that God repented that He made man, and Exodus 32:14, Judges 2:18, and 1 Samuel 15:11 use the same word as God changes His mind about His intents. The Greek word used in the New Testament is “metanoeo” meaning “to have another mind.” We see “metanoia” used many times, including in Matthew 3:2, 4:17,11:20,12:41, Acts 2:38, 3:19, 17:30, 26:20, and 2 Corinthians 12:21.

As the world sinks deeper and deeper into war, violence, ethnic cleansing, sexism, racism, and immorality, the need for a change of mind among the leaders of all nations is evident. The Old Testament tells us many instances when there was no change of mind, and the results were disastrous. At the same time, It shows that good things can happen when leaders change their thinking. In 2 Kings 23:25, we learn this about King Josiah: “…there was no king before him which turned (repented – changed his thinking) with all his soul and with all his might.” The good that came from that change contrasts with the results of the evil leaders, which is one of the primary messages of the Old Testament.

What repentance means is a change in how we think that will positively influence all we do. Matthew 3:8 tells us to “bring forth fruits which prove your repentance.” In Acts 26:20, Paul tells King Agrippa that all men “should repent and turn to God and live lives consistent with repentance.” Ephesians 4:22-25 urges humanity to learn from their former ways of living by casting off their old nature that produces “deluded passions that grow corrupt” and be “mentally and spiritually remade, clothed with a new nature made by God’s design…”

The call for all of us to repent is not about becoming a ‘goody two shoes’ or claiming to be better than anyone else. It’s about accepting a way of life that leads to peace, confidence, and the best of what life has to offer. This is why repentance is a fundamental part of every biblical call to change ourselves. Acts 2:38, for instance, tells us to REPENT and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you WILL receive the GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. It’s a call to change how we think, and the benefits of that change are immense and eternal.

May 23, 2024May 21, 2024

Learn from the Woodpecker Design

Woodpeckers can hammer 25 strokes while their heads travel more than 20 feet per second. If you banged your head into a tree for a few seconds, the results would be headaches, detached retinas, concussions, eye damage from flying wood chips, and massive skin damage. With all the talk about brain damage from football collisions, perhaps we can learn from the woodpecker design.

Many design features protect woodpecker brains. Their skulls are thick and heavily ossified to prevent shattering. Shock-absorbing tissue between the eyes and around the skull acts as a crash helmet. Spongy material separates the skull and bill. A sac of fluid surrounds human brains, but a tough membrane surrounds a woodpecker’s brain to prevent it from bouncing around. The woodpecker brain is tiny, weighing a fraction of an ounce, so it has much less inertia.

Woodpecker eyes are held tightly in place by bone and surrounding tissue to prevent damage. A membrane blinks over the eye to keep out wood chips. The nostrils are covered with fine bristly feathers or are narrow slits to protect the bird’s air chambers. Woodpeckers have long tongues that reach deep inside tree openings to capture insects. The tongue wraps around inside the skull, further protecting the brain when the bird is hammering on the tree. The woodpecker’s bill is solid and shaped like a chisel. Thick and strong neck muscles absorb the kinetic energy.

Woodpeckers are essential to forest ecosystems. They control worms and insects that can infect trees, avoiding blight and infections. Medical personnel dealing with head trauma have much to learn from the woodpecker design. Design features requiring so many specialized features are difficult to explain by chance. A step-by-step evolutionary process can’t explain the production of the many unique features. God’s creatures are designed to do specific jobs, and “We can know there is a God through the things He has made” (Romans 1:20).

References: Audubon Magazine for Jan/Feb 1999, page 104, and National Geographic “Wildlife.”

May 22, 2024May 21, 2024

An Animal Using Photosynthesis

Animals use an enormous number of methods to get nourishment. Harsh environments often require unusual methods, and many times, the animal at the bottom of the food chain is unusual. An excellent example is the leaf slug or leaf sheep (Costasiella kuroshimae). This sea slug is an animal using photosynthesis to secure its nourishment by a method known as kleptoplasty.

Plants serve as the foundation of the food chain, harnessing sunlight through photosynthesis to produce energy. Many animals, such as herbivores, rely on plants to meet their energy needs. Even carnivores indirectly depend on plants, as they consume the herbivores. However, the leaf sheep, through a process called kleptoplasty, bypasses this reliance on plants and directly uses photosynthesis for its energy needs.

The leaf sheep, a sea slug measuring only five to ten millimeters long, was first discovered off the coast of Japan in 1993 and later found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Its common name derives from the two dark eyes and two rhinophores on the top of its head, making it resemble a tiny sheep. They feed on algae, which are plants that contain chloroplasts that enable photosynthesis. The leaf sheep retains the chloroplast cells within its body, enabling it to become an animal using photosynthesis. In this way, it bypasses the need to eat more algae for over two months. In the food chain, the leaf sheep become food for a variety of fish and other forms of sea life.

The more we learn about the natural world, the more we see unique systems that allow life to exist in symbiotic relationships that give evidence of design. Mindless chance does not provide the best explanation for examples such as leaf sheep. If there were just one such case, you might think it might be blind chance, but this is just one of a vast number of cases where a very specialized design allows life to exist. Everywhere we look, a “wonder-working hand” has gone before, and we would suggest that it’s the “hand” of God.

Reference: wikipedia.org

May 21, 2024May 20, 2024

THC Problem with Children

Discover magazine reported an incident that demonstrates the THC problem with children. A five-year-old Colorado girl ate some gummy bears that contained THC. Recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado and many other states, and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol ) is the psychoactive drug from cannabis. Edible THC products include candy and cookies, which are attractive to children. In this case, the parents and doctors could not awaken the girl, and she remained unconscious for 16 hours.

Hospital-reported cases of THC exposure in children under the age of six increased more than 1,000 percent between 2017 and 2021. About a third of the children were treated and released, but 15% required hospital admission, and 8% were sent to intensive care. The THC problem with children is that it is concentrated in candy, cookies, or brownies that appeal to kids. Children overdose on THC, which remains in their body fat for several days, and there is no antidote for THC poisoning and no reversal agent or special treatment.

In the Colorado case, the family had no forms of marijuana or cannabis in their home, and they did not know she had eaten the THC-laced gummy candy. They had been on a camping trip where other campers had given the gummies to the girl. This is a new concern for parents and a problem that will grow. The marijuana industry has no supervision or control, and cities that have opted to allow unrestricted marijuana distribution are going to see increasing problems as kids find products that give them a drug high.

We live in an area of Michigan where marijuana retail shops are very active and numerous. As we drive around our community, we see many license plates from surrounding states where marijuana is still illegal, and often, children are in the cars. Even families with no forms of marijuana must be cautious about allowing their children to visit other homes where THC edibles might be present.

Our society has rejected God’s plan for responsible living. Many of our neighbors and friends cannot give a reason or purpose for their existence. When you see no purpose in life, seeking an escape from problems and finding a way to feel good becomes a priority. The THC problem with children is just beginning to rear its ugly head, and we must make parents aware of the dangers. We must also help people realize that God has created them for a purpose and that life and health are gifts worth protecting.

Reference: Discover magazine for May/June 2024, pages 20-23.

May 18, 2024May 20, 2024

We Look Up and See a Blue Sky

Most of us underestimate the design of planet Earth. We look up and see a blue sky and take it for granted, but having a blue sky is unique to our planet and tells us much about its design.

We must first understand that a change in electric charge produces light. The amount varies depending on the amount of change. Small changes produce light that is low in energy and may not be visible to human eyes. Radio waves are light we cannot see. Infrared waves are light humans can’t see, but numerous animals can. For example, a rattlesnake can see infrared light coming from a mouse even though human eyes would say there is no light. The mouse gives off infrared due to its biological processes, and the snake can see it in the dark. We call infrared light radiant heat.

A large change in an electric charge produces light that is too energetic for our eyes to see. Xrays, ultraviolet, and gamma rays are the words we use to describe these high-energy forms of light. They can expose a photographic plate and penetrate most organic tissue, possibly causing damage. The light our eyes are designed to see has lower energy than Xrays and higher than radio waves. This beautiful design of our eyes means we cannot see through most solid materials like wood, metal, or human flesh.

Light from the Sun arrives on Earth with all of these energies present. The Earth’s atmosphere is dense enough to prevent the high-energy forms of light from reaching the surface. That means we are not fried by the X-rays, gamma rays, or even excessive ultraviolet light coming from the Sun. The highest visible light that our eyes can see is blue. As blue light enters our atmosphere, it is scattered and refracted away by atmospheric materials. We look up and see a blue sky.

Green is the next highest energy reaching the surface. Plants are protected from damage because their chlorophyll reflects green light. When tree leaves lose their chlorophyll in autumn, the green disappears, replaced by other colors hidden within the leaf structure. Then, the leaves fall off to prepare the tree for winter. Annual plants shrivel and die while perennials retain their root structures to bring color back in the spring.

So we look up and see a blue sky. On the Moon, we would see a black sky. On Jupiter, it would be red. The atmosphere on all the other planets gives a color other than blue. Astronauts face huge dangers when leaving Earth’s atmosphere with its well-engineered light-handling design. To live on the Moon or Mars, human engineers must build elaborate designs to imitate what God created to allow us to live on Earth. That is the greatest challenge to space travel and a great demonstration of God’s wisdom.

Why Is the Sky Blue, Why Are the Trees Green? is a children’s book available from the Does God Exist? ministry. Contact jncdge@aol.com or purchase the complete set of 16 children’s books at powervine.store.

May 17, 2024May 16, 2024

Hummingbird Engineering Design

The popularity of our “Dandy Designs” columns exceeds anything else we produce. As we read science literature, new examples of design in nature come across my desk every day. Many living things demonstrate design, but the hummingbird engineering design is one of the most astounding examples.

The first hummingbird of the year arrived at my feeder here in Michigan on the first of May. I am told that the first hummingbird is a “scout,” paving the way for other hummingbirds to come to the feeder and get the sugar nectar they need for energy. How do they know where to go to get their desired sugar? The “scout” that just arrived was here last year at about this time. I know that because he has a scar on his head that seems to be a healed wound from an encounter with a predator.

We have many questions about how these tiny birds do what they do. Since we are still having chilly nights, the hummingbird’s metabolic system allows it to go into a state where its energy needs are reduced at night while remaining aware of any threats.

How do hummingbirds fly thousands of miles to arrive in Michigan in the spring and return to subtropical areas for the winter? Some have proposed that they hitchhike on geese, but that creative explanation is not supported by the evidence. We observe that the hummingbird engineering design allows them to follow the weather systems that bring warmth in the spring, and they return to warmer areas south of us in the fall.

The engineering behind the hummingbird’s flying ability challenges the best human engineering minds. The hummingbird can fly forward with enough speed to avoid predators, but it can also fly backward, sideways, or hover. The male hummingbirds in our area have a splash of red on their throats, but there is no red pigment in their feathers. Researchers only recently discovered the color dynamics that allow certain colors to be visible, and using it instead of pigment is a new technology.

The hummingbird engineering design conveys an excellent argument for the existence of God as their creator. They are part of our world’s beauty, complexity, and design that defies chance evolution.

May 15, 2024May 14, 2024

Medicalized Child Abuse?

One of the most inflammatory issues of our day is the question of children who decide they want to change their gender. A team led by Dr. Hilary Cass, a renowned British pediatrician, recently produced a 388-page report based on four years of research into trans care in Britain. The UK’s Sunday Times reported that “Trans activists have bullied politicians and doctors into embracing ‘medicalized child abuse’ and cowed dissenters into silence.” That is a challenge to the same groups in America, but some public school counselors should be added to the group of abusers.

The number of British children referred for transgender drug and surgery treatments rose from 250, mostly boys, in 2012 to 5,000, mostly girls, in 2022. The concerns of medical experts like Dr. Cass are not because they are transphobic but because they are starting to see the consequences of medical sex-change procedures. The treatments for “gender dysphoria” have lifetime effects, including a loss of bone health and fertility, making the subjects lifelong patients for medical treatment.

The Times newspaper points out that the problem is likely more serious than anyone realizes because 6 out of 7 gender treatment centers refused to give data to researchers. Although this report is from Britain, we suspect the situation is worse in the United States. We have been personally involved in a case where a school counselor led a 14-year-old child to have puberty blockers and surgery. The cases we have had contact with involve children who needed psychological help in dealing with relationships.

Attempting to change God’s creation and design of the human reproductive system will cause children a great deal of pain and uncertainty. We suggest that medicalized child abuse is not the way to help disturbed children find their identity and live meaningful lives. We will see an increase in evidence for the destructive nature of medical gender-changing treatments for young people. God’s design works, but in today’s world, many reject God’s plan.

References: cass.independent-review and The Week for May 3, 2024, page 14.

May 14, 2024May 13, 2024

A Balanced System of Ocean Life

Kelp safeguards the ocean’s ecology by providing a home for many sea creatures, preventing coastal erosion, and sequestering vast amounts of carbon dioxide. The last century has seen a massive decrease in kelp growing along the California coast because of an increase in sea urchins that eat kelp. Sea otters feed on sea urchins, and as people killed sea otters for their fur, the urchin population increased, reducing the underwater kelp forests. It is easy to see that God has given us a balanced system of ocean life, but humans sometimes upset the balance.

Sea otters have a fast metabolism, requiring them to eat a fourth of their body weight daily, and sea urchins are their favorite food. Because of the fur trade, sea otters disappeared from Northern and Southern California, with a small population remaining in the central part of the state. In 1913, California made sea otters protected mammals, but 1977’s Endangered Species Act gave them more protection. Since then, central California has seen a 58% increase in kelp while kelp in the northern and southern coasts has declined. Research has shown that sea otters are the reason for the ecological improvement in Central California.

Any time humans disturb the balanced system of ocean life or any ecosystem, negative consequences result. The biological design of our planet does not just consist of separate independent organisms, but all of life on Earth is interconnected. An analogy might be the workings of an airplane. Multiple systems operate within an aircraft, including the landing gear, engines, electrical system, hydraulics, wings, rudder, etc. For it to fly, all of those systems must work together. Engineers must design a plan that integrates those systems. The aircraft doesn’t happen by accident but by the design of intelligent engineers.

All of life on Earth is interrelated and not a product of chance. There is design in all of life and in the planet itself that allows us to exist. In Proverbs 8, “Wisdom” encourages us to see God’s wise design on this planet. In verses 22-31, we see specific wisdom shown in various applications involved in preparing planet Earth for life. Verses 35-36, we see the alternative to understanding God’s use of wisdom in creating the world in which we live. Verse 35 tells us that those who find wisdom find life, and those who do not find wisdom harm themselves and prefer death. We all see all around us the interaction of living things and what happens when humans destroy one of them.

Let us learn from the balanced system of ocean life that includes kelp, sea otters, and urchins. Caring for all life is a challenge God has given us in Genesis 2:15. The need to do this is more clear today than ever before.

Reference: Smithsonian magazine and The Week of April 26, 2024, page 21.

May 9, 2024May 7, 2024

Bar-tailed Godwit Migration

In October 2022, a small bird set a new world record for long-distance flying as it flew nonstop from its hatching ground in Alaska to its wintering ground in Tasmania. This bird did not land, eat, or drink for 250 hours (eleven days) as it flew at an average ground speed of 30 miles per hour, traveling from one end of the Earth to the other. The only human-made machine that can do that is a Boeing 777 with a 213-foot wingspan and powerful jet engines. The bird was a bar-tailed godwit.

Bar-tailed godwits, as scientists have discovered, are well-equipped for their long-distance journeys. They possess a high metabolic rate and a physiological tolerance for elevated cortisol levels. However, it is their feather design that truly enables them to undertake these arduous journeys. The feathers of a bar-tailed godwit provide insulation, keeping the bird warm even in cold air masses. They also repel rain, and their shape is conducive to long flight hours, aiding the bird’s forward propulsion.

In recent years, scientific research on feathers has shown that they are perfectly engineered for a wide variety of uses. The feathers of a penguin are different from those of a hummingbird. The reason should be obvious, as these two birds live in very different environments. Fossil remains have shown that many dinosaurs had feathers. They used them to catch insects, keep warm, facilitate swimming or feeding in water, and attract mates. Those of us who believe there is design and purpose in all living things are not surprised by these discoveries. A contractor building a house will use materials that work in all kinds of houses, modifying them to fit the particular building under construction. In the same way, God uses materials to meet the needs of His organisms in various ways we are only beginning to understand.

Skeptics have questioned why God would design organisms to travel such immense distances. Does He have something against bar-tailed godwits? In this case, these birds benefit two environments with minimal resources. Alaska doesn’t have large amounts of topsoil to supply the needs of its plants. Tasmania is an island state of Australia, located 150 miles south of the mainland. Like Alaska, Tasmania has limited natural resources, but the arrival of the bar-tailed godwit brings nutrients that allow life to flourish on this island. The design of feathers makes that possible.

God sustains isolated environments by having lifeforms travel between them or from nutrient-rich areas to areas lacking those nutrients. God sustains the Earth by migrations of everything from insects to sea life to birds to large mammals. Traveling between needy areas sustains those areas and the lifeforms that travel between them.

Reference: Scientific American for May 2024, pages 41-51

May 8, 2024May 6, 2024

Technology Can Negatively Affect Learning

As an educator, I’ve observed a concerning trend. People, particularly students, have become reliant on technology such as computers and smartphones for writing and communication. It’s not uncommon to see them struggle to think and compose thoughts without their electronic devices. This reliance on technology is evident even in our discussions about complex topics like God’s existence or the Bible’s inspiration. When asked about a basic fact, many respond by saying they have to check with Google, Alexa, or Siri. Educational psychologists are warning that this over-reliance on technology can negatively affect learning.

A Scientific American article by Charlotte Hu reports on studies dating back to 2014 showing technology’s negative effect on learning. Hu points out that research has shown that people can type notes with very little brain activity. Many years ago, I worked for David Segal, a leader in the use of learning tests. He once told me, “American education is moving material from a professor’s notes to a student’s test paper with as little interference as possible in between.” We have advanced that one step further by saying it moves from a professor’s laptop to a student’s with no absorption by the human brain in between.

Transcribing in longhand is slower than typing into an electronic device, requiring the writer to pay closer attention. One research study used a head covering with 256 electrodes to detect brain activity when students handwrote and typed words. When students wrote the words, there was widespread brain function, but when the same student typed the words, brain activity was minimal, showing that technology can negatively affect learning.

When I taught physics to high school kids, we would calculate what should happen in a physical situation. Then, the students designed and conducted experiments to test their predictions. I would work through a solution on the blackboard, doing the math in my head. As hand-held calculators became more advanced, students would plug numbers into a program in the calculator to get the same answer. Later, one of the students I had done this with in class was making change for me at a drive-in restaurant. I gave the student a dollar bill to pay for a 67-cent item, but the student couldn’t give me the correct change without using a calculator.

The human brain is designed to process information and record relevant data. Technology can negatively affect learning when an electronic device takes over some of that process, bypassing the brain. Children need to have their brains stimulated and relevant information stored in their heads, including memorizing Bible verses. Perhaps a factor in the loss of belief in God and the Bible today is that technology is taking over our thinking. Those who created the technology are not as capable as the One who created our brains.

Reference: “Hands-on” by Charlotte Hu in the May 2024 issue of Scientific American, page 134