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Writer's pictureBible Brian

Matthew Maury meets an atheist's challenge before the atheist was born


Atheists often mock the lack of scientific predictions Christianity has made. I distinctly remember the first atheist I ever heard make this argument. His challenge to Christians (quoted from memory, so will not be word for word perfect) "come up with a scientific discovery between you and your God and credit it to the Bible."

Well, as it turns out, that was done long before either of us were born, as a plaque dedicated to Matthew Maury shows. It says:


"Matthew Fontaine Maury

Pathfinder of the seas

The genius who first snatched

from ocean and atmosphere

the secret of their laws.


Born January 14th 1808

Died at Lexington, VA, February 1st, 1873

Carried through Goshen Pass to his final

resting place in Richmond, Virginia

Every mariner

for countless ages

as he takes his chart to shape

his course across the seas

will think of thee.


His inspiration Holy Writ

Psalms 8 & 107, verses 8, 23 & 24

Ecclesiastes chap 1. verse 8

A tribute by his native state

Virginia

1923"

Maury, like most scientists up until his time, and indeed many today, was a firm believer in the Scriptures and their inerrancy. It was his belief that if the Bible says there are paths in the sea, then there are. And so he dedicated a lot of effort to finding them. The result was a significant improvement to the practice of sea travel.

By contrast, a large number of Darwin's predictions still remain unfulfilled. Most notably unfulfilled is Darwin's prediction that the fossil record would assuredly reveal innumerable transitional forms, and that the absence of those forms in his day was due to the fact the fossil record was largely incomplete. However, in the modern day, this still has not come to pass, despite the fact we now have fossil representatives of more than 80% of land vertebrates (more than 90% if we cut out birds). The only reason to assume the fossil record is so incomplete now is if we assume those transitional forms are waiting to be discovered.


Of course, they're not. Whereas Maury's predictions paid off because his faith was well placed, Darwin's predictions continue to fail because there is about as much truth in his religion as there is ice in the desert. This is one atheistic challenge that Christianity has successfully passed. Still waiting for Evolution to pass any challenge from Christianity.

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