Frank LaGard Smith - Darwins secret sex problem : exposing evolutions fatal flaw : the origin of sex

DARWINS SECRET SEX PROBLEM

Exposing Evolutions Fatal Flaw
The Origin of Sex

F. LaGard Smith

Copyright 2018 F. LaGard Smith.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cover image of Charles Darwin, The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, used by permission.

Author photo on cover used by permission of photographer Brandon Robbins.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 (866) 928-1240

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1706-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1707-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1705-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018901379

WestBow Press rev. date: 04/06/2018

CONTENTS

To tomorrows researchers, thinkers, teachers, and leaders,

whose passionate search for scientific truth may at last bring about

a long-overdue rejection of the romanticized Evolution Story.

An Evolution Revolution is coming!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

One is left with the feeling that some essential feature of the situation is being overlo oked.

J. Maynard Smith

The thesis of this book is that an essential feature of Darwinian evolutionthe origin of sexis being overlooked, a feature which fatally undermines todays orthodox scientific paradigm of a natural progression from microbe to man. Lest I make the same mistake, I dont want to overlook an essential feature of the evolution of this very booknamely, those individuals who contributed significantly to the volume you hold in your hand.

It was Jed Macoskos out-of-the-blue phone call from his physics lab at Wake Forest that stirred decades of contemplation into action with nothing more than a casual conversation becoming the surprising catalyst to my writing of this book. Through Jed (whose own focus is on the mechanics of protein machines), I also met others whose help has been invaluable along the way, including British-born Geoff Barnard, a former Cambridge researcher and one who, himself, has lectured on the topic of sex and evolution. Geoffs critical eye, all the way from his home in Israel, has kept me firmly on the path.

Jed also led me to Joris Paul van Rossum, a Dutch evolutionist whose writing raised serious doubts regarding natural selections ability to explain the origin of sex. Despite our coming at the problem from different directions, Joris Paul has stirred my thinking, been a collegial advisor, and contributed in important ways to my analysis in the pages ahead.

There is no way I can adequately thank John Silvius, Senior Professor Emeritus of Biology at Cedarville University, who in the midst of his busy schedule not only did great service in fact-checking my work, but who also helped craft my writing for better clarity, punch, and, hopefully, persuasion. (Undoubtedly, John would have suggested that I break that last sentence into two!)

My appreciation also goes to Phillip Johnson, the author of Darwin on Trial and widely regarded as father of the Intelligent Design movement, who read my manuscript from an ID perspective, and was kind enough to endorse a book taking a somewhat different approach. His expressed hope that this book would receive an objective hearing from the scientific community is, of course, my hope as well.

I also wish to thank Frank Breeden, Managing Partner of Premiere Authors, whose faith in the premise of this book and whose insightful suggestions were an encouragement when most needed.

Given sensitive realities on some of their campuses, I want to send an anonymous shout-out to a half-dozen biologists in academia who graciously reviewed my manuscript with an eye to scientific accuracy, and further engaged my arguments regarding theistic evolution.

In an effort to fairly present the ideas of those whose work Ive cited (particular those with whom Ive taken issue), I have reached out to give an opportunity for review and feedback. I want to deeply thank those who graciously responded. This book is a better book because of their willingness to join in the dialogue.

There are also a number of close friends who were kind enough to read various drafts of this work and share their thoughts. Greater love hath no friend! Among these, I particularly want to thank Nathan Guy, who not only played Devils Advocate in his own inimitable style, but who opened doors to others whose input was so helpful.

Special thanks to you, Kevin, for your insightful, even adversarial, critique which unquestionably enabled this book to evolve into a more robust species!

While I am grateful for the contributions from all those listed above, I should make it clear on their behalf that none of them is responsible for anything that might be amiss with the book. Indeed, some of them were privy to only parts of the manuscript or to earlier versions. Whatever their role in review and critique, clearly the ideas, arguments, and positions expressed herein are solely my own.

My appreciation also goes to Jack Lyon for his technical assistance in resolving a pesky formatting problem in an early draft, and to Shannon Mohajerin who helped me solve any number of mysteries hidden within my inscrutable Word program.

I also wish to thank Mary Hooper for her suggestions on the cover design. Darwin has never bled so profusely (to the margins)!

And then theres the lovely Ruth, whose creativity and attention to detail provide the wonderfully conducive environment in which I am blessed to do my writing, not the least of which is her enchanting English country garden just outside my window.

If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ exi sted,

which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, succes sive,

slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.

Charles Darwin

As a reader, youre entitled to ask why someone whos not a science guy would spend several years digging into the science behind the widely-accepted notion of microbe-to-man evolution. In candor, Id prefer waiting to the end of the book to tell you why Ive made this laborious effort, so as to make my case without any fear that it might be dismissed out of hand for wrong reasons. Its important that this book stand on its own merits without being prejudged on the basis of the impetus behind its writing. But because you will be investing time and thought in exploring a rather daunting subject, you deserve at least this much of a heads-up.