Georgia Purdom

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Georgia Purdom- research scientist and speaker for Answers in Genesis.

Georgia Purdom is a creation scientist with a specialty in molecular genetics. She is currently working for Answers in Genesis as a teacher, researcher, writer, and lecturer on the book of Genesis. Purdom is one of few women in her field engaged in full-time research and lecturing.

Georgia Purdom
Answers in Genesis
P.O. box 510
Hebron, KY 41048
AiG Phone Number: (859) 727-2222
Customer service: (800) 778-3390

Personal History and Professional Accomplishments

Georgia Purdom has been a Christian since the age of eight, when she accepted Christ at a youth camp [1]. After hearing Ken Ham speak as a student at Cedarville University (Ohio), Purdom became interested in creation studies. While working towards her Ph.D., Purdom's belief in the Bible was challenged by a professor who told her, "...creationists don't know how to think critically." This remark motivated her to research the evidence available for different viewpoints on the origins of life. While attending a BSG (A Creation Biology Study Group) Conference in 2001, she learned about the Hebrew word yom (meaning a 24-hour day), which is used repeatedly during the creation account in Genesis 1, and became convinced that the Biblical story of creation is true [2].

Purdom graduated in 2000 from Ohio State University after earning her Ph.D. in molecular genetics [3]. Soon afterward, she became a biology professor at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio, where she was employed for six years [4]. Today, she works for Answers in Genesis as their first female full-time researcher and speaker who holds to the literal translation of the Bible (including the book of Genesis) and the belief in a young earth [5]. At Answers in Genesis, Purdom is involved in lecturing, writing articles for the website and Answers magazine, and teaching online classes. She also designed the "Natural Selection Is Not Evolution" exhibit for AiG's Creation Museum in Kentucky [6]. Georgia Purdom and her husband Chris live in Indiana. They adopted their daughter, Elizabeth, from China in 2005 [7].

Purdom has written papers published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, the 2008 Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism, and the Answers Research Journal. She is a peer reviewer for Creation Research Science Quarterly and Answers Research Journal. She also has memberships in several scientific organizations including the Creation Research Society, the American Society for Microbiology, and the American Society for Cell Biology.

Georgia Purdom in front of a display at the AiG Creation Museum in Kentucky.

Current Reasearch

For her graduate work, Purdom studied the genetic regulation of factors important for bone remodeling. Since then, her specialty has been cell and molecular biology. Other interests include the problems with naming natural selection as the cause of evolution, as well as the Intelligent Design movement. Purdom has written several articles about natural selection and Intelligent Design (ID) which can be found on the Answers in Genesis website. Concerning natural selection, Purdom's argument is that, while it does occur and causes changes in organisms, natural selection always results in a loss of information, not the addition of new information. On the subject of Intelligent Design, Purdom believes that the movement has many good points, but she has a problem with the fact, while it insists there must be a designer, it does not identify the designer. In an article on the subject, Purdom says, "...the major problem with the ID movement is a divorce of the Creator from creation. The Creator and His creation cannot be separated; they reflect on each other. In today's culture, many are attracted to the ID movement because they can decide for themselves who the creator is—a Great Spirit, Brahman, Allah, God, etc." [8].

One of Purdom's pursuits while at AiG has been research and models on the role of microbes before and after the Fall of man (described in Genesis chapter 3). Regarding this topic, Purdom organized and headed the first meeting of creation microbiologists, which was called Microbe Forum, in 2007 [9]. The forum's purpose was to present research on the role of microbes in the world, as well as to counter evolutionist views on the subject. Those in attendance included co-leader Dr. Joseph Francis (bacteriology and immunology), Dr. Kevin Anderson (bacteriology), Dr. Dan Criswell (bacteriology), Mr. Frank Sherwin (parasitology), Dr. Yingguang Liu (virology), and Dr. Alan Gillen (bacteriology), as well as two Ph.D.-holding scientists from secular universities with specialties in mycology and virology[10]. Microbe Forum 2 was held in 2009 with more research on the topic presented by eight creation microbiologists [11]. In addition, Purdom presented her research on microbes at the 2008 International Conference on Creationism. She is also a member of the GENE project in progress at the Institute for Creation Research [12].

Georgia Purdom: Does the Bible Have a Place in the Marketplace?

Publications

Secular:

Creationist:

For a list of recent articles by Georgia Purdom, visit Answers in Genesis- Get Answers.

References

External Links


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