Afraid to fly

One of the major planks in the idea of cosmic evolution is the transformation of reptiles into birds. I find this notion highly improbable.

Quote and comments;

1. 'Many textbooks tell young people today that birds are modified reptiles. Suppose, they say, that millions of years ago the scales on some reptiles began to fray along the edges. In time, they say, the frayed scales turned into feathers and birds were born. [1.]

- Why would scales begin to fray?
What would cause this? (Scales are pretty tough things, and appear to be designed not to fray.) As far as I know, we don't see that happening in our day. Furthermore, it would appear that there are 'mechanisms' in place to see to it that scales don't fray.
If a scale is damaged this isn't duplicated in offspring. What would make a 'fraying' that was reproduced? Presumbably some mutation; but I've never heard of this particular mutation.

Isn't it likely that if this scenario were to happen that the reptiles with fraying scales would be less able to compete and thus die out? Does it help a human being to get skin disease? Does it help them if their skin starts to decay and fall off? Is a sweater getting better or worse when it starts to unravel? Does a shirt turn into a pair of pants by wearing out?

Would it help humans to lose finger nails I wonder.

A 'frayed' scale turns into a bird? Really? That doesn't sound like science to me. In reality frayed scales get dropped and is replaced by a normal (unfrayed) scale.
People seem to forget that a scale has a job to do; a frayed scale is thus reduced in its capacity to do its job. (A rope that begins to fray can resist less and less stress until it breaks; and here we see evolutionary theory hanging by a thread.)

A reptile with damaged scales would presumably be less able to move, less able to ward off attack, less able to retain moisture, and perhaps less able to camouflage themselves, and perhaps more. It's hard to imagine how this could be beneficial. [2.]

When these frayed scales turned into feathers I wonder which way they turned, because it was a hell of a trick. This is like a rag turning into a fur coat, or a toy wagon turning into a Cadillac. This is one of the secular miracles that Darwinism relies on. Everyone knows this is nothing but a story; spreading paper over a pothole.

2. 'Even the most clever rebuilding of a reptile cannot produce a bird. In fact, birds have very little in common with reptiles. [5.]

- The idea reptiles were transformed into birds has its source in a particular (Uniformitarian) interpretation of the fossil record. No one would dream of such an 'impossible' transfiguration without the fossil record; without a particular reading of the fossil record. (The fossil record we see in textbooks is a deliberate construct, and not a faithful representation of the real world.)

Summary;
"Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings toward the south?" - Job 39:26
- No; the hawk flies because it was programmed by its creator to do so. It's not only intelligence that we see in the world, but divine wisdom. Wisdom is something over and above intelligence, as we can plainly see by observing intelligent people do and say stupid things. Wisdom in the sense meant here refers to seeing the whole picture, to seeing the entire ecological system and how it interacts.

- M. Johnson

Notes;
1. Designed for Flight - Paul Bartz
2. Scales functions;
'The scales of a snake primarily serve to reduce friction as it moves, since friction is the major source of energy loss in
snake locomotion. The ventral (or belly) scales, which are large and oblong, are especially low-friction, and some arboreal species can use the edges to grip branches. Snake skin and scales help retain moisture in the animal's body. - wiki
- It wouldn't surprise me if scales had undiscovered functions.
4. Scale functions
Movement;
The scales on some reptiles assist the reptile with movement. In the case of snakes, the snake's belly scales are able to grab onto tiny imperfections on surfaces and create friction to propel the snake forward.
Protection;
The thick, prickly scales on a reptile can help protect it from predators. They can make it difficult for predators to bite or attack the reptile, as well as cause injury to the predator.
In the case of other reptiles, the color of the scales can provide a defense against attack. One example of this is the non-venomous milk snake, whose black and red ringed pattern resembles that of the highly venomous coral snake.
Water Retention;
Reptiles living in the desert have evolved special adaptations that allow them to thrive in the hot and dry climate. The scales of many desert reptile species allow them to retain moisture by preventing the evaporation of water through the skin. This allows the animal to become dehydrated less frequently and require smaller amounts of water to survive.
Camouflage;
The scales of many reptile species are either plainly or elaborately colored to assist with camouflage. This includes certain species of leaf-tail geckos, who can completely blend in to surrounding tree trunks and branches in their natural environment. [ehow.com]
5. 'Even the most clever rebuilding of a reptile cannot produce a bird. In fact, birds have very little in common with reptiles. The entire being of the bird, from body to brain, has been specially designed for flight by a Creator who clearly knows everything there is to know about flight. - Bartz; above
6. I was thinking of giving this post the title 'Affrayed to fly' but resisted the temptation.