An Introduction: Evolution vs. Creation

"Many Christians believe the creation/evolution issue to be a side issue, an unprofitable area on which to focus. To many it seems divisive, and has little relation to proclaiming the Gospel." - Calvin Smith

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who established that all species of life descended over time from a common ancestry. He proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process called natural selection. He later published his book, On the Origin of Species, which led the scientific community and much of the general public to accept evolution as a fact. Darwin's scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, explaining the diversity of life.

How do atheists explain our origins without God? Their answer is evolution. This gives them an explanation for our existence without God. We have to understand that evolution is a world view not to be taken lightly; it is the fuel that provides atheism a logical answer to the development of life that is contradictory to the biblical account of creation. And if the biblical account of creation were false, then the validity of the entire Bible would be at stake.

If Darwinism is true, then there are five inescapable implications according to prominent evolutionist William Provine: there's no evidence for God; there's no life after death; there's no absolute foundation for right and wrong; there's no ultimate meaning for life; and people don't really have free will.

Atheism vs. theism is sometimes misrepresented as science vs. faith. This is untrue because evolution is a worldview that is also based on faith. Why by faith? Because we cannot travel back in time to see the first life form evolve or observe God create the universe. So our understanding of what happened in the past is ultimately accepted by faith. We can use scientific methods to observe evidence in the present, and then make an assessment of which worldview is best supported by that evidence.

Lee Strobel brings up this issue in The Case For Faith with the following statement: "I began to question whether the sweeping conclusions of Darwinists are really justified by the hard scientific facts. This is not, I soon discovered, a case of religion versus science; rather, this is an issue of science versus science. More and more biologists, biochemists and other researchers (not just Christians) have raised serious objections to the evolutionary theory in recent years, claiming that its broad inferences are sometimes based on flimsy, incomplete, or flawed data."

"The result of these cumulative efforts to investigate the cell - to investigate life at the molecular level - is a loud, clear, piercing cry of design!" biochemist Michael Behe said in his ground-breaking critique of Darwinism. He went on to say:

"The conclusion of intelligent design flows naturally from the data itself - not from sacred books or sectarian beliefs...The reluctance of science to embrace the conclusion of intelligent design...has no justifiable foundation...Many people, including many important and well-respect scientists, just don't want there to be anything beyond nature."

Michael Behe's last statement really hit me hard. Often times, people will back up their belief systems with intellectual arguments. But underneath the surface, there is a different story to tell. For me, it was selfishness. Deep down inside, I knew that if God really existed, then I would be held accountable for my actions. I wasn't ready to give up the "fun" I was having with my life. I wanted to go out and party with my friends all the time. I knew there were certain areas of my life where I lacked integrity, but I didn't care. I wanted to live my life to the fullest with no boundaries. But the truth is that I was always bored. There's a verse in the Bible that says the world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. There was only so much "partying" I could do before I became bored with it. Then I would move on to the next thing. And the next thing. I found myself running around in circles throughout high school without a definitive purpose of where my life was really headed.

Back than, I was under the impression that following Jesus meant giving up "fun" things in my life in order to become a good person. I thought that Christians were some of the most boring people on this planet. I thought that Christians were close-minded hypocrites. This perspective of mine was challenged when I met a group of genuine Christians during my first year of college. Their faith in Jesus was authentic. Everything they committed to came from the heart, not from religious rules or obligations. And to me, that was highly attractive.

Only an amateur who knows nothing about science would say science takes away from faith. If you really study science, it will bring you closer to God. An incoherent understanding of evolutionary science once propelled me towards atheism; an increasing grasp of molecular science is now strengthening my conviction for the existence of an Intelligent Designer.

For further studies, check out the Creation / Evolution articles posted on my blog.