________ WHY NOT ________
Creation or Evolution?
Rick Moffett
As I continue in the Defending Your Faith Series, we come to a topic of much controversy - Creation vs. Evolution. The teaching of evolution is yet another weapon used by our adversary, the devil. (1 Pet. 5:8) The teaching of evolution is a battle between humanism and Christianity or more specifically, between man’s word and God’s Word. This is yet another aspect of the long war that started in the Garden of Eden. Sadly the lies of evolution have their tentacles in almost every area of our culture - our public schools, colleges (both secular and Christian), science, courts, politics, and especially in the church!
Over the last few months, I have asked many different people (all professing Christians) if they believed that evolution was the method by which both the earth and all living things came into being. All answered “No”. I then asked them if they could defend that position to someone who insisted that evolution had been scientifically proven. Sadly, again, they all said, “No”.
I hope to give you enough basic information in this and the next few articles so that in the future you can adequately defend your position on this all-important issue.
Note - Some of the terms mentioned in this and future articles may be unfamiliar to you. I have provided some helpful explanations toward the end of this article. Scroll down or click here.
So how and when did this planet and the people who live on it begin to exist? Most people have at least thought about the answers to these questions. While there is certainly no shortage of ideas surrounding this emotionally debated subject, the truth is, there was no human present when this place we call Earth came into existence. Nonetheless, many scientists claim to have the answers, but do they? There are numerous “theories” that have been proposed to answer these questions with the two most popular being –
1. The earth and mankind were created by the God of the Bible.
2. The earth and mankind evolved from nothing.
And of course, there are several variations of these two positions that I will also briefly mention later.
In this article, I will discuss the basics of both the creation and evolution positions. In future articles, I will examine in more detail the arguments for and against these positions. Also, I will define several common words and ideas that are frequently used when discussing this subject. And perhaps most importantly, I will tell you some of the dangers of evolutionary teaching and how it can affect our lives.
The basic position of creation is that approximately 6000 years ago an intelligent designer (the God of the Bible) supernaturally spoke the universe into existence in six 24-hour days. On day six, He created the first man and woman from which all other humans came into being.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. Psalm 33:6-9
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:27-28
The basic position of evolution is that the universe came into existence 13.8 billion years ago. The most popular explanation for how this occurred is referred to as the “Big Bang” theory. This theory advocates that microscopic particles combined with energy began to expand (and is still expanding) into the universe as we understand it today. It also states that before this expansion occurred nothing existed.
The theory of evolution also states that planet Earth began to exist 4.5 billion years ago and that life began 3.7 billion years ago as a result of random genetic mutations and natural processes. Furthermore, it is believed that all living things (fish, birds, insects, animals, man, etc.) evolved from a common ancestor which evolutionists believe to be a single-cell organism. But the big question that evolutionists have been unable to answer is how life arose from non-life (a process known as abiogenesis). And thus far, science has never been able to produce life from non-life.
“It is absurd and absolutely preposterous to believe that a living cell could come into existence by itself; but, notwithstanding, I do believe it, because I cannot imagine anything else.” Ernest Kahane; French molecular biologist
Unfortunately, there is no “official” organization that represents the theory of evolution, and thus, no official definition for this theory; not surprisingly, many different beliefs exist among evolutionists about how it all happened, therefore it’s important to get clarification from anyone who uses the word evolution.
Similarly, among creationists, there are several different beliefs about how God created the universe. But unlike the theory of evolution, creation does have an “official” source for how it occurred. It is called the Bible. However, many Bible teachers, in an attempt to remain in harmony with the latest “scientific” findings, have reinterpreted the Bible to make it agree with what scientists claim to be true. Thus, what they are really saying is that science, not the Bible, is the final authority on this matter. But keep this in mind, the “latest scientific findings” are constantly changing, while God and His word never change. The Bible means the same thing today as it did when it was written!
Example of the ever-changing “scientific findings” -
1897 - Lord Kelvin (devised the temperature scale) estimated the age of the earth to be 24 - 400 million years old.
1899 - John Joly (Irish geologist and physicist) calculated the earth to be 90 - 100 million years old.
1905 - Ernest Rutherford (British physicist, who came to be known as the father of nuclear physics), using radioactive decay, arrived at an age of 500 million years for planet Earth.
Present - Scientists are convinced that the earth is 4.5 billion years old.
But for the most part and for far too long the body of Christ has ignored teaching on this subject altogether. It has been left up to the public school system to teach about how the earth and its inhabitants came into existence. Furthermore, as you might expect, public schools tend heavily toward teaching evolution as a scientific fact and almost completely ignore creation as even a possibility. Consider the results of a recent survey conducted by Penn State University and the National Center for Science Education -
“about two in three—67 percent—of public high school biology teachers are presenting evolution forthrightly, emphasizing the broad scientific consensus on evolution while not giving any credence to creationism”
As you can see from the chart below, the trend toward the teaching of evolution as a “settled science” in the public school system is increasing.
Credit: National Center for Science Education. Read the entire article here.
And here is perhaps the most sobering fact of all - the body of Christ is ill-equipped to adequately defend the teaching of creation against many of the topics surrounding evolution, e.g., “billions of years”, “random chance mutations”, and “the difference between species and kind classifications of living organisms”. It is my goal in writing this Defending Your Faith Series, to prepare the body of Christ both to understand and explain the truth about subjects such as these. Learning the truth about these issues not only refutes the teaching of evolution, but also increases one’s faith in God’s written word.
The Dangers of Evolutionary Teaching
1. First and foremost it undermines the authority of God’s written Word, the Bible.
Evolution attacks the foundation of the Christian worldview which is the Word of God. More specifically, it attacks the most foundational truth in the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1) If God is not the creator, then what else in the Bible might also be untrue? How about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, did that really happen? Does God truly love me? Furthermore, who decides what part of the Bible is true?
The teaching of evolution has helped to propagate the lie that man can choose for himself what is right and wrong. This equates to relativism which essentially says there are NO absolutes (which is a self-refuting statement). Each person has their “own truth”! However, truth is not relative, it is the same for everyone whether you believe it or not.
If man is a result of random genetic mutations as evolutionists suppose, then there is no logical reason for any moral standard of right or wrong. In the evolutionist worldview, morality is merely one’s personal preference. Think about it for a minute and you can see how that would eventually lead to cultural chaos. (consider Adolf Hitler; also, America in 2020)
The Bible is the foundation for all truth. It is the anchor for our souls (Heb. 6:19). The Bible is the only reliable source that explains the history of the world. It reveals among other things - 1) the Creator God and his great love for all mankind, 2) the destructive nature of sin which always leads to death, and 3) it tells us how, through Jesus, we can have peace in this fallen world as well as eternal life.
2. Evolution removes all hope for the future. (Heb. 6:9-18)
Evolution suggests that man is here on earth by chance, with no purpose and no hope for the future. Thus, the thinking often becomes, “live for today for tomorrow we may die”, i.e., do what brings me the most pleasure right now. This thinking was similarly expressed in a mantra that was popular back in the ’60s that said, “if it feels good do it”. The long-term consequences were rarely considered by those who followed this lifestyle.
Furthermore, if there’s no hope for the future and life gets too difficult and one’s situation too painful, why not just terminate the hurt and misery now, for the ultimate end is death anyway. That is obviously a lie from Satan, but it becomes easier to believe if one already believes the lies of evolution.
Facts about Suicide (in teens)
1. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24. (2017 CDC WISQARS)
2. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college-age youth and ages 12-18. (2017 CDC WISQARS)
3. More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED.
4. Each day in our nation, there is an average of over 3,069 suicide attempts by young people grades 9-12. If these percentages are additionally applied to grades 7 & 8, the numbers would be higher.
Statistics from CDC as reported by the Jason Foundation
God is the giver of life and only He has the right to take it. He has a good plan for our lives, and He gives us hope for eternal life in union with Jesus! (Romans 15:13; 1 Tim. 1:1, 4:10, 6:17)
3. Evolution devalues human life.
Again, if we believe we are the result of random genetic mutations as evolution teaches, then what inherent value could we possibly have? We are no different from any animal or bird or fish. We become deceived into believing that if we are to have any self-worth, it must come through our accomplishments and/or possessions.
All mankind has the innate desire to know their identity. Our identity has to do with our being, i.e., “Am I a person of value?”. We all want to believe that we are valuable and that our life matters. But most people live on a performance-based value system; thus, they labor and struggle their entire lives trying to prove they are valuable. Our value is not based on our performance. We are valuable because a loving God created us. Suggested reading - Identity in Christ
Helpful Definitions/Explanations
It is practically impossible to understand the creation-evolution argument without first understanding the language used to discuss each of them. Below is a list of terms that you will find helpful to better decide for yourself the truth of this long-standing debate. I will add to this list in future articles.
1. science - the state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding - Merriam-Webster Dictionary The root meaning of the word science is knowledge.
Today the meaning of the word science is focused on the method of knowing, often referred to as the “scientific method”.
“Scientific inquiring is a powerful way to know nature, but there are limitations to the kinds of questions it can answer. These limits are set by sciences [sic] requirements that hypotheses be testable and falsifiable and that observations and experimental results be repeatable.” - Textbook of Biology 7th Edition, Campbell/Reece
There are two basic ways the word science is used, operational science and origin or historical science. Ken Ham and Dr. Terry Mortenson has excellent definitions of these –
Operation science uses the so-called “scientific method” to attempt to discover truth, performing observable, repeatable experiments in a controlled environment to find patterns of recurring behavior in the present physical universe. For example, we can test gravity, study the spread of disease, or observe speciation in the lab or in the wild. Both creationists and evolutionists use this kind of science, which has given rise to computers, space shuttles, and cures for diseases.
Origin or Historical science attempts to discover truth by examining reliable eyewitness testimony (if available); and circumstantial evidence, such as pottery, fossils, and canyons. Because the past cannot be observed directly, assumptions greatly affect how these scientists interpret what they see.
So, for example, how was the Grand Canyon formed? Was it formed gradually over long periods of time by a little bit of water, or was it formed rapidly by a lot of water? The first interpretation is based on secular assumptions of slow change over millions of years, while the second interpretation is based on biblical assumptions about rapid change during Noah’s Flood.
This short video explains it well.
One of the most common things said about evolution today is that “Science has proven evolution”. As I will demonstrate in this and future articles, this statement is completely untrue! Know this - science will never disprove anything in the Bible!
This short video refutes that claim!
2. biological evolution - a theory that all life on earth came about through descent with modification from a single common ancestor.
3. cosmological evolution - a theory of how the universe came into existence.
4. abiogenesis - the theory that life can arise from non-life.
5. genetics - Without a basic understanding of genetics, it is difficult, if not impossible to grasp many of the arguments used by evolutionists. And because of the complexity of this subject, it may cause some to shy away altogether. I will give you an overall understanding of genetics here and the application of this information in future articles. For now, I will focus on humans, however, much of this also refers to other living organisms as well.
Here are the basics –
The human body is composed of trillions of cells. They are the basic unit of life for all living organisms. The design and functioning of a cell is nothing short of amazing. Each cell has many complex components that work together to keep our bodies alive. I believe that an understanding of the human cell alone is enough to provide overwhelming proof for an intelligent creator!
Most cells in our body contain a nucleus (a structure contained within a membrane that controls and regulates many of a cell’s activities). It is inside the nucleus that we find chromosomes, genes, and DNA. These are the components that provide the blueprint to make you who you are (physically).
We inherit one chromosome from each parent per each of the 23 pairs within each normal cell (46 total chromosomes). 22 of the pairs, called autosomes, look the same in both males and females. The 23rd pair is the sex chromosome (egg and sperm cells). This pair looks different in males than in females, whereas females have two copies of the X chromosome (XX), males have a Y and an X chromosome (XY).