The Tale of Two Worldviews

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Jun Malazo

The debate between evolutionism versus creationism is not a new topic.  Experts all over the world debate on this issue in many prominent schools and institutions.  The debate between these two subjects divides many people and is a serious issue because the belief of either one has many implications to our lives.  It impacts philosophical idealism as many radical viewpoints have emerged in the belief of one.  It also impacts our traditional view of and our accountability to the Creator God.  I do not claim to be an expert in the field of sciences, but based on research, I will attempt to define the viewpoints and explain the implications of believing either side.

The belief of how the world came about is more than just an issue of scientific origins.  It affects our philosophies and the way we live our lives.  Therefore, it is important to gain a grasp of both sides so that we can make an informed decision. 

By definition, evolution “is the supposed process by which the first cell evolved into the diversity of life we see today. Natural selection and mutations are considered its driving force” (answersingenesis.org).   Ker Than’s article entitled, What is Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? wrote the following:

The theory of evolution by natural selection, first formulated in Darwin's book "On the Origin of Species" in 1859, is the process by which organisms change over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits. Changes that allow an organism to better adapt to its environment will help it survive and have more offspring.”

The basic idea of evolution is that life randomly evolved from non-life.  It is the idea that life began by natural processes without an intelligent supernatural creator.  Proponents of this theory also believe in the “Big Bang Theory” as the way the universe began.  It is the view that 13.8 billion years ago a single catastrophic explosion happened in space.  Dan Falk writes in his article entitled, “What is the Big Bang Theory?” the following:

What happened at the precise instant things got started is still a bit hazy, but we know what came next. The baby universe expanded rapidly, cooling as it did. One second after the Big Bang, the temperature had fallen to about a trillion degrees Fahrenheit, and protons and neutrons appeared on the scene. Then came several minutes of nucleosynthesis, when these subatomic particles fused to form the nuclei of the first atoms — mostly hydrogen and helium. (nbcnews.com)

According to this theory, what we see and know of today’s world is a result of what happened approximately 13 billion years ago.

On the other hand, creationism is the belief that life began when God created the heavens and the earth according to the Bible.  Encyclopedia Brittanica defines creationism as: the belief that the universe and the various forms of life were created by God out of nothing (ex nihilo). It is a response to modern evolutionary theory, which explains the emergence and diversity of life without recourse to the doctrine of God or any other divine power. Mainstream scientists generally reject creationism.

Creationism is the belief that God created everything we see today in six literal 24-hour days.  It is the Biblical account of how the world and the universe began.

As suggested in the description of above, creationism is rejected by mainstream science.  This is mainly because they view evolution as science and creation as fantasy based on unproven myths.  They argue that the belief in evolution is based on provable scientific evidence while creation is based on mere faith—things that cannot be seen.  I will not argue that belief in God and creationism does take faith.  Faith is the most basic element of biblical Christianity.  However, I would argue and ask, “is evolution really scientific or is it based on theories and assumptions?”—things that cannot be seen as well.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, “science is the knowledge about the natural world that is based on facts learned through experiments and observation.”  In order for something to be scientific there must be observations made and recorded then a hypothesis must be formed followed by an experiment and repeated until the observation either proves or disproves the theory. Jack Wellman wrote the following:

Finally, there is the scientific method which typically establishes something previously theoretical into an established scientific fact so another flaw in the theory of evolution is that it is a historical scientific theory which clearly is non-repeatable. 

The bottom line is that the hypothesis must be testable and falsifiable, otherwise it cannot be accepted so my question to you is this: how can evolution be observed, then reproduced by experimentation, then analyzed, then reproduced again until there are no discrepancies found between the observations and the theory, and then be falsified?  The answer is that it cannot nor can it ever be (patheos.com).

Another problem with the evolutionary viewpoint is that there is a lack of transitional fossils.  Evolutionists suggest that all living organisms evolved from other less complex organism slowly through the process of time.  If this were true, then there should be ample fossil evidence of living organisms turning into other living organisms.  The truth is that there have not been any fossils found that resemble such transitional animals. 

The theory of evolution also defies major scientific laws.  A fundamental law of biology states that life only comes from already existing life.  In other words, life cannot come from non-life.  Evolutionists suggest that life began on earth as simple lifeforms approximately 4.4 billion years ago through chemical processes between rocks and water vapors.  Some evolutionists slightly differ, but most believe that life came from non-living materials and chemicals.  How could this possibly be?  Again Jack Wellman wrote the following:

“There have been multiple experiments over many years where scientists and/or biologists have tried to create a life form, even at the microscopic level, and time after time have failed miserably.  Can life be generated from non-life or inorganic matter?  The Law of Biogenesis states that life only comes from previously existing life.”

There are many problems that the evolutionary theory cannot reconcile.  The amount of information available is simply impossible to include in this one article.  The Internet has made it possible for anyone looking for answers to have access to this information.  I would encourage anyone sincerely looking for answers to peruse through articles and videos available on the Internet.

In closing, the belief of how life on earth and the universe began is more than just a belief in origins.  Embracing evolution is in reality a rejection of God.  If life began through naturalistic processes as evolution suggests without a supernatural creator, then there is no God.  If there is no God then there is no accountability on our part.  We become the god of our own universe.  The law of morality is in the eye of the beholder. 

In other words, there are no absolutes or moral compass, so we individually decide what is right and wrong in our own eyes.  If I decide to murder someone then it is acceptable because I decide what is right or wrong—no accountability.  This might seem a little extreme but history proves otherwise.  I encourage you to study how six million Jews died under the hand of Nazi Germany.  Hitler was a staunch evolutionist, and he believed that the Jews were inferior to the rest of the world because they were not quite evolved.

But if there is a Creator, then we are accountable to Him.  If God is real then there is judgment for our sin.  The fact of the matter is that God gave His Word, the Bible, to reveal Himself to us.    The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork”  (Psalms 19:1, KJV).  One cannot look at this world and not see the fingerprints of the Almighty God.  The complexity of life tells us that life didn’t just appear; it was created by an Intelligent Designer.  It was designed by a Creator who longs to have a personal relationship with us.