Creationist Evolution
There is a great divide between science and religion. And these two groups have never had a more polarizing topic than the origin of man. Evolutionists vs. Creationists has become a misconstrued bifurcation. But this battle royal is an unnecessary one and this divide can be easily bridged. There can be a peaceful union of church and science.
Evolution through natural selection is a theory for a mechanism of positive change in organisms. Simply put it states that the organisms that survive are the ones that have properties that encourage their survival. This idea is a theory, much like the theory of gravitation or quantum mechanics, and although it is a theory it has been used to make predictions and is the most accurate model for describing the physical world. We have seen multiple events of new species evolving in modern times and also organisms adapting to their environments by altering their genetic code. The fossil record also points to an evolutionary pattern of gradual adaptation and modification. Scientifically, evolution is the most complete theory of the how life diversified.
However, this theory causes many Christians to feel that scientists are pushing God out of the equation. And many scientists find that this theory causes god to be irrelevant. But both of these ideas are drawn from unfounded assumptions. If God created the universe could he not have done it through the creation of standard laws that give rise to complex organisms? Many people see the universe as something that God has to interact with to impose his will. But if he truly is the creator of the universe why would he have to change anything? Are we confining the power of the creator by thinking from too human of a perspective? The theory of evolution could just as easily be apart of God’s creation as the theory of gravity. To God the universe is a clock he has wound from the beginning (even though from God’s perspective there is no time).
I see God in the laws of nature and evolution is no different. Evolution is simply a part of the creation story, which much like the Bible ends with man. Just as the laws of physics allowed for stars, galaxies, and solar systems to form, these same tenets seem to allow for Man to be created. I see a universe that reflects its creator, with constant laws that give rise to unique attributes. The universe does not reveal a God who is constantly tinkering with his creation but a God who has planned out his creation from the beginning, and it was good.
The Bible states that all of existence was created in seven days and this has often been criticized. This first of all was written over 2000 years ago and the language of a day did not define a day as 24 hours but instead as day and night. And with the general theory of relativity proposed by Albert Einstein, even science has redefined time itself as a relative and changing dimension. So simply because the simplified version of the creation of the universe in the bible only comprises seven days does not infer that it is incorrect.
We must be careful not to jump to soon to conclusions, or to too hastily think ourselves understanding of an omnipotent creator. There are forces at work beyond our understanding or control, and that is something that science and religion can both agree upon.
-by: Brett Vollert
Dr. Gerald Schroeder: Genesis and the Big Bang
Labels:
Biology
I could not agree more with your argument. I find it laughable how some Evolutionists can call Creationists dogmatic; however, they have not considered the option of intelligent design. I prose is that not a limited, dogmatic mindset?
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in the ideas of Translation and Inspiration. The Bible was written by men who were inspired by God. It is through inspiration, God was able to explain the complexities of our world through the limited minds of men. In theory, it is similar to childhood development. How can a child grow to learn about molecules when he or she can not get past hot or cold, wet or dry, heavy or light, etc. God was able to teach us about the world that we live in through simple truths that lead to deeper explorations. Just because it is not written in the Bible does not mean that it is not supported by Biblical teachings.
In regard to Translation, the Bible was written for uneducated men centuries past, so of course it seems simple to modern man. That alone does not take away from its significance. The value of one day in biblical time is as irrelevant today as the value of one USD; constantly changing in relation to the global economy. It is through translation that we can understand the MEANING of the Bible not the wording.
The fact that the teachings of the Bible apply to the lives today is evidence in itself of the value of Scripture. It is alright to question it as long as you take the time to dig deeper for the answer. Whether it is Evolution or Creation, know the evidence trail that supports your beliefs. If you are unwilling to learn about the beliefs of others, then you do not have the evidence to speak against them.
Keep up the discussion guys, I look forward to your next posts!
I agree that we need to have a open mindset about the different views of people and theories they propose. However, science inherently will most likely never opt for a theory that explains the world supernaturally. Science is too confined to the natural world, too rooted in fact and observable evidence. But my argument was that christians need to also see this evidence that is presented by scientists from the natural world and not ignore it with their views on the world we live in. I would argue that enough evidence has been presented in the fossil record with transitional species ( Australopithecus afarensis, Tiktaalik, Archaeopteryx, ect), modern speciation events, and genetic analysis that evolution through natural selection seems to be almost science fact instead of science theory.
DeleteSo if the world shows evidence for this theory...As christians we are forced to believe that either, god created a world in this moment with false evidence of a evolutionary past or that God created us through the natural processes we observe, namely evolution. This may be a brash bifurcation, regardless I chose to believe God created the world through evolution because it does not make sense to me that God would create a world to fool us with evidence contrary to reality. Perhaps, man is struggling to believe that evolution exists because they lose some sense of divinity, some lofty origin of importance. But we should not limit our creator, we should not assume to understand his mechanisms of creation. I feel no sense of insignificance due to being created through evolution because frankly the amount of processes that were needed to lead to us are incredible and complex. Instead of creating us in this moment, possibly God wound the clock of the universe to create us. And to think that this takes away from our divine creation is simply not giving enough credit to a omnipotent creator.