1	Creation/Evolution – What is the Controversy and Why Does It Matter? Dr. Heinz Lycklama heinz@osta.com www.osta.com
2	Overview Creation/Evolution Controversy What, history, importance Biblical Basis for Creation Reliability, archaeology, special revelation Evidence for a Global Flood Scientific Basis for Creation Compromising Theories of Origins Intelligent Design Movement The Impact of Evolution on Society How Then Should We as Christians Respond?
3	To Begin the Discussion … In 1903, a British philosopher, Herbert Spencer, made a profound scientific statement: “Everything in the universe can be explained by five basic things - space, matter, time, force, and action.” Spencer, an evolutionist, was a contemporary of Charles Darwin, the British scientist credited with popularizing the concept of evolution. He (Spencer) was given a prestigious award by the British Science Society at the time. This was considered to be a major contribution to science. And it is, until you realize that …
4	What Does The 1^st Bible Verse Say? Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote in Gen. 1:1: “In the beginning (time) God (force) created (action) the heavens (space) and the earth (matter).” What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that Moses was educated in the tradition of the Egyptians. They believed that only the ocean existed at first. An egg/flower appeared and the sun god was born. The sun god had four children, of whom one was Geb (the earth). They believed that the earth was a flat disk afloat on the river of the ocean. None of this mythology of the time was included in the book of Genesis.
5	Some Common Misconceptions Skeptics and unbelievers think: “The Bible is an antiquated religious book, filled with scientific fallacies and mistakes reflecting the naïve cosmology of the primitive tribes of the Near East.” Even some professing Christians think: “The Bible is a book of true religion dealing solely with spiritual subjects and that, where it seems to touch on matters of science and history, it must be interpreted spiritually or allegorically, rather than literally.
6	How Our Thought System Works
7	Creation/Evolution Controversy
8	Two Thought Systems Creator Acted Supernatural origins Design Miracle Event Creation Creator Didn’t Act Naturalistic origins Chance Properties of matter Natural process Evolution
9	Abuses of Scientific Theory Dogmatism Theory equated/confused with fact Extrapolation Theory extended to areas in which it is not known to apply Exaggeration Theory accorded higher degree of verification Subjectivism New facts explained as “error of observation” Exploitation Theory used to justify activity in other arenas
10	Basic Assumptions of Creationism The Bible is the inerrant Word of God God is Creator Man is created Man is fallen and dependent on God Creation is dependent on God God reveals Himself in Scripture (Special Revelation) God reveals Himself in nature (General Revelation)
11	Basic Assumptions of Evolution 1. Non-living things gave rise to living matter, i.e. spontaneous generation occurred 2. Spontaneous generation occurred only once 3. Viruses, bacteria, plants and animals are related 4. Protozoa (single-celled life forms) gave rise to metazoa (multiple-celled life forms)
12	Basic Assumptions (cont’d) 5. Various invertebrate phyla are interrelated 6. The invertebrates gave rise to vertebrates 7. Within the vertebrates the fish gave rise to amphibia, the amphibia to reptiles, and the reptiles to birds and animals
13	History of Evolutionary Ideas Greek philosophers (Aristotle, Plato, Socrates) believed in spontaneous generation of life from non-life Evolutionary systems appear among all the ancient philosophies and religions E.g. Nimrod and Babel The idea of the formation of the universe through natural means, without the need for God, has always been with us! Darwin gave evolution a “scientific” veneer
14	Evolution Traced To Nimrod Pantheistic polytheism, the universal religion of the ancients Identified with astrology Rebellion of man against the true God of creation is characterized by: Pantheism, polytheism, astrology, idolatry, spiritism, materialism New Age is nothing but the revival of ancient pantheism The source is referred to in scripture in Rev. 17:5 “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.”
15	The World Before Darwin 427-347 BC Plato - Believed in two worlds: An ideal perfect world that was eternal, but not perceived An illusory world in which imperfection appears because of our imperfect perception As the ideal world is perfect and eternal, there could be no evolution - variation from the perfect ideal is only perceived in organisms, not real This belief was incorporated into the church’s theology - God created a perfect world in which everything was perfect and thus any variation was from the ideal God had made
16	Before Darwin - 2 384-322 BC Aristotle - was ambivalent about Plato’s two worlds philosophy Recognized a scale of complexity in organisms Proposed a “scala naturae” (scale of nature) ranging from simple to complex organisms Aristotle proposed a ladder of life with simple organisms forming the lower rungs and complex organisms the top. Each organism was allotted its rung and could not be moved from it This belief was also incorporated into the church’s theology
17	Before Darwin - 3 Linnaeus 1707-1778 - Swedish physician and botanist Sought to classify, or organize nature The father of taxonomy or systematics “Deus creavit, Linnaeus disposuit” (God creates, Linnaeus arranges) Lamarck 1744-1829 - Published his theory of organic evolution in 1809 Proposed that an organ that is constantly used will become more developed – unused organ will atrophy “Acquired” characteristics could then be inherited, until finally a new species would evolve Theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics
18	Before Darwin - 4 Mathus 1766-1834 - Proposed the utterly dismal theorum: All populations of organisms grow until resources are completely utilized so that each individual lives at the razor’s edge of existence Cuvier 1769-1832 - Father of Paleontology, the study of fossils Believed fossils were a record of life over time Interpreted the fossil record in the context of catastrophism where strata in the rocks represent catastrophic events
19	Before Darwin - 5 James Hutton - Scottish geologist who, in 1795, proposed the theory of gradualism Geological strata laid down over a long period of time Logical outgrowth of uniformitarianism, the belief that the way things are now is the same as they were in the past As mountains are eroding slowly now and basins are filling gradually, it follows that if the slow rate occurred in the past, laying down the amount of sedimentary rock we now see must have taken a long time Lyell “Principles of Geology” Spencer “Principles of Biology”
20	Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) Charles’ grandfather - Physician, radical and free-thinker Influential in publishing Linnaeus's works in English Believed existing life forms evolved gradually from earlier species Published Zoönomia (1794-1796) ascribed evolutionary development to organism's conscious adaptation (close to Lamarck) Phytologia ("The study of plants") contains the earliest detailed description of photosynthesis and the geological principles of the artesian well Believed that cross-fertilization was a superior form of reproduction to self-fertilization
21	Charles Darwin (1809-1882) As a theology major at Cambridge University, Darwin was taught a variation of the Greek view of reality
22	The Voyage Of The Beagle
23	Darwin’s Logic The fossils in South America were different from the animals that lived there now, but some seemed to be related in some way If fossils were a record of the past (Cuvier) then there must have been change (evolution) between the past and now Change is happening slowly - thus to get change must have taken a long time (uniformitarianism) The rock strata took a long time to form (Hutton - gradualism) thus lots of time is available for evolution Organisms evolved over long periods of time
24	The Mechanism Of Evolution Darwin was not the first to propose evolution, Lamarck and others had done it before him Darwin’s real contribution was a credible(?) mechanism for evolution - Natural Selection Natural selection is based on two points: The reproductive capacity of organisms exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment Variation in organisms makes survival a non-random event - some variants are more likely to survive in a given environment Of the excess products of organisms reproductive capacity the most fit survive - Survival of the fittest
25	The Triumph of Naturalism Naturalism - The belief that all phenomena can be explained in a rational way, in terms of natural causes, without invoking the supernatural
26	Uniformitarianism Uniformitarianism - The belief that nature is the same (uniform) today as it has always been Uniformitarianism is true absolutely all the time With absolutely no exceptions . . . Except when it invalidates our theories
27	“Evidence” For Evolution Biogeography - The geographical distribution of organisms reflects their origin and isolation from other species Fossil Record - The fossil record contains missing links between present species and their ancestors . . . sort of . . . maybe Comparative Anatomy - Homologous (similar) structures must have evolved from the same ancestral structure . . . Except when we don’t think two organisms shared a common ancestor with that structure Molecular Biology - More or less the same idea as comparative anatomy - Similar genetic information indicates common origin Comparative Embryology - Similar organisms go through similar development
28	In His Own Words "I may, of course, be egregiously wrong; but I cannot persuade myself that a theory which explains several large classes of facts can be wholly wrong...."
29	The Evolutionary View of History Most recent "big bang" ~20 billion years ago Our Solar System, 5 billion years ago Single-celled organisms, 3 - 4 billion years ago Multi-celled organisms, 1 billion years ago Humankind, 1 - 3 million years ago Modern Civilization, 5 - 10 thousand years ago
30	Darwinian Evolution The forces of geographical isolation, natural selection, genetic mutation and drift gave some of these single cell life forms a superior ability to adapt to their environment Their survival ensured the production of offspring which shared their same genetic traits Small changes in the genome, combined with natural selection, and geographical isolation led to speciation of the original population of simple organisms
31	Darwinian Evolution - 2 Over time natural selection, isolation, genetic mutation, and drift caused speciation The descendants of the simple organisms developed into multi-cellular organisms Speciation eventually lead to all of the life forms still present today Most genetic mutations are unfavorable and lead to extinction meaning that most species have since become extinct Shifting and movement of continental plates caused the isolation and environmental changes which natural selection acted on
32	"Initial Disorganization with later increase..." Initial Disorganization with later increase in complexity and unlimited diversification Not just change, but change in the direction of increasing complexity
33	History of Modern Creationism 1855-1900 – Universal acceptance of Geology among scientists & clerics (i.e. no publications rejecting the antiquity of the earth, or the progressive nature of the fossil record, nor any attaching geological significance to the Noachian deluge). Acceptance of evolution by the vast majority of denominations 1917-1968 – Anti-evolutionism. The rise of the fundamentalist movement included criticism of evolution. Scopes trial 1925, illegal to teach evolution in many states until 1968. Most fundamentalists of the time were Day-Age, Gap, or Progressive old-earth creationists. Many, like William Jennings Bryan, were theistic evolutionists except as regards human beings
34	History of Modern Creationism - 2 1960s-90s Young Earth Creationism – Roots in 7^th Day Adventism, 6 literal days, flood geology. Asserted there was scientific evidence for the Bible’s creation story & that evolution was at odds with the known laws of physics, e.g. 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics 1980s - “Creation Science” – Promoted laws requiring equal time for young-earth creationism in public schools. These laws were opposed by most Christian denominations, including Southern Baptists, as well as Jewish & Muslim groups. In 1987 US Supreme Court ruled these unconstitutional
35	History of Modern Creationism - 3 1990s – Neo-Creationism – uses scientists’ tentativeness & criticism of each others’ ideas to imply that evolutionists are promoting unfounded, philosophical & political positions as an attack on religious belief Young-Earth Creationism – Interprets the word “day” in Genesis to mean a literal 24-hour day (even before the sun & planets existed). Sees no life before Eden, and no death before the Fall. Sees fossils & geological strata as the result of Noah’s flood. This movement was started by Henry Morris with his 1963 book The Genesis Flood
36	History of Modern Creationism - 4 Morris’ most decisive move was to attempt to take Genesis literally, including not just the special, separate creation of humans and all other species, but the historicity of Noah's Flood. Although efforts to make a literal interpretation of the Bible compatible with science, especially geology, occurred throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, The Genesis Flood was the first significant twentieth-century effort. This book made it possible for religious anti-evolutionists to argue that evolution was not only religiously objectionable, but also scientifically flawed. This led to the “Creation Science” movement Morris founded the Institute for Creation Research in CA. It was the most influential creationist organization in the late 20^th century, but has recently been challenged by groups with different creationist philosophies, e.g. Reasons to Believe, the Discovery Institute, and Answers in Genesis
37	Basic Definitions Micro Evolution - comparatively minor evolutionary change involving the accumulation of variations in populations below the species Macro Evolution - evolution that results in relatively large and complex changes (as in species formation) Scientific Creationism - The concept that God created everything in 6 literal days, usually coupled with a “young earth” and global (world-wide) flood
38	"Initial Complexity with later deterioration..." Initial Complexity with later deterioration and diversification within limits
39	Ages of the Cosmos According to the Bible: Creation of primeval earth – Gen. 1:1,31 [conservation of mass/energy] Curse imposed on earth – Gen. 3:17 [increased disorder or entropy] Catastrophic destruction of earth – Gen. 6:5 [worldwide flood] Catastrophic reconstruction of “good” earth – Rev. 20:2 [millennium] Curse removed from earth – Rev. 21:1 [new (renewed) earth]
40	Contrasts Between Old & New Worlds
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42	Scientific “Proofs” of Origin Scientific method depends on experimental observation Experiments must be repeatable Impossible to “observe” origins (not repeatable) Can only be achieved by faith
43	Origin “Proofs” Creation cannot be “proved” Not taking place now Not accessible to scientific proof Can’t devise experiment to describe creation process Evolution cannot be “proved” If it is taking place, operates too slowly to measure Transmutation would take millions of years Small variations in organisms are irrelevant
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49	What About Evolution? A valid scientific hypothesis must be capable of being formulated experimentally, such that the experimental results either confirm or reject its validity There is no way to do this to find “the answer” for origins Dr. Heribert-Nilsson, Director of the Botanical Institute at Lund University, Sweden, concluded: “My attempt to demonstrate evolution by an experiment carried on for more than 40 years has completely failed. The idea of evolution rests on pure belief.”
50	Two Models of Origin
51	How Can I Be Sure God Exists? Romans Chapter 1:18-23 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shown it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
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54	Why Does It Matter If We Were Created Or If We Evolved? How did I get here? Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?
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57	Evolution is Everywhere! Taught in public schools and colleges Biology textbooks Library books Television shows about nature Natural history museums Movies Zoos National parks Popular magazines and newspapers
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59	Credits Dr. Duane Gish, ICR Dr. Russell Humphreys, ICR Dr. Ray Bohlin, Probe Ministries Dr. Tim Standish, University Professor Mike Riddle, AIG Origins Resource Association www.originsresource.org