Essay:On "Evolution: A Christian's Faith"

In Science: Order & Reality, a creation science homeschooling textbook published by A Beka Book (the publishing arm of the King James Only, fundamentalist institution, Pensacola Christian College), there is an article entitled "Evolution: A Christian's Faith." This was purportedly written by a creationist lady as a sort of manifesto.

There is already a side-by-side rebuttal of this article on the Wiki. However, that article focuses more on the factual issues with the creed, and it has been demonstrated that arguments drawn from reality have but little weight with creationists. Hence, this side-by-side focuses more on the philosophical problems.

Creationist blather

Reply

Introduction

As we have learned, both Creation and evolution must be accepted by faith.

True. However, evolution is not per se a matter of faith; it is inferred from faith in reality and in the scientific method, and since creationists claim to share said faith, they are in no position to dispute evolution on those grounds.

Neither is subject to human science, because no one but God was there at the beginning to observe what happened.

When arguing with people who do not believe in the existence of God, it is not good to base one's argument on the idea that God was somewhere at a certain time. Although the scope of a scientist's observations is restricted to the present day, by no means is the scope of his theories thus restricted. The entire field of forensic science is dedicated to finding out "what happened" without the aid of witnesses.

One Christian has written the following statements to explain why her faith is in Creation rather than evolution.

Methinks the lady doth protest too much; surely, being a fundamentalist and everything, she should shut her trap and leave the exposition to her husband, father, or clergyman?

What I Believe and Why

A. Why I Believe in Creation

1.

I believe in creation because I believe in God.

Non sequitur.

I believe in Creation because I believe in God's Word. I do not believe God would lie to me. “”In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. —Genesis 1:1

This particular verse does not specify exactly how God went about this task, and belief in the literal account was not at all universal even in the very early days of Christianity; the idea there is not that God told a fib, but that Genesis is a poetic account of things.

3.

I believe that God will give me an understanding of His creative work when I accept by faith that He is the creator. “”Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. —Hebrews 11:3a

Context, please! That section of Hebrews 11 is describing faith as the evidence of things not seen. It is therefore fallacious to conclude that any evidence of God creating the world would be visible to us, yet the creationists never tire of telling us that such evidence exists and is in plain sight. If one has to be a creationist to understand creationism, then why do creationists try to convert atheists with it?

4.

I believe in Creation because God gives me evidence in nature that his Word (the Bible) and His creation are in perfect agreement. Both are His work.

This could still be true concurrently with evolution; Genesis a poem, God giving said evidence via the scientific method.

B. What I Believe about creation

1.

I believe that God began His creative work with nothing but Himself. “”...so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. —Hebrews 11:3b Unlike man when he makes something, God did not need materials to begin. God + Nothing = Everything Man + Nothing = Nothing

This has nothing to do with evolution, since nobody is saying that people had anything to do with it, or with the formation of the universe.

2.

I believe that when a person chooses not to believe God's Word, that person will usually believe evolution. “”Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. —Romans 1:25

Between the large numbers of Christians (including most theologians) who accept evolution theory as compatible with "God's Word," and the massive numbers of non-Christian creationists (Hindus, Muslims, pagans, etc.), the lie can be put to this one quite easily.

3.

I believe that God commands us to study his creation (the natural world) in order to master it for our benefit and glory. “”And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. —Genesis 1:28a

This has little to do with evolution, of course, but much to do with some rather nasty strains of politics, such as theocratic tyranny and global warming denialism, that are practiced or pushed by Pensacola Christian College.

I believe that as we obey God's command to study the natural world (through science), we see much evidence that God created. “”The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. —Psalm 19:1

Did not the author just quote a Bible verse saying that faith is the method for recognizing that God created, rather than natural evidence?

5.

I believe that God created people in His image, separate from other living things. He gave us each an eternal soul. “”And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. —Genesis 2:7

This has nothing to do with evolution.

6.

I believe that God brought all things into existence by direct words and actions. His creating was not a process. “”And God said, Let there be light. And God said, Let there be a firmament. —Genesis 1:3a,6a “”By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. —Psalm 33:6,9

St. Augustine thought something similar: that God's creation was not a six-day process, but instantaneous.

7.

I believe that God gave all living things the ability to reproduce themselves within their own kind. Jack Sparrow?

Evolution supporters hold instead that living things are only capable of reproducing within their own species. Perhaps creationists hold that some sort of Hopeful Monster of a different species can pop up within the baramin, which is of course impossible; if it were, evolution would progress much faster than it has been doing.

8.

I believe that God gave the potential for variety within a specific kind. “”And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. —Genesis 1:11

Baraminology has no basis in science. Only very rarely are animals of different species able to produce fertile offspring. Besides, in admitting that genotype can naturally change enough to produce the variation seen within the baramins, they are admitting the truth of the entire corner-stone of evolution.

9.

I believe that God stopped creating at the end of six days; the first law of thermodynamics describes this truth. “”Thus the heavens and earth were finished, and all the host of them. —Genesis 2:1

Oh, dear! Did the creationist appeal to a law of physics? Let us remind the creationist of another law of physics: constant exponential radioactive decay. Creationists have had to claim that radioactive decay sped up at certain periods in order to worm out of claims that radioactive dating proves an old earth. One should not appeal to the eternal uniformity of laws of physics when one has accepted the necessity for said laws to be non-uniform from time to time.

10.

I believe that God is no longer creating anything; He is now preserving His physical creation. The first law of thermodynamics describes this truth. “”::Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heavan, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. —Nehemiah 9:6

Appeal to law of physics, take two.

11.

I believe that the physical creation is gradually wearing out. This process started when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and their sin brought a curse on all of creation. The second law of thermodynamics describes this truth. “”Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment. —Psalm 102:25,26a

Appeal to law of physics, take three.

12.

I believe that God will destroy this earth with fire and create a new heaven and earth. This change will be sudden. “”As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. —Psalm 102:26b

Note how the creationist could not locate a handy law of physics to promote this one. But, in any event, it has nothing to do with evolution.

C. Why I Do Not Believe in Evolution

1.

Evolution cannot answer my question, "Where did the world come from?"

It is not supposed to answer that question. On a more fundamental level, even the Big Bang theory does not answer that question: it says that the world came out of a primeval atom, but is completely open with regards to whether the atom was created, who or what created it, why it was there, etc., etc.

2.

Evolution is not scientific. The study of science requires something to observe and analyze and record someone to do the observing, analyzing, and recording the ability to repeat this scientific work In the beginning, the only personality present was God, therefore, He is the only One qualified to answer my question.

By those lights (as sophomoric and straw-mannish as they are) evolution is scientific: The fossil record is there, as are other archaeological artifacts, the geologic column, and the body of observations from which the laws of physics are derived. Check. Scientists do this. Check. The archaeological artifacts, etc., are usually kept in storage, and the tests performed on them can usually be repeated as necessary if there is any question about their integrity. Check. As to the latter remark, see, above, my remarks concerning forensic science.

3.

Evolutionary ideas are not verified by scientific evidence.

Argument by assertion, and not true in any case.

4.

Evolutionary ideas constantly change.

No one has ever claimed otherwise. For anyone who needs eternal certainty about something, they should try being eternally certain about the scientific method; though the conclusions drawn by it may change, the method itself will always be good.

5.

Evolutionary ideas are as varied as the individuals who think them up.

There is a lot more consensus in the scientific community than in any religion you can name, or even in the "creation science" camp, which grinds out new crackpot theories at the rate of about fifty for every objection raised to creationism.

6.

Evolution must be accepted by faith. Faith in evolution is unjustified by works.

Uh, this is an article about evolution, not the Five Solas.