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The Keys to Evolution

(How to Successfully Promote Evolution over Creationism)

www.bibleone.net

The theory of evolution, that man and woman evolved by accident from virtually nothing into complex human beings over a period of billions of years, has been a mainstay in our society and institutions of learning since it was advanced by Charles Darwin in the mid 1800’s. Throughout the 1900’s the theory has been tenaciously assumed and supported by both novice and professional alike. No self-respecting scientist or educator would show cause for any other theory of the origin of life. The theory reigned supreme in the corridors of our finest schools, colleges and universities. It was the “badge of wisdom” worn by the sophisticated elite at every level and within every discipline.

The world as it exists today—with its morals and standards, with its warring cultures and with its ignoble aspirations and goals—owes much to the theory of evolution. The theory is the foundation for secular self-esteem, which has been the basis for today’s acceptable standard of moral and ethical living. Yes, there are many today who owe the quality of their lives to the theory of evolution. If this present philosophical trend is to continue unabated and to further evolve, it then must be recognized that the theory of evolution has experienced recent challenges in the realm of science for which there must be an answer.

This article will outline several of the scientific proofs that have been advanced against the theory of evolution, the concept of Theistic Evolution, the benefits to the individual who chooses to adhere to the theory of evolution and two “key factors” (the answer) that will insure the theory’s advancement and security within our society today and into the future. This article will conclude with a personal word by the author.

DEFINITION

In a nutshell the explanation of man as seen through the eyes of the theory of evolution is that “he is an accident evolved from algae.” The November 20, 1989, issue of Newsweek magazine defined the theory in an article entitled “We’re All Lucky to Be Here.” Here is an excerpt:

It is a picture we all carry around in our heads, the most powerful icon of the Age of Secular Humanism: the line of ascent of Man. It begins with the bacteria, just barely across the threshold of life, a tenuous scum on the primeval seas. Then, climbing the ladder of complexity . . . protozoa, invertebrates, the fishes and early reptiles. Followed by the first mammals, which knocked off the dinosaurs, the early primates and their hominid descendants huddled around a cave fire. Three billion years of progress directed toward the production of Man.

. . . This view asserts that there is nothing inherent in the laws of nature that directed evolution toward the production of human beings. There is nothing predestined about our current preeminence among large terrestrial fauna; we are the product of a whole series of contingent events in the history of our planet, any one of which could have been reversed to give rise to a different outcome.

We are, in short, like every other creature that ever walked or slithered across the earth, an accident.

Man is nothing but an animal, the progressive result of a series of haphazard and accidental events over a 3.5 billion year span involving the first single-celled algae, which itself came from non-life, and its progression into an ever increasing life-state of complexity. The theory of evolution essentially boils down to “nothing plus chance equals everything.”

OPPOSITION

The problem with the theory of evolution is that it is a nineteenth-century philosophical view that has been subjected to facts germinating from twentieth-century science, which have convinced even the most devoted followers of evolution that their conviction is based on a quagmire of misinformation and spurious data. The following are some of the more cogent opposing facts:

  1. Spontaneous Generation—the concept that life came from nonliving matter, a cornerstone of the evolution theory that has life emanating some 3.5 billion years ago from an inorganic gumbo of nitrogen, ammonia, salts and carbon dioxide that eventually gave birth to the a single-cell alga. Science today realizes and admits that there is no answer as to where this noxious soup came from that gave birth to this initial alga. The idea that life arose from nonliving matter was scientifically disproved by Louis Pasteur in 1860, a fact confirmed by Dr. George Wald, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Harvard University and winner of the Noble Prize in his article entitled “Life, Origin and Evolution” published in the prestigious Scientific American. Dr. Wald went on to say, “One has only to contemplate the magnitude of this task to concede that the spontaneous generation of a living organism is impossible.” Biogenesis, the basic axiom of biology, dictates that life only arises from life.


  2. Biochemical Reproduction—the ability of a cell to extract energy from its environment in order to supply energy for the reproduction of the cell and its other needs. Science has proven that every cell has what is called a “complex metabolic motor,” which performs this function, yet, this motor can only be produced by life. This is true for DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic code, formed in a double-helix strand, which determines the hereditary characteristics of a human being. It is essential for life to exist, but it can only be produced by life. The question then arises, “How, when no life existed, did substances come into being which are absolutely essential for life, but which can only be produced by life?” Biochemical reproduction is the antithesis of spontaneous generation.


  3. Laws of Probability—laws which govern the possibility of a probable result. The following is an excerpt from the book entitled “Fast Facts on False Teachings” by Dr. Ron Carlson and Ed Decker:

    Another problem for the evolutionists is the laws of probability, which clearly and simply demonstrate that life from nonliving matter is impossible. As Sir Fred Hoyle, one of the world’s leading astronomers and mathematicians, recently said before the British Academy of Science: “The probability of life arising by chance is the same probability as throwing a six on a dice five million consecutive times.”

    Try that sometime! He then went on to add, “Let’s be scientifically honest. We all know that the probability of life arising to greater and greater complexity and organization by chance through evolution is the same probability as having a tornado tear through a junkyard and form out the other end a Boeing 747 jetliner!”


  4. Second Law of Thermodynamics—that everything in the universe degrades from a state of organization and complexity to a state of disorganization and chaos. This scientific law proven time and time again, without exception, flies in the face of the theory of evolution, which is based on an opposing theory that life has gone from disorganization to organization, from the simple to the complex. The second law of thermodynamics is also expressed by the word, entropy, which is a thermodynamic term expressing the measure of the amount of energy unavailable for useful work in a system undergoing change—or also described as a measure of the degree of disorder in a substance or a system. Entropy always increases and available energy diminishes in a closed system, as the universe; otherwise, someone would have produced a perpetual-motion machine a long time ago. One only has to look in a mirror over a period of time or walk through a junkyard to see this law in action. Some evolutionists have attempted to offer the sun as a “renewable energy” source and therefore as a solution to this problem, but the facts show that random energy never produces organization. In fact, the laws of physics demonstrate that it speeds up entropy. Even more, the sun, as with the entire universe, has been shown to be “running out of steam”—going from order to chaos. The energy that comes from any motor made by man eventually tears up the system creating the energy, making it always necessary to administer repairs. Furthermore just having energy is not enough. There must be multiple and complex systems in place to control energy, none of which science has been able to prove came from random processes or chance.


  5. Factor of Time Assumption—the assumption that with enough time complexity in nature can be achieved, or otherwise stated, “Chance plus time will generate increased complexity.” Some evolutionists, such as astronomer Carl Sagan, subscribed to this. So they would increasingly add billions of years to their evolutionary hypotheses. But the laws of physics prove that the greater the time span the greater the chaos and disorganization.


  6. Design—the existing evidence that even the most basic bacterial cell is unexplainably complex incorporating intricate design. Evolutionists require initial simplicity in nature in order to justify the theory that over vast periods of time simplicity rises to complexity. In the past they have postulated that this “simple to complex” formula could be seen within the human body, as very simple cells combine to make up complex organs. The opposite is true.

    Bio-chemistry has today exposed elaborate microscopic worlds so vast that a mere thimble of cultured liquid contains over four billion single-cell bacteria, each packed with circuits, assembly instructions and miniature molecular machines. Some of these small machines function as trucks, carrying supplies from one end of the cell to the other. Others capture sunlight energy and turn it into useable energy. There are as many machines as there are functions in the human body, e.g., hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, healing, blood clotting, repertory functions, etc.

    One such machine is the “bacterial flagellum motor,” a rotary motor that can be seen when a cell is magnified 50,000 times. This electron micrograph reveals the parts and three dimensional structure of a motor that drives a whip-tale propeller not unlike an outboard boat motor. The motor is composed of at least 40 different protein parts such as o-rings, drive shafts, rotors, bushings, stators, etc. If any single part is removed, the motor ceases to function—“irreducible complexity.” Some of these flagellum motors have been clocked at 100,000 rpm, yet they are able to “stop on a dime” and change direction instantaneously. All such motors are alike, which argues strongly against random chance; otherwise, there would be millions and billions of differences within these motors. The concept that just the “bacterial flagellum motor,” not to mention the unnumbered other machines necessary for the function of the human body, was a product of chance is totally incongruous and mind boggling. Science has now shown conclusively that Charles Darwin’s concept of “natural selection” could not possibly produce the “bacterial flagellum motor,” much less the countless numbers of other irreducibly complex machines that function within the human body.

    What is even more amazing is that this microscopic “bacterial flagellum motor” has to be produced by even smaller complex machines, which in turn had to be built by even smaller ones. All such design must come from structure and order in assembling each part, just as a house is built from the foundation up. All such assembly order is derived from programming elements (DNA) within each human body. Programming implies a Programmer. The argument for a Programmer in this process argues strongly against evolution and its dependency on chance.

    Design runs from the micro to the macro throughout the universe. When one cannot deny a designer for something as simple as a watch with all its parts, one has grave difficulty denying a Designer for something as vast and complex as the universe with all its parts that flawlessly work together.


  7. Fossil Record of Transitional Remains—the assertion by Charles Darwin that if evolution were true there would exist ample evidence of transitional skeletal remains otherwise known as “missing links” within the earth’s geological strata. He predicted man would find a gradual upward evolution of species to greater and greater complexity among the sedimentary levels of the earth. But the record from Mr. Darwin to today has revealed just the opposite. Paleontologists have devoted whole careers to looking for these transitional forms, but what they have found in the fossil records are species fully formed with no transitional intermediates or missing links. If evolution were true, they would have found literally millions of transitional forms from one species to the next. The following excerpt is taken from “Acts and Facts,” which was authored by Dr. Duane Gist, who received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.

    The fossil record shows the sudden appearance, fully formed, of all the complex invertebrates (snails, clams, jellyfish, sponges, worms, sea urchins, brachiopods, and trilobites) without a trace of ancestors.

    The fossil record also shows the sudden appearance, fully formed, of every major kind of fish (supposedly the first vertebrates) without a trace of ancestors. This proves beyond a reasonable doubt that evolution has not occurred. If evolution has occurred, our museums should contain thousands of fossils of intermediate forms. However, not a trace of an ancestor or transitional form has ever been found for any of these creatures!

    Now even though evolutionary stages or links between separate species have never been proven to exist, there is ample evidence that supports evolution within a species. In fact any person is an evolutionary step from the combination of DNA from his father and mother.

THEISTIC EVOLUTION

Theistic evolution was a compromise advanced by Christian academics in order to hide their belief in evolution and make it sound more acceptable to their constituency. Theistic evolution sometimes goes by the name of “progressive creationism.” Unfortunately, regardless of the name, the concept is incongruent with both science and Biblical doctrine. So what is theistic evolution?

It is simply that God has chosen the process of evolution to bring about man. It teaches that God created the universe and the so-called primeval soup in which He allowed the principle of evolution to spawn the first single-cell algae. Then after so many millions of years of years and so many millions of evolving species living and dying out, man finally came about. When evolution got to that point after billions of years, God then gave man a soul.

Theistic evolution or “progressive creationism” would be an acceptable alternative for the Christian who wishes to “ride the fence,” accept for the fact that there is no evidence for evolution—not theistically or naturalistically. Furthermore, why would a perfect God use such an imperfect and haphazard means to create His perfect world? Evolution requires (1) chance and (2) massive death in order to achieve the “survival of the fittest.” Theistic evolutionists have major difficulty with the doctrine of the nature of God, the geology of earth, the size of the cosmos, the distance of stars and the Biblical record.

Theistic evolutionist attempt to help God out by making the days of creation (Genesis 1) extended periods of time—billions of years. This is from their limited concept of God. The truth is that God didn’t even need six 24-hour days for creation. He could have accomplished it all in micro-seconds, or less. They also hold to the uniformitarian view of geology—that the earth has changed slowly and gradually through the ages by means of processes that are still going on today. To do this they must avoid the Biblical account of the worldwide flood during the days of Noah (Genesis 7). If they accept a cataclysm of this magnitude, it would undermine their view of geology. Many of them teach a local, Middle East area flood, but this is in contrast with Bible doctrine.

Many theistic evolutionists have accepted the concept of the “geological column” in the dating of the earth, which was proposed by Charles Lyell in the nineteenth century. This too has been disproved by empirical science and excavations. It is tainted by a spurious proof known as “circular reasoning.” Those who accept the geological column for dating purposes find that (1) they date the fossils within a stratum by the age of the rocks in which they lie, and (2) they date the rocks in a stratum by the age of the fossils around them. Strangely, this “geological column” used as the basis of dating the earth has never been found anywhere in the world.

Then again theistic evolutionist attempt to date the age of the cosmos by the distance of the stars, which they base on their estimation of time it takes light to travel from the most distant star to earth. Based on the “Big Bang” theory and the speed of light, they arrive at the age of the universe at around 15 billion years—since they claim that the farthest man can see is a quasar that is about 15 billion light-years away. Unfortunately, science cannot measure out 15 billion light-years. Almost everything associated with theistic evolution is based on assumption. As they do this, the theistic evolutionist turns his back on the Bible teaching that the stars and the existing light with which we see them was in a moment of time created to declare God’s glory (Psalm 19:1; Isaiah 40:12, 22, 26).

The theory of theistic evolution holds that millions of species died out in order to achieve the eventual “creation” of Adam and Eve. But Romans 5:12 states that there was no death prior to sin, and sin came from one already formed man—Adam. How can there be massive death and destruction over millions of years in order to get to Adam if there was no death prior to Adam and sin?

BENEFITS

There are distinct benefits afforded a person who believes in the theory of evolution. Those most notable are listed below.

  1. To the educator holding to this theory means the elimination of fear—fear from not being tenured, from not receiving research grants, from not being published and from not being accepted by associate educators.


  2. To every individual holding to this theory the benefit is the elimination of the concept of a Creator and any responsibility to such a Creator. This in turn allows a person the freedom to think and act totally independently throughout his life and in accordance with any moral and ethical code (or lack of any) he wishes to adopt. Also for the individual, the belief in evolution and the rejection of a Creator will also insure his acceptance by a world that increasingly wishes to deny a Creator.

KEY FACTORS FOR SUCCESS

From every direction during this 21st Century the theory of evolution has been scientifically refuted. But still many wish to believe and teach it as the origin of life and man. Where can they turn and what can they do in order to insure they achieve their end? They must utilize two key factors to successfully reach their goal.

  1. They must employ the principle of faith in what they believe. Regardless of how much they denigrate Christians who employ faith as a rule, they must exceed those they malign by demonstrating even more faith. They must accept by faith the following:

    a. That matter and energy necessary to create the universe somehow occurred all by itself out of nothing.

    b. That life, contrary to the proven laws of biology, somehow still occurred from non-life.

    c. That in contrast to the mathematical laws of probability, random and impersonal chance produces complexity and organization.

    d. That somehow the second law of thermodynamics doesn’t apply to evolution.

    e. That all intermediate transitional “missing links” still exist somewhere underground but someday will be discovered.


  2. They must rule out the answer before they ask the question. They must decide that “there is no God,” and then ask the question, “What is the origin of life?” As long as they rule out the answer, they may then follow whatever solution they fancy—regardless of the truth. By doing this they are no longer associated with education but with indoctrination. Yet, they cannot allow this to bother them.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

It takes more “faith” to believe the theory of evolution than it takes to believe in the doctrine of creation. And the two key factors that will allow a person to accept the theory of evolution and be the recipient of all its benefits are faith in its scientific impossibilities and a willingness to accept anything but Biblical truth. If a person will employ these two factors he will have smooth sailing in the arena of evolution, but he will surely suffer in his self-esteem.

Randy Alcorn, founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries in Oregon, summed up the two sources of self-esteem in his article entitled, “The Two Sources of Self-Esteem,” which follows:

The Secular Basis for Self-Esteem

You are the descendant of a tiny cell of primordial protoplasm that washed up on an ocean beach 31/2 billion years ago. You are the blind and arbitrary product of time, chance, and natural forces. Your closest living relatives swing from trees and eat crackers at the zoo.

You are a mere grab bag of atomic particles, a conglomeration of genetic substance. You exist on a tiny planet in a minute solar system in an obscure galaxy in a remote and empty corner of a vast, cold, and meaningless universe. You are flying through lifeless space with no purpose, no direction, no control, and no destiny but final destruction.

You are purely biological entity, different only in degree but not in kind from a microbe, virus, or amoeba. You have no essence beyond your body, and at death you will cease to exist entirely. What little life you do have is confined to a fragile body aimlessly moving through a world plagued by war, famine, and disease. The only question is whether the world will manage to blow itself up before your brief and pointless life ends on its own.

In short, you came from nothing, you are going nowhere, and you will end your brief cosmic journey beneath six feet of dirt, where all that is you will become food for bacteria and rot with worms.

Now . . . why don’t you feel good about yourself?

 

The Christian Basis for Self-Esteem

You are a special creation of a good and all-powerful God. You are the climax of His creation, the magnum opus of the greatest artist in the universe. You are created in His image, with capacities to think, feel, and worship that set you above all other life forms. You differ from the animals not simply in degree but in kind.

Not only is your kind unique, but you are unique among your kind. God has masterminded the exact combination of DNA and chromosomes that constitute your genetic code, making you as different from all others as every snowflake differs from the rest.

Your Creator loved you so much and so intensely desires your companionship and affection that, despite your rebellion, He gave the life of His only Son that you might spend eternity with Him. If you are willing to accept the gift of salvation, you can become a child of God, the king of the universe.

As a Christian, you are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. He has given you special gifts and abilities to serve Him in a particular and unique way.

Your heavenly Father is sovereign, and will allow nothing to cross your path that is not Father-filtered. He cares for you so much that he is totally available to you at all times, and listens to every word you say. He cares deeply about your hurts, and has a perfect plan for your life. He has given you the inspired Word of God as a road map for living. He gives you the truth that sets you free, a life that is abundant and eternal, and a spiritual family that loves and needs you.

Your destiny is to live forever in a magnificent kingdom, to reign with Christ over the universe. You will forever enjoy the wonders of His presence and the marvels of His creations. You will spend eternity in intimate and joyful fellowship with your beloved Lord and your precious spiritual family.

Now . . . how does that make you feel about yourself?

 

If upon reading this article you choose to accept and believe the Biblical truth that you are a uniquely created being rather than one that evolved from nothing and is going nowhere please accept this message from your Creator.

The Bible clearly teaches that God Almighty in the Person of Jesus Christ created all matter and life (John 1:1-3, 10; Colossians 1:16). It in fact assures us that it is only through His power that life and matter continues in their present form. But eventually all life and matter will come to a physical end. Eventually there will be a “new heaven and a new earth.” You also will eventually die (Hebrews 9:27), that is, your spirit (the real you) will eventually separate from your physical body. What happens after this event is a matter of your choice while you remain alive.

God’s Word teaches that without Christ Jesus as your personal Savior the destiny of your eternal soul is bleak (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Because of sin in your life there awaits only darkness, eternal fire and an eternity separated from God—unless, and this is important, you accept the gift of eternal life paid for by Jesus Christ and offered freely to you by God (John 3:16-18). The following paragraph will explain it in a “nutshell.”

To be saved, that is, to personally receive eternal life, you only need to understand that Jesus Christ paid-in-full the penalty-price for your sins with His death on the cross of Calvary. But He did not remain dead. After three days He arose from the grave and ascended to heaven where He presently resides at the right hand of God. Now here is the most important part for you. If you will only make a genuine decision to turn from any and all means of achieving eternal life (such as your own good works, church attendance, religious observances, etc.) and place your entire faith (trust) in Jesus Christ for your personal salvation, the instant you make that earnest decision you are eternally saved.

If you have never made that decision in your lifetime, please consider doing it. Your eternity is in your hands. If you in fact make the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, please (1) inform the editor of www.bibleone.net –E-mail access may be found at the Editor’s Corner section on the web site, (2) start reading the Bible daily—the Gospel of John in the New Testament is recommended, and you may access detailed commentary on this book at the above listed web site, (3) locate and join a Christ-honoring and loving church and (4) tell as many as you can about Jesus and your salvation experience.