EVOLUTION vs.
CREATION SCIENCEEVOLUTION vs.
CREATION SCIENCEModern day creation scientists are divided into many sub-groups, primarily according to their interpretation of the word "day" in Genesis, Chapter1. All reject the possibility of naturalistic evolution:
"In the broadest sense, evolution is merely change, and so is all-pervasive; galaxies, languages, and political systems all evolve. Biological evolution ... is change in the properties of populations of organisms that transcend the lifetime of a single individual."
Evolution is often casually used to refer to a person's change during their lifetime; e.g. Her feelings have gradually evolved...." However, when used in a scientific sense, it usually relates to changes that extend beyond a lifetime, sometimes involving millions or even billions of years.
Some people confuse Darwinism with Evolution. Darwinism is simply Charles Darwin's proposal for the methods by which natural processes cause evolution. Many scientists, before and since, have supported evolution while proposing other mechanisms.
Evolution, when interpreted in its broadest sense of "change through time", impacts on many sciences:
Scientists have followed the scientific method of inquiry for centuries in hundreds of different areas of specialty. This method involves:
Implicit in the scientific method is the assumption that there is a natural, logical explanation for how things interact. God is not invoked in the minute-by-minute operation of the universe. If they can, scientists explain a phenomenon in terms of basic laws; otherwise they admit that their knowledge is currently incomplete.
Also implicit in the scientific method is the belief that nothing is absolutely proven for all time. Scientists hold that all truly scientific theories are capable of being falsified. That is, they must always be prepared for some future experiment or investigation that will prove an existing theory invalid. The scientific method is thus a self-correcting process. Finding a screwdriver imbedded in a rock with some dinosaur bones would require major revisions to Evolutionary beliefs. Finding a fossilized human footprint in the middle of a dinosaur footprint would also necessitate changes. The latter have been found, but have been shown to be hoaxes.
Scientists concentrate on the what, how, where and when of history. Researchers in many fields, from astronomy to geology, from plant biology to paleontology have used this method; most agree that the universe, the earth, and earth's life forms have evolved over billions of years.
Whether this evolution was originally set in motion by a deity, or is guided by a deity are philosophical and religious concerns outside the realm of scientific inquiry. Efforts to deduce moral principles from nature are similarly outside the pale of scientific endeavor, and are regarded with suspicion by many philosophers and scientists.
Evolution of galaxies, of the earth, of plant and animal life on the earth are accepted by the vast majority of scientists. However, the precise mechanisms by which evolution progresses are still hotly debated.
Creationists are often seen in public conflict with evolutionists. They use the creation story (Genesis 1:1) and the great flood (Genesis 6:1) as the foundations for their beliefs. Most are Evangelical or Fundamentalist Christians who believe in the literal truth of the book of Genesis. Some are followers of other faiths who believe that their sacred texts' creation passages are literally true. Many look upon evolution as denying their Gods' rightful role(s) as creator. If they abandoned their faith in the accuracy of their sacred texts' creation stories, then many other traditional beliefs might be threatened.
Most biblical researchers believe that the author of this account is an unknown 6th Century BCE writer of the priestly tradition (often called "P"). He is believed to have used an earlier writing as source material. Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians hold other beliefs: that the entire Pentateuch, the five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy (including an account of Moses' death) was written by Moses.
Creation is described as occurring in six "days":
This sequence does contain some problems. Light was listed as being created on day 1, but its source (the sun) did not appear until day 4. Birds were said to be created before other land animals, whereas the fossil record shows the opposite.
There are some inconsistencies between the first and second creation accounts:
These Biblical passages can be interpreted in many ways:
Belief in Usher's date continued among Christian scientists, until the early 18th century, when it became obvious to most researchers that geological processes were exceedingly slow, and must have been accomplished over incredibly long periods of time. A 6000 year old earth was not possible.
As geologists promoted theories which indicated that the earth's age predated the Biblical creation story, opposition arose in many religious organizations. For example, Ellen G. White, an early prophet of the Seventh-day Adventists, reacted to the debate about the fossil record of past species by stating that they were deposited by the flood.
Friction between science and theology increased when Darwin published The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man. While many mainstream and liberal clergy found evolutionary theory compatible with their faith, more conservative clerics were highly vocal in their condemnation of it as leading to atheism and immoral behaviour.
An important event in the history of this conflict occurred in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. John Scopes, a high school biology teacher was on trial for contravening a state law which forbade the teaching of evolution in the school system. The trial quickly degenerated into a circus, with debates by a leading religious spokesperson, former US Secretary of State and Presidential candidate: William Jennings Bryan. Opposing him was a leading intellectual and lawyer: Clarence Darrow. Although Scopes was found guilty, it was generally felt that he and Darrow had won a moral victory. Nonetheless, popular opposition to evolution remained high, with the result that most textbooks made little or no mention of evolution until the early 1960's. Those that discussed it often omitted it from their index.
During the Scopes trial, Bryan had been able to name only two creationist geologists. One had recently died; the other George M Price, had had no formal geological training. For several decades, however, Price remained the foremost voice of creationist opposition to evolution in the US.
In the 1960's, in response to the wide-spread perception that the Soviet Union had gained the upper hand in science and technology, science curricula were revised throughout the US. Instruction in biology was now framed explicitly in evolutionary terms. Indeed, the historian Richard Hofstaedter wrote that opposition to evolution seemed only a very distant memory.
Yet the early 1960's were also marked by the beginning of a modern revival of creationism. John C Whitcomb, Jr., a conservative Old Testament scholar, and Henry Morris, and Engineer and university professor, co-authored The Genesis Flood. This book sparked renewed interest in creationism and remains a very important text in creation science.
The Creation Research Society (St. Joseph MO); Email address: crsnetwork@aol.com) was organized in 1963. It publishes the Creation Research Society Quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal. This publication gives an outlet for the research findings of creation scientists who are unable to publish their creation-oriented papers in "regular" geology and biology periodicals. The CRS operates the Van Andel Research Centre in Arizona to promote research into creation science.
The Institute for Creation Research was organized in 1970 to promote creation science (San Diego CA; phone (619)448-0900; bulletin board (619)448-9082). They have since been active delivering heavily attended seminars across the US and Canada, organizing tours of the Grand Canyon, distributing numerous publications, broadcasting a weekly radio program, and encouraging local pressure groups and providing expert witnesses for court cases.
A law (Law 590 of 1981) was passed in Arkansas which mandated the teaching of Creation Science in schools. Equal time was to be given also to evolution. A legal action was mounted (McLean vs. Arkansas, 1981) to overturn the law. Scientists and many main-line Christian Churches were pitted against conservative Christian groups. The law was declared unconstitutional.
In recent years, creationism has made considerable gains in the United States and Australia; it has had made fewer inroads in Canada and Great Britain.
On the other hand, it is impossible to prove absolutely that the theory of evolution, as now accepted by most scientists, is true. The theory maintains that plant & animal evolution and the major geological changes to the earth unfolded over billions of years. Thus, the full theory cannot be demonstrated in the laboratory. Processes like mountain building and erosion are simply too slow to be observed during one person's lifetime. Elements of the theory (e.g. evolution of finches (2) and perhaps of fruit flies) have been observed.
Creation science, as it is promoted today, is based on a literal acceptance of the book of Genesis. It specifies a young earth - an earth and universe which were created 6 to 10 thousand years ago. This theory is also fragile, since a single finding that proves that the earth existed over 10,000 years ago will demolish it.
In essence, the debate between "creationists" and "evolutionists" is whether the earth is less or more than 10,000 years old. To a Christian who believes in the inerrancy (absolute freedom of error) of the Bible, and who interprets the book of Genesis literally, there is no debate. Creation occurred as described, in 6 days circa 4000 BCE. To believe otherwise would mean that the Bible contains errors. But the scientist is faced with a large number of creation accounts, ranging from the Biblical account to that of ancient Norse Paganism; from Hinduism to Native American belief. And at most, one is true; perhaps none. The scientist develops a method of testing each account to see if it agrees with the reality of the fossil record. If the Judeo-Christian creation account were true, then all of the species of plants and animals which are now alive were created over a one week period, about 6000 years ago. As Charles Pellegrino (3) states:
As we dug deeper and deeper beneath Thebes, everything would be the same; we would find hand axes, clams and dinosaurs mixed together all the way down. Instead we begin to see the stages of a lengthy history, in which dinosaurs and other creatures are segregated in specific layers of rock, and the farther back we track along the stream of time, the more unlike modern creatures the animals become.
Hand axes, and other examples of human civilizations simply are not found with dinosaurs and other examples of ancient forms of life. This is perhaps the best indicator that life evolved over a long period of time, rather than being created in 6 days.
We have prepared 13 other indicators that show that the earth is old and has been in existence for much longer than 10,000 years.
There are also two indicators that the order of creation described in Genesis could not have happened:
Many dozens of "proofs" of a young earth have been proposed, but none are known to be scientifically sound. If you are aware of any, we would be pleased to have them reviewed. If they check out, we will include them in this essay.
...would God...talk about electrons and protons, genes and DNA, plate tectonics and continental drift..[to the ancient Israelites]?This would require one to abandon the literal interpretation of Genesis in favor of the belief that it is a historical myth.
Perhaps God gave mankind the intelligence to eventually develop the skills to find out the reality of evolution. Most Christians believe that God's revelation has been gradually released to humans. There is ample evidence in the Bible for this. Evolution may be one more example.
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