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Evolution vs. Intelligent Design
By Julie | September 20, 2007
I have to be honest; I am not the most scientifically minded person. I will never be. God did not design my mind to naturally adapt to mathematical and scientific processes. In school, I loved writing, English, Art, and History. I love reading. I loved anything that dealt with human emotions. When it came to math and science I preferred to fall asleep in class. I’m sure I did a few times.
I remember learning about the big bang theory in grade school. I was a Christian at the time, and blew it off as an incorrect theory, because of my belief in God. I may have studied it enough to pass a test, but it was never, ever a viable option for the beginning of life, for me. Since I was so young I believed everyone felt the same way. Of course, I believed, incorrectly, everyone was into God too. Evolution unnerved me for a bit the first time we studied it. I wondered why school was wasting time with something so obviously untrue, because it contradicted the Bible. I didn’t grow up in a very religious home, but as a young girl the Bible was fact to me. Somebody finally told me evolution can still exist even with God as the creator. The Bible says He created it; it doesn’t say how. Then I was fine with the theory. I paid a little attention in class, since I was no longer offended by the topic.
Then, earlier this year, I watched Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort, from Way of the Master, debate the existence of God with the Rational Response Squad. Evolution was a major topic of the debate. I listened to both sides, unsure what to think. I don’t know enough to know if it’s true. (I could have been doubtful because I watched The Way of the Master boys kindly consider what their opponents said, while the Rational Response Squad rolled their eyes and refused to make eye contact with them. I get annoyed with blatant arrogance and disrespect, their attitudes made them hard to listen to.) Later I watched responders to the Blasphemy Challenge on YouTube.com. Over and over people posted videos and comments saying Christians are hindering science, and that science has disproven God. To both accounts I wondered, what could they possibly be talking about? Then I realized that pesky evolution was considered not only fact, but supposedly proof God does not exist. They believe Christians, because many do not believe in evolution, are hindering science.
I will say right now, I don’t know if evolution is true or not. I do believe species evolve to adapt to environments. I don’t know how much deeper it goes. I have done a little research, gave myself a bit of a refresher course. One thing I’ve learned, evolution has a lot of skeptics, some of which are agnostic and atheist, not just Christian.
Again, I do not know if evolution is fact. I do know it in no way disproves God. If I get to Heaven and God tells me, hey, that evolution thing, it was real. I’ll say, really, that’s cool. That fact will still not prove a creator didn’t start it in motion. God can do whatever He wants. He’s a genius, and evolution, like all of science, would be proof of that.
There are viable objections to the theory of evolution. People see it as something Christians are fighting, I don’t know if that’s true. I know, as a Christian I am not fighting it, only trying to understand. But one thing I’ve realized is atheists really need evolution to be true. Because they believe its validity means God is false. (No, it does not.) They resent anyone who makes the claim evolution could possibly be false, because evolution allows them to comfortably remain atheists. If it were disproven, they would have to reconsider their belief system and reconsider if we have an intelligent designer.
As an adult, I find science incredibly interesting. To me, it will always be a reflection of the supremacy of God. The more we learn about our earth, we discover God at work, and we see His absolute brilliance in constructing it. Study of the human body shows us a more complex invention than we, as humans, have ever been able to invent ourselves, even more complex then a computer chip, an X-Ray machine, or a cell phone. As we send satellites into space, and people up after them, we are only scratching the surface of what God made for us, with His own two hands. Many believe my opinion is inaccurate. Still, it is just as logical of a concept as our amazing bodies were formed by the exact combination of gases in the perfect atmosphere. If life were that randomly created, why haven’t we ever been able to re-create it from the same gases?
Thursday, Marc found one of the most interesting sermons / testimonies I have ever heard about the theory of evolution. It was given, as you will hear, by Dr. Mark Eastman, MD. This man, who spent 150k on his education, graduated from medical school as an atheist. Later, he determined many of the principles he was educated in were false. I cannot say his sermon is 100% accurate, I’m not a brilliant scientist, and with the brain God gave me, I never will be. But Dr. Eastman supplies many fascinating facts about DNA, how it is constructed, and how it works. He quotes many references from articles and books by achieved scholars. He tells the story, based on facts in the human body, of how he came to believe, as I do, there is no way we did not have an intelligent designer. Whatever side of the argument you’re on, it is a fascinating lesson, and a fun, riveting way for the brain to spend 50 minutes.
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