Evolution: Fact or Fiction?

       Pre-Charles Darwin, faith in a Creator went virtually unchallenged, the only disputes being those relating to Church doctrine and Bible interpretation. And for many years after HMS Beagle dropped anchor following its epic five-year journey, God remained in the ascendancy; even converts to evolution continued to believe He had triggered the entire process, sitting back on the sixth day to watch how life unfolded. 

       Times have changed. Over the last century, modern atheism has gradually but effectively used Darwin’s theory to try and eradicate the Almighty altogether, leaving all but the strongest faiths faltering with uncertainty. The British government has proved a powerful accessory to the secular cause by insisting on evolution being taught in all state-funded schools and universities. While still selling itself as a God-fearing nation, America too has its detractors, as atheists reject religious symbols, prayers and any practices which may indicate the existence of a Divine Being.       

       So is the world now sinking into complete Godlessness? Has the hand that parted the Red Sea been cut short? Have we relegated the Bible to the SciFi/Fantasy section of the library? 

      Scientists deal in facts. So let’s do that. Let’s examine a few facts which may redress the balance.

Precision

       Subject to physical laws and natural constants that seem uniquely tailored to support the planets, and contrary to Big Bang or Chaos theories suggesting it all just happened by accident, our Universe is so finely-tuned that even the slightest changes could destroy life on earth. Electromagnetism, gravity, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force affect everything in the entire planetary system, working together in perfect harmony to keep whole galaxies in their place.

      Think about it: How could NASA chart a course for a rocket without the precision of the planets, allowing them to time their orbits to a millionth of a second? How else could astronomers predict the next eclipse or meteor shower? As it is, the sun, moon and stars have a set pattern to keep themselves and the earth rotating smoothly. Did they evolve, or is there a superior intelligence out there? 

      Many scientists agree with John Polkinghorne, previously a physicist at Cambridge University: “When you realize that the laws of nature must be incredibly finely tuned to produce the universe we see, that conspires to plant the idea that the universe did not just happen, but that there must be a purpose behind it.” **

      This view is supported by Australian physicist Paul Davies who says: “There is no doubt that many scientists are . . . scornful of the notion that there might exist a God, or even an impersonal creative principle.” He added: “Personally I do not share their scorn. . . . I cannot believe that our existence in this universe is a mere quirk of fate, . . . an incidental blip in the great cosmic drama.”

Complexity

      Of all the proofs put forward as evidence of design, this for me is perhaps the most telling. The sheer complexity of DNA, for instance, resulting from countless chemical reactions, shows the odds of it forming spontaneously are so small, it would be mathematically impossible. Yet every living organism is made up of countless complex parts, all dependent upon other complex parts for their existence.  

       Take a single human cell. Within its membrane walls, several components need to be in place for the cell to split and reproduce itself: 1) The nucleus or control centre; 2) The nucleolus, where ribosomes are formed; 3) Ribosomes where proteins are created; 4) Chromosomes which contain DNA, the genetic masterplan; and 5) Mitochondrion, the production centre for energy-supplying molecules. 

       Quite an assembly. Yet, without just one of the above components, the cell would simple wither and die. Which poses a dilemma for evolutionists. How can a cell grow into a human or any other species if it cannot divide? How can it divide unless all the components are in place at the same time? How, in fact, could a cell form with other cells to create a human being or any other species? 

       Even if it were possible for a human male to evolve, what are the chances of a female counterpart evolving at the same time in order for them to reproduce?  

The missing missing link

       What about the fossil record, to which many refer as proof of evolution? Where are the host of intermediate relics which link one species to another? The fact is, despite many hoaxes, there is still no definite proof and some scientists believe the current evidence for Darwin’s theory is weak.

       In his book Darwin’s Enigma, Aerospace engineer Luther D. Sutherland wrote: “The scientific evidence shows that whenever any basically different type of life first appeared on Earth, all the way from single-celled protozoa to man, it was complete and its organs and structures were complete and fully functional. The inescapable deduction to be drawn from this fact is that there was some sort of pre-existing intelligence before life first appeared on Earth.” 

       Donald E. Chittick, a physical chemist, says: “A direct look at the fossil record would lead one to conclude that animals reproduced after their kind as Genesis states. They did not change from one kind into another. The evidence now, as in Darwin’s day, is in agreement with the Genesis record of direct creation. Animals and plants continue to reproduce after their kind. In fact, the conflict between palaeontology (study of fossils) and Darwinism is so strong that some scientists are beginning to believe that the in-between forms will never be found.”

** If proof were needed, we only have to view the breakdown of our ecology, global warming, extreme weather, and the extinction of various species. #ecology

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/science-and-the-bible/

(link: https://twitter.com/JacyBrean/status/1095274733439012864)

http://www.amazon.com/Darwins-Enigma-Luther-Sunderland/dp/0890512361

'The Origin of Species'

How Darwin’s theory has influenced humankind

It was the ’must-have’ book of the Century. Everyone who was anyone felt duty-bound to buy, read and comment on this game-changing tome.

To say Charles Darwin’s ‘Origin of the Species’ rocked the earth is putting it mildly. Since its publication in November 1859, Darwin’s theory has been more fiercely debated than almost any other subject. Although creationists viewed the concept as blasphemous, evolution has rapidly become one of the world’s fastest growing belief systems.

But has its worldwide acceptance benefited mankind? Or could it actually have caused, or at the very least exacerbated, many of our problems?

Twenty-five years after the book hit the shelves, an illustrious group of European statesmen sat down together at the Conference of Berlin and systematically carved up Africa, with catastrophic effect. To what extent did Darwin’s theory influence this conference?*

Surely, the appalling arrogance of these men - who referred undiplomatically to their theme as the ‘Burden of Africa’ - was at best Imperialistic and at worst downright racist. The delegates held that, as Africans were ‘uncivilised’ by European standards, they were therefore inferior - an implicit assumption which Darwin’s book  -  “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life” to give it its full title – did nothing to dispel.

The same assumption helped fuel the Holocaust, with Nazis viewing non-Arian minorities, such as Jews and Romanians, as sub-human - to such a degree that mass extermination of these groups could be carried out with no qualms whatsoever….all to further the Master Race!

At the other extreme, Stalin and his cronies found the godlessness of Darwin’s theory extremely useful. One of his first policies was to dismantle religion, that ‘opiate of the masses’, forcing Eastern Bloc residents to regard communism as the only acceptable way to think.

And, generally speaking, the ‘survival of the fittest’ concept has done little to make us nicer, kinder or less selfish. The ’Me’ generation flourished all the more in the belief that this life’s all there is - “Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die!” as the Stoics would say. Meanwhile, the absence of accountability to anyone but oneself and one’s own desires has led to casual relationships, unwanted children, broken families, gratuitous violence, greed, selfishness and pride.

Lack of belief in a Creator has also caused psychological problems. No matter how many refuse to accept it, every human has a spiritual need which we neglect at our peril.  When this need is unaddressed, people will do one of two things: Live for the moment, focusing purely on physical pleasures and goals, or search for some purpose and meaning to their lives, a search which can sometimes lead to occult practices, exploitation, religious fraud and unscrupulous cults.

With its poor track record, world religion, as a whole, has turned many sincere people away. But, like the Emperor’s New Clothes, evolution must also bear a heavy responsibility for the evils we face.

*http://www.africafederation.net/Berlin_1885.htm

Quotes from ‘The Origin of Species’ – Charles Darwin

“Whilst Man, however well-behaved,
At best is but a monkey shaved!” 

“One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.” 

“Man selects only for his own good: Nature only for that of the being which she tends.”