Does it Matter if I Believe in Evolution or Creation? – Creation Basics 6

Does it really matter what you think about creation or evolution? Maybe you’re not a “science nerd” and don’t really care about origin science. Why should you care about creation or evolution? Does it really make a difference what you think? Over the past several weeks, we have talked about the basics of origins – creation vs. evolution – answering some of the most common questions on each topic. We talked about why we should trust the Bible, what the Bible says about origins, geology and the age of the earth, biology and evolution, and dinosaurs. In this concluding article of the series we are going to look at why our origins matter to you personally. Today, we are going to answer the big question “why should I care?”

If evolution were true, would science even be possible?

Where does the ability to remember come from? What are memories and how can we know that they are real? How can we know that our senses reflect reality – that what we see and touch really is real? How do we know that the laws of science will be consistently upheld? Where do our consistent laws of logic that guide our thinking come from? If our whole universe is merely an accident, why should it operate in an orderly way, like we see?

All of these questions are important to science.  Without consistent laws of nature, you cannot know how or why things will operate in specific ways. For example, you know that if you have your finger in the doorway and close the door, the laws of motion say that the door will hit your finger unless you move your finger or stop the door. Because our body normally functions in a consistent way (unless there is something horribly wrong with your body), you know that if the door hits your finger, it will hurt. We take so much for granted in our every day life! Why should our universe consistently follow specific laws and have order if it is just a chance accident? Why should our brains think and remember real events and use consistent laws of logic unless a loving, orderly Creator purposefully made them?

Does believing evolution impact you personally?

What you think and believe about your origins will have an effect on how you see yourself and the world around you. And how you see yourself and the world around you will affect how you behave.

Scenario 1: What if you thought you evolved from “pond scum”? What does that say about who you are what your value is? Different people may come to different conclusions. Does it mean that you’re nothing special or does it mean you must be better than everything else and be at the top of the food chain? Either conclusion could lead to harmful actions that affect you personally. If you feel worthless and unloved, you are likely to hurt yourself or not excel at what you do.  If you feel superior, you are likely to harm or mistreat other people and animals. Each conclusion between these two extremes also has it’s own harmful results.

Scenario 2: On the other hand, what if God uniquely, lovingly created you? What if you know that you are made in His image – special, but still accountable to Him? Ideally, you should have a more balanced view of yourself. Yes, you are so very special, uniquely created by God – God, who wants a real, personal relationship with you. However, your specialness does not give you the right to act any way you want – you are accountable to God for your actions.  Do people who believe this way sometimes act wrongly? Of course – no one is perfect. But, acting badly is not logical or justifiable when you start with this set of beliefs.

Can’t we just teach the Gospel and not worry about creation?

Many Christians like the New Testament – they are familiar with the teachings of Jesus and know about Mary, Peter, and Paul. But when it comes to the old testament (especially Genesis), many people are much less comfortable or familiar with these parts of the Bible. We tend to like to just skip the first chunk of the Bible and get to our favorite parts about grace and love in the New Testament. But, can you even have a genuine, real New Testament without the Old Testament – specifically Genesis? That’s like reading the ending of the book before you know the background!

What is our place in this world? Why do we need a savior? What do we need to be saved from? What is sin? Why do we need grace? Where does love come from? What will Heaven be like?  Did God create all the bad things? All of those questions find their answers rooted back in Genesis. Trying to tell people about how they can have a real, personal relationship with God (the Gospel) will not do any good unless they know who God is, who they are, and how sin comes in between us and God. All of that points back to Genesis.

It’s the same way with Heaven and the second coming – God will create a new heaven and a new earth where there will not be any sadness or death, just like God’s original creation. If we can’t trust Genesis when it says that there was no death before Adam & Eve sinned, how could we trust that there will not be any more death or tears in Heaven? The Gospel doesn’t fully make sense unless Genesis is literal history.

What if we are wrong about creation, the Gospel, and the Bible?

Let’s play a game of “devil’s advocate”. Meaning, for the sake of thinking, let’s ask the question “what if I’m wrong?” What if we really are just the result of lots of random accidents? What if God does not exist? What if there is no life after death? We die and turn into dust. End of story. The life you live now is all you had and all you will ever be. So what? If all of that is true, what do you have to gain by believing it? Maybe being right in a few fleeting, quickly passing moments? Again – so what?

Take a look at the flip side – what if atheism and evolution are wrong? What if you were created by a loving God who wants a personal relationship with you?  What if all the sorrow and pain in this world is nothing compared to eternity? What do you have to lose by believing atheism and evolution? A lot – everything for eternity.   What if you have a purpose that is so much more fulfilling than following any passing passion? What if you could offer real, unfailing hope and joy to yourself and all those around you?  What if you never had to be alone and would always have (have always had) someone who loves you deeply and wants a personal relationship with you?

God does not “condemn people to Hell” – Hell is horrible because it is being apart from God who is everything that is good and people choose that they don’t want to be with God. The point is that it’s all about relationship. What are you going to choose? What will you do with the information and the ideas you have been given?

©2018, Sara J. Mikkelson

For Further Study

Creation Clues:

Logic series

Logical Living, Part 1
Logical Living, Part 2
Thinking Clearly, Part 1
Thinking Clearly, Part 2
Well-Rounded Reasoning, Part 1
Well-Rounded Reasoning, Part 2

Other

Creation Week and the Cross
What’s Wrong With the Christians?
Isaiah Scrolls

Other Sources:

https://creation.com/does-it-matter-what-people-believe
https://creation.com/what-all-atheists-have-to-believe
http://www.icr.org/article/abortion-evolution-connection
http://www.icr.org/article/does-teaching-recent-creation-hinder
https://answersingenesis.org/creation-science/is-there-an-ultimate-proof-of-creation/
https://answersingenesis.org/charles-darwin/darwinism/religion-of-nature-social-darwinism/
https://answersingenesis.org/charles-darwin/racism/hitler-and-evolution/
https://answersingenesis.org/sanctity-of-life/the-results-of-evolution/

Books:

• Lisle, J. The Ultimate Proof of Creation. Master Books. New Leaf Publishing Group
• Morris, J. Is the Big Bang Biblical? And 99 Other Questions. Master Books. New Leaf Publishing Group.
• Sarfati, J. Refuting Evolution 1 & 2. Creation Ministries International
• Sarfati, J. Refuting Compromise. Creation Ministries International
• Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels. Creation Ministries International
• Guide to Creation Basics.  Institute for Creation Research
• Creation Basics & Beyond.  Institute for Creation Research
• The New Answers Book, Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4. Answers in Genesis. Master Books. New Leaf Publishing