Forms of Origins

Among the options regarding creation mechanisms, for those who believe in a deity, I think theistic evolution to be leaps and bounds more in accord with our world than the non intended suicidal alternatives of creationism and Intelligent Design offered by many Christians for Christians today. While there is perhaps much to be admired in the loyalty and faithfulness of many creationists, they are sadly missing much by assuming a painfully unwarranted literal reading of Genesis 1 and 2 to describe the origin of life in our universe- it’s not a science book and the ancients never meant for it to be such. Furthermore, by believing in a literal six days of creation, consisting of twenty-four hours each, in an earth less than 10,000 years old, in God’s formation of each individual species, and in creation of man from the dirt, science is no longer left with the task to explain the natural world. Rather, creationists completely ignore all that science tells us- as if the gross minority of creationist scientists are actually onto a scientific truth that has somehow escaped the notice of the other 95% of their colleagues. Creationists are Christians first and foremost and their science must accomodate to their theology, not the other way around. Apparently, claiming that a great flood lasting on the order of weeks gave rise to the geologic strata and fossil layering as well as the apperance of age on the earth, can only go on for so long. Foolishness is eventually eradicated- yet, sometimes at an astonishingly slow rate. Consider evangelical Christian and evolutionist Francis Collins’ words on the matter as written in “The Language of God”:

“Judging by polls, Young Earth Creationism is the view held by approximately 45 percent of Americans. Many evangelical Christian churches are closely aligned with this view. Many books and videos can be found in Christian bookstores that claim that no intermediate fossil forms can be found for birds, turtles, elephants, or whales (yet examples of all of these have been found in the last few years), that the Second Law of Thermodynamics rules out the possibility of evolution (it clearly does not), and that radioactive dating of rocks and the universe is wrong because decay rates have changed over time (they have not).”

Realizing the mounts of recent scientific evidence in clear opposition to their views, many creationists have resorted to claiming that God designed all of the evidence (of evolution) to mislead us and test our faith. This makes God nothing more than a cosmic deceiver, certainly not the type of deity most of us would care to worship.

In contrast to the older view of creationism, Intelligent Design is a rather new movement, blossoming within the last 15 years, that seeks to demolish evolution by claiming the failure of an evolutionary framework to account for the complexity in nature. However, the central problem with this ideology is that it’s a “God of the gaps” theory, meaning that if science is currently unable to answer something, “God did it” is inserted into the blank. Issues arise when science progressively marches forward and begins to encroach upon God’s territory. In fact, much of the “unexplained” complexity that initially provided the framework for Intelligent Design has been explained by recent scientific findings. Also, ID notoriously assumes the defensive rather than the offensive- it works from the premise of pointing out failings in evolutionary theory, yet never proceeds to offer its own explanations for the origin of life and the subsequent differentiation of species. It attacks, but offers no alternative, and unfortunately for ID, the attacks are becoming noticeably weaker, ultimately driving it the way of creationism. South.

For the theist, that leaves theistic evolution to account for it all. In fact, for those who are serious biologists as well as serious believers, theistic evolution is the dominantly held position. Not to be confused with the previously mentioned alternatives, theistic evolution assumes that after the Big Bang and initiation of life itself, evolution proceeded only by natural means(without divine intervention) up to modern man. However, it acknowledges that man has a unique Moral Law upon his heart as well as a universal longing and desire for God that distances him from all other animals- this, theistic evolutionists claim- can only be given by God. And this giving of the moral law- and not the physical act of creation itself- is what some refer to regarding God’s act of intimately creating man- as though perhaps evolution was the mechanism used by God to form the body, whereas direct creation was used to form what one might call the “soul.” Furthermore, theistic evolution asserts that while science can tell us what we want to know about our physical world, there are some things that science simply cannot touch- these being things of the spirit as well as all of the eternal questions that continually plague us: What is our purpose? What is the right way to live? What happens after we die?

At this point, I think one could correctly interject that just because we don’t know the answers to these questions, doesn’t mean that answers don’t exist in the natural world. If evolution brought us thus far, then it probably didn’t stop with the biggest questions of what makes us human- namely our morality and longing for more. Although it is beyond the scope of what I’m saying here, morality and a desire for something greater can be somewhat satisfactorily explained via means of evolution by natural selection. To say that evolution formed the body and not the soul can come across as ridiculous. Is not the brain part of the body, and the brain also what enables us to feel, think, act, and experience in accordance to what we often deem the “soul?” In fact, many will argue, if evolution explains most things, then it must explain everything, and if so, then we don’t need God. Of course, many disagree, and hence the debate continues.

Even with an evolutionary understanding of the world, unfortunately everything boils down to that “f” word- faith. Either you start with the understanding and belief of an ultimate higher authority- that deemed God- or you don’t. And that’s an original presupposition that I know not how to get to, beyond, under, behind, above, or inside of. It is what it is and apparently no more or no less.