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|WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION?|
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Have you ever thought about where you came
from? For centuries, Christians accepted the Bib-
lical account which says that God miraculously
created a man (Adam) and woman (Eve) in His own
image and likeness, from whom all humans are de-
scended. However, in the mid-1800's Charles
Darwin began to popularize the theory of evolu-
tion, which says that man came from apes, which in
turn came from primitive mammals, which in turn
came from reptiles, which in turn ... and so on,
all the way back to lifeless chemicals.
The idea of evolution had been around at least
since the days of the Greek philosopher Aristotle,
but, as a result of its new popularity, some the-
ologians began to teach that the Genesis account
of creation was not literally true. They said
that it was merely a collection of myths which had
been put together by the ancient Jewish people to
explain their ideas about what happened "in the
beginning". Thus, the opening chapters of Genesis
were merely a symbolic description of what had
really happened - evolution.
If you believe this (as I used to), here's a
short quiz. Ready? Name the three best scien-
tific evidences you know for evolution. Don't just
say something like "fossils" - be specific.
Can't do it, can you? Don't feel too bad; nei-
ther can most other people. Just as Christians in
the past accepted the Bible's account of creation
simply because it was in the Bible, nowadays many
professing Christians accept the theory of evolu-
tion without any evidence, simply because their
churches teach it or because they think it's "pro-
ven scientific fact".
Evolution is anything but proven, though. I'll
tell you later how to find out just a little of
the tremendous amount of evidence for creation,
but you might be interested to know that a recent
poll (Industrial Chemist, Nov. 1987) of America's
professional scientists and engineers revealed
that over 20% reject the theory of evolution. Why
haven't you heard about it before? Censorship.
In spite of this, you may be asking, "Well, who
cares anyway? Couldn't God have used evolution as
His method of creating?" Indeed, He could have if
He wanted to. But did He? You may be surprised to
find out just how important the answer really is.
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|EVOLUTION AND THE BIBLE CAN'T BOTH BE TRUE.|
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All we have to do is compare the Genesis ac-
count and the theory of evolution point by point
to see that the two are completely incompatible.
If one is true, the other must be false.
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| EVOLUTION | THE BIBLE |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|The universe began in a|The earth was formed in|
|flash of light (the Big|darkness first, then|
|Bang). The earth ap-|God said "Let there be|
|peared billions of|light". (Gen. 1:1-3) |
|years later. | |
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| EVOLUTION | THE BIBLE |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|The earth began as mol-|From the very beginning|
|ten rock. For billions|the earth had a liquid|
|of years it was too hot|water surface. (Gen. 1:|
|for water to exist as|2,9-10) |
|a liquid. Land appeared|Dry land appeared after|
|long before liquid|liquid water. |
|water. | |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|Seed-bearing land|Seed-bearing land plants|
|plants evolved billions|were among the first|
|of years after the|living things. (Gen. 1:|
|first living cell. |11-12) |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|The sun and stars ap-|The sun and stars were|
|peared billions of|created on the fourth|
|years before the earth.|day, after the earth. |
| |(Gen. 1:14-17) |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|Evolution occurred over|Creation was completed|
|four eras ranging from|in six days, each con-|
|hundreds of millions to|sisting of an evening|
|billions of years. The|and a morning. |
|"evenings and mornings"| |
|are meaningless. | |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|In order for evolution|The sun was created a|
|to fit into Genesis,|day after plants, in-|
|each "day" would have|sects another day later.|
|had to last millions or|Plants can only survive|
|billions of years. |a few 24-hour days with-|
| |out sunlight, and most|
| |cannot reproduce without|
| |insects. They would have|
| |become extinct in a very|
| |short time. The "days"|
| |could not have been mil-|
| |lions of years long. |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|The first members of|The first members of the|
|the animal kingdom were|animal kingdom included|
|microscopic, single-|fish, birds, and "great|
|celled organisms. |sea monsters".(Gen.1:20-|
| |22) These were certainly|
| |not microscopic. |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|Birds evolved from rep-|Birds were created the|
|tiles after millions of|day before "creeping|
|years. |things". (Gen.1:20-25) |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|All living things|God created distinct|
|evolved from one common|"kinds" of creatures.|
|single-celled ancestor.|Each reproduces only|
| |"after its kind". (Gen.|
| |1:24-25, I Cor. 15:39)|
|Variation is unlimited.|Variation is limited. |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|The Garden of Eden is a|The Garden of Eden is|
|myth. |also referred to as a|
| |literal place by Joel,|
| |Isaiah, and Ezekiel. |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|The first man was an|The first man's body was|
|already living, highly|miraculously formed from|
|evolved ape-like crea-|the dust of the earth.|
|ture into whom God in-|(Gen. 2:7) He did not|
|fused a soul. |exist before. |
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| EVOLUTION | THE BIBLE |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|Language evolved slow-|Adam had a large vocabu-|
|ly. |lary the day he was cre-|
| |ated. (Gen.2:19-20) Lan-|
| |guages multiplied sud-|
| |denly at Babel. (Gen.11)|
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|Human females evolved|Woman was formed from|
|at the same time as|man in a miraculous op-|
|males. |eration. (Gen. 2:21-22) |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|Animals had been com-|If Adam had never|
|peting and dying for|sinned, he and Eve would|
|billions of years be-|have lived forever.|
|fore Adam and Eve e-|(Gen. 2:19, 3:17-24) |
|volved. From birth,| |
|they too were destined| |
|to die. | |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|Evolution worked by the|Before Adam sinned,|
|death of the unfit and|there was no death in|
|the survival of the|the world. (Gen. 3:17-|
|fittest. Adam and Eve|24, Rom. 5:12-14) All of|
|were merely products of|creation suffers because|
|this process. |of his sin. (Rom. 8:19-|
|MAN HAD NOTHING TO DO|22) |
|WITH DEATH. |MAN CAUSED DEATH. |
|-----------------------+------------------------|
|Fossils were formed|Since man caused death,|
|over millions of years|fossils could not have|
|(long before Adam|been formed before Adam.|
|evolved) by slow, grad-|Most were produced by a|
|ual processes. |worldwide flood in a|
| |very short time. |
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There are at least thirty other direct contra-
dictions between the Bible and the theory of evo-
lution, but you get the idea. These two accounts
absolutely rule each other out. If either is true,
then the other is not just a myth, it's dead
wrong.
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|WHAT IF EVOLUTION IS TRUE?|
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"Well", you say, "so what if Genesis is wrong?
It doesn't really matter anyway. Peter and the
apostles passed on their authority to my church.
We don't need the Bible anymore."
Okay, how do you know that Peter and the other
apostles had any authority to pass on?
"Because Jesus gave it to them."
And how do you know that?
"Because the (gulp) Bible says so..."
Oh, yes, the Bible! Isn't that the book your
church doesn't need anymore? Besides, evolution
proves that you can't take the Bible literally!
You have a problem! If you're depending on your
church's apostolic authority, you'd better think
carefully about how the apostles got it in the
first place. Matthew 16:17-19 tells us that Jesus
gave Peter his authority - but just three chapters
later, Jesus Himself referred to the creation of
Adam and Eve as a literal event (Mt. 19: 4-5). In
other places He talked of Noah as a real man and a
worldwide flood as real and historical. It looks
like He was mistaken - but God doesn't make mis-
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takes! Either the Gospels don't accurately record
what He said, or else He wasn't the Son of God. In
either case, you can't trust the Bible's record of
His words. So how can you be sure that He really
gave Peter (or your church) any authority at all?
If you still claim to rely on the apostles' au-
thority, maybe you'd better read what they wrote.
Peter refers (1 Pet. 3:18-20) to a worldwide flood
as a historical event; he warns us (2 Pet. 3:3-7)
that in the last days men will deny that a world-
wide flood ever occurred. Paul refers over and
over to creation and the Flood as literal events;
so do James, Jude, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -
every single one of the New Testament writers. So
if evolution is true, every one of the men you re-
gard as your church's source of authority is
wrong! What kind of "authority" could such men
have passed on?
There's an even more important reason to find
out if you can trust Genesis. Your faith is worth-
less if you can't.
The Christian faith depends entirely on Christ,
"the last Adam" (1 Cor. 15:21-22,45), having ac-
complished what He came to earth to do: to save us
from the sin we inherited from the first Adam.
What if the story of Adam and the fall is just
a myth? Then the first man was merely another in a
long line of apelike creatures who evolved and
died. He, like all the other animals, was destined
to die from the time he was born. It's foolish to
believe that he brought death into the world.
Now, since Genesis is the only source that
tells us that Adam caused death by his sin, and
since evolution tells us that he really didn't
cause death, then why should we bother to believe
in his "original sin"? And if original sin is
just a myth, who needs to be saved from it?
If we don't need to be saved, then "the last
Adam", Jesus, is either a liar or a fool! He came
to earth and suffered an agonizing death to save
us from sin - all because of a myth!
And if Christ is not really who He said He was,
why bother to call yourself a Christian? You
can't be sure of anything about God. Maybe some
other religion is right. For all you know, you may
be on your way to hell - if Genesis is a myth.
But maybe you don't care about heaven and hell.
Maybe you don't even claim to be a Christian, so
you don't think Genesis has anything to do with
you. You're wrong; it affects you too.
Suppose you saw someone committing a murder or
molesting a child. You'd try to stop them,
wouldn't you? Or suppose your teenage daughter
wanted to go out on a date wearing a see-through
blouse with no bra underneath. Would you let her?
I doubt it. You have standards of right and wrong.
Have you ever thought about where you got those
standards? Probably from your parents, who got
them from their parents, etc. But at some time in
the past, somebody decided what was right and what
was wrong and began to pass it on. And where did
they get their standards? If they lived in almost
any country in the Western Hemisphere, they got
them from the Bible.
If evolution is true, you're in trouble!
Whether you like it or not, your standards of
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right and wrong originated in the Bible, which is
saturated with references to the Genesis account
of Creation and the Flood. But evolution means
that Genesis is either just a man-made myth or
else a divine riddle whose meaning you can't ever
really be sure you understand correctly.
Either way, you'll have to discard Genesis as a
guide for living. You'll also have to reject all
the other parts of the Bible that refer to it as
literally true. Say goodbye to:
- Everything Moses wrote. This includes not only
Genesis but also the Ten Commandments and all
the rest of the moral laws on which most of our
civil laws are based;
- Most of the Old Testament;
- All four Gospels;
- Fourteen other books of the New Testament.
Well, that wipes out almost the whole Bible.
And even if you call yourself an atheist, that's
still where most of your moral standards original-
ly came from. If evolution is true, then, your
standards are firmly rooted in nothing. You have
no basis to believe in right and wrong! All you
have is an opinion.
Of course you're entitled to your opinion. But
guess what? So is everybody else. Everybody. For
example, Hindus have a right to believe that kill-
ing cows is wrong, so if you go to India you'll
probably have to abstain from beef. Harmless,
right? Wrong!
Let's be logical. If everybody else has a right
to their opinion, so do the satanic cults. Some of
them practice human sacrifice, which you doubtless
think is wrong. But remember, if Genesis is not
reliable, then your moral standards are ultimately
based on a myth. Who are you to say that they (or
Hitler or Stalin) are wrong? It's just your opin-
ion against theirs!
How about your kids? What right do you have to
tell them not to use drugs, or steal, or beat up
old ladies? And what about your teenage daughter?
Who are you to tell her that it's wrong to wear a
micro-mini skirt (or go naked, for that matter)?
After all, your children are at least as highly
evolved as you are. They have as much right to
their opinion as you do!
It all comes down to this: if there is a God
who made the universe, He has the right to make
the rules. But has He told us what His rules are?
Assuming Genesis to be unreliable, the answer is
NO. The Bible can't be trusted. Since you can't be
sure what God's rules are, everybody else is free
to make up their own. You have nothing to say
about it. You have no right to impose your opinion
on anybody - if evolution is true. And if it is,
you might as well start your own religion, because
Christianity is worthless.
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|WHAT IF GENESIS IS TRUE?|
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Have you noticed that modern morals are at an
all-time low? Behavior which wouldn't have been
mentioned in polite company in the past is now
flaunted. Why? Because modern society has largely
abandoned Biblical standards.
But suppose evolution is wrong, and Genesis is
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literally true. Instead of having to defend our
values, we suddenly find that they are built on a
solid foundation. A few examples:
- Marriage is not a cultural development of man's
evolution. It was directly instituted by God.
Adultery, fornication, and polygamy are sinful.
- Homosexuality is a perversion of God's design.
He put a man and a woman together, not two men
or two women.
- Clothing is not a human invention. God devised
it because of man's inability to cope with
nakedness properly. (Parents, remember this when
your teenagers argue about their clothes.)
- Pornography is wrong because it appeals to this
same lustful human weakness.
- Substance abuse (the first drunkenness) and
disrespect for parents are first seen in Genesis
9, along with their consequences.
- Crime and punishment are first seen in the story
of Cain and Abel, and then in Genesis 9:6 where
capital punishment is instituted.
- Abortion is wrong because God commanded the
human race to "be fruitful and multiply", not
kill its offspring. Children are seen as a gift
from God, not as rubbish to be discarded.
- Family structure of husband as leader, provider,
and protector, and wife as helper, is not a cul-
tural development. God established it. (Sorry if
you don't like it, ladies; you'll have to take
it up with God.)
- Race relations should be no problem for be-
lievers. We are all descended from Noah and his
three sons, so physical differences between us
shouldn't matter.
- Man needs a Savior. He is a fallen creature,
not an ever-improving being.
- The judgment of God is revealed in the Flood.
This past judgment assures us of the future
judgment of the world at the return of Christ.
Is it any wonder that the ungodly ridicule
those of us who believe Genesis? They recognize
clearly that if Genesis is accurate, they are ac-
countable to God. So they tell us, "You have no
right to impose your standards on us. That's just
your opinion". And if we can't trust Genesis,
they're right.
But if Genesis is accurate and evolution is
wrong, we're standing on rock-solid ground. We
need not apologize for our beliefs; our standards
of right and wrong are not just our own opinion.
They're God's. We're not on any kind of ego trip.
We're standing fast for God, not for ourselves.
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|HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?|
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Surely now you see how crucially important it
is to find out if Genesis can be trusted. But per-
haps you're one of the many who have accepted evo-
lution as "proven scientific fact" without any
evidence. Don't you wish you knew some of the sci-
entific facts in support of creation?
Here's your chance to learn a few. All you have
to do is write me, and I'll gladly send you a free
brochure of Creation/Evolution Facts. In it you'll
find, in layman's terms, eighteen of the best evi-
dences for creation from such diverse fields as
physics, biology, astronomy, biochemistry, gene-
tics, and paleontology. . You'll see that Bible-
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believing Christians need not be intimidated by
"science falsely so-called" (1 Tim. 6:20). You'll
be amazed at how many scientific facts have been
withheld from you and your children. Why? Because
when all the facts are presented, evolution
(and the value system based on it) crumbles.
It's time to choose. Will you keep believing
lies and half-truths you've never investigated for
yourself, knowing that they destroy the very rea-
son for your Christian faith? Or will you believe
God?
One last thing. Perhaps you believe in many
Biblical values and even teach them to your chil-
dren. But until you give yourself to God, you have
no right to try to get others to follow His stand-
ards.
Does that make you feel left out or angry? If
so, maybe it's because you don't have a personal
relationship with Jesus. I know the feeling. I was
a church member for 27 years before I became a
Christian myself. Why? Because I didn't believe
the Bible!
The Bible is much more than just a book of
rules. It tells of Adam and Eve, who brought suf-
fering and death into the world and passed on
their sin to each of us. It tells of a God who
loves you so much that He allowed His only Son,
Jesus, to die a horrible death on a cross to pay
the penalty for your sins. It tells of the loving
Son of God who willingly gave His life for you and
wants to save you - if you'll let Him.
The Bible tells us that we all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). It
says that because of our sin, we deserve death
(Rom. 6:23) - but that God shows His love in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
(Rom. 5:8). It says that to anyone who receives
Him, He gives power to become a child of God (John
1:12-13).
God made you, so He has the right to force you
to do what He wants. He won't, though; you have to
ask to become one of His children. If you want to,
pray something like this:
"Dear God, I confess that I'm a sinner.
Thank you that Jesus died for my sins and
rose again. I accept Him now as my Lord and
Savior. I give you my life. Lord Jesus, come
into my heart and make me the person you
want me to be. Thank you for forgiving me
and making me a child of God, in Jesus'
name. Amen."
If you prayed that prayer and want to know what
to do next, or you'd like the free Creation/Evolu-
tion brochure I mentioned earlier, please write
me. I care.
Dave Prentice
P.O. Box 73461
Metairie, LA 70033
or contact:
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| |
| Word of Faith Christian Fellowship |
| 13123 I-10 Service Road |
| New Orleans, LA 70128 |
| Phone (504) 241-1234 |
| |
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copyright 1989