As high school and college students return to their studies this fall, many will encounter teachers advocating Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to explain how we humans came to be.Although some schools may permit the biblical account of creation to be taught as a competing theory, many instructors will teach Darwin's popular theory as though it were a proven fact. If you believe the Bible's explanation that God made humans in His image, what should you do? Are there any strategies for dealing with teachers who require students to learn Darwinism? 

From the outset, it is important to understand that proponents of Darwin's theory will often pit the Bible against science. Science is described as the logical, intelligent, rational choice because of its systematic attention to observation and experimentation. The contrasting implication will be that the Bible is merely a fable—an unprovable myth generated by primitive peoples to explain their existence. Some will subtly, but mistakenly, imply that science disproves the Bible.

Actually, between the Bible and Darwin's theory, the evidence is decidedly in the Bible's favor. After Darwin's death in 1882, proponents of his theory believed that over time evidence would continue to be discovered affirming their beliefs.For example, they believed that fossil evidence would be discovered showing the mutations that had changed various animals into new species. But such "missing link" fossils haven't been discovered. The flaws in Darwin's theories, some of which Darwin acknowledged himself, remain. His theory has remained unproved over the last hundred years.

During these same one hundred years, many prominent scientists including Louis Pasteur (developer of pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax, chicken cholera and rabies), Dr. Wernher von Braun (NASA director), Paul Lemoine (president of the Geological Society of France) and Sir Ernst Chain (co-holder of the 1945 Nobel Prize for isolating and purifying penicillin, as well as director of Rome's International Research Center for Chemical Microbiology) have publicly attested to their belief in a Creator and the failure of Darwinism. Some of them have plainly stated that Darwinism is impossible—that this theory is based on nonexistent evidence and is therefore incompatible with the scientific facts.

Other scientists have tried to support Darwinistic reasoning by offering new, equally unprovable theories. While the credibility of Darwin's theory has languished at best, the Bible's credibility has been steadily increasing. Continuing archaeological discoveries are confirming the Bible's validity. Critics who claimed the Bible was filled with fictionalized stories are systematically being proven wrong as archaeologists make discoveries confirming historical figures and cities previously known of only from the Bible. (If you would like to learn more about archaeological discoveries confirming the Bible, read the series of articles titled "Archaeology and the Bible" in past issues of The Good News.)

A popular argument

One of the most popular arguments used to disprove the Bible is the claim that scientific research shows the earth to be millions of years old while the biblical account says the earth is only 6,000 years old. Yet, under careful scrutiny, this apparent discrepancy is easily reconciled.

Genesis 1:1-2 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void..." The Hebrew phrase, "The earth was without form, and void," can be translated, "The earth became without form, and void."

Such a translation allows for a gap in time between verses 1 and 2 and permits the earth to be much older than the 6,000 years of recorded human history described in the remainder of the Bible. Interestingly, this understanding has been noted by various biblical scholars for almost 2,000 years—long before Darwin's theory of evolution ever surfaced. (If you would like to learn more about the validity of the Bible and this explanation of earth being older than 6,000 years, request our free booklet, Is the Bible True?)

Defining evolution

Understanding various definitions of evolution can be helpful to students facing Darwinism in their studies. It also explains why I've used the term Darwinism in this article instead of evolution. The word evolution has many variations of meaning. While many are familiar with its most common meaning—the changing of simple life forms to higher life forms as theorized by Charles Darwin, this word can also refer to the process of change and adaptation within a specie or any progression of knowledge or understanding.

The latter definitions of evolution are correct. For example, due to temporary environmental conditions such as smog or pollution from burning coal, one color of moths may become predominant (lighting conditions make one color of moths easier for birds to see and the birds eat more of that color). Another example would be bacteria and drugs. Medicinal drugs are designed to kill all bad bacteria and viruses. But occasionally, a few cells of a bacteria or virus are found to have an immunity to the drug. When these bad cells reproduce, they can be said to have evolved into a drug-resistant strain. While this limited form of evolution does occur, it does not mean these bacteria or viruses will eventually become elephants or humans. They will always be bacteria or viruses.

As our overall body of knowledge on a variety of subjects continues to increase, it is correct to say that our knowledge base is evolving. Here again, this definition does not prove Darwin's theory regarding how humans came into existence.

The reason it is important to understand these varied definitions is simply this: when some scientists say evolution is a proven fact, they are referring to these latter definitions. Honest scientists will admit Charles Darwin's theory is still an unproven attempt to explain life without a Creator.

Why Darwinism lives on

When rational human beings consider the intricacies and perfect balance of nature in the world around us, it seems strikingly obvious that all of this marvelous creation requires a Creator. As King David put it, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). In light of such physical evidence, why does Darwinism survive? Why hasn't it been discarded like other empty, inaccurate, failed theories?

The apostle Paul answers this question for us in Romans 1:20-22: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools."

This passage tells us that the basic reason for rejecting the biblical account of creation is because people reject God. Although such people can appear intelligent and understand many things, when it comes to acknowledging God, their thinking is foolishly unsound. The Bible explains, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1; 53:1).

When people believe they are part of the animal kingdom, they reject an extremely important concept that gives humanity our unique identity and destiny. We are created in the "image of God" (Genesis 1:26-27) and have the opportunity to become His children (John 1:12). We are called to become part of the God Kingdom—not the animal kingdom. God's whole purpose and plan for humanity is to give every human being the opportunity to acknowledge Him as Creator (Psalm 14:2) and receive eternal life (John 3:15-16).

The biographies of some proponents of Darwinism clearly explain why they reject God—they don't want to be subject to God's laws. They want to be free to do whatever they want to do—even act like animals if they so choose. Such thinking leads to and promotes sexual immorality, homosexuality, envy, murder, strife and hatred of God, just to name a few items off a long list of negative qualities generated by this kind of perspective (Romans 1:28-31). By contrast, those who aspire to be children of God practice righteousness (1 John 3:10), which means respecting and living by God's instructions.

(If you would like to read literature proving God's existence, be sure to request your free copy of the booklet Life's Ultimate Question: Does God Exist? If you would like to learn more about Darwinism and the Bible, request Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe?)

Strategies for coping

Now that we have reviewed a few of the fundamental issues regarding Darwinism and the Bible, what can a student who believes in God do when he or she takes science classes teaching Charles Darwin's theory? What strategies might one employ?

• Realize that you are studying a theory. Theories are just attempts to explain something not clearly understood. Charles Darwin didn't understand how human beings came to exist. His book, Origin of the Species, was his attempt to explain our existence apart from God. One can read his work and study his arguments without agreeing with them. On a test, one can write, "Charles Darwin's theory of evolution says..."

• It isn't necessary for you to publicly debate with your teachers or professors if they believe in evolution. Through greater experience, they usually have trick, but erroneous, arguments to make believers appear ignorant. Remember, the Bible reveals that those who reject God are the foolish and ignorant (Psalm 14:1; Romans 1). If someone genuinely wants to know what you believe regarding this issue, tell them (1 Peter 3:15). But you don't have to set yourself up for public ridicule.

• If you are asked to do additional research on this subject, a number of possibilities emerge. You might want to read Darwin's book and draw special attention to the areas where he acknowledges that his theory may be flawed. Another possibility would be to do a book report on material written against evolution (see accompanying box, "The Case Against Evolution," for a list of popular books written from this perspective).

• Use this opportunity to strengthen your relationship with God and your convictions that He is our Creator. Consider the ultimate rewards of belief in Darwinism or belief in God. In the former, when you're dead you're dead, with no hope of living again. With God, you have an opportunity to live forever.

What Does the Fossil Record Show?

Traditional evolutionary theory predicts a fossil record that would contain:

• Simple life forms gradually appearing with similar predecessors.
• Simple life forms gradually changing over time into more-complex forms.
• Countless transitional links between kinds of creatures.
• Beginnings of and partially completed features such as new limbs, bones and organs.

The biblical account of creation predicts a fossil record that would contain:

• Complex life forms suddenly appearing with no evolutionary predecessors.
• Complex life forms multiplying "after their kinds" (Genesis 6:20), but with limited variety within those kinds.
• No transitional links between kinds of creatures.
• No partial features such as new limbs, bones and organs; all parts are complete and fully functional.

After years of study and research, what does the fossil record show?

• Complex life forms suddenly appearing with no evolutionary predecessors.
• Complex life forms multiplying "after their kinds," but with limited variety within each species.
• No transitional links between kinds of creatures.
• No partial features such as new limbs, bones and organs; all parts are complete and fully functional.

The Case Against Evolution

Many excellent books have been published in recent years detailing scientific findings and conclusions that compellingly demonstrate the impossibility of evolution as an explanation for the existence of life on earth. It is helpful to remember that evolution cannot offer an explanation for the origin of our magnificent universe; evolution seeks to explain only how life might have begun in a universe that already existed. If you would like to dig more deeply into the case against evolution, we recommend the following books, many written by people with backgrounds in the sciences:

• Darwin's Black Box. The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, Michael Behe, associate professor of biochemistry; Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, 1996. Demonstrates that the tiny building blocks of life—cells and their myriad components—are far too complex for their codependent parts and processes to have evolved without an outside, intelligent design at work.
• Mere Creation: Science, Faith & Intelligent Design, edited by William Dembski, 1998. A collection of academic writings from the fields of physics, astrophysics, biology, anthropology, biology, mechanical engineering and mathematics that challenge Darwinism and offer evidence supporting intelligent design in the universe.
• Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, Michael Denton, senior research fellow, University of Otago, New Zealand, 1996. Examines features of the natural world that mutation and natural selection cannot explain and shows the impossibility of transitional forms required for Darwinist evolution to have taken place.
• Creation and Evolution: Rethinking the Evidence From Science and the Bible, Alan Hayward, 1985. Written by a British physicist, an insightful book on the pros and cons of the evolution vs.- creation controversy.
• The Neck of the Giraffe: Where Darwin Went Wrong, Francis Hitching, 1982. Points out many of the problems in the traditional view of evolution.
• Darwin on Trial, Phillip Johnson, professor of law, University of California, Berkeley, 1993. Examines scientific details that argue convincingly against the theory of evolution.
• Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law & Education, Phillip Johnson, 1995. Discusses the cultural implications of belief in evolution; that is, that the philosophy behind Darwinian evolution has become in effect the dominant established religion in many societies.
• Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds, Phillip Johnson, 1997. Written specifically for older students and their parents and teachers to prepare them for the antireligion bias inherent in most advanced education.
• Objections Sustained. Subversive Essays on Evolution, Law & Culture, Phillip Johnson, 1998. Compilation of essays ranging from evolution and culture to law and religion.
• Bones of Contention: A Creationist Assessment of the Human Fossils, Marvin Lubenow, 1992. Documents the serious problems with the supposed links between man and apes.
• What Is Creation Science? Henry Morris and Gary Parker, 1987. Two creation scientists provide a critical examination of the major arguments used to support evolution.
• Shattering the Myths of Darwinism, Richard Milton, 1997. Mr. Milton, a science journalist and noncreationist, reveals the circular reasoning Darwinists must rely on for their arguments while discussing data widely acknowledged in scientific circles.
• Tornado in a Junkyard. The Relentless Myth of Darwinism, James Perloff, 1999. A self-professed former atheist offers an easy-to-read view of evidence contradicting Darwinism, including many quotations from evolutionists and creationists. (The title is taken from a British astronomer's assessment that the likelihood of higher life forms emerging through random mutation is comparable to saying a tornado sweeping through a junkyard could build a Boeing 747 airliner.)
• Not by Chance: Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution, Lee Spetner, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998. Dr. Spetner shows that one of the fundamental premises of neoDarwinism—that random mutation created the kinds of variations that allowed macroevolution to take place—is fatally flawed and could never have happened as Darwinists claim.

Although the publishers of this magazine do not agree with every conclusion presented in these books, we think they present a persuasive and compelling case that the theory of evolution is fundamentally and fatally flawed. YU