Evolution:
Fact or Fiction?
Copyright © 1997
James L. Melton
Published by Bible Baptist Church, Sharon, TN
"For the invisible things of
him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by
the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that
they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to
birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." (Romans 1:20-23)
These inspired words of God should
be posted over the door to every science and biology lab in every state
university in America. Every person born into the world is born with
enough conscience to tell him that God created the Heaven and the Earth.
If you do not believe that God created the Heaven and the Earth, then it
is because you've allowed someone to educate you out of your faith in
God's word. You have been tricked into forsaking the Bible by placing your
faith in a man-made religion called "Evolution."
Someone says, "Evolution is not a
religion." Evolution IS a religion, because it lacks scientific evidence,
thus requiring it's adherents to follow Darwin's theory by FAITH.
Evolution is a RELIGIOUS CREED based upon blind faith. There is not in
existence one single piece of scientific evidence which proves that man
has evolved upward from animals. It is impossible to prove any theory of
origins "scientifically," because the very essence of the scientific
method is based upon OBSERVATION and EXPERIMENTATION, and no scientist has
ever observed or experimented with the origin of the universe.
All scientists know this, including
L. Harrison Matthews. In his forward to Darwin's 1971 edition of "Origin
of the Species", Matthews says, ". . .Belief in the theory of evolution
is thus exactly parallel to belief in special creation--both are concepts
which believers know to be true but neither, up to the present, has been
capable of proof." In other words, the theory of evolution is a theory
based on FAITH, rather than scientific fact.
ANYTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Evolutionists have their entire
lives and reputations resting upon Darwin's theory. They're committed to
their religion, just as any true Christian is committed to his. If an
evolutionist changes his views, then he denies and forsakes his fellow
scientists and former educators. He becomes a "black sheep," loses his
job, his reputation, and his social standing. Since he has studied and
worked his entire life to get where he is, he isn't about to throw it all
away. So the committed evolutionist chooses to strive harder and harder in
his effort to disprove the Genesis account. He will ignore all facts which
support Special Creation. He is not open to anything other than "evidence"
to prove his theory. All evidence which proves CONTRARY to his theory is
discarded and ignored. A fine example of this behavior can be found in the
work of Dr. George Wald, Novel Peace Prize winner for Science in 1967. Dr.
Wald says the following:
"When if comes to the origin of
life on this earth, there are only two possibilities: creation or
spontaneous generation (evolution).
There is no third way. Spontaneous generation was disproved 100 years
ago, but that leads us only to one other conclusion: That of
supernatural creation. We cannot accept that on philosophical grounds
(personal reasons); therefore, we choose to believe the
impossible: that life arose spontaneously by chance." (Dennis
Lindsay, "The Dinosaur Dilemma," Christ for the Nations, Vol. 35, No. 8,
November, 1982, pp. 4-5, 14.)
So Darwin's theory is commonly
accepted as a scientific fact, NOT because it can be proven, but rather
because it is the ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO BELIEVING THE GENESIS ACCOUNT OF
CREATION. The evolutionist has gotten himself into a trap where he must
spend the rest of his life running from God.
NOT ALL SCIENTISTS BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION
The average evolutionist would have
us believe that all TRUE scientists accept Darwin's theory as fact. Sir
John Huxley, grandson of Thomas Huxley, wrote the following in 1959:
"The point to make about
Darwin's theory of evolution is that it is no longer a theory, but a
fact. No serious scientist would deny the fact that evolution has
occurred, just as he would not deny the fact that the earth goes around
the sun." (Tax, Sol, Ed. "Evolution After
Darwin," Issues in Evolution, Chicago University Press, 1960, Vol. 3, p.
41.)
See how the system works? A
scientist cannot be recognized as a SERIOUS scientist unless he REJECTS
THE BIBLE and RECEIVES EVOLUTION. Well, there have been, and still are,
MANY serious scientists who do not believe in evolution. For example, Dr.
Albert Fleischman, Professor of Zoology at the University of Erlangen in
Germany, says, "The Darwinian theory of evolution has not a single fact
to confirm it in the realm of nature. It is not the result of scientific
research, but purely the product of the imagination."
Professor L.T. More, of the
University of Chicago, says, "Unfortunately for Darwin's future
reputation, everyone of his arguments is contradicted by fact."
Professor A.C. Steward, from the
Cambridge University, says, "A student who takes an impartial
retrospect soon discovers that the fossil record raises more problems than
it solves."
Dr. Austin Clark, F.R.G.S., of the
American Geophysical Union, opposes evolution by saying, "The great
groups of animal life do not merge into one another. They are and have
been fixed from the beginning."
So the Bible believer must
understand that he is not alone in his stand against Darwin's foolish
theory. There have always been a few scientists around who were honest and
open-minded enough to consider all the facts and take an unpopular stand
for the TRUTH, rather than IGNORE the facts and take a POPULAR stand for
evolution. We should thank God for them.
WHAT ABOUT THEISTIC EVOLUTION?
Some have begun to compromise by
professing to believe in the Biblical account of creation AND in Darwin's
theory. These people call themselves "Theistic Evolutionists." They belong
in the same category as "sober alcoholics" and "liberal conservatives." In
the Bible, God is the Creator of all things (Gen. 1). In evolution,
natural chance can account for the existence of all things. In the Bible,
all life forms are created in six literal days (Gen. 1). In evolution,
life forms evolve over millions of years. In the Bible, creation has been
completed (Gen. 2:3). In evolution, a natural creative process continues.
In the Bible, oceans appear before land (Gen. 1:9). In evolution, land
appears first. In the Bible, life begins on land (Gen. 1:11). In
evolution, life began in water. In the Bible, the earth is made before the
sun, moon, and stars (Gen. 1:14-19). In evolution, the earth comes later.
In the Bible, all stars are made on the fourth day (Gen. 1:16). In
evolution, the stars evolve at various times. In the Bible, birds and
fishes are created on the fifth day (Gen. 1:20, 21). In evolution, fishes
evolve hundreds of millions of years before birds. In the Bible, man
appears before rain (Gen. 2:5). In evolution, rain appears before man. In
the Bible, man is created before woman (Gen. 2:21-22). In evolution, woman
genetically appears before man. In the Bible, light appears before the sun
(Gen. 1:3-19; Psa. 74:16). In evolution, the sun appears before any light.
In the Bible, plants appear before the sun (Gen. 1:11-19). In evolution,
the sun appears first. In the Bible, the human body comes from dirt (Gen.
2:7). In evolution, the human body evolves from monkeys. In the Bible, man
exercises dominion over all organisms (Gen. 1:28). In evolution, most
organisms become extinct before man evolves. In the Bible, man is
originally a vegetarian (Gen. 1:29). In evolution, man is originally a
meat eater. In the Bible, life comes in fixed and distinct "kinds" (Gen.
1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25; I Cor. 15:38-39). In evolution, life forms are in a
continual state of flux. In the Bible, man's sin is the cause of death
(Rom. 5:12). In evolution, struggle and death exist long before man
evolves.
Evolution is the intellectual basis
for two of the biggest devils of the 20th century: Hitler's Naziism and
Mark's communism. Secular humanism, atheism, and liberalism are all the
evil fruits of Darwin's hellish theory. The Lord Jesus said, "by their
fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:20), and the fruit of evolution
clearly assures us that Darwin's theory is as far away from Biblical truth
as Hell is from Heaven. "Theistic evolution" is too funny for words.
HAS EVOLUTION BEEN PROVEN?
Over the years, being hard-pressed
for real evidence, the evolutionists have managed to conjure up a number
of "proofs" that Darwin's theory is a scientific fact. This so-called
"evidence" is worshipped by all evolutionists, while all contrary evidence
is ignored. Let's consider some of their evidence.
VESTIGIAL ORGANS are believed by
evolutionists to be parts of the human body that are no longer needed.
Therefore these useless body parts must be "left-overs" from our
ancestors, the monkeys. These "useless" body parts include the appendix,
the coccyx (tail bone), the pineal gland, the plica semilunaris, the
tonsils, and the ear lobes.
Naturally, the facts are ignored.
Many medical doctors agree that all of these organs have important
functions in the human body, and aren't "vestigial organs" in any sense.
The appendix contains a rich blood supply which serves as some defense
against cancer. The tail bone isn't where your monkey tail used to be, as
Darwinians believe, but it instead provides support for the muscles which
control elimination. The pineal gland contains important hormones which
the body needs. The plica semilunaris helps to keep foreign particles out
of the eye, and the tonsils help to keep foreign particles out of your
child's throat. The tonsils also help to keep infection from spreading.
Yes, even the ear lobe has a purpose, for it helps to keep our ears warm
during cold weather.
Another "proof" for evolution is
found in the field of BIOCHEMISTRY. This is where scientists mix genes and
chromosomes in their effort to prove relation between man and animal.
Is there any conclusive evidence? No
there isn't. Any learned scientist should be familiar with the rather
embarrassing test conclusions of Dr. Nutall back in 1904. Nutall's tests
concluded that baboons and hoofed animals are related to whales, that pigs
are related to tigers, and that black people are related to monkeys! There
isn't one ounce of real evidence anywhere in the entire field of
biochemistry which proves that men and animals are kin--just theories and
wishful thinking.
EMBRYOLOGY is another field of
study. This is where unborn embryos are studied in order to detect the
preformed shape of humans and animals. This is the field where we find
Haeckel talking about "ONTOGENY RECAPITULATES PHYLOGENY" This is the
belief that every individual passes through the many evolutionary stages
while still in the mother's womb. That is, you body took on the shape of
an amoeba, then a paramecium, then a jelly fish, then a fish, then a bunch
of other creatures during the nine months prior to your birth. Of course,
this theory ignores the fact that respiratory systems develop LATE in the
human embryo. So how did early mammal life exist without breathing?
They've also ignored the fact that the head of an unborn baby is larger
than the body, which is NOT the case with fish.
Professor Waldo Sumway, of Stephens
Institute of Technology, says that "There is never a time in the
development of a mammal when it could have been mistaken for a fish or
reptile."
Now we come to the wonderful world
of TAXONOMY, where cartoon charts are used to artificially classify bones
in order to "prove" evolution. This is where evolutionists develop a "disneyland"
mentally and construct a chart which shows the earth to be about 4.5
billion years old. Then they proceed to divide this chart up into various
time frames containing hundreds of millions of years each. As new
discoveries are found, the scientists conveniently place them at selected
places on the chart.
This would be a dandy little system,
except for one minor problem: THEY'VE NEVER PROVEN THE ORIGINAL CHART!
It's nothing more than blind guesswork. No one has ever proven that the
earth is 4.5 billion years old. The chart is NOT scientific. In fact, many
scientists believe that the earth isn't over 6,000 to 10,000 years old! Of
course, all opposing views are ignored by evolutionary scientists, for
they need a nice big time period in which to place their new findings.
You've heard of people "buying time?" Well, evolutionists just DREAM IT
UP.
Another "proof" for evolution is
COMPARATIVE ANATOMY, the belief that similar bone structures prove animal
kin through evolution. That is, if two different animals have similar bone
structures, then they must have evolved from the same original ancestors.
Of course, this is more nonsense. Any scientist knows perfectly well that
many such bone structures are produced by entirely DIFFERENT GENES, thus
proving that they are in NO WAY RELATED! In fact, if similar bone
structure proves anything, it proves that these animals were created by
the same God!
The sixth argument used to support
evolution is the so-called FOSSIL EVIDENCE. The evolutionist believes that
the fossil record proves a progressive evolution of the species over
millions of years, beginning with non-living matter. This non-living
matter supposedly evolves into protozoans, and the protozoans evolve into
metazoan invertebrates, which evolve into vertebrate fishes. The fishes
evolve into amphibians, which evolve into reptiles, which evolve into
birds. The birds then evolve into fur-bearing quadrupeds (animals with 4
legs), and these quadrupeds evolve into apes, and the apes evolve into
man.
Now for those who actually believe
such a fable, we have a question: WHERE ARE THE TRANSITIONAL FORMS?
If all of those life forms survived by changing into higher life forms,
then would someone please show us one living example of this today? Where
can we observe a reptile who is slowly changing into a bird? How about a
bird who is turning into a four-legged animal? This is one of the
strongest arguments against evolution: NO TRANSITIONAL FORMS. Even Darwin
realized this in his "Origin of the Species" when he said that
"this is the most obvious of the many objections which may be argued
against it." (Vol. 2, 6th Ed. p. 49)
Yes, it certainly is. The more the
fossil record builds, the weaker the theory of evolution becomes, because
the needed transitional forms are NOT BEING FOUND to link the species!
They never will be found, because the species are NOT LINKED (I Cor.
15:38-39).
The evolutionist also runs into
another problem when he considers WHERE and HOW many fossils are found.
The devout evolutionist subscribes to the belief that things are pretty
much the same as always. He believes that there have been no major world
catastrophes to wipe out animal life, but that various species have become
extinct as a result of failing to adapt to their environment. The problem
with this is the stubborn fact that there are many burial sites around the
world which are literally paved with fossils! Often times such fossils are
found in a totally different climate from that in which they once lived.
Mammoths have been found frozen, preserved perfectly in ice in Northern
Siberia and Alaska. Many of these are very large and strong animals, which
evolutionists claim should have survived and overcame any obstacles. BUT
THEY DIDN'T! What happened? Why did they die out? How can evolution
explain this? Evolution CAN'T explain it. Evolution IGNORES it. It is
explained in Genesis chapters 6, 7 and 8--the Flood.
Before moving on to our next
section, a few words should be said about the various "ape men" that have
been found and placed neatly on the fictional cartoon chart in standard
text books. A few simple cases will be more than enough to show the reader
that Anthropology is not without it's humor.
In 1922, a bunch of bones were found
in Nebraska by a man named Harold Cook. After studying the upper and lower
jaws and the teeth of some thirty animals, a complete ape known as
Ramapithecus was constructed on the basis of ONE TOOTH! Years later, the
entire skeleton from which the tooth came was found. It turned out to be
an extinct species of pig.
Dr. Eugene Dubois discovered the
famous Java Man (Pithecanthropus erectus) in 1891. This "great discovery"
consisted of a small piece of the top of a skull, a fragment of a left
thigh bone, and three molar teeth. But, instead of being found all
together, these remains were found in an area of about seventy feet, and
they were found over about a year's time. They were also found in an old
river bed with other assorted extinct animal bones. This, of course,
presents a number of problems for Java Man. How can the "experts" be so
sure that these remains all came from the same being? Better yet, how do
such bones survive for 750,000 years without decaying? Where's the
EVIDENCE to PROVE these theories? We know what the scientists want to
believe about these findings, but WHERE'S THE PROOF?
Piltdown man was discovered by
Charles Dawson in 1912. Dawson claimed to have found some bones, some
teeth, and even some primitive implements in a gravel pit in Piltdown,
Sussex, England. He took them to a British museum where anthropologists
claimed that they were 500,000 years old. Textbooks throughout the world
then proclaimed Piltdown Man as the greatest find to date. Then in October
of 1956, Reader's Digest EXPOSED this finding as "The Great Piltdown
Hoax." The bones where found to be fraudulent. The jaw bone was proven to
have belonged to an ape which had died only FIFTY YEARS before (not
500,000). The teeth had been filed down, and both, teeth and bones, had
been discovered with bichromate of potash to cover up their true identity!
So much for Piltdown Man.
The so-called Neanderthal Man was
discovered around 1900 in a cave in the Neanderthal Valley near Dusseldorf,
Germany. Naturally, he was hailed as another great "missing link." Since
that time, it has been proven that Neanderthal wasn't an ape-man at all.
He turned out to be a fully erect human being with a cranial capacity of
over 13% more than that of normal man. Today, he is classified as "Homo
Sapiens" (completely human). The "missing link" is still missing.
Finally, we come to Lucy, a 40%
skeleton found in Ethiopia by D.C. Johanson in the 70's. Johanson claimed
that "Lucy" had walked on two legs, because of the "angle of the thigh
bone and the flattened surface at it's knee joint" (National Geographic,
December, 1976). However, the knee joint was badly crushed; so Johanson's
conclusion is mere speculation. Anatomist Charles Oxnard said the "Lucy"
did NOT walk upright, at least not in the same manner as humans. The
chimpanzee DOES spend some time walking upright, so this was probably just
another ape.
Now this is the kind of "evidence"
which supports evolution. This is what a child is taught in the public
school system and in the state universities as "scientific fact." This is
what the Bible labels as "science falsely so called" (I Tim. 6:20).
HOW OLD IS THE UNIVERSE?
Evolutionists generally use five
different methods in determining the age of matter: salt content in the
oceans, deposition of sediments, rate of soil erosion, disintegration of
radioactive materials, and Libby's Carbon 14 experiment. Problems can be
found with all of these methods, but the biggest problem of all is the
method that they've chosen to ignore--the study of Half Lives.
This is where one figures the
current rate of decay or deterioration of something and then figures
backwards to see how long this process has been going. For example, if one
fills his gas tank up with gas and drives for 100 miles, you can figure
that he's driven 100 miles if you know how may miles his car will travel
per gallon.
The dating of matter works the same
way, except in science this is called the study of Half Lives.
Evolutionists tend to steer away from this field of study, for it is very
capable of demolishing their religious conviction that the universe and
the earth is billions of years old. Let's look at a few examples:
The sun is continuously burning out
at a rate of 5 feet per hour. This means that the sun would have been
TWICE the size that it is now only 100,000 years ago! Only 20,000,000
years ago, the sun would have been so large that it would be touching the
earth! Yet evolutionists insist that the universe, including the sun, is
billions of years old.
Because of meteors and meteorites,
interplanetary dust falls upon the earth at a rate of at least 14 million
tons per year. The evolutionists claim that the earth, the moon, and the
various planets are at least 4.5 billion years old. This means that there
should be a layer of space dust on the moon over 500 feet thick. However,
when the astronauts landed on the moon, LESS THAN THREE INCHES of dust
were found. Three inches could have accumulated in less than 8000 years.
Radioactive helium is generated by
decaying uranium atoms. Dr. Melvin Cook, a former Nobel-prize nominee,
says that this helium is constantly being released into our atmosphere,
and that there are currently about a million-billion grams of this helium
in our atmosphere. Yet, this is a very small number compared to what it
would be if the earth were over 4.5 billion years old. According to Cook's
measurements, the earth can't be over 10,000 to 15,000 years old.
The half life of the earth's
magnetic field is believed to be less than 1400 years. That is, 1400 years
ago, the earth's magnetic field would have been twice as strong as it is
today. Only 10,000 years ago, the earth would have had a magnetic field as
strong as the sun! WHO KNOWS what it would have been like 4.5 billion
years ago!?
You see, these are the things that
are commonly ignored by "serious scientists." The theory of evolution is
an UNSCIENTIFIC theory, which is made up of blind guesswork and outright
lying. It cannot be proven by the scientific laws of observation and
experimentation. Darwin's theory is nothing more than a religious faith
for high-minded people who think they're too smart for God. The Lord Jesus
Christ was a Creationist (Matt. 19:4; Mark 13:19), and when we compare His
life work to the life work of Darwin and his followers, we find a much
better Way in Jesus Christ and in the written word of God.
Friend, if you've never received the
Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, please read through
God's Plan of Salvation, it will be the
most important thing you do here on earth.
Overview of
Evolution
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