Toward 2000: What You Believe Matters

""No factual discovery of science (statements about how nature 'is') can, in principle, lead us to ethical conclusions (how we 'ought' to behave) or to convictions about intrinsic meaning (the 'purpose' of our lives)"" (Stephen Jay Gould, Time Magazine, ""Dorothy, It's Really Oz"", August 23, 1999).

In the article referenced above, the world's most well-known evolutionist argues that there is no effect on our lives when we believe in evolution. It is argued that scientific ""fact"" (as the theory of evolution is now referred to) has no bearing on how we view the Bible and its plan for man's life. Is that true? Does it matter what you believe about the creation of the world and of man?

It would be nice to be able to say that Mr. Gould is simply naive, but he knows there are immense consequences to accepting evolution as fact, and he knows, despite his statements to the contrary, that evolution and the Bible cannot co-exist peacefully.

For instance, if evolution is accepted as truth, man's ancestors are the animals, particularly the apes and chimpanzees. It is well documented that male apes and chimps, during mating season, mate with as many females as possible to ensure the survival of their seed. Many believers in evolution have subsequently argued that monogamy has no place in the lifestyles of humans, as it is contrary to our ""animal ancestry."" This flies directly in the face of the teaching of Jesus, who commands monogamy by appealing to God's creation of man and woman (Matt. 19:1-9).

Further, it can, and has been argued, that if the Bible is wrong about the origins of man (which is a clear and fundamental tenet of evolution), then it is certainly fallible on other things, and in fact should hold no more important place in our lives than the works of Shakes-peare or any other great piece of ""literature."" In fact, what we believe about man's origins has a devastating effect on our view of God. If God is not the Creator, what business does He have demanding worship, obedience, chastity, purity, ethical behavior or anything else? To be blunt, if evolution is true, then God is simply myth, as easily dismissed as the tales of Hercules and Prometheus.

Mr. Gould's sly rhetoric is designed to convince people that the Bible can be used as an instructional tool for ethics, but not as a help in understanding man's existence. Once this is accomplished however, others will attack the Bible as false (based on the Creation account) and will seek to destroy its' influence entirely. We must continue to demand proof of evolution, for it is in the attempted proving, that evolution continues to fail. The latest proof is based solely on the discovery, in Ethiopia, of a jaw fragment which contains a single tooth and is as small as the average thumbnail! But scientists have ""determined"" that this is from a creature that was neither ape nor human, but was ancestor to both, which is a far greater ""leap of faith"" than believing in an intelligent Being (God) who designed and controls the universe in which we live. Do not be fooled by arguments like the one offered by Mr. Gould in answering the Bible believer's call for proof: ""Should I believe Julius Caesar ever existed? The hard bony evidence for human evolution . . . surely exceeds our reliable documentation of Caesar's life"" (Ibid).

Again, Mr. Gould knows this argument is fallacious, for among the historians of Caesar's life are eyewitnesses. If he can bring forward eyewitnesses to human evolution, he should do so immediately and stop our arguments cold. He does not do so, because he cannot.

As we move into a new millennium, the world will continue to scoff at those who believe the account of Genesis as man's true origin, but we must continue to dispute those who would make man a mere animal. We are created in God's image (Gen. 1:26-27), and what we believe about Him and our creation matters immensely.