the creation/evolution controversy

@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama 1

The Creation/Evolution Controversy

Dr. Heinz Lycklama

[email protected]

www.osta.com


Overview Science and the Bible Assumptions and the Search for Truth The Bible and Creation Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Operational Science and Origins Science Models for Creation and Evolution What Does the Evidence Tell Us? The Scientific Case Against Evolution The Scientific Case for Creation What is Intelligent Design?


To Begin the Discussion …• In 1903, a British philosopher, Herbert Spencer, made

a profound scientific statement:“Everything in the universe can be explained by five basic things - space, matter, time, force, and action.”

• Spencer, an evolutionist, was a contemporary of Charles Darwin, the British scientist credited with popularizing the concept of evolution. He (Spencer) was given a prestigious award by the British Science Society at the time. This was considered to be a major contribution to science. And it is, until you realize that …


What Does The 1st Bible Verse Say? Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote in

Gen. 1:1:“In the beginning (time) God (force) created (action) the heavens (space) and the earth (matter).”

What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that Moses was educated in the tradition of the Egyptians. They believed that only the ocean existed at first. An egg/flower appeared and the sun god was born. The sun god had four children, of whom one was Geb (the earth). They believed that the earth was a flat disk afloat on the river of the ocean. None of this mythology of the time was included in the book of Genesis.


Some Common Misconceptions Skeptics and unbelievers think:

“The Bible is an antiquated religious book, filled with scientific fallacies and mistakes reflecting the naïve cosmology of the primitive tribes of the Near East.”

Even some professing Christians think: “The Bible is a book of true religion

dealing solely with spiritual subjects and that, where it seems to touch on matters of science and history, it must be interpreted spiritually or allegorically, rather than literally.

Evolution is Science

Creation is Religion


How Our Thought System Works

DATA

Conclusions

Assumptions (held by faith)

Logical thought is the means by which we draw conclusionsfrom the facts/data after starting with certain assumptions.


Creation/Evolution Controversy

DATA

Conclusions A

Assumptions BAssumptions A

Conclusions B


Two Thought Systems

Creator Acted Supernatural origins Design Miracle Event Creation

Creator Didn’t Act Naturalistic origins Chance Properties of matter Natural process Evolution


The Impact of Assumptions

GODISNOWHERE

GOD IS NOW HERE

No Creator AllowedCreator Can Act

GOD IS NOWHERE


Abuses of Scientific Theory Dogmatism

Theory equated/confused with fact Extrapolation

Theory extended to areas in which it is not known to apply Exaggeration

Theory accorded higher degree of verification Subjectivism

New facts explained as “error of observation” Exploitation

Theory used to justify activity in other arenas


Basic Assumptions of Creationism The Bible is the inerrant Word of God God is Creator Man is created Man is fallen and dependent on God Creation is dependent on God God reveals Himself in Scripture (Special

Revelation) God reveals Himself in nature (General Revelation)


Basic Assumptions of Evolution Non-living things gave rise to living matter, i.e.

spontaneous generation occurred (only once) Viruses, bacteria, plants and animals are related Protozoa (single-celled life forms) gave rise to

metazoa (multiple-celled life forms) Various invertebrate phyla are interrelated The invertebrates gave rise to vertebrates Within the vertebrates the fish gave rise to

amphibia, the amphibia to reptiles, and the reptiles to birds and animals

All life originated from first living organism


The Bible and Creation Three major worldwide events have

produced the world as we know it today:1. Six days of special creation and formation of all

things, the completion and permanence of which are now manifest in the Law of Conservation of Energy (the First Law of Thermodynamics)

2. The rebellion of man and resultant curse of God on all man’s dominion, formalized in the Law of Increasing Entropy [disorder] (the Second Law of Thermodynamics)

3. Worldwide flood in the days of Noah, leaving the world largely under the domain of natural uniformity


Creation of Distinct Kinds Gen. 1: 11(1), 12(2), 21(2), 24(2), 25(3) Ten major categories of organic life created

“after its kind” Plant kingdom - grass, herbs, fruit trees Animal kingdom - sea monsters, other marine

animals, birds, beasts, cattle, crawling animals Man “kind”

One kind cannot transform itself into another kind Definite and distinct categories There is variation within a kind These “kinds” are still recognized today


Biblical References to Creation Ex. 31:17 (Moses) “It is a sign between Me and the

children of Israel forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth …” - six-day literal creation

Josh. 24:2-4 (Joshua) “ … your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, …” - accepts Gen. 11 account of Abraham’s ancestors

II Kings 19:15 (Hezekiah) “You have made heaven and earth.” - speaks of creation

1 Chron. 1:1-28 “Adam, Seth, Enoch, …” - repeats genealogies of Gen. 5, 10, 11

Neh. 9:6 (Nehemiah) “You have made heaven, … the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, …” - refers to creation


The Reliability of the Bible Strong Manuscript evidence. More ancient manuscripts than

any other historical book. New Testament Confirmed by secular historians Josephus (before 100 AD), Roman Tacitus (120 AD), Roman Governer Pliny (110 AD)

Archaeological evidence. Countless finds of Old Testament cities. Dead Sea Scrolls. Ebla Tablets.

Prophecy - Several hundred fulfilled prophesies including the time of Christ’s ministry, his birthplace, and method of death. Destruction of Babylon by Cyrus, Progression of Kingdoms from Babylon through Medo-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire and the Roman Empire, suffering of Jews under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Freedom for Jews under Judas Maccabeus and Israel’s rebirth as a nation in 1948


Biblical Reliability on Science We trust the Bible for spiritual truth Do we trust it for truth in other areas?

History - events corroborated by historians Archaeology, geography – verifiable facts Science - astronomy, geophysics, geology,

hydrology, meteorology, biology, physics there are many Biblical references to nature and

natural processes authors use everyday language amazingly accurate anticipatory scientific insights in the Bible


e.g., Hydrology Eccl. 1:7 “All the rivers run into the sea, yet

the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again.” [Written by Solomon in 935 B.C.] The hydrologic cycle

has been understood by man only in recent years -> ~ mid-1800’s

World’s food supply is made possible by the distribution of water


Christ Refers to Gen. 1-11 Matt. 19:4-5, “Have you not read that He who

made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said ‘for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.” Doctrine of marriage refers to first two chapters of

Genesis, Gen. 1:27 and Gen. 2:24 Mark 10:6, “But from the beginning of the

creation, God made them male and female …” Mark 13:19 - beginning of creation which God

created


NT References to Gen. 1-11 Every NT writer refers to the early

chapters of Genesis Jesus Christ referred to each of the

first seven chapters of Genesis Almost all NT books have references

to Genesis 1-11 Every chapter of Genesis 1-11 except

chapter 8 is referred to somewhere in NT

Every NT writer accepted these early chapters as historically accurate


Removing Genesis 1-11

Removes true history Removes the foundation from all

future history Rejects the teachings of Peter, Paul,

other Biblical writers, Christ Himself Eventually leads to apostasy


Conclusion

Creation is an essential truth spoken of in the Bible

Col. 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to theelementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”


The Evolutionary View of History Most recent "big bang" ~20 billion

years ago Our Solar System, 5 billion years

ago Single-celled organisms, 3 - 4

billion years ago Multi-celled organisms, 1 billion

years ago Humankind, 1 - 3 million years ago Modern Civilization, 5 - 10

thousand years ago


Charles Darwin (1809-1882) As a theology major at

Cambridge University, Darwin was taught a variation of the Greek view of reality

•Was invited to travel around the world on the HMS Beagle surveying plant and animal life in the southern hemisphere•Compared the theory he had been taught with reality and could not reconcile the two•Proposed his theory of natural selection in The Origin of Species published in 1859


GalapagosIslands

Falkland Islands

The Voyage Of The Beagle

“The object of the expedition was to complete the survey of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego . . . to survey the shores of Chile, Peru, and some islands in the Pacific - and to carry a chain of chronometrical measurements round the World.”, Darwin

SouthAmerica

Rio deJeneiro

England

Cape Verde Islands

AustraliaSydney

New Zealand

Mauritius

CocosIslandsTahiti


Darwin’s Logic The fossils in South America were different from

the animals that lived there now, but some seemed to be related in some way

If fossils were a record of the past (paleontologist Cuvier, 1769-1832) then there must have been change (evolution) between the past and now

Change is happening slowly - thus to get change must have taken a long time (uniformitarianism)

The rock strata took a long time to form (Hutton - gradualism) thus lots of time is available for evolution

Organisms evolved over long periods of time


The Mechanism Of Evolution Darwin was not the first to propose evolution,

Lamarck and others had done it before him Darwin’s real contribution was a credible(?)

mechanism for evolution - Natural Selection Natural selection is based on two points:

The reproductive capacity of organisms exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment

Variation in organisms makes survival a non-random event - some variants are more likely to survive in a given environment

Of the excess products of organisms’ reproductive capacity the most fit survive - Survival of the fittest


Naturalism - The belief that all phenomena can be explained in a rational way, in terms of natural causes, without invoking the supernatural

Because Darwin proposed a natural cause (natural selection) for organisms’ origin his theory is considered scientific - religious accounts invoking the supernatural are not

The Triumph of Naturalism


Uniformitarianism Uniformitarianism - the belief that nature

is the same (uniform) today as it has always been Proposed by James Hutton,

Scottish geologist, in 1795 Explains rock layers laid down over time

Uniformitarianism is true absolutely all the time With absolutely no exceptions . . . Except when it invalidates our theories


“Evidence” For Evolution Biogeography - The geographical distribution of organisms

reflects their origin and isolation from other species Fossil Record - The fossil record contains missing links

between present species and their ancestors . . . sort of . . . maybe

Comparative Anatomy - Homologous (similar) structures must have evolved from the same ancestral structure . . . Except when we don’t think two organisms shared a common ancestor with that structure

Molecular Biology - More or less the same idea as comparative anatomy - Similar genetic information indicates common origin

Comparative Embryology - Similar organisms go through similar development


In His Own Words

"I may, of course, be egregiously wrong; but I cannot persuade myself that a theory which explains several large classes of facts can be wholly wrong...."

Charles Darwin, November 13, 1859, in letter to L. Jenyns


Initial Disorganization withlater increase in complexityand unlimited diversification

Not just change, but change in thedirection of increasing complexity

TI

ME

Evolutionary “Tree”All life came from one simple cell

Evolutionary “Tree of Life”


Initial Complexity withlater deterioration and

diversification within limits

Creationist “Forest”All life came from multiple complex ancestors.

TI

ME

Creationist “Forest”


What Does Science Have To Say?

Harrison Matthews, in the “Foreword” to the 1971 edition of “Origin of Species by Natural Selection”, by Charles Darwin states that “Belief in 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.”

An Objective statement of fact!


Is This Science?“Since Darwin, every knowing person agrees that man is descended from the apes. ... Today, of course, there is no such thing as the theory of evolution; it is the fact of evolution. The only arguments now are over technical problems, but the basic fact of evolution is so clearly established that no scientist worries about it any more.” - so states Ernst Mayr, professor of Biology at Harvard.

A Subjective statement!


Science “Operational” Science

Postulate theory -> make observations -> prove/falsify theory

Using the Scientific Method “Origins” Science

Were you there at the beginning?

Model of Creation Model of Evolution Which model fits the

observed facts best? “Forensic” science


Scientific Methodology Make observations Develop a hypothesis or

theory that explains the observations

Conduct experiments to test accuracyand predictions made by the theory

Draw conclusions Repeat experiments to verify results and

eliminate sources of inaccuracy Report results so others can repeat the experiment(s)


Theory Criteria To apply scientific methodology, the theory must

meet these criteria: Must be falsifiable or verifiable Must make quantifiable predictions Experimental results must be repeatable Must be as simplistic as possible with no unnecessary

components (Occam’s Razor)

Adherence to the methodology allows for self-correction and increases confidence in the assumptions made by scientific philosophy


Origins - Evolution or Creation? “Science is the search for truth” Hypothesis, theory, model, law, or fact?

Fact – proven to be true Law – no known exception Theory – testable, falsifiable, based on empirical

findings Hypothesis – provisionally explains some fact Model – simplified representation of reality

Which is Evolution? Creation? A model – let’s see why …


Models of Origins We can neither observe nor repeat “origins” Origins “theories” cannot be tested or proven We have two models (not theories) of origins

Creation and evolution Models can be compared as to their respective

capacities for correlating observable data Evolutionists regard evolution as “a proven fact”

They believe that evolutionism is scienceand that creationism is religion

Evolutionists are unable to prove evolution Thousands of scientists believe in creation


Two Models of Origins

Evolution Model Creation ModelNaturalistic Supernaturalistic

Self-contained Externally directed

Non-purposive Purposive

Directional (increasing complexity) Directional (decreasing order)

Irreversible Irreversible

Universal Universal

Uniformitarianism (the present is the key to the past)

Completed


Scientific “Proofs” of Origin What we can test scientifically

Observable/repeatable processes Trends/tendencies in nature Processes/events that left evidence

What we cannot test scientifically Identity/motivation of who/whatever brought the

universe and life into existence Historical events Morality Meaning


Origin “Proofs” Creation cannot be “proved”

Not taking place now Not accessible to scientific proof Can’t devise experiment to describe creation process

Evolution cannot be “proved” If it is taking place, operates too slowly to measure Transmutation would take millions of years Small variations in organisms are irrelevant


What About Evolution? A valid scientific hypothesis must be capable of

being formulated experimentally, such that the experimental results either confirm or reject its validity No way to do this to find “the answer” for origins

Dr. Heribert-Nilsson, Director of the Botanical Institute at Lund University, Sweden, concluded: “My attempt to demonstrate evolution by an experiment

carried on for more than 40 years has completely failed. The idea of evolution rests on pure belief.”


Present +Repeatable +Observable =

SCIENCE

Present +Repeatable +Observable =

SCIENCE

Past +Non-Repeatable +

Eyewitness Account =HISTORY


Eyewitness Account =HISTORY


No Eyewitnesses =BELIEF


No Eyewitnesses =BELIEF


TV and Textbooks Show Us …


a bunch of jumbled up bone fragments

that we put together and make up stories about!

We Actually Find …


Why Does It Matter If We Were Created Or If We Evolved?

How did I get here? Who am I?

Why am I here? Where am I going?

Meaning of anything is tied up with its origin: Human Origin – humans decide the meaning Divine Origin – God decides the meaning Unknown Origin – unknown meaning


•Suffering and Death•Clothing•Work•Crime & Punishment•Freewill Offerings•God’s Universal Judgment•The Fossil Record•The Rainbow•Weather Patterns•Change of Seasons•Languages•Agriculture•Civilization

•Heavenly Bodies•The Earth•Animal / Plant Life•Human Life•Law•Marriage•Sex•Roles in the Family•Childbearing•Sin (need for Salvation)•Forgiveness•God as Provider of the Sacrifice

Some Origins Found in Gen. 1-11


Evolution is Everywhere! Taught in public schools and colleges

Biology textbooks Library books

Television shows about nature Natural history museums Movies Zoos National parks Popular magazines and newspapers


More Information ICR – Institute for Creation Research

www.icr.org Acts and Facts articles on Creation

Answers in Genesis www.answersingenesis.org Books, seminars, articles on Creation

Creation Research Society www.creationresearch.org Publication of peer-reviewed creation articles

Dr. Heinz Lycklama’s Lectures www.osta.com/creation & www.osta.com/apologetics

True Origin Archive www.trueorigin.org Exposing the myth of evolution


Thank you for your

attention!

Dr. Heinz Lycklama

[email protected]

www.osta.com/creation

www.osta.com/apologetics


Credits Dr. Duane Gish, ICR Dr. Russell Humphreys, ICR Dr. Ray Bohlin, Probe Ministries Dr. Tim Standish, University Professor Mike Riddle, AIG Origins Resource Association

www.originsresource.org


Creation Organizations ICR – Institute for Creation Research

www.icr.org Books by Henry Morris (founder), e.g.

The Genesis Flood The Genesis Record The Modern Creation Trilogy

Acts and Facts articles on Creation Answers in Genesis

www.answersingenesis.org Founded by Ken Ham Books, seminars, articles on Creation


Creation Organizations - 2

Creation Evidence Museum www.creationevidence.org Dinosaurs and human tracks

Creation Moments www.creationmoments.com Radio spots

Creation Research Society www.creationresearch.org Publication of peer-reviewed creation articles


Creation Organizations - 3 Center For Scientific Creation

www.creationscience.com “In The Beginning” Book by Walt Brown, Ph.D.

Creation Science Evangelism www.drdino.com Videos, seminars

Discovery Institute www.discovery.org Intelligent Design “Think Tank”


Important Books The Genesis Record, Dr. Henry Morris The Genesis Flood, Dr. John Whitcomb & Dr. Henry Morris The Collapse of Evolution, Scott Huse The Lie: Evolution, Ken Ham Refuting Evolution, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati Evolution: The Fossils Still Say No!, Dr. Duane Gish Scientific Creationism, Dr. Henry Morris Dinosaurs by Design, Dr. Duane Gish Genetic Entropy & the Mystery of the Genome,

Dr. J.C. Sanford


More Important Books The Young Earth, Dr. John Morris Science and the Bible, Dr. Henry Morris Tornado in a Junkyard, James Perloff In The Beginning, Dr. Walt Brown Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, Michael Denton Darwin on Trial, Dr. Phillip Johnson Darwin’s Black Box, Dr. Michael Behe Design Inference, Dr. William Dembski Icons of Evolution, Dr. Jonathan Wells


Yet More Important Books The Battle for the Beginning, Dr. John MacArthur Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey The Design Revolution, Dr. William Demski The Origin of Species Revisited, W. R. Bird It Matters What We Believe, Mike Riddle The Evolution of a Creationist, Jobe Martin Grand Canyon (a different view), Tom Vail In Six Days, Dr. John Ashton Starlight and Time, Dr. Russell Humphreys Starlight, Time and the New Physics, De. John Hartnett


Backup Slides


God’s Works of Creating and Making Gen. 2:3 “... He had rested from all His

work which God created and made.” Create (bara) Make (asah) Form (yatsar) To create is to call into existence out of

nothing Heb. 4:3 “... His works were finished

from the foundation of the world.”


Three Works of Creation1. Basic elements of the physical cosmos

(space, mass, time) in Gen. 1:12. Consciousness (soul, breath of life) in Gen. 1:213. Man in “the image of God” in Gen. 1:27 The basic elements of the universe were

created out of nothing on the first day. The “life/soul” principle was created on the fifth day for every living creature, not only of sea and air creatures. The word life (nephesh) is used for the first time in verse 21. It refers to the soul of man and the life of animals. Plants do not have any consciousness. Man was both made and created in the image of God.


Created Male and Female

Gen. 1:27, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Gen. 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”


Created in Six Days Gen. 2:1, “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all

the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”

Ex. 20:11, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.”

Ex. 31:17, “… for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day …”


“Fall and Curse” and … The Laws of Thermodynamics

Universal scientific laws Formally recognized ~ 100 years ago Scientists are unable to explain why

they work First Law of Thermodynamics

Conservation of mass and energy Second Law of Thermodynamics

Increasing entropy (disorder) These two laws are implicitly

explained/revealed in the Bible


Biblical References to Creation - 2

Job 9:5-9; 12:15; 26:7-13; 31:33; 38:4-7 (Job) refers to Creation & Flood

Ps. 8:3-8 - God giving dominion over the earth to man

Ps. 33:6-9 - instant creative acts of God in the beginning

Ps. 90:2-3 - creation and fall of man Ps. 29 & 104 - describe events during and

following the great Flood Prov. 8:22-31 - refers to the creation Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Zechariah etc.


Can I Believe The Bible? Consider Ps. 103:12:

“As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

The psalmist used the words “East/West” not “North/South”

When one travels west, one always goes west and never gets to the east

When one travels south, eventually one reaches the South Pole and goes north

These concepts are only true if the earth is round!

How could the author have known this?


The Bible Is Unique Unique among religious books of

antiquity in scientific accuracy There is no “modern science” in the

Babylonian, Hindu, Islamic or Greek sacred books

Even the Koran says that the moon is higher than the sun in the sky


Christ Refers to Gen. 1-11 (2) Matt. 23:35 – “… from the blood of righteous Abel

…” Jesus confirmed Abel as first martyr and first prophet

Matt. 24:37-42 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, …” compared days of Noah (prior to Flood) to days before His own return (just before the judgment) Jesus confirmed the Flood

John 5:46-47 – “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Jesus confirmed Moses


Jesus Is The Creator John 1:3 – “All things were made through Him,

and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

Col. 1:16,17 – “… All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

Eph. 3:9 – “… hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.”

Heb. 1:1-3 – “… through whom also He made the worlds.”


NT References to Gen. 1-11 Rom. 5:12-19, “ … through one man sin entered

into the world, and death …” Rom. 8:18-25 - effects of great curse on the earth Jude 11 - refers to Cain Jude 14 - refers to Enoch (7th generation after

Adam) 1 Cor. 15:39 – “All flesh is not the same flesh,

but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.” Refers to the kinds of Genesis 1.

the creation/evolution controversy

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