Evolution's Leap of Faith

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Evolution's Leap of Faith

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It takes faith to believe God created everything. But to agree He used evolution to achieve it can muddle your faith.

Transcript

 

[Steve] Evolution challenges the very core of Christianity. For years the scientific world has attacked Christians, questioning the Word of God to such a degree that it's gotten into our heads.

For many, evolution has mingled with their faith. So some try to resolve the problem of faith and evolution by combining them. But that's a problem!

Jumping to the conclusion that God used evolution has planted seeds of doubt--uncertainty about the Word of God and skepticism about the Creator Himself.

What do you think? You might be surprised to find that science, nature and your Bible all agree--but not in a way that muddles your faith.

It takes faith to believe in a God that formed the universe, fashioned the animals, and created man.

But on the other hand, it takes an even bigger leap of faith to believe in evolution. Stop and look, before you leap.

Stay tuned to Beyond Today as we consider: "Evolution's Leap of Faith."

[Announcer] Join our host, Steve Myers and his guests, as they help you understand your future on Beyond Today!

[Steve] You can't say much to convince faithful followers of the theory of evolution to believe in the Creator God. But if you have a concept of God, can you have it both ways?

Today we're going to take a look at evolution. It brings uncertainty and doubt about the Creator. But more than that, evolution makes God out to be a liar because it goes against what's plainly written in His Word.

As Christians, we may get caught up in the idea that it's true. It may get into our heads that we might think to ourselves, "Somehow there has to be a meshing of science and religion. God probably used evolution, right?"

I got an idea of what everyday people think, when I went out on the street and asked: "Did God use evolution?"

> Someone had to create evolution to start with, and that was God, so...

>> Completely, and I think that's where creationism and evolution kind of crosses, crosses fields. I don't think that evolution would be possible without a higher power or a higher being of some sort.

> What the Bible presents as a story, a lot of people interpret as fact, when that doesn't necessarily make it conflict with evolution. They can go very much hand in hand.

>> I do believe that if there was evolution, that God sparked it.

[Steve] A recent Gallup poll found that over 1/3 of Americans believe God guided the evolutionary process. Well what's wrong with thinking that way?

You don't have to be a PhD to realize that, yes, changes occur in populations of organisms over time. Things like, natural selection, random mutation, genetic variations, they can cause little alterations and lead to new varieties--but within a species. Now that's a key that we'll come back to.

Scientists call this microevolution. Microevolution can produce small changes within a kind--very true. But; the idea that a species could evolve over a period of time into an entirely different kind--that's evolution's leap of faith.

For some of us Christians, evolution has brought uncertainty. It has a way of getting into our head. But believing that God set evolution in motion, that's the idea of "Theistic Evolution", that is not biblical.

God says this, "I have made the earth, and created man on it. I - My hands - stretched out the heavens, And all their host, I have commanded" (Isaiah 45:12).

Even though we're not experts, we can see holes in Evolutionary theory. Now here's one: Improbability! That's one of the predicaments of evolution. The odds are staggering for even the simplest form of life to have evolved. But you know these ideas are taught as if they're fact.

So I asked a few people on the street, what are the chances that it could actually happen?

> I don't know what all the variables were but something was gonna happen, and this is what happened to happen.

>> Great, I mean, we've seen it. We've developed over centuries.

> I think it is inevitable.

>> Well, the odds are 100 percent, evolution definitely has occurred.

[Steve] Let's consider that for a moment.

Could the building blocks of life come about on their own? What's the possibility of the spontaneous generation of just the proteins of the simplest life form? Some scientists compare that chance to the infinite monkey theorem. Now what's that?

British physicist, Stephen Hawking, taught the idea that monkeys hitting keys at random on a keyboard for an infinite amount of time, would somehow hunt and peck and type out a Shakespearean sonnet! And since monkeys could do that, then evolution is possible. But is that reasonable?

A while ago, the British National Council of Arts experimented by placing six monkeys in a cage with a computer. After one month of hammering away at it, and using the keyboard as a tool, a weapon and even a restroom, the monkeys produced 50 typed pages. How many actual words did they type? Zero! Now I was surprised! But I shouldn't have been if I'd thought of the overwhelming odds.

The likelihood of getting even a one-letter word with a 30 character keyboard is one out of 27,000. That's getting just a one-letter word--like the word "a" with a space on both sides. So what's the chance of getting Shakespeare? That's definitely a huge leap of faith! So mathematically, evolution is just as unlikely!

Here's an interesting comparison between evolution and the chance of assembling a Shakespearean sonnet. And this was done by Dr. Gerald Schroeder. He holds a PhD in two fields: Earth and Planetary Sciences; and, Nuclear Physics from MIT.

Take the sonnet that begins: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day." Start by putting each letter of the English alphabet into a grab bag. Now put on a blindfold, reach into the bag, pull out a letter.

The likelihood that it will be an "s" for the first letter of the sonnet is just one chance in 26. Now the odds of the next one to be an "h" is one chance in 26 times 26.

So, the possibility of getting the entire sonnet by chance is 26 multiplied by itself for all 500 letters of the sonnet. That number comes out to be a one with 700 zeroes after it. In math terms, that's 10 to the power of 700. Now that's an amazingly huge number!

So how improbable is that? Well let's get some perspective: The number of basic particles in the known universe--that's protons, neutrons, electrons--the number of those particles, is estimated to be 10 to the power of 80. But remember the possibility of the building blocks of life coming about on their own is an amazing 10 to the power of 700! So mathematicians would consider the odds of that happening: impossible.

That's another example of evolution's giant leap of faith! Chance didn't produce understandable text; it wouldn't fabricate a sonnet, and certainly could not explain life.

That what the Bible tells us: "Thus says God the Lord, we created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it" (Isaiah 42:5).

Yet, evolutionists generally respond in two ways: "It might take a hundred thousand orders of magnitude longer than the age of the universe--and yes, the possibility is extremely low--but it's not zero." So they're saying, they've got a chance. Now imagine that leap of faith! They also argue, "You're assuming that evolution is completely random, but it is not--so the odds must be better."

But you know, not all scientists jump to that same evolutionary conclusion when they see the math.

I hope that you won't either--but you may need some help with the answers. So let me take just a moment to tell you about our free study aid, Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe?

This free study guide will help you discover the fascinating truth about creation. Here's how to get your free copy. Call toll free: 1-888-886-8632. Or, you can read Creation or Evolution online at BeyondToday.tv.

Our free study aid gives a balanced approach to evolution's teachings, its history, and challenges. It will help you sort out scientific fact from fiction. It doesn't have to be confusing. So order your free copy today!

Evolution deals with big numbers. Some scientists have given us a way to get a grasp on those big numbers: they compare evolution to the Lottery. The average odds of winning are one chance in 10 million. So, you'll probably never win! But, you open your door and there to your shock--that big winning lottery check is delivered right into your hands!

Winning the lottery once is hard enough, but life coming from an "organic soup" or perhaps Earth's chemical energy is far less likely.

Some scientists have projected that the odds are not one in 10 million--that's a number with seven zeros; but one to a number with 40 thousand zeros after it!

So imagine, the very next week you hear a knock on your door, and sure enough, you've won again. Unheard of!

But that still doesn't come close to compare with the odds of evolution.

Fast forward years and years into the future and you are still winning, but not just once a year, but every single week for 80 years in a row, you've won the lottery!

Now that describes evolution's leap of faith. The odds of winning the lottery repeatedly, over and over and over again, not 20, not 40, not even 60 years but for 80 years in a row, every single week. That's comparable to the concept of evolution's spontaneous generation of just the simplest building blocks of life--not even life itself.

Now you can believe what you want, but when you understand the math, isn't that just too big a leap to take?

I choose to think it points to a grand design by an Almighty, Omnipotent Creator God. He makes it clear: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created" (Revelation 4:11).

But evolutionists answer: it could happen, because in a lottery someone's guaranteed to win. It's not a matter of "if", but "when." Okay, let's follow that train of thought for just a moment. Let's just assume, as so many people do, that evolution did occur.

Evolution's leap of faith is a big jump. It says that through a long chain of events, and gradual changes over an extensive amount of time, a species can gain attributes and qualities that eventually turn it into a completely new species.

But there's a problem--that chain has a missing link.

Here's an example: Some scientists believe that the missing link in the evolutionary chain from land mammals to whales is an extinct deer-like animal about the size of a fox. They say that over millions of years, a chain of descendants, through the process of natural selection and mutation, they eventually were able to swim and survive in the ocean and ultimately became a whale.

But here's the drawback, the missing link is still missing. If some kind of deer-like mammal evolved into some kind of a whale, where are all the in-between versions? The functional intermediaries? There's no record of a fishy deer-like creature or four legged mini-whale.

Now it might be believable, if there were only one broken link in one animal chain. But every creature has links that are missing--and not just one link, but huge broken chains between them.

Something's wrong. You don't have to be an expert to be able to figure it out. Birds that came from frogs, dogs to bears, bugs to mice--evolution depends on those countless missing connections. But those millions of connections--all the in-between versions--the transitional forms, they're MIA--they're missing in action--missing links.

So I think it becomes evident. It takes faith to believe in God, but you know it takes an impossible leap of faith to believe in evolution.

He Himself tells us: "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing" (Isaiah 40:26).

One of the people I talked to on the street said it a bit differently:

> I mean, I don't see nothin' evolvin' now. You know, they talk about missing links with monkeys, I haven't seen a monkey evolve, you know, since whenever, so, ever... I mean if they still evolving they should keep on changin' but they're not so, something obviously has been solidified.

[Steve] We both laughed about his comment, but evolutionary biologists, they respond and say they don't expect all transitional links will be found.

Now don't think that all scientists agree though. Stephen Gould who was a professor of geology and paleontology at Harvard, admitted, "All paleontologists know that the fossil record contain precious little in the way of intermediate forms; transitions between the major groups are characteristically abrupt."

Now this is where the Bible sheds light on the subject. God Himself tells us exactly where the species came from.

You might be surprised to find that science and the Word of God agree: life reproduces after its own species.

Here's the way the Bible puts it: "God created great sea creatures...according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind..." (Genesis 1:21).

The Bible word for kind can be translated species. The Bible goes on, God created: "...cattle and creeping thing and beasts of the earth, each according to its kind" and it was so...(Genesis 1:24).

Science also knows that sharks produce sharks--those great sea creatures. Eagles produce eagles--every winged bird. Cows produce cows. Elephants produce elephants--the cattle, the beasts of the earth.

And there's plenty of diversity within species but, there is no crossing over into other species. So there can be lots of varieties of cats; but a cat won't become a dog.

10 times in Genesis 1 alone Scripture says everything God created was given power to reproduce its own kind. He said that nothing could break this law and produce anything except its own kind. So we see that God did not use macroevolution to create anything.

There's such a huge gulf between creation and evolution. No scientific leap of faith can bridge that gap.

Nature itself verifies that God created and formed all the animal kinds: "But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord had done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind" (Job 12:7-10 NIV).

You see, trying to blend creation and evolution together--that's a big deal. It makes God into a liar! That kind of thinking degrades God's power. It minimizes His truth, and it deceives us as to who God is--the Almighty Creator of all things.

So what do you find more believable? Evolution's leap of faith or the Creator God who has made, shaped, fashioned and formed us all for His purpose?

We can't cover the entire topic today, so make sure and get our free study aid, Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe?

You know it does matter what you believe! With our free study aid, you'll learn of the wrong assumptions of science, evolution and life's complexity, and explore how nature defies evolution. So get your free copy. Call toll free: 1-888-886-8632.

Many school classrooms have used this helpful free guide and study groups have used it as well. So now is your opportunity to order your personal copy. Even the call is free: 1-888-886-8632. Online you can read or download Creation or Evolution at BeyondToday.tv

I'd also like to tell you about our magazine, The Good News. The Good News gives insight into your world and connects it to Bible teaching. You'll find interesting articles designed to help you use Scripture as the guide to face the challenging issues of your everyday life.

So order your free subscription to The Good News and also get your copy of Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe? by calling toll free: 1-888-886-8632. 1-888-886-8632. Now if you live outside of North America, write us a letter at the address on your screen.

You can also visit us on the Web at BeyondToday.tv to read, download or order your free magazine subscription and our Bible study aid. If you have an iPad, you'll be happy to know that The Good News is also available as a free iPad app.

Now when you visit our website at BeyondToday.tv be sure and watch our short daily videos on important Bible topics and breaking news. Give your day a bit of inspiration, a bit of encouragement and biblical insight with BT Daily. So go to BeyondToday.tv; send us your questions or your comments and don't miss BT Daily.

Our topic today has been evolution. Now we're joined by fellow Beyond Today hosts, Darris McNeely and Gary Petty.

I think one of the biggest issues that we face as Christians is often times we get a little overwhelmed with science. And maybe we really don't understand how much this whole concept goes against what God says in the Bible.

[Gary] You know, the attraction to the concept of evolution is the attraction to the idea that there is no God. And evolution takes people away from the concept that there is a Creator. Now, if there is a Creator we have to face something. That Creator has certain rights on the creation. And so when Christians take and mix evolution and try to mix that into this Word, the Word of God, they literally what they are trying to do is still unwittingly I think, move away from the idea that God has authority over their lives; that the Creator wants to have a relationship with them.

You know, every human being is designed to have a need for a relationship with God, and evolution tries to convince us that that isn't real, that that's not there. And that's the great danger for Christians to sort of mingle the two together; it moves us away from our need for God as our Sovereign King.

[Steve] You can't be soft on this, can you?

[Darris] No, I don't think as Gary says that you can blend the two together. But I'm going to throw something into the mix for us to consider. Nor do I also think that a Christian should just reject science, or reject a study and an honest inquiry into what science has learned about that natural world, and what is there and sift through it and sort through it.

I think that if one starts with the foundation of Scripture and what God says, as you described, that's not so much of a leap of faith as it is a step of faith. Really, and that's true. But to look at that and then look at what is out there in the natural world and what has been learned, what has been verified, and then look at it with an honest approach from the Scripture. I think then that you can begin to do what Psalm 19:1 says and that is where the heavens declare the glory of God. And one can see design, one can see perfection, one can see all that you brought out, Steve.

[Steve] So really we're saying science, true science, correct science, doesn't contradict the Bible. But, evolution certainly does. And that's the issue. We can't take evolution and then meld it somehow into creation because God, He says very clearly, I created it. It didn't take millions of years and all these transformational different species and things between each other but He did it.

[Darris] No, you have to start with the Creator which the Bible clearly identifies, Who is the moral authority of the universe, and sets in motion a plan based upon design and based upon law. And then you have the ability to handle life.

The problem of our modern world is that science has taken the entire picture apart from God, and science has become a god in place of God; and has made decisions about what is life, when life begins, how life can be treated...

[Steve] And of course if there is no God then you don't have to do what He says.

[Darris] No, and you are then building a, you're really building toward another tower of Babel in a defiant attitude toward God, and that's where our world is headed because of where all of these theories, all of this science without God has taken our world.

[Gary] Yet the Bible doesn't claim to have all knowledge. It says it is the foundation of knowledge. So everything we build had to be built off of that and then you're ok. You're safe.

[Steve] You brought up the foundation. If we let evolution blend into our thinking, don't we totally miss out on this idea that God wants a relationship with us and that there is a purpose?

[Gary] Part of what you've talked about today is kind after kind. Human beings were made in the image of God. We were created to have a relationship with our Creator, to become like our Creator, to be part of the family of God. What's so incredible about the Bible is what it shows us--is when God calls us His children, that's exactly what He means. He created us to be His children.

[Darris] We are going to be created after the God-kind. That's God's ultimate purpose, kind after kind; God is going to reproduce Himself in the human family.

[Steve] And that is a phenomenal point that I hope you'll begin to look into. Don't get sidetracked with this evolutionary theory that will break your relationship with God.

Look into what the Bible really says and of course, remember our free offers today. You'll want to order your copy of our study aid, Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe? and of course your free subscription to The Good News magazine. Call us toll free: 1-888-886-8632. That's 1-888-886-8632. Or, you can read both The Good News and Creation or Evolution online at BeyondToday.tv.

Now the next time doubt starts to get into your thinking; keep in mind evolution's giant leap of faith. There are overwhelming odds against it.

And of course remember the plain answer that's found in the very first words of the Bible, "In the beginning God created..." (Genesis 1:1)

We can't let evolution get into our heads and cause us to jump to wrong conclusions. Let's put our faith where it belongs--in God.

I'll be right back after this:

[Narrator] "You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for generations to come."

The Sabbath is a key to the Kingdom of God. The New Testament book of Hebrews says, "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God."

Jesus and His followers kept the Sabbath and they still do today. God commands us to pause and reflect on His way of life. Take a break from the fast paced action of this world. Experience a rejuvenation of the mind and grow closer to Him. Join us as we explore the Sabbath and show how it is a key to the Kingdom of God.

The United Church of God is hosting free Kingdom of God Bible Seminars held around the world. Go to KOGSeminars.org to find one near you. Kingdom of God Bible Seminars--giving the message of hope for tomorrow--beginning today!

[Steve] Thanks for joining us. Don't forget our free offers and be sure to tell your family and friends about us. Tune in again next week for another edition of Beyond Today and join us in praying, "Thy Kingdom come." For Beyond Today I'm Steve Myers. Thanks for watching.

[Announcer] For the free literature offered on today's program, go online to BeyondToday.tv. Please join us again next week on Beyond Today!