Sunday, November 8, 2009

The Evolution v Creation Issue: An Overview Of The Discussion On Both Sides

By Mark Knowles

The creation vs evolution issue has been going on since the days of Darwin. Secular scientists claim that the proof is irrefutable, and that Christians hold old to the creation explanation in denial. Christians claim that their source of truth trumps all, and that an evolutionary view is as much a spiritual as a scientific view. Before going further, just what does each side believe?

The Creation Theorist view is based on the account provided in the book of Genesis. It states that God created the world and everything in it in six days. Many Christians see this account as authoritative, and adamantly discount all other explanations. To them the concept of evolution is not Biblical, and therefore false.

Evolutionists believe that man has evolved over time to become what he is today. This advancement occurs by survival of the fittest, a proverbial "weeding out" of traits that don't adapt well to the environment. Evolutionists proof rests in a combination of scientific evidence and theory. Some evolutionists claim that the Biblical account is just a metaphor, and some discount the Bible entirely.

It's important to note that not every scientist or Christian falls in the same place on this issue. There are strict atheist evolutionists who think the idea of a creator is ridiculous. There are evolutionists who are agnostic. There are Christian evolutionists, and there are Christian scientists and non-Christian scientists who do not support the theory of evolution.

Because this argument deals with issues that have very personal meanings to some of those involved, it is difficult to find value-free information on the matter. There are great scientific minds, both Christian and non-Christian, who have written on this topic. Their biases are often apparent despite attempts to remain objective.

Even great scholars do not always agree. The argument is likely to continue for a long time among spiritual and scientific circles.

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