Darwinism, A Modern Day Myth?

Over the past few weeks we have looked at myths from other cultures in the past. We looked at the Enuma Elish, which was the first creation story ever recorded in writing. We looked at the Gilgamesh Flood, which portrayed with much similarity the flood in our own scriptures. We looked at variations within the Egyptian creation myth, which seems to propose that the supreme deity was one and also three. The question that we are left with is this: Is our scripture just a continuation of these myths, or is it true? The greatest opposition that Christianity has today is the idea of evolution, primarily in regards to Darwinism. It claims that what is recorded, particularly in Genesis, is false and so, by default, the rest of scripture must also be false. Is it possible that Darwinism is true? If it is true, must Christian belief be false? If it is not true, is most of the world wasting its time with such a concept?

Nature of Human Belief

            Before we can even think about Darwinism, we must address the primary accusation that its proponents attribute to the religious community. Richard Dawkins presents this accusation in his book, The God Delusion, “One of the truly bad effects of religion is that it teaches us that it is a virtue to be satisfied with not understanding.”[1]

This is not a cause of religion, it is the epitome of all human belief. The truth can be a scary thing to encounter. Are some Christians satisfied with not understanding? Yes. Are some Muslims satisfied with not understanding? Yes. Are some Hindus, Mormons, Philosophers, Scientists, Students or Politicians satisfied with not understanding? Absolutely. It is not an affect of religion; it is an affect of being human. For all humanity, if we are honest with ourselves, discovering the truth can be a horrifying process because it may prove us wrong. I will be the first to admit that I have been wrong on many occasions and probably still am wrong about many things. The difference between me and most other people is that I try and discover truth despite my own preconceived notions and I hope that you will do the same. It is what should set us apart from the rest of the world. If our God is true, then we have nothing to fear as we work to discover truth.

Definition of Evolution and Darwinism

There are two major views of evolution. One definition is simply change over time. For the sake of this discussion, we will refer to this definition of evolution simply as change. The other definition we will consider is a process of random mutation powered by natural selection that leads to speciation and is thought to account for the variety of life on Earth. We will refer to this as Darwinian evolution or Darwinism.

Darwinism as Fact

Many atheists, who are Darwinists, will assert Darwinian evolution as fact. Keep in mind that Darwinian evolution is not simply change over time, but the actual development as new species. The first problem we encounter with asserting Darwinian evolution as fact is the lack of fossil evidence to support such a claim. Now, a Darwinist will claim vigilantly that the fossil records do show that evolution is true! Even one of the world’s leading Darwinists, Richard Dawkins who I’ve already mentioned, admits to there being gaps in the fossil record that disable the fossil record from actually proving Darwinian evolution.

We don’t need fossils in order to demonstrate that evolution is a fact. The evidence for evolution would be entirely secure even if not a single corpse had ever fossilized. It is a bonus that we do actually have rich seams of fossils to mine, and more are discovered every day. The fossil evidence for evolution in many major animal groups is wonderfully strong. Nevertheless there are, of course, gaps, and creationists love them obsessively.[2]

 

Dawkins also makes quite a claim here that must be closely observed. He asserts that fossils are not required to prove Darwinian evolution true. In fact Darwin himself, in his work (Origin of Species, 1859) states that without a complete fossil record, Darwinian evolution is only a speculative hypothesis, not a fact. The fossil record was, according to Darwin, the testable and falsifiable evidence that could be used to either prove or disprove his theory. The fossil record has not to this day been “completed” and it is unlikely that any truly transitional fossils will ever be found.

Darwinism as Myth

            This problem is what led Prof. Steve Jones of University College London to publish an updated version of Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1999 in which he makes the statement, “The fossil record – in defiance of Darwin’s whole idea of gradual change – often makes great leaps from one form to the next.”[3] This is known as punctuated equilibrium and does not require a fossil record because stages of Darwinian evolution occur so quickly in sudden bursts that the fossil record would not show it. This theory, however, is only a response to a lack of evidence and an attempt to save Darwinism. It cannot be supported by falsifiable evidence which makes it a scientific theory that is not scientific at all. At best, Darwinism has become a worldview that is not supported scientifically, historically, experientially, philosophically or evidentially.

I will refer once again to a comment made by Richard Dawkins, “One of the truly bad effects of religion is that it teaches us that it is a virtue to be satisfied with not understanding.”[4] It seems as though Darwinists are satisfied with not understanding. They trust what continues to seem more and more like the myths we have been talking about despite the lack of evidence and the inability of Darwinian evolution to be falsifiable even though it claims to be a scientific pursuit.

Bible as Truth

            So then, what makes our scripture true? Is it science? History? Philosophy? Experience? Falsifiable evidence? No. If God exists, then it is up to God to reveal Himself. He cannot be discovered using any purely human designed means. This being said, scripture never claims to be falsifiable, a scientific theory or fact, a philosophical argument or an experience-based set of writings. Scripture makes on claim: that God has revealed Himself and that people have no excuse when it comes to living according to His law. Science, history, philosophy and experience may support scripture, but scripture can only come from God, even if He did use people to write it.

Why is our scripture not a myth? It is not a myth simply because it is a historical record. Match it up to history, and it fits. Does God exist? I believe so, but you must seek Him. Meet with Him. He will reveal Himself to you.

For His (God’s) invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.[5]

 

The existence of the world we see can only happen if there is a Creator, for there simply cannot be an infinite number of causes that brought about everything we see. It had to come from somewhere.