The Science of Creation and the Flood Introduction to Lesson 7 Biological implications of various worldviews are discussed together with their impact on science. UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF LIFE presents the evidence for Intelligent Design. Biology Worldviews 1 The prevailing worldviews that affect our world today have a number of facets. One of the facets that make up each belief system is their method of interpreting the study of biology. All of the following worldviews, except Biblical Christianity, are based on some form of evolution. Secular Humanism In general, Secular Humanists believe in Darwinian evolution. Their form of evolution is called neo-darwinism. Charles Darwin did not envision gene mutations in his theory, so neo-darwinism modifies the original theory to show gene mutations as the mechanism for change. Secular Humanists accept only naturalistic explanations and do not accept supernatural answers, nor do they believe that God exists. Man is the measure of all things. We can only help ourselves. 2 Marxist/Leninism The Marxist is thoroughly atheistic in his beliefs. Like the Humanist, the Marxist cannot accept supernatural explanations. Because the Marxist believes in class struggle, punctuated equilibrium fits their belief system. Punctuated equilibrium is the form of evolution that says that because of struggle, evolution occurred in sudden jumps, representing the sudden change of social class struggle. This is compatible with the Hegelian theory of Dialectics, where struggle or a disturbance produces change. 3 See previously distributed Worldviews chart with a diagram of Dialectics on the back. Cosmic Humanism Cosmic Humanists embrace evolutionary theory because evolution provides the best mechanism for ushering in a New Age. They reject the standard creationist view since it is opposed to the concept of making a heaven on earth. In their view, man is moving upward to a higher consciousness. Evolution theory provides this upward guarantee. They believe that the ultimate end of the individual is to expand into the universal oneness, which really means that the individual disappears as a separate person. 4 Biblical Christianity Biblical Christianity approaches biology with the belief that God created. Strict adherence to this premise says that God created everything in six literal days, without resorting to evolution. The evidence exhibited by order and laws in the universe points to an intelligent cause, which was the belief of many early scientists. The idea of evolution looses sight of this orderliness, causes the evolutionist to belief that what he sees is a result of some cosmic accident. According to this belief, all creatures were fully formed when created, and do not change into another kind in some sort of upward progression. Even those subscribing to Theistic Evolution believe that God created the universe, but used evolution to produce all the various kinds. 5 Biological Misrepresentations In the university textbook, Evolutionary Analysis is the following pictures of embryo development. The student is only told that Darwin argued that descent from a common ancestor is the most logical 1 David A. Noebel, THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH, Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2001. 2 Noebel, THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH, pp. 119-122, 126, 127. 3 Noebel, THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH, pp. 125-131. 4 Noebel, THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH, p. 133. 5 Noebel, THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH, pp. 137-148. 1
explanation. He contended that the embryos in Figure 2.13 are similar because all vertebrates evolved from the same common ancestor and because some developmental stages have remained similar as reptiles, birds, and mammals diversified over time. 6 This is a misrepresentation designed to cause the student to believe that this picture proved common descent by evolution. Secondly, the misrepresentation extends to labeling the end of the vertebrae is a tail in the human embryo. Also, pointing out Pharyngeal pouches is supposed to cause the student to think of fish gill slits. Very little else is said about this picture in the textbook. This textbook also misrepresents Darwin. The quote above assumes that Darwin saw the same picture. In fact, he did not. When Darwin wrote The Origin of Species in 1859, the drawing did not exist. The picture presented in this textbook has changed over time, but not the way it is generally used. The next picture is a gross misrepresentation drawn by Ernst Haeckel in 1874 for the purpose of proving evolution by descent from a common ancestor. These drawings were discredited, but the textbooks still use the same representation if not the same drawing for the same purpose. 6 Scott Freeman and John C. Herron, EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS, Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing, 1998, 2001, 2004. This is a textbook used by the University of Hawaii Manoa that supports evolution. It claims to provide evidence for macroevolution, but uses microevolution as evidence, then it expects the student to make the leap of faith that macroevolution has occurred. 2
What is not shown is that these pictures are deceptive and only begin well along in embryo development. The student is not shown the beginning sequence where major differences are clearly seen as shown in the complete sequence from the egg stage. Haeckel and others, including Evolutionary Analysis start from the point that depicts the embryos as most similar, thus misrepresenting the facts. Notice what is not shown to the student in the following picture. 7 This picture shows the early stages of the vertebrate embryos and ends where most pictures in textbooks begin. Also, note that the textbook Evolutionary Analysis picked animals of which the similarities were the most pronounced. Study the drawing below to see that the similarities depend on which animal is represented. 7 Johnathan Wells, ICONS OF EVOLUTION, Science or Myth? Why Much Of What We Teach About Evolution Is Wrong, Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2000, pp. 95, 98. 3
According to Wells, evolutionists start by assuming Darwinian evolution, then read that back into the embryological evidence. It doesn t matter how much the embryological evidence conflicts with evolutionary theory the theory, it seems, must not be questioned. This is why, despite repeated disconfirmation, Haeckel s biogenetic law and faked drawings haven t gone away. 8 The Scientific Method The original meaning of science was simply knowledge. Now science has been redefined to exclude anything that cannot be tested. Therefore, science is materialistic in its approach, and the results of tests of theories must be confirmed by independent scientists repeating the same tests. Dr. Colin Patterson wrote in his book, Evolution, about the beginnings of evolution, the process of species-splitting and progression, This part of the theory is therefore a historical theory about unique events, and unique events are by definition not part of science, for they are unrepeatable and so not subject to test. 9 8 Wells, ICONS OF EVOLUTION, Science or Myth? Why Much Of What We Teach About Evolution Is Wrong, pp. 99, 101. 9 Luther Sunderland, DARWIN S ENIGMA: Ebbing the Tide of Naturalism, Green Forest, AR: Master Books, Inc., 1988, pp. 29, 31. 4
CREATION NOTES LESSON 07 WORLD VIEWS 1. By the late 1970 s, debates between creationists and evolutionists were being held on university campuses. Luther Sunderland writes: Evolutionists such as Isaac Asimov and Stephen Jay Gould were stating that since the creationist scientists had won all of the more than 100 debates, the evolutionists should not debate them. 2. Evolution is the foundation for many of our educational, psychological, and social ideas. This is illustrated plainly when you examine the various world views prominent in our society today. 3. A sign of the last days is that men will be scoffers of the subject of the Second Coming and origins. They hold to uniformatarianist views, that the past must be interpreted by the processes and rates now acting in the present. (2 Peter 3:3-7) 4. Creationists founded most branches of modern science. 5. The topic of origins is a tool for witnessing, for creating interest, but we must introduce the Gospel as the main event at the earliest opportunity. 6. The foundation of Secular Humanism is evolution (Satan). The foundation of Christianity is creation (Christ). 7. Evolution is preferred and accepted because the only alternative, special creation by a supernatural God is unthinkable. Evolutionists ignore the possibility of intelligent design, because it implies that God exists. 8. A worldview is something that everybody has. It is a particular philosophical belief system regarding world social systems. It affects the decisions that you make regarding the most acceptable social and religious systems. It accounts for bias toward certain beliefs or positions. 5
9. The four most prominent worldviews today are Secular Humanism, Marxist/Leninist, Cosmic Humanism and Biblical Christianity. 10. Secular Humanism and Marxist/Leninist worldviews have evolution as their foundation. 11. Education, government, law, and the media are influenced by secular humanistic ideas instilled upon them by the education system. 12. Secular Humanism and Marxism have codified their belief system, and are active in their implementation. HUMANIST MANIFESTOS I AND II (1933 and 1973) and Karl Marx s, THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO are their bibles. 13. The Cosmic Humanism world view, or New Age world view, combines humanism and eastern religions, and expressed in the Gaia (mother earth) cult of the environmental movement. The Cosmic Humanism world view is also based on a foundation of evolution 14. The Biblical Christianity world view is in opposition to all four, but many Christians buy into parts of the others. 15. The Moslems have a fifth world view that involves bringing about a One World Islamic State. 16. The Video UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF LIFE may be viewed at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5585125669588896670# 6
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