Creation versus Evolution

Christians and others have been divided on the subject of creation versus evolution ever since Charles Darwin came up with his theory and published On the Origin of Species in the mid 1800s. A fact is that the Darwinian theory has countless “missing links”, which over the more than 150 years have never been found. Another fact is that what is scientifically known seems to contradict the Genesis account of a 6-day special creation. If Christians insist on a literal interpretation of the Genesis 1 and 2 stories (which are inconsistent within themselves), and scientists insist on a godless evolution occurring purely by chance via natural selection, no mutual understanding or meeting in the middle is likely to occur. A third fact is that the complexity of the natural world is such that without some kind of intelligent design or guidance, the likelihood of blind evolution is infinitesimally small. Some have said that based on probabilities, it would take far more faith to believe in evolution than in the existence of God.

The idea of Intelligent Design has been considered by many scientists, as well as recognizing that there is a guiding intelligence behind natural laws that power the processes of nature including evolution. Many books have now been written suggesting concepts like a Divine Matrix at the foundation of the universe. While Darwinian evolution is still the official theory, many are beginning to see and acknowledge, at least privately, its flaws.

There is no doubt, that human capacity and potential far exceeds that of even the highest animals – the primates, though we share 96% of our DNA with them. The Bible and other sacred writings mention a human spirit or soul, which imparts to humans a uniqueness (1 Cor 2:11). So did humans evolve from primates, or are they a special creation in God’s image?

One way to answer this question is to concede that the first truly human parents were conceived and born like other mammals from a humanoid ancestor and then given a soul created by God. In that sense they would have become human instantaneously and via God’s creation, but their physical bodies would have come through an evolutionary process. They then chose to disobey their Creator, which led to negative consequences for themselves and their descendants. Humans may have been on the earth far longer than scientists believe, and certainly longer than the implied 6,000 years of the Genesis story – which symbolically shows that man once occupied an exalted and happy state, and by their own disobedience fell, and with the fall came the condition of evil and sin.

When the first parents received a soul, with it would have come all the normal human psychological manifestations, including the gift of language – an ability to communicate thoughts and feelings through words. These differences would have separated them from their humanoid relatives who were incapable of rational thought, speech, or other uniquely human abilities. With the family ties severed, they would have perceived their destiny as different to that of their biological kin.

According to communication from spirit (see references below), upon their death and entering the spirit world, the first parents grew in their yearning to regain their original high estate. When Jesus preached on Earth the New Birth of the soul, they intuitively understood that this was the way the Creator was graciously and lovingly giving them a second chance. They accepted it with a profound sense of joy and gratitude and are now the inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens.

As far as the overall subject of creation versus evolution, there is far more to it than scientists understand. The mechanics are very complex, the processes are governed by higher laws and may be also be the responsibility of certain managing spirits. All in all, its full scope is beyond human comprehension.

 

References: http://new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/genesis1.htm
http://new-birth.net/contemporary/fab135.htm
http://new-birth.net/evolution_creation.htm

 

Photo Credit: Dimitri C., FreeImages.com

 

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