The question of whether there exists a Creator and Ruler of the Universe has been answered in the affirmative by some of the highest intellects that have ever existed. (Charles Darwin)
Thinking about the musings from Day 77: Rest…Relax…Reflect.….
I would submit to that if one was going to question the science, one would have to question the Theory of Evolution. While Freud may have revolutionized modern psychology and Einstein may have revolutionized physics, there is a strong case to be made that Darwin’s Theory of Evolution revolutionized the scientific field of biology…
Just not in the way you might think it did.
Although Darwin himself had at least 9 problems with his Theory of Evolution, which were already covered in DAY 76: The Scientific Revolution – Part 2 – What Did Darwin Really Think?, it is possible to overlook these problems. One could argue that because Darwin had no formal scientific experience himself, his 9 problems with his Theory of Evolution can be ignored…
So, can they be ignored?
Can the science legitimize the Theory of Evolution?
In order to make sense of the Theory of Evolution, there should be an overwhelming consensus among scientists that would agree that the Theory of Evolution makes perfect, scientific sense.
The problem is, that consensus is not out there.
Consider the following:
“The spiritual worldview provides another way of finding truth. Scientists who deny this would be well advised to consider the limits of their own tools.” Dr. Francis S. Collins, geneticist; director, National Institutes of Health.
“We have not the slightest chance of a chemical evolutionary origin for even the simplest of cells.” Dr. Dean H. Kenyon. Professor emeritus of biology, San Francisco State University.
“Darwinism is a trivial idea that has been elevated to the status of the scientific theory that governs modern biology.” Dr. Michael Egnor, professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics, State University of New York, Stony Brook.
“The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the unabridged dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing shop.” Dr. Edwin Conklin, evolutionist; professor of biology, Princeton University.
“I am convinced…that Darwinism, in whatever form, is not in fact a scientific theory, but a pseudo-metaphysical hypothesis decked out in scientific garb. In reality the theory derives its support not from empirical data or logical deductions of a scientific kind but from the circumstance that it happens to be the only doctrine of biological origins that can be conceived with the constricted worldview to which a majority of scientists no doubt subscribe.” Dr. Wolfgang Smith, re-entry physicist; former professor of mathematics, MIT and UCLA.
“Modern science is already, in a very serious sense, Christian. It germinated in and was nurtured by the Christian philosophy of creation, it was developed and established through the work of largely Christian pioneers, and it continues to draw Christians to its endeavours today.” Dr. Ian Hutchinson, professor of nuclear engineering, MIT; fellow, the American Physical Society and the Institute of Physics.
“As a scientist you grow to assume that science will answer everything and that religion is fictional. There are mysteries that science cannot explain…and divine inspiration may be a rational explanation.” Dr. Andrew Parker, biologist, Oxford University.
“To me, belief in a final cause, a Creator-God, gives a coherent understanding of why the universe seems so congenially designed for the existence of intelligent, self-reflective life.” Dr. Owen Gingerich, emeritus astronomer, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Ironically, there is one scientist who pre-dates Charles Darwin by over 100 years, questioning the Theory of Evolution before the On the Origin of Species, was even printed:
The seventeenth-century scientist Sir Isaac Newton had a marvelous replica of the solar system sitting on his table in his laboratory. In the center of the device was a model of the sun, and spinning around it on thin metal rods were eight small globes representing all the known planets. The model was fitted with belts and pulleys so that the slightest touch would set the mechanism in motion.
And it moved perfectly, just like the solar system.
One day a colleague who did not believe the Bible’s account of creation stopped by Newton’s laboratory for a visit. When he spotted the model sitting there on a large table, he walked over for a closer look. He reached out and touched the metal rods and, like clockwork, the tiny planets began to move in well-oiled precision.
The visitor was delighted. “What a magnificent machine!” he exclaimed. “My dear Newton, you must tell me: who made this amazing contraption for you?”
Newton paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “Nobody.”
“What?” the visitor exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Nobody, you say? How can that be?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Newton insisted.
“The balls and belts and pulleys you see here came together entirely by accident, and by some unknown miracle they move along in perfect orbit just as you see them now.”
At that point, the skeptic realized what Newton was saying.
How foolish to think that a detailed model of the solar system could come together by accident.
But how much more foolish to think that the earth, moon, and stars and all of God’s creation, could come into existence by mere chance.
“Nothing comes from nothing.”
Is there a case that the following leaders in their scientific fields: Collins, Kenyon, Egnor, Conklin, Smith, Hutchinson, Parker, Gingerich…and Newton, can all be wrong regarding their hesitations with the Theory of Evolution?
Can science itself prove the Theory of Evolution to be true?
That will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you don’t know whether these scientists have convinced you whether the Theory of Evolution is scientific fact. Do not feel discouraged if you still cannot come to a conclusion yourself as to whether or not the Theory of Evolution is reliable. Instead, embrace the idea that you are still gathering knowledge that is available to all to help you come to a reasonable and reliable conclusion regarding whether or not the Theory of Evolution is valid…or not.
“12 It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.” (Isaiah 45:12 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading DAY 78: The Scientific Revolution – Part 2 – The Theory Of Evolution, Do All Scientists Agree?.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: