Creation vs Evolution - Lesson #1



Creation vs Evolution - Lesson #1Introduction to Christian Evidences & The Age of the Earth-Introduction-introducing new series of lessons – by request-Rev 4:11-1 Pet 3:15-To make a proper defense, we must have ample evidence. (Heb 11:1)-We need to have a reason - evidence - for the things we do and the things we teach.-Col 3:17-We need to understand why we believe, teach & practice the things we do. -A person may not become/remain faithful without the answers to “Why?”.-important for parents to teach their kids why – Why do we worship in the way we do? Why do we teach the plan of salvation the way we do? Why study the Bible? Why is the church organized the way it is? etc., etc.-Christian evidences are important for all people of all ages.-You Might Be Surprised-story regarding individual (who was raised in the Lord’s church) who was struggling with faith (existence of God, creation account, integrity of the Scriptures) and was helped by lesson on Christian evidences-Perhaps there are some here who have struggled with matters of faith—maybe some who are struggling/wrestling with some things now.-For those reasons, and by way of a specific request, I am beginning a series of lessons focusing on creation vs evolution. -Creation vs Evolution-The two stand in clear contrast to one another.-Some have tried to combine the two as Theistic evolution - seemingly as a compromise. Yet, when considered carefully, we find that the two are mutually exclusive and diametrically opposed to one another.-When we were living in Sallisaw, OK, I went to the school system and asked to borrow a text book ked if I could borrow a text book in order to review what it said about evolution.-Now, please understand, I’m not an opponent of public schools. I went to public schools and my kids currently do so as well.-I know that different teachers handle the subject matter in different ways and I respect that. I also know that ultimately I am the one responsible for teaching my children the truth regarding God, his Word, his will.-The Text Book-Biology, Miller, Kenneth R., Levine, Joseph S., ? 2006, Pearson Education, as Pearson Prentice Hall, Boston, Massachusetts 02116-The book had one unit (#5) entitled “Evolution” and consisted of 4 chapters - “Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, Evolution of Populations, The History of Life, Classification”-Now, please understand that when I speak of “evolution” I’m speaking of it in regards to the origin of this universe and the origin of life.-Evolution within certain kinds (micro-evolution) - adaptation, change, diversity - takes place. When I speak of evolution in this series, I’m speaking about macro-evolution.-When we speak of the origin of life - creation based upon God’s word and evolution present two very different idea.-Gen 1:1-“Geologic evidence shows that Earth, which is about 4.6 billion years old, was not ‘born’ in a single event. Instead, pieces of cosmic debris were probably attracted to one another over the course of about 100 million years. While the planet was young, it was struck by one or more objects, possibly as large as the planet Mars. This collision produced enough heat to melt the entire globe. Once earth melted, its elements rearranged themselves according to density. The most dense elements formed the planet’s core. There, radioactive decay generated enough heat to convert Earth’s interior into molten rock. Moderately dense elements floated to the surface, much as fat floats to the top of hot chicken soup. These elements ultimately cooled to form a solid crust. The least dense elements - including hydrogen and nitrogen - formed the first atmosphere...(pg 423) Geologists infer that about 4 billion years ago, Earth cooled enough to allow the first solid rocks to form on its surface. For millions of years afterward, violent volcanic activity shook Earth’s crust. Comets and asteroids bombarded its surface. Oceans did not exist because the surface was extremely hot. About 3.8 billion years ago, Earth’s surface cooled enough for water to remain a liquid. Thunderstorms drenched the planet, and oceans covered much of the surface. Those primitive oceans were brown because they contained lots of dissolved iron. The earliest sedimentary rocks, which were deposited in water, have been dated to this period. This was the Earth on which life appeared” (pg 424).- Under heading: “Strengths and Weaknesses of Evolutionary Theory” “Scientific advances in many fields of biology, along with geology and physics, have confirmed and expanded most of Darwin’s hypotheses. Today, evolutionary theory offers vital insights to all biological and biomedical sciences - from infectious disease research to ecology. In fact, evolution is often called the ‘grand unifying theory of the life sciences.’ Like any scientific theory, evolutionary theory continues to change as new data are gathered and new ways of thinking arise. As you will see shortly, researchers still debate such important questions as precisely how new species arise and why species become extinct. There is also uncertainty about how life began” (pg 386).-In the theory of evolution there is always a question, “Where did that come from?” Where did the cosmic debris come from? Where did the one or more objects that struck the earth come from? Where did those elements - then rearranged - originally come from?-Evolution has no reasonable explanation for the origin of life - creation does.-Summary and Invitation-“What scientific explanation can account for the diversity of life? The answer is a collection of scientific facts, observations, and hypotheses known as evolutionary theory. Evolution, or change over time, is the process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms. A scientific theory is a well-supported testable explanation of phenomena that have occurred in the natural world” (pg 369).-Unfortunately, evolutionary theory still gets presented as facts based upon evidence. Such is not true. Evolutionary theory is just that - theory - hypotheses of mankind which are not supported by evidence - a fact that I hope you will realize in the weeks to come, Lord willing.-We’ll consider the Biblical age of the earth, information from archaeology, the fossil record, the geological time table, laws of science, etc. We may even touch on the topic of dinosaurs.-On either side of the column, there are some things we cannot know from our perspective and our time.-Yet, which is logical? Which does the evidence support?-Different people believe different things for different reasons. Yet, when one believes in an Almighty, Powerful God in heaven, something logically follows: What is my responsibility/relationship toward God? The answer: to submit to His will.-Perhaps that’s why some grab on to evolutionary thought - they don’t want to feel a responsibility to a Higher Power. They don’t like the idea of submitting.-Invitation ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download