Oh God! Is God An Evolutionist? || Part 1

This debate has gone on throughout my lifetime, and well before.  But before I descend into this snake pit of dispute, I want to point out something. This is all very much a sidestep from the real issues.  I drop in now only because people on both sides – Christian and Atheists – make it a big deal. I have lived on both sides of the squabble.  I think I am therefore qualified to comment.

From my point of view, atheists are baiting Christians into this debate.  I know.  I used to be an atheist who did exactly that.  It was a way of getting home court advantage – make Christians look silly by forcing them to explain creation scientifically and show their obvious ignorance to the prevailing scientific theories.  Christians always took the bait. It was easy to make them look dumb.

The first trap catching unsuspecting Christians is their failure to see the Bible for what it is. 

The Bible is not a science book and should never be used as such. Christians never saw what I was doing. It was laughable, really.   I would require them to prove the bible scientifically.  The Bible is no more a science book than my college Biology textbook is a book of morality or meaning.    And therein lies the double-sided problem.  The Bible cannot tell you how your body works, and your Biology book cannot tell you how to find any meaning or purpose in your life.  But both sides PRESUME they can.

First, let’s look at the Bible.  It comprises 1189 chapters. 

Do you know how many chapters are devoted to the origins? 

Two. 

Yes, there’s a few other passages that talk of creation, but basically this heated, acrimonious dispute is over two chapters of the Bible.  Seriously?  This cannot possibly warrant as much debate as it has over the last 150 years. 

The rest of the Bible, that is, the other 1187 chapters, or 99.83% of it, is dealing with what it calls the spirit of humankind, sometimes referred to as the soul.  Secularists call it the consciousness. That’s the thinking, breathing, hopeful, fearful, loving, and kind-hearted parts of us. And yes, the darker sides – the jealous and selfish parts inside.

It is the life force inside you.  It is the YOU that you experience constantly throughout your day.  It is frankly, the only YOU that you are aware of or actually care about.   More on that in a future blog entitled “Help, Science Cannot Find Me!”

This YOU, housed inside your body, is an unknown something that does not show up on any medical scan or diagnostic test. And your Biology book never talks about that because it is not qualified to make any meaningful commentary. 

Literally science cannot find YOU.  It doesn’t even know what YOU are. It has no definition for YOU because YOU are not ascertainable by the material sciences. 

Nor is there any valid explanation of how YOU could possibly have evolved without violating the very scientific principles your Biology book depends upon. (See Part 3 for more on this)

Atheists avoid this like the plague.  Instead, they reduce the argument to physical evolution. Why?  Because they have no commentary on what really matters to humanity – who we are – our hopes and dreams and everything that embodies meaningful life for you and the rest of the 7.6-Billion people on the planet.      

Atheists always avoid this and stick to the physical evolution argument – seeking only to embarrass Christians. And Christians keep chomping the baited hook. The more desperate atheists pretend the consciousness is an illusion. That makes it particularly easy to presume that YOU cease to exist once your body is dead. It fits with the primary atheist belief that human life has no meaning and purpose.    

And just in case you are wondering, yes, atheists are insulting you.  I don’t’ think my hopes and dreams are meaningless.  Do you?   Do you believe your feelings of love for others is pointless? Atheism says they ultimately are.

The entire debate lacks any beneficial conclusion because atheists and Christians are talking about completely different things.   In a way, the Bible’s description of how everything got here should be viewed as a preamble for what really matters – that is, YOU - the life force within you.   That wonderful, breathing part of you that science cannot find and for which the Bible embodies 6000 years of wisdom to help YOU experience a rich and meaningful existence while housed in your body and walking around on this planet.

There is more to say here. Christians need to look at their communications. Many interpretations of Genesis have been butchered from original meaning and deservedly receive rancor from atheists.   For more specifically  how the first two chapters of the Bible really should be interpreted, you can read Part 2 here: