The Bible Explained, part 19F/40: Creation and Evolution: Science and Faith

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THE BIBLE EXPLAINED

A Guide to the Holy Bible
for Parents and Teenagers

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Where did you come from?
What is your purpose?
What happens when you die?

These questions--and more--are answered in 'The
Bible Explained', which is based on the teachings
of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is a collection
of ancient books which claim to be the word of the
one and only God. This one and only God claims to
be the sole creator, owner, and sustainer of all
things; he further claims to hold the one and only
key to eternal life. Are these claims true? Get
the facts and then decide for yourself.

This document is meant to be understood by everyone,
and is therefore written in plain, simple language,
avoiding complex religious jargon.

Understand the Bible like never before.

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Introduction
Quest for Truth
The Holy Bible
Origin and Destiny
The Big Picture: Good and Evil
The Story of Man
The Purpose of the Earth
The Standard and the Test
Work: The Key to Success and Life
Pyramid Society
Failure of Man
Male and Female
Family Relationships
Marriage and Family
Sexual Immorality
The Value of Life
Multiplication and Overpopulation
Racism
Creation and Evolution
Government
Politics
Justice
Words, Speech, and Censorship
Church Matters
Monotheism, Jews, and Christians
Temptation
The Nature of Evil
Life and Death of Satan
Reincarnation
The Rapture
The End Times
The Near Future
Preparing for the Future
Groups and Labels
Understanding Judgement
Preparing for Death
Conclusion
Appendix A: Questions and Answers
Appendix B: The Ten Commandments
Appendix C: Marriage

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-----<excerpt from book>

Science and Faith

The ongoing battle between good and evil is most apparent in the realms of politics, religion, education, media, and science. In the field of science, the fundamental issue is one of origins: Does the universe exist? If so, why does it exist? How did it come to exist? Has it always existed? Why does it continue to exist? What holds it up? Why does it not collapse? Why are things orderly and predictable?

Science Defined: "Science is a branch of knowledge conducted on objective principles involving the systematized observation of and experiment with phenomena." [Oxford Dictionary] As you can see, science is based on observation; science is not based on assumptions or speculation. Nevertheless, before scientific observations and experiments can be performed, we must make certain assumptions, such as the existence of truth, intelligence, law, order, and the universe.

Requirements of Science: Science is a quest for truth via observation, experimentation, and repetition. Therefore, science requires the existence of truth, law, and order. Not only must these things be present, they must also be consistent throughout time and uniform throughout space. If the universe is the product of chance and randomness, science would be impossible, since nothing would be predictable or repeatable. Science is possible because of the consistency and uniformity of law and order throughout the universe.

Science and Speculation: Since science is based on observation, it can tell us things about the present; however, it cannot inform us about the past or future, since we cannot observe things in the past or things in the future. If someone tells you that a particular event will occur several million years in the future, would you believe him? If someone tells you that a particular event occurred several million years in the past, would you believe him? Science is based on observation -- not speculation.

Temporal or Eternal Universe: The universe -- in its current state -- has not always existed. We know this because the universe is currently in a state of decay, which could not have been ongoing forever. For example, stars are the energy sources of the universe; however, stars are currently exhausting their limited supply of fuel -- and will eventually burn out, resulting in a cold, lifeless cosmos. If the universe -- in its current state -- has not always existed, when and how did it come to be as it is today?

Origin of the Universe: There are two popular stories about the origin of the universe: Creation and the Big Bang. Biblical creation is based on the biblical text which states that the universe was created about 6000 years ago by an intelligent, immortal, omnipresent, immaterial being who knows all things and possesses all power; the Big Bang is based on the theory that the universe burst into existence from a single point of highly compressed matter. The date for the Big Bang varies from about 8 billion years to about 20 billion years, but is subject to revision as new information becomes available through observation and analysis. As far as I know, the Big Bang model does not explain the origin of the initial matter or what caused it to expand into its current form; nor does it explain the origin of the laws which guide the universe.

Origin of Laws: Nothing can exist without law. At the moment something comes into existence, there must be laws to guide it. Thus, the existence of laws must precede the arrival of matter. Do laws exist? If so, what is their source? What are they made of? Are laws material or immaterial? If material, can they be measured on a scale, poured out into a test tube, or viewed under a microscope? If laws are immaterial, they must come from an immaterial source, which must be ever-present and everywhere in order to uphold them. If laws are immaterial, then they cannot exist in a purely material universe. If laws are immaterial, do other immaterial things exist besides laws?

Source of Laws: Before laws come into existence, something more fundamental is needed: will. Will initiates action; nothing happens without will. But what is the source of will? What is will made of? Will requires mind, which is immaterial. Thus, material phenomena can come into existence only if initiated by immaterial phenomena.

Substance of Thoughts: Can humans think? If so, what are thoughts made of? Are thoughts natural or supernatural? There are those who believe that human thoughts are the result of random chemical reactions in our brains. If the chemical reactions are not random but guided, then we must ask: Guided by whom? According to the Bible, spirit is master of matter; that is, without the initiating power of spirit, matter can do nothing: "The body without the spirit is dead." [James 2:26] No action ever occurs in the physical realm without it first being initiated in the spirit realm. "There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding." [Job 32:8]

Reason and Understanding: In trying to make sense of things, we automatically make certain assumptions, such as the existence of truth, information, intelligence, logic, reason, thoughts, etc. Notice that all these things are immaterial. Therefore, we also assume the existence of immaterial phenomena. The foundation of knowledge is truth, which is absolute, since truth cannot change from time to time or from place to place. Therefore, truth is omnipresent and immortal -- it has always been, will always be, and never changes. In summary, the acknowledgement of truth is the beginning of knowledge; if we do not acknowledge the existence of truth, we can never know anything for certain.

Science Requires Observation: Did Shakespeare write 'Hamlet'? Since we did not observe the event, we take it on faith that he did or take it on faith that he did not. Did the Holocaust occur? Most of us don't know, since we did not witness it, so we take it on faith that it occurred or take it on faith that it did not occur. Did hijackers fly jumbo jets into the World Trade Center towers in New York City on September 11, 2001? Yes. We know this because we witnessed it for ourselves. Future generations will claim that 9-11 did not occur, or that it was a hoax, and there will be various conspiracy theories about it. In summary, unless you witness something for yourself, you must take it on faith that the event occurred or take it on faith that the event did not occur: Science is based on observation, not on faith.

Your Worldview: How do you view the world? There are essentially two worldviews: Creation and Evolution. Your worldview determines how you interpret information. The creationist sees intelligence and design in everything; the evolutionist sees chance and randomness in everything. The creationist believes in the existence of truth, law, order, intelligence, etc.; the evolutionist believes all things are products of blind chance and randomness. There is one major difference between Creation and Evolution: creationists claim to have an eyewitness record of creation written by the creator himself, whereas evolutionists make no claim to a similar document. Since both Creation and Evolution allegedly occurred in the distant, unobservable past and cannot be repeated in the present, both Creation and Evolution are articles of faith. In other words, both Creation and Evolution are religions -- in the sense that they are both belief-based systems about the distant, unobservable past. (Remember: science is based on observation; religion is based on belief.)

Key to the Past: Some may claim that the present is the key to the past; that is, present processes can be extrapolated indefinitely into the past. However, this idea falls apart when scrutinized, since the universe is in a state of decay, which could not have been going on forever. For example, the sun could not have been burning forever, since it has a limited supply of fuel; the earth's rate of rotation is slowing; the moon is gradually moving away from the earth; the strength of the earth's magnetic field is diminishing, etc. We can see that the universe is in a state of decay which could not have been ongoing forever. When did this decay begin? What caused it? The Bible tells us that the universe was created perfect (perpetual), but later fell into a state of decay as a consequence of man's rebellion against his creator.

Looking Back: If the Genesis account of creation is fact, then we cannot see into the past beyond the fall of man, which occurred about six thousand years ago. Why? Because there was a fundamental change in the creation at the fall of man -- that change being the introduction of decay and death into the creation. Initially, God's creation was perfect: that is, it was without decay and without death. But decay and death began at the fall of man. In other words, the current laws that govern the creation apply regressively only to the point of man's fall; we do not know what the creation was like prior to man's fall. The only humans who knew both the perfect and imperfect creation were, of course, Adam and Eve. In summary, if we look back in time, we can see only to the point of man's fall, since the laws that govern the creation were fundamentally changed at that point. Note that the laws will once again change when the creation is restored to its original state of perfection: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." [Revelation 21:1]

Natural Science: Most scientific inquiries make one fatal assumption: that all physical matter is in a state of natural decay -- without any external force having acted, or continuing to act, upon it. So long as the natural scientist refuses to acknowledge the existence of the supernatural, he will be groping in the dark -- and will never know anything for certain, since God will always be the missing ingredient in all his scientific inquiries; all his knowledge will be relative -- not absolute, as absolute knowledge is the exclusive domain of God. God frequently alters the laws of nature and the universe; these events are commonly referred to as 'miracles'. In the face of such instability, how can anything be known for certain? In order to understand the creation, one must first acknowledge the creator. If you do not acknowledge God, nothing will ever make complete sense -- there will always be something missing. "The acknowledgement of God is the beginning of knowledge." [Proverbs 1:7] If all your knowledge is based on natural science, know that God is able to instantly change all the laws of the universe, thereby making your knowledge obsolete: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." [Revelation 21:1] So, should the natural scientist simply abandon his pursuits? Not at all. God is in the details -- keep looking: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge." [Psalm 19:1-2] "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." [Romans 1:20]

Backwards Thinking: The natural scientist's greatest obstacle to real knowledge is 'backwards thinking': the notion that material phenomena can produce immaterial phenomena -- such as information, logic, intelligence, thoughts, etc. Nothing can exist without laws; before something can come into existence, laws must be present to guide it. Laws are immaterial. Therefore, immaterial phenomena must always precede material phenomena; material phenomena can never precede or initiate immaterial phenomena. Immaterial phenomena may give birth to material phenomena, but material phenomena can never give birth to immaterial phenomena -- such as thoughts. To illustrate: In a purely natural world, how are thoughts produced? Are thoughts produced by random chemical reactions in our brains? If the chemical reactions are not random, then they must be guided. Guided by whom or what? Where is the guide? What is the guide made of? What is the purpose of the guide? Where was the guide before the universe came into being?

-----<availability>

The above book is available for purchase at:

http://www.amazon.com

Search for:
TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN-10: "1468197061"
ISBN-13: "9781468197068"

Or try this direct link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bible-Explained-Parents-Teenagers/dp/1468197061

-----<copyright notice>

The above excerpt from 'The Bible Explained' is copyright
2010 by Arrant Knave. All rights reserved. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means without the
prior written permission of the publisher, except by a
reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be
printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are
taken from the New King James Version (R). Copyright (C)
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.

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