I recently saw a young man being praised for his determination and conviction and winning a battle to have any mention of creationism removed from his high school science curriculum. I wanted to cry.
As a young child I was taught to believe in God as the creator of heaven and earth; Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." My father was a Pentecostal Minister, and my mother was a woman of great faith. I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior at a very early age.
The debate of whether there is a God or not has gone on long before me and will continue for as long as the earth exists - we need to continue to ask questions, explore possibilities and develop our hypotheses. But, was Darwin right with his belief that we really evolved from primates? Could the earth's inhabitants, as we know them today evolved from molecular structures into so many different types and forms of life? And, if he was correct in his theory, then how did he account for the vast differences between animal, plant, fowl, fish and man?
It has been a while since I took high school or college science, but my memory is not totally gone. I believe that to prove a scientific fact one must be able to repeat, observe and measure the process and results. That being said, one would be hard pressed to prove either creationism (intelligent design) or evolution. Since more questions are left unanswered than answered, one could more readily accept intelligent design over evolution. Especially when they or someone they love is in pain, suffering or dying. I don't think too many emergency room patients and their families are looking to Darwin's theory for consolation when they see and/or feel life slipping away.
This of course begs the question about dinosaurs, fossils, and the many geological features and facts that we have studied in our history and science classes. I am not denying these things existed. I am not denying that man has evolved into a more intelligent and curious being. I am just saying that time changes many things; human beings are not exempt from evolving. Two hundred years from now the people who walk this earth will be brighter than those of us today. As more systems, communication devices, and information gathering resources become more readily available people will surely take advantage of them allowing for growth and understanding, thus becoming more capable and possibly more dangerous beings; we will have evolved. Evolution is a process, not a denial of intelligent design.
If, for whatever reason, one ceases to believe in God on what do they set their moral compass? If there is only a process of continuous evolution beginning with mere atoms and dust, where does one go for encouragement when they feel depressed or defeated; comfort when they have lost a loved one to cancer or accident; faith when they see their baby daughter lowered into the ground; or hope when the doctor shakes her head and says "I'm sorry?"
When I was 16 I thought I had the world on a string. I thought I knew as much as I would ever know and that the world had better look out because I was on my way. How wrong I was. I still make a bunch of mistakes - daily. I still don't say and do the right thing every time, and Lord knows I need all of the patience he can give me while I continue this journey of listening, learning and praying.
If I am wrong, and if the world is a result of a big bang that took place millions of light years away - don't tell me. I know in my heart, in my head and in my soul that there is a God. I know that scientific theories have saved many lives and will continue to do so. I know that there are doctors who scratch their heads daily and proclaim the patient to be well because of a "miracle" that they can't explain. I also know that some day in the future, when that young man who has been recognized and praised for his determination and conviction, looks into the face of a sick child, a dying spouse or parent suffering from an incurable illness, he won't be thinking about Darwin and his theory, he won't be thinking about whether or not the earth as he knows it came about because of intelligent design or evolution from atoms and dust. That young man will no longer be 16. He will be looking to the heavens and begging God to do something - anything to ease the pain of his loved ones.
As in many of my past commentaries I am certain that I will receive comments on this article as well, but I tell you now, that while evolutionists go about making their arguments and defending their positions against creationism, they will never win me over. In my mind there is a God. I believe as John stated in the Bible, John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Vicki Westling is a Dunkirk resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com
