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March 26, 2006 Mural Worthey The Theory of
Organic Evolution Introduction a) Mark Twain wrote: “There is something
fascinating about science. One gets such
wholesale returns of conjectures out of such a trifling investment of
facts.” (Life on the b) Evolutionists, like Stephen Jay Gould
of Harvard, insist that evolution is a fact, not a theory. It is just as true as gravity. c) Organic evolution did not begin with
Charles Robert Darwin or his grandfather, Erasmus, in the 19th
century. Ancient Greeks, like Epicurus
and Aristotle, advanced the theory as well. d) Once the theory of organic evolution
is stated clearly and understood, the differences between biblical faith and
evolution will be self-evident. I.
Definitions in the Theory of
Evolution 1) Organic evolution: organic evolution is
the theory that living matter, both plants and animals, evolve gradually over
millions of years. 2) Inorganic refers to inanimate matter,
like rocks and water and air and fire. Yet,
organic evolution includes these as well in its theory. The beginning of life, according to them, was
inanimate matter and anti-matter. 3) The Big Bang came about because equal
particles of matter came into contact with anti-matter. The explosion destroyed all those particles,
except one. From that one particle all
forms of life evolved. 4) A careful distinction ought to be
made between micro-evolution (changes within species or kinds) and the general
theory of organic evolution (inclusive of all living things). II.
Quotes from Charles Darwin “I
believe that animals are descended from at most only four or five progenitors,
and plants from an equal or lesser number. . . Analogy would lead me one step
farther, namely, to the belief that all animals and plants are descended from
some one prototype. But analogy may be a
deceitful guide.” (Origin, 642.) “That
many and serious objections may be advanced against the theory of descent with
modification through variation and natural selection, I do not deny. I have endeavored to give them their full
force. Nothing at first can appear more
difficult to believe than that the more complex organs and instincts have been
perfected, not by means superior to, though analogous with, human reason, but
by the accumulation of innumerable slight variations, each good for the
individual possessor. Nevertheless, this
difficulty, though appearing to our imagination insuperably great, cannot be
considered real if we admit the following propositions, namely, that all parts
of the organization and instincts offer, at least, individual differences—that
there is a struggle for existence leading to the preservation of profitable
deviations of structure or instinct—and, lastly, that gradations in the state
of perfection of each organ may have existed, each good of its kind. The truth of these propositions cannot, I
think, be disputed.” (Ibid, 612-13.) “There
is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been
originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that,
whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity,
from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have
been, and are being evolved.” (Ibid, 649,
last sentence in book.) III.
The Mechanics of Organic Evolution 1) Theistic evolution believes that God
started the process by creating the first matter and natural laws that drive
evolution. 2) Atheistic evolution denies the
existence of the Creator; only matter exists with natural driving
forces. 3) Acquired traits were believed to be inheritable
according to Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829).
This is rejected today. 4) Today, evolutionists follow 5) Survival of the fittest is a driving force because most
species produce far more offspring than can possibly survive. a. Why giraffes have long necks—need to
reach leaves. b. But why do other animals have short
necks? c. Why do female giraffes have necks two
feet shorter? d. Some species co-operate to survive,
like ants. e. The fittest do not always
survive. (Eccl. 9:11.) 6) Mutations were presented by a Dutch botanist,
Hugo de Vries, as an example for changes in species. a. Mutations cause sudden changes to
appear. b. Radical changes have occurred and do
occur. c. Caused by defective genes, chemicals,
etc. d. Man can produce hornless cattle, seedless
oranges. e. Mutations are rare, almost always
harmful, and are incapable of producing a new species. 7) Time is a necessary component in any
theory of evolution. a. Organic evolution requires millions
of years. b. The theory goes off the chart into a
pre-historic time zone, and into the future to be yet discovered. c. It is pre- and post-history in its
scope. d. Could something inanimate or
inorganic become organic given enough time? e. Even theistic evolution requires much
time because “god” created matter and left it alone to evolve. 8) Spontaneous generation
causes sudden leaps forward. IV.
Supposed Proofs for Organic Evolution 1) Similarity of structures is offered as proof of evolution. a. Wings of bats, hands of man, feet of
ducks are similar. b. Internal structures: circulatory,
respiratory, muscular and skeletal systems are similar in animals and man. c. Answer: organisms inhabit the same
earth and made by same Creator. d. But animals and man are not like
plants. 2) Vestigial structures: organs that are no longer needed. a. Wings of the ostrich; tonsils,
appendix, ear muscles and wisdom teeth in humans. b. Medical scientists have changed their
minds about many of those structures.
Pituitary gland was once thought to be vestigial, but now is called the
“master gland” of the human body. c. Appendix is believed to be useful
more in infancy than in adults; doctors are reluctant to remove it from an
infant. 3) Embryology: the human embryo recapitulates
evolutionary history! a. From conception, the embryo goes from
a single-cell to a sort of jellyfish, then worm stage, develops a backbone, and
at birth it is a human baby! b. This notion conceived in the 19th
century is absolutely false. c. Some have argued for abortion on the
basis of this false idea. If you abort
the embryo before birth, you are not killing a human being, they contend. 4) The fossil record—past history in rocks and fossils a. b. “Geology assuredly does not reveal
any such finely-graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious
and serious objection which can be urge against the theory. The explanation lies, as I believe, in the
extreme imperfection of the geological record.”
(Origin, 646.) c. If evolution were true, we would find
one-celled organisms in the deepest and oldest rock strata, then the most
complex forms in the most recent strata.
But this is not the record. d. Life began and ended suddenly
according to the fossils. e. There are no intermediate forms or
“the missing link.” f. There should be many missing links,
not just one. 5) Existence of Dinosaurs—ancient animals now extinct. a. Many students became evolutionists
after studying dinosaurs. They are a great teaching aid. b. Why are they not mentioned in the
Bible? The word is from two Greek words
which mean “terrible lizards.” The word
was coined in 1842; thus the word, dinosaur, does not occur. c. Other biblical words, like behemoth,
may refer to them. (Job 40 & 41.) d. Did they live millions of years
ago? Evolutionists say that dinosaurs
lived 200 million years ago and man came onto the scene only 2-3 million years
ago. e. Their bones are found in the same
strata as human beings. All animals were
created on the same day that man was created. f. Dinosaurs do not prove evolution to
be true. Conclusions; Biblical texts Genesis 1
& 2, Exodus 20:11, Psalms 33:6-9, Psalms 148:1-6 Mark 10:6,
John 11:9, John 1:1-3, |