An Encouragement to Think Critically
Evolution. It is a proven fact. Anyone who would challenge it is completely off their rocker. At least that was according to one speaker who was on campus a few weeks ago. But let’s stand back for a second and examine the ever-growing challenge to this theory.
There are still many people who do not believe in the theory of evolution, even though it is taught in more schools than not. Most of the people who do not believe in evolution as it is taught are skeptics due to their Christian faith and their literal interpretations of Genesis. Instead of being inclusive of this different interpretation of the beginning of the world, most of the mainstream scientific community has made them complete outsiders.
However, as a group called Answers in Genesis has shown, there are many creationist scientists out there, and they now have a voice. In fact, one of those voices was on campus on Monday, February 11, 2008. The Wabash Christian Men hosted Dr. Dave Menton from this group of world renowned scientists at Answers in Genesis.
Answers in Genesis was created by environmental biologist Ken Ham in 1994. It educates Christians of the importance of creationism to their faith (i.e. if you let the foundation of your faith be smashed, then the rest of the faith comes quickly to the ground), and it also educates the general public about some of the flaws of evolutionary theory that some secular scientists have just tried to push under the rug.
This movement is not just limited to a website or a few speakers here and there. Answers in Genesis opened (an estimated) $27 million dollar museum in Petersburg, Kentucky last May, and has had over a quarter million visitors to date. It enlists over one hundred professors and scientists. Some of its most vocal opponents have had their say too. In fact, one evolutionist made the comment that the museum is frightening because it actually makes the idea of creation look legitimate.
My argument in response to that is, “That’s because it is!” It is a legitimate theory! Answers in Genesis has managed to effectively incorporate Biblical history with that of fossil record. For example, what do we see in rock layers? “Billions of dead things, laid down by water, buried in rock layer, all over the earth.” What would a worldwide flood create? Shockingly – “Billions of dead things, laid down by water, buried in rock layer, all over the earth.”
What more could someone want? Evolution is a theory just as is creationism, and as Answers in Genesis shows, there are multiple flaws in some fundamental evolutionary ideas. One of these is carbon dating. In this example, lava (with a known cooling date) from the most recent eruption of Mt. Saint Helens was tested, and it was found to be thousands of years old. And this is what we call science?
Don’t get me wrong, I think evolution has its merits, and it obviously has many great minds trying to prove it. And I cannot claim to be an expert because I am not (I am not even a biology major). What bothers me, however, is how people who believe in creationism are put off as lunatics, outsiders in the scientific community.
I hope this will change over time. Already we see a movement happening across this campus and many others on this same subject. Ben Stein, host of Win Ben Stein’s Money and a noted, outspoken Jewish conservative has a movie being released called “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed.” He is taking this tour to campuses nationwide in order to help show that there is a distinct plot to keep creationists from gaining any ground in the scientific community. This is a rapidly growing movement right now, and I am ecstatic that Wabash College is among those that have begun to examine its merits.
I would like to laud the Wabash Christian Men for hosting such a speaker and being on the forefront of this issue, and I have hope that there will be many more discussions of this topic in the near future. What I thought was best about Dr. Menton coming to campus was this different perspective that he brought. As Wabash men, we are supposed to think critically. How can we think critically when one side is completely pushed out of the argument?
So let’s not stop there. Let’s continue to have discourse on this topic, because as you can see, this movement is just starting, and Wabash is a part of it. I would encourage everyone with questions to check out www.AnswersinGenesis.org so we can be critical thinkers about everything we do, say, and believe.
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