A fundamental philosophical battle has been taking place within society for over a century. The theory of evolution has gradually replaced creationism as the predominant view regarding our origin. While there are some who attempt to embrace and reconcile both worldviews, evolutionary theory has undoubtedly contributed to the widespread decline in belief in a supernatural Creator. Ironically, however, while belief in evolution has increased to the point where it is now largely unquestioned by the general populace, the scientific evidence for the theory has been quietly disintegrating. Advances in the areas of genetics, microbiology, chemistry and palaeontology have eroded the evidence base of the theory and undermined its scientific assumptions, revealing gaping flaws in the theory. As a result, many scientists now regard the theory as scientifically untenable and are calling for its official demise. (I have documented the mounting evidence against evolution and the growing scientific plea for the theory’s demise in my books “No More Monkey Business: Evolution in Crisis” and “7 Reasons to Believe”, as well as many articles on my website, SmartFaith.net).[1]
For example, in 2002, in response to the mounting scientific evidence contradicting the theory of evolution, many of the world’s leading scientists began to call for a symposium to determine the ongoing validity of the theory of evolution. In response, an international organisation of scientists was formed, called CESHE (Cercle d’Etudes Scientifique et Historique), headquartered in France.
It was a voluntary organisation comprised of many highly respected scientists, whose purpose was to determine whether the theory of evolution can still be considered to be a valid scientific theory. After a period of intense scrutiny and rigorous evaluation of all the evidence, this was their conclusion:
“The theory of evolution is not supported by science. Many scientists have accepted the theory because they assume it to be an established scientific fact. Those scientists who have investigated it, however, find that evolution is a belief, not a science.”
In July 2008, as the scientific integrity of the theory of evolution continued to unravel, a conference of the world’s leading evolutionist biologists was held in Altenberg, Austria. Entitled, Toward an Extended Evolutionary Synthesis, the purpose of the conference was to discuss the growing realisation that if natural selection (the slight variations within a species – which is an observable and undeniable process) cannot produce new species with completely new physical features, then Darwin’s theory is dead. The conference could not come up with a viable explanation of how natural selection could achieve this, given our current knowledge of genetics. After the conference, Dr. Jerry Fodor, of Rutgers University, is quoted as saying, “Basically I don’t think anybody knows how evolution works.”
These few examples represent the tip of the iceberg regarding the growing dissatisfaction with the theory of evolution among the scientific community. Evolution is far from proven and an increasing number of respected scientists are daring to voice their disbelief.
In 2001, respected Australian scientist, Dr. John Ashton, published the landmark book, “In Six Days; Why Fifty Scientists Choose To Believe in Creation”. His book contains fifty chapters, each written by a different Ph.D. scientist. Each of them provides extensive scientific arguments for their view that the theory of evolution is no longer scientifically tenable, and they explain the growing scientific evidence supporting creation. The contributing scientists are highly regarded internationally, and come from a wide range of fields including biology, chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, physics, zoology, astronomy, meteorology, engineering and botany.
In 2012, Dr John Ashton published the book, “Evolution Impossible: 12 Reasons Why Evolution Cannot Explain The Origin of Life on Earth”. The book provides a comprehensive discussion of the profound scientific flaws that have become apparent in the theory of evolution in recent years.
In 2014, respected geneticist, Dr. Casey Luskin, contributed a chapter to the book, “More Than Myth”, entitled “The Top Ten Scientific Problems with Biological and Chemical Evolution”. The chapter received world-wide attention, prompting many other scientists to voice similar concerns.
In his book, “God, Science and Evolution”, Dr. E.H. Andrews wrote;
“Speaking as a scientist, I believe that in another 20 years the theory of evolution will have been totally discredited, purely on scientific grounds. The enormous gaps in the theory are beginning to emerge – not, of course, in the popular versions of evolution, but in the findings of scientists who are studying these matters at depth.”
Scientific Prejudice
Despite the growing discontent with the theory of evolution within the scientific community, the theory continues to dominate the academic world and those who support it refuse to acknowledge the obvious flaws that have emerged in recent years. Furthermore, some evolutionary scientists in positions of influence have been known to unfairly target dissenting scientists. Dr. John F. Ashton, in his book, “Evolution Impossible”, cites the recent case of Dr. Gavriel Avital, the chief scientist for the Israeli Education Ministry, who was sacked for voicing his doubts concerning the validity of the theory of evolution. Similarly, the 2008 documentary film, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed”, included interviews with a number of scientists who had been sacked from their positions because they expressed disbelief in evolution. The film presented evidence of the blindly dogmatic allegiance to evolutionary theory within academia and the refusal of those in positions of authority to allow dialogue regarding alternate viewpoints.
Underlying this intransigence is a presuppositional atheistic philosophy. The theory of evolution does away with the need for a Creator, by providing an explanation for the origin of life based upon purely natural processes. This is an extremely appealing theory for the determined atheist, and scientists who align themselves with this philosophical viewpoint will fight vehemently to defend it.
Media Bias
The general public’s mistaken impression that evolution is irrefutably proven is largely the result of glaring bias in both the education system and popular media. Regarding the media, there is significant evidence of evolutionary bias in general reporting and in the production of documentaries and films. Cameron Horn’s 1997 book, “Science V Truth”, provides a disturbing expose´ of evolutionary media bias within the Australian media. Citing hundreds of specific examples, Horn reveals a shocking litany of intimidation, censorship and misrepresentation of the creationist viewpoint and the shameless promotion of evolutionary and atheistic philosophy through unbalanced reporting.
A classic case of this was the July 17, 1997 episode of the ABC Science program, Quantum. The producers of the program decided to dedicate part of this episode to the creation / evolution debate. Researchers for the program contacted several scientists from the Creation Science Foundation, asking for interviews, with the promise that the resulting segment would be fair and equitable. Here is what resulted:
- When the segment finally aired, it was given the title, “Telling Lies For God” and was totally disparaging towards the creationist viewpoint.
- Of the 28 minutes total broadcast time, 20 minutes was dedicated to pro-evolutionary arguments and only 7 minutes was dedicated to the creationist arguments (1 minute was neutral).
- The creationists arguments were heavily redacted, with their most powerful arguments omitted entirely. The portions of their comments that were featured were little more than set ups for the evolutionary arguments.
- The evolutionary scientists were always referred to by their first names, while the creation scientists were referred to by their surnames.
- The video imagery was also shockingly biased. Evolutionists were filmed in attractive outdoor settings – beaches and hillsides – as well as footage of them lecturing to large numbers at university. By comparison, most of the footage of the creationists was shot in church with excruciatingly out-of-tune singing. Cameron Horn, in his book, “Science V Truth”, points out further imbalance in the filming: “The only outdoor shots of creationists resulted from the ABC unit staking out the home of Peter and Cathy Sparrow, whose Creation Bus was then ‘buzzed’ by the TV crew at high speed on the open highway. There was also an attempt to film a meeting through a window without permission.”
This kind of blatant bias and unbalanced reporting permeates almost every instance of media coverage of the creation / evolution debate, not only in Australia but in the western world generally. The Australian ABC’s TV show, “Q and A”, is a serial offender, regularly stacking the panel with an array of highly qualified atheists and evolutionists and pitting them against a single “out-gunned” creationist.
A classic case was the 8th March 2010 episode of “Q and A”, entitled “God, Science and Sanity”, where the producers pitted Senator Steve Fielding, the federal parliamentary leader of the Family First Party, against Dr. Richard Dawkins, a qualified scientist and outspoken atheist and evolutionist. Senator Fielding, a Bible believing Christian, was the sole representative of the creationist viewpoint on the panel, and was constantly asked to defend his position in response to the technical, scientific onslaught from Dr. Dawkins. Senator Fielding repeatedly responded by confessing that he was just an ordinary Christian without scientific training, and that he was not able to comment on the technical aspects of Dr. Dawkins’ arguments. On more than one occasion Senator Fielding expressed surprise that he was being asked to comment on scientific matters when he was unqualified to do so, and expressed puzzlement as to why the producers hadn’t invited a properly qualified creation scientist to participate on the panel. Why indeed! The answer, it appears, is that the producers had absolutely no desire to arrange an even-handed debate, but simply wanted to feed another Christian to the lions!
Media imbalance is also seen in the disproportionate number of evolutionary documentaries that are produced when compared with documentaries that offer a creationist perspective. Subscription channels such as National Geographic and Discovery, as well as free to air TV stations, are replete with documentaries and science programs that portray evolution as an indisputable fact. One can only surmise that there is a strong evolutionary / atheistic bias among those responsible for programming and budget allocation.
Given this extraordinary bias towards evolution in the media, it is no wonder that the general public are convinced of its truth. But for anyone who takes the time and effort to peel back the curtain of popular media programming and actually investigate the hard evidence, a very different picture emerges. While popular media gives the impression of overwhelming consensus within the scientific community regarding evolution, the reality is that there is strong and growing disagreement regarding some of the fundamental assumptions of evolution. While the impression is given of complete confidence, the reality is an increasing atmosphere of doubt and uncertainty. And instead of a vast body of incontestable supporting evidence, the truth is that the evidence-base for evolution is dwindling rapidly, to the point where the theory is in crisis.
As Dr. E.H. Andrews states,
“The popular impression is given that evolution is scientifically proven. This view is terribly biased and ignores the yawning chasms in the theory which make it unacceptable to me as a scientist.”
DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
What’s all the fuss about? Does it really matter whether evolution is true or not? I regularly come into contact with people who express the view that the evolution / creation debate is irrelevant and a waste of time. Their attitude is, “Let’s get on with living life now, rather than engaging in debate about what may or may not have happened in the past! There are much more important issues that need to be addressed in the present!”
While I understand this viewpoint, I strongly disagree. Evolutionary theory has been one of the driving forces behind the dramatic increase in atheism and agnosticism within Western society. By providing an explanation for the origin and development of life that sidesteps the necessity for a Creator, evolutionary theory has provided people with the perfect excuse to dismiss God and to embrace a secular approach to life in which they no longer see themselves as ultimately accountable to a supreme moral being. This has had a profound impact upon societal morals, including the advent of relativism (the idea that there is no absolute right or wrong) and pluralism (the concept that all views are equally valid). It has also resulted in a dramatic decline in the number of people who profess some form of theistic belief, as indicated by census data and other sociological surveys.
Dr. Richard Dawkins, the renowned evolutionist and outspoken atheist, commented:
“Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.”
In response to this downward slide of faith, however, there are many voices now daring to speak up. They point out the glaring faults in the theory of evolution, and the growing body of contrary evidence. They identify the impressive and rapidly accumulating evidence for intelligent design within the universe and the existence of incredibly complex biological features which cannot be explained by natural processes. They dare to speak of the scientific evidence for a Creator.
The evolution / creation debate is not an irrelevance. It is foundational to our sense of meaning and purpose. Because if evolution is not true, if we did not evolve via random processes from primordial slime, then we are left with the only logical, viable, alternate explanation; that we were created by an infinite, all-powerful God. And if that is true, it changes everything! For more information, check out the new video SmartFaith series, “Evidence for Belief”, with new episodes dropping each week from 1st November, 2024.
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] “7 Reasons to Believe” and “No More Monkey Business: Evolution in Crisis” – available from SmartFaith.net and Amazon.