Evolution, The Humanist Religion

The best statement which can be made concerning evolution is that the

only proof

of change from the simple to complex, from the primitive to the modern

has been in the theory of evolution itself. As the supposed age of the

earth was pushed back into the archean mists of time --a backhanded

acknowledgement that the complexity of God's creation is overwhelming--

the estimated age of the earth (in evolutionary terms) has doubled six

times over since 1900. The sextupling of years is not, as evolutionists

would have us believe, merely the result of a more reliable and

increasingly accurate scientific method. It is the result of a growing

awareness that not all is well with Darwins enigma.

Charles Darwin, in his Origin of Species, presented an ancient

argument against

the Special Creation of each individual being. Darwin argued that no

species has been created, but that rather through the process of natural

selection all species trace their ancestry back to several primary

beings. Natural selection became Darwin's god, a god of nature,

choosing, preserving, and enhancing the genetic variations, which were

the result of adapting to and surviving in the wild. Each organism was

thought to pass on these acquired characteristics to succeeding

generations, thus preparing them for the struggle to survive in a hostile

environment. Eventually, it was believed, these newly acquired

characteristics would create a new (perhaps more vigorous) species.

It is unfortunate that Darwin was unaware of Gregor Mendel's

pioneering work with common garden peas. It was not until the 6th

edition of his book that Darwin hinted at evidence contrary to his view

of natural selection. Mendel's work provided verifiable proof that

species pass on characteristics (though they may become recessive) to its

offspring.

Darwin's ideas about natural selection presupposed that

through the blending of characteristics only those beneficial to

speciation would be preserved. It was presumed to be as simple as mixing

paint (as in mixing black and white to achieve grey) where the original

parent material is lost forever. Darwin believed that the blend would be

inherited and that through this process evolved the entire plant and

animal kingdoms.

Despite his beliefs Darwin knew that there existed no

concrete evidence for much of what he wrote, thus he hoped that future

generations would provide the evidence needed to bolster the stillborn

theory of evolution.

The next article in this series will begin with the Scopes Monkey

Trial.

In the 1920's, during the Scope's Monkey Trial, Clarence Darrow

presented the Nebraska Man as proof of evolution. This tooth was later

discovered to be from an extinct pig. Darrow's arguments did not sway

the jury, however, and his famous client was convicted of breaking the

law.