Creation, Evolution, or What?

Question

I've been very confused as of late. I grew up believing in Darwin's theroy of Evolution, but I cannot be certain. I also do not believe in Creation because if this were to be, then where did the creators come from and what created them? I also do not believe in the Big Bang theroy because something cannot be created from nothing.
I would like to see some opinions of people regarding this topic and their views. It would also be very helpful if you were to have backed up facts for each theroy, links, etc...Thanks!

Answer 1

Let me give you one of the many arguments for the existence of God, the cosmological argument. The argument is simply this: The cosmos is here and must be explained as to how it got here. This argument is using the law of cause and effect, which states: every effect must have a preceding and adequate cause (the cause must come first and be adequate). What does it mean by adequate? Well, the building didn’t collapse because a mosquito landed on it. The tsunami didn’t hit because someone threw a pebble into the ocean.

Now, when it comes to explaining the existence of the universe, you only get three possibilities: (1) the universe is eternal (it has always been here), (2) the universe created itself, or (3) something created the universe. There is no other possibility except to claim that the universe is simply an illusion and does not exist—but I don’t think you would buy that. So let’s examine these three possibilities to see which is the most reasonable.

First, is the universe eternal? Absolutely not. We know this is true because of the universally recognized second law of Thermodynamics (the law of energy decay or entropy). This law states that everything goes downhill from order to disorder, more usable energy to less. This law is the reason why heat flows from hot to cold and why this building will fall apart if it is not kept up with. If someone doesn’t believe in the second law of thermodynamics, just challenge them to live forever; even with this awesome machinery we have in our bodies, you will eventually wear out and die.

We can see that the universe is running down and wearing out; the stars are burning up, the radioactive atoms are decaying, etc. As Psalm 102:26 says, the heavens “will wear out like a garment.” Given enough time, the universe will experience what some call a “heat death” where there is maximum entropy; every part of the universe will be the same temperature, and no further work will be possible (speaking of energy transfer); all energy will be evenly distributed.

Eternal things obviously do not wear out because they would have had an infinite amount of time to come to their end. Since you cannot have an end without a beginning, the universe must have had a beginning. Evolutionary astronomer Dr. Robert Jastrow said, “Now three lines of evidence—the motions of the galaxies, the laws of thermodynamics, the life story of the stars—pointed to one conclusion; all indicated that the Universe had a beginning.” And everything that has a beginning has a cause. This building had a beginning, you had a beginning, therefore there must have been a preceding and adequate cause.

The evolutionists know this and so they came up with the “big bang” theory from that “cosmic egg” (the universe exploded into existence). But there is still a major problem—you have to explain where that “cosmic egg” came from. As it has been said, “There must be a cosmic chicken.”

Some scientists like Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov proposed the oscillating universe theory to avoid a beginning. This theory states that the universe acts like a yo-yo; it explodes and then gravity pulls it back in, and then the process repeats itself over and over. But the second law of Thermodynamics still refutes that idea, since each cycle would exhaust more and more usable energy. The universe is not eternal!

Ok, that brings us to the second possibility: Did the universe create itself? I think Hebrews 3:4 answers that pretty well, “...every house is built by someone...” Let’s say I walk into my livingroom and see a crayon drawing of our family on the wall. When I ask my daughter where it came from, will I accept her answer of, “It just appeared there; it came from nothing”? Her grandparents might, but I won’t.

It is pretty clear that something cannot bring itself into existence. As R.C. Sproul has said, “It is impossible for something to create itself. The concept of self-creation is a contradiction in terms, a nonsense statement . . . It would have to have the causal power of being before it was. It would have to have the power of being before it had any being with which to exercise that power.” As it has been said, “Nothing scratched its head one day and decided to become something.” I’m sorry to have to drop this bombshell on you, but from nothing, comes nothing.

Besides, the First Law of Thermodynamics (the law of energy conservation) argues against it. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that in a closed system (without a God, this Universe would have to be a closed system) the amount of energy present in that system is constant (it cannot be created or destroyed), it can only be converted from one form to another. So, if the Universe initially contained no energy, and then it spontaneously generated all of the energy in the Universe, the First Law would be violated. Without intervention from an outside force, the amount of energy in the Universe would have remained constant and unchanged at zero.

And now the third possibility: Did something create the universe? If the universe is not eternal and could not have created itself, then the only remaining alternative is that the universe was created by something or Someone. This would have to be a transcendent, eternal, self-existing being. I can find only one satisfactory explanation to our conundrum, and that is found in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Someone may argue, “If the universe needs a cause, then why doesn’t God need a cause; who created God?” The answer is, everything that has a beginning has a cause; God, unlike the universe, did not have a beginning. Time is linked to matter and space (as we can see from Einstein’s general relativity). If God created the universe, then He created time along with matter and space. If God created time, then He is outside of time and doesn’t need a beginning.

What is more absurd, to believe that God Created everything out of nothing or that nothing turned itself into everything? The fact is, we live in a Universe that is an effect. There must be a preceding and adequate cause for it. The only thing that makes sense is a Creator who is more powerful than anything we can imagine.

Answer 2

First, let's start with some terminology.
Evolution is a biological theory that states that species with more favorable traits will survive better, carry those traits on with them, and, through adaptation and genetic mutation, eventually become new species. You cannot refuse to "believe in" the existence of "evolution" any more than you can "refuse" to believe in the extistence of your computer, because it is observable. You can take tsetse flies (which reproduce very quickly) put them in different controlled environments, and, in a matter of a few hundred, or thousand generations, the new flies will have adapted to those environments (darkness, confined spaces, etc.) Any knowledgeable person must recognize this proveable fact. Now, "human evolution" is a different story. Although most scientists fully embrace Darwinian _human_ evolution, and the idea that humans developed purely by chance, because intellect made the species survive rather than strength, there are certainly intellectual arguments left over for the idea that there was some guiding force, some "intelligent design" to the creation of humans, whether in a few million years or in a few thousand, or in a few days.

Creationism requires a belief in a supreme diety that is omnipresent and eternal. Humans have no capacity for eternity because of our concept of time. But merely because we have no way to conceptualize eternity does not mean eternity exists. Imagine an ant walking on a surface. In front of the ant is a tree. He continues to walk forward, up the tree. He's now walked "up," but the ant recognizes only four directions, forward, backward, left and right. But just because he cannot recognize "up" doesn't mean that he has not actuall ascended.


In addition, the "Big Bang" is the only viable scientific theory of the origins of the universe. This is based upon scientific observation that the universe is expanding (rapidly, and in fact is accellerating) and because we can "see" the outer edges of the universe (i.e. what it was like before planets and stars were created in our space of the universe) and observe characteristcs of that "early universe" that would be consistent with the idea of the Big Bang.
What was the _cause_ of the Big Bang, and what was in existence prior to the big bang (a different universe with different laws of physics? nothingness? ) is a different question from whether the Big Bang occurred or when it occurred.

Why are you uncertain about Darwinian evolution? Because there's too much chance? Because humans are too complex of creatures to evolve over millions of years from what is essentially a few protein strands? Then you may want to check out "intelligent design" as a quasi-religious theory.

But if you reject any sort of omnipresent diety, and you reject the scientifically observable theory, then I suggest you go into evolutionary biology and find something new for all of us!

EDIT: Some of the responses you've received have only muddied the waters.
Like this:
If we evolved from monkeys, then why do we still have monkeys?

We did NOT evolve from monkeys; Dawrwinian human evolution and the fossil record demonstrates that monkeys (well, especially apes and chimps) and humans had a common ancestor and that both species evolved from those common ancestors based upon the natural selection characteristics most important at the time (note that chimps do have some advantages over humans -- much more mobile, have prehensile thumbs on their feet for added dexterity... some have tails for extra strength and mobility). No one ever says "if we evolved from fish, then why do we still have fishes" But the fossil record indicates the earliest animals were water based animals only. The carp on your plate and the kid who's eating it shared a common ancestor (although that ancestry goes back millions more years than the common ape/human ancestry).

Answer 3

Great Question

This will have a ton of answers so be ready to read alot. Most will be atheists and evolutionists telling you creation is a lie and is not supported by science while the creationists will tell you that God created everything and is eternal.

I am a Christian and have studied the debate of Creation vs. Evolution for 6 years.(BTW, Case for a Creator, awesome book) Evolutionists say that creationists are believing something that they can't see. Well, evolutionists can't answer a lot of questions without skewing facts or withholding information to make their side seem right. A lot of what evolutionists believe is based on faith. They say they "know" what happened a million years ago and how the earth formed and how the universe came from a big bang. Well, were they there? No. They don't know what happened, they will tell you what they think happened and tell you it is fact when it is not. so, evolution takes as much faith to believe in, if not more faith, than creation.

Evolutionist will call the theory of evolution "fact." they will not call it truth because they don't know what that is. there are too many holes in the theory.

I find a lot of evolutionists cannot hold their side in a debate. evolution is an excuse for people to live their lives the way they want to instead of following christ. they see God as a dictator who is just waiting for you to slip up so he can punish you.

Now, to answer the question. God exists outside space and time. this means he does not age. he is not effected by time. Jesus Christ entered the world to die for man's sins because God knew we were not perfect and wanted to fellowship with us. We were created to be with God, but we sin and break that fellowship. The only way to fellowship with God is to be made perfect. We are made clean by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. We still mess up and sin. Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven. The holy spirit lives in the hearts of believers and knocks on the hearts of those such as you.

Have you ever read someone's testimony. It is the best evidence for God. evolutionists discredit the Bible and history and evidence for creation. But the one thing they cannot deny is the change in a believers life. When someone truly accepts Christ as their lord and savior, there is an evident difference in the way they live.

There is a lot of evidence for Creation. I think you should read Case for a Creator, then Case for Christ. Lee Strobel, the author, was a firm evoluionist. He started to question his beliefs when his wife became a Christian and started living differently. He went to experts in fields like biology and found Christ at the end of his journey. The book is not a bunch of big words, but a personal story of how an ordinary man came to know christ through hard evidence.

Answer 4

Here is the best thing I can say about it.

Something MUST be self existent. That means something must have always existed, currently exists and will always exist. Evolution does nothing to address that issue. Evolution is about the origin of separate species. It does not address cosmological issues such as the creation of the universe.

The question is whether or not the universe is self existent. That would make sense if the universe was actually a "self" which it is not. It is not personal. It is an object. To identify an object as always having existend makes little sense. The big bang theory even states that there was nothing prior to the big bang.

God is personal. He can exist and always have existed. The real problem we humans have is that the idea of always existed means that he existed "before time" (if you can wrap your brain around that concept). In other words Go created all things including time. He is eternal. That actually makes sense given what the bible says about him (the alpha and omega, first and last, was and always will be).

EF

Answer 5

Seems like you simply have trouble conceiving of the supernatural. God, being supernatural, needs no beginning. God is eternal, meaning timeless with neither beginning or end, and also supernnatural, meaning unlike everything bound by nature, God does not require a physical origin or cause.

As to the Big Bang, it naturally is a brick wall for naturalists. However if you conceive that a Supreme Being caused it, then it becomes very possible.

For instance I cannot just make a cow appear out of nowhere. An illusionist may be able to do so, but you know it is some kind of trick. But if God stood before you and made a cow appear, you would not be very surprised would you?

God simply is not bound by the laws of nature. No beginning, no end, no creator, no cause.

Answer 6

Creation talks about a Creator (God who is not bound in time and space),creating the universe, that is putting order to chaos.(Read Gen.1). This is something about FAITH

Evolution talks about the how, the possibilities, some facts (that human beings can ever think of and explain). Like Darwin's Theory....the Big bang and others...This is SCIENCE.

sO there are things that Science cannot explain, like the Creation, the Creator, the Beginning...andwelive it to Religion.

There are things that are measurable, that are factual so we live it to science.

We don't have to confuse the two.

Answer 7

I only believe in creation because the Bible tells me so. If you are referring to God as the Creator, I do not know who created Him or Them (the Trinity). This is God's mystery. A mystery is something that cannot be explained or understood by human mind. Maybe we can ask God if we will be saved. So that you will not get confused, why don't you read the Bible on creation found in Genesis? This is the only book that will show and guide you to the truth. Even Darwin himself doubted some of his theories.

Answer 8

It's a huge question so confusion is appropriate. And NO ONE has the answer... just some thoughts and theories for now.

Darwin's theory of Evolution, or more specifically, the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest is one of the most workable because we have extraordinarily strong evidence to support it. Unfortunately, it is a large scale process and not terribly easy to capture on time lapse video tape where even an idiot can see what is being presented in clear unambiguous terms.

Still, the genetic mutations that separate similar species such as the pygmy hippo of the forested regions of western africa from the Standard grade hippo of the rivers of Central Africa point to rather clear divergences from a common root species which clearly supports many of the theories of mutation and natural selection.

Creationism can be problematic to a rigorous and inquisitive mind. Assuming we're discussing standard Christian creationism, you start with an excellent point about the origins of the Creator. Other issues such as fossil records and Carbon-14 dating that require a somewhat more sophisticated or even revolutionary world view make the simpler stories of a less learned society difficult to swallow.

This doesn't even touch on creationism as understood by other or previous religions. My favorite was the Egyptians, whose god Ptah according to some writings, ejaculated the universe into existence.

A particularly curious creation myth is that of the Flying Spaghetti Monster who was dreamt up by a physicist at OSU that answered all of the problems of creationism in ways that are at least as adequate as the Christian creation story and just as impossible to disprove. He submitted the Flying Spaghetti Monster to the Kansas Board of Education as the appropriate story of the world's creation when Kansas was removing Natural Selection from its curriculum and replacing it with Intelligent Design theory.

And lastly the Big Bang. I think you might be missing something on this one. The suggestion is not that something was created from nothing, it is that structure was created from entropy. The theory stands that the universe consisted of gasses and particles hanging around in what is for lack of a better word, "space" and over time they drifted together, formed clusters and those clustered met other clusters and so on until they reached a point where they exploded. (This is a woeful explanation, but quantum physics is just beyond my capacity to understand)

There is significant evidence to suggest this is true, though I am taking the word of quantum physicists and hoping it's not all an elaborate hoax. Most all of it seems to come out of Einstein's theory of relativity which has survived many challenges over the decades. It's noteworthy to mention that when the theory was first upheld a few years after its initial publication, Einstein was asked if he felt good about it, and he said something to the effect that if it had not held up he would have felt poorly for God as the math was in fact correct.

Ultimately, I think you are on the correct path. You'll almost assuredly never know the correct answer, but by being rational and inquisitive, you become more confident of your beliefs and your ability to defend them and for that, you deserve a great deal of credit.

Uncertainty on huge questions is a good thing. It was never those who were certain that led us to truth. It was only those who constantly feel the need to know more that take us there.

Answer 9

I've opted for the Intelligent Design movement. Evolution poses a significant theological problem, and ID is presenting a viable intellectual challenge to it (so much so, that it has prompted a flurry of atheist counter-attack books; this never happened with creationism). Creationism, however, is inconsistent, and often downright deceptive.

The issue of where the "creators" come from in either ID or Creationism is a matter of religion and philosophy, though naturally it falls on God, Who doesn't need a creator.

Answer 10

So basically you are saying you don't believe it all just happened to be created by a supernatural being, and you don't believe the best thought out and tested scientific explanations.

Sorry dear, there aren't too many other options unless you'd like to propose some other hypothesis in physics for explaining the origins of the universe.