Kent Hovind, a
creationist from Pensacola, Florida, quotes that Evolutionists and
Creationists, each have on a different set of glasses, and neither are willing
to take them off. For the next few
minutes, try taking your glasses off. The
goal of this speech is not to persuade you to one side but inform you of both sides’
arguments. I’ll start by explaining each
of the theories, and then explain some variations of each, and finally I’ll end
by talking about why it matters.
Creationism supports
the idea that there is a God.
Creationists believe that God created the Earth anywhere from 30,000
years ago to 5,000 years ago. This
belief has a lot of support from the Bible, specifically in the book Genesis,
written by Moses about 1445 B.C. E. Most Evolutionists disagree with this
because it contains an element of faith in the belief of a higher being outside
the boundaries of time, space, and matter.
Creationists believe that when God created the Earth it took him six
days to create the sun, the water, the animals, humans, and everything else
created on the earth. They believed that when God created the Earth there could
be variations in each animal over time, but that the variations had
limits. For example, a dog always creates
a dog. A big dog could create a small
dog, a big dog, a white dog, or a black dog, but no matter what, it will always
produce a dog. After the creation of the
earth, most Creationists agree that there was a great flood over the earth, occurring
around 4,400 years ago for about 40 days.
The idea of a great flood is supported by petrified trees being found
standing straight up in multiple layers of sediment that supposedly represent
millions of years- according to Evolutionists)(information originally stated by
Kent Hovind).This flood is not accounted for in the the Theory of Evolution,
but is rather explained by a giant meteorite that crashed into the earth and
destroyed most life on the planet. After
the flood, life spans became shorter, from 900 years to 90, and life was more
difficult than before the flood. The
goal of humanity now, as described by Creationists is to recapture the
environmental perfection similar to the Garden of Eden.
The Theory of Evolution
supports the idea that there is no God.
Most Evolutionists agree with the Big Bang Theory, which states that all
of the matter at one point in time was condensed into a very small area that
was not measurable, and then the small area spun around so quickly that all of
the matter exploded into what we now know as the universe. After this explosion, Earth took about a billion
years before it was cool enough for water.
The water was full of chemicals that over the place of time, around
another billion years, eventually created the smallest form of life on
earth. After this time, life began to
expand and expand into more and more animals and creatures like dinosaurs. Then, one day a gigantic meteorite struck the
earth and led to a giant explosion that ended the majority of the life on
earth. After the meteorite strike, many
life forms controlled the earth because the dinosaurs had gone extinct. Over the course of time many new animals and
species began to emerge as many plants were available to the number of animals
of the earth. About 5 to 7 million years
ago it is believed that the earliest forms of humans were starting to
emerge. Over the course of time humans
have changed to adapt to their new surroundings. We have become smaller, and many scientists
agree that our brains have also become smaller; although that does not necessarily
mean that we have not become dumber than previous forms of humanity. The Theory
of Evolution was created by Charles Darwin and uses ideas such as natural
selection as proof that Evolution exists.
Of course these are not
the only two theories of how time began, but these are the two largest theories. According to Kent Hovind, a majority of people
agree that God had a role in creating the Earth. Only 15% of people agree with Creationism in
its entirety, and only 9% agree with the Theory of Evolution. Another theory that is popular is that God
created the world, but through the process of time, around 4.6 billion years
(the age of the Earth as supported by the Theory of Evolution). This theory agrees with the fact that there is
a God, but adds a large twist to suggestion by Creationists supported by the
Bible that says that God took only 6 days to create the Earth. This theory acts on the assumption that God’s
days are a different length than the days measured by Scientists. This theory is the largest mix between the
Theory of Evolution and Creationism, and is not supported completely by Science
or the Bible, but is widely supported by many followers that wish to not take a
definite side in the argument.
So why does this all
matter? For Creationists, it is the
basis for morality. If their theory isn’t
correct, then there is no basis for morality- no way to tell right from wrong. In the Bible, in the book of Genesis, there is
a story after God creates the earth about the first two human beings. Adam and Eve resided in the Garden of Eden,
and God gave them only one rule- to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil, or they will surely die.
Of course, Adam and Eve eventually eat an apple from the tree and are
banished from the Garden of Eden and eventually die. But from this experience they learn the difference
between what’s right and what’s wrong. The
Theory of Evolution has no basis of morality, so people can decide for
themselves what is right and what is wrong.
Each theory has its own
flaws and strengths. If a theory was
completely correct, then everyone would agree with it. This debate has been going on for hundreds of
years. For me to summarize it in six
minutes doesn’t it do it as much justice as it deserves. Evolutionists and
Creationists each have on a set of glasses, isn’t it time we take them off?
Works
Cited Page
- The Holy Bible. Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan, 2002. Print.
- Creation Science Evangelism. "Nothing vs. God." Faith vs Fatih - Which Do You Believe? Pensacola Florida: Creation Science Evangelism, n.d. N. pag. Print. Creation Seminar Parts 1-6.
- The Age of the Earth. Perf. Dr. Kent Hovind. Creation Science Evangelism, n.d. DVD.
- McDowell, Josh. The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict. Vol. I & II. Dallas Texas: Here's Life, 1999. Print.
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