Many atheists claim that evolution is a proven scientific fact. If you disagree, they usually laugh, and go on to say things like:
“You’re one of those Bible thumpers aren’t you? You believe Noah and the arc too, right?”
But what if I told you that evolution was such a bad theory, that if an 8th grader presented it for his final project, he would get expelled from school for how irrational it was?
Well, that’s true. Today, we’re going to conclude our 9-part "Devolved" series by simply granting that evolution is true and seeing where it takes us.
Buckle up my friend.
Recent Posts from the Devolved Series
Recap of What We've Learned
So far in this series, we've learned that evolution is a religion, not a scientific theory. We then learned that the evidence confirms a young universe, not a 14-billion year old one. We also learned that even if we granted the Big Bang to be true, it wouldn’t have happened.
After that, we found out that it was mathematically and chemically improbable to get life from non-life.
After that, we took a look at the fossil record and saw that it doesn't confirm evolution, it confirms the judgement of God at the global flood.
As if that wasn't enough, we took a look at dinosaurs and found out all of them are less than 10,000 years old, and that secular dating methods are based off of false assumptions.
After that, we learned that if evolution were true, we should have never evolved sex organs. And then, we took a look at how survival of the fittest ends up being circular.
But, there’s still one more thing that needs to be addressed.
Today, I’m going to assume that I’ve been wrong about everything so far. Seriously. I’m not joking.
Let's Be Generous
I’m going to wave the white flag and give Darwin his temporary victory. Let's say that every single step of the evolutionary philosophy is 100% true.
Let's say that:
Once upon a time, there was disorder.
We don't know why, but that disorder became orderly.
This ordered matter was inorganic, and, for reasons we don't know, it became living matter.
Then, mysteriously and without explanation, this living matter which was made up of identical forms, began to diversify.
From these diversified forms, for reasons we cant explain, they became varied but unintelligent.
After this, the unintelligent life forms became intelligent and articulate, for reasons we do not know.
Once this was accomplished, the intelligent articulate lifeforms miraculously began to use language.
And of course from there, not that we have an explanation of course, the language using lifeforms, became moral men.
So, if that’s what happened…that means that everything we see in the universe is just matter in motion. There are no supernatural forces in our universe.
No God. No right and wrong. No meaning.
Me and you?
Stardust bumping into stardust.
We're just a part of this great big universe that was here before us and will be here after us. You only live once, so live for yourself, find what makes you happy and don't let anyone stop you.
Let's grant it.
The Problem of Uniformity
Our evolution friends love to tell us that they hold to “science” as their ultimate standard. They even mock Christians, saying we have “blind faith” and despise being rational.
What’s interesting is…science itself RELIES on the universe being repeatable.
Since the universe is consistent, we can observe things in nature, and make a general statement about how that thing acts all the time.
If I drop a bowling ball and measure how fast it falls, and repeat it over and over again, I can confirm that gravity has a certain rate. That’s just good ole observable science.1
You would think if science relies on this principle, we should have a really, really good reason to trust it, shouldn’t we?
Well…on the evolutionary view, there is no reason to trust that the universe is consistent. If everything is just matter in motion, there can be no transcendent order. There is nothing “above” matter on this worldview that would cause it to be consistent day in and day out.
There can be no consistent laws, because consistency involves design and meaning, and there is no design and meaning on the evolutionary worldview.
On the Christian worldview, God not only created the universe, but He also upholds it and manages it, every second of the day.
"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."
Genesis 8:22"And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Colossians 1:17"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power."
Hebrews 1:3
I can trust that the future will be like the past because God has promised it will be. But if you’re an atheist who holds to evolution as our origin story, the question is…
Why do you?
Why would you expect gravity to stay the same? Why would you brush your teeth assuming your toothpaste will come out of the tube the same way every time?
Why, after burning your finger in a fire, would you avoid touching it again, assuming that fire is always hot?
In fact, if evolution were true, everything is possible. There are no bounds as to what could happen at any second of the day.
Most atheists who cling onto evolution point at Christians saying “You really believe a man rose from the dead? Donkey’s talking? Come on dude.”
Well…on the Christian worldview, God spoke the universe into existence from nothing…I think he can handle raising a few people from the dead?
The question I have for my atheist friends are…why do you have a problem with miracles?
Every second of the day is a miracle on the evolutionary worldview. Nothing to something, something to life, life to intelligence…the amount of miracles that have already occurred is astronomical
In fact, if you hold to the evolutionary view, why would you expect anything to be regular in the first place? You should look outside and say:
“well this is peculiar, where’s the disorder and chaos?”
The Problem of Mind
But that’s just the first stop on our tour of the evolutionary universe.
If everything is matter it motion, that also means that our "minds" are too. Your mind is reduced to your brain. Your brain is your mind.
Let's say I’m chatting with one of my evolutionist friends, and they say this to me:
"God doesn’t exist, we've gotten here from gradual evolution"
Well, on their own worldview, they wouldn't have a reason to believe that, because that statement is just their brain fizzing atheistic chemicals.
It's not an actual belief based on logic or rational thought, it’s just what their brain decided to spit out. It’s not their fault for saying those things, they couldn't help it.
As Dr Greg Bahnsen put it:
“...if atheism is true, there could be no reason to believe atheism is true...My brain just does what it does, and his brain just does what his does…”
So basically, if evolution happened, and we live in an atheistic universe, all logic, thought, rationality, meaning, and everything that you think and speak about…is reduced to brain fizz.
The Problem of Ethics
But we’re not done yet, because there is yet another problem that I think cuts deeper: Ethics
Ethics at its most basic level, is what we ought and ought not to do.2 I can murder 24 people, but should I? I can cheat on my spouse, but should I? These are ethical questions.
Here’s the problem…if we're all just stardust, then who cares about ethics?
Anyone can make an ethical claim like “Don’t do this” or “Do that”, but in a universe where everything is matter in motion…who cares? Those claims are all just opinion.
I hate that I have to write this out…but I want to give you an example so this sticks with you.
Let's say a man breaks into a family's home, kills the husband, rapes the Mom and beats the children in the basement before killing them too.
What’s wrong with this home invasion scenario?
Well, on the Christian worldview, this scene is absolutely horrible. All of those family members were made in the image of God and have value.
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
Going further, we as humans are called to love one another. This man's actions are a direct violation to God's eternal law, and he deserves the death penalty.
Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image.
Genesis 9:6
Even further, if he doesn’t repent, upon death he’ll spend eternity in Hell, where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever as a just punishment.
…he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night…
Revelation 14:10–11
On the Christian worldview, ethics makes sense, and there is actual justice that is delivered; either to the law breaker in Hell, or on Jesus for those that believe in him. But what about our atheist friends who hold to evolution?
Does a ‘matter-in-motion’ universe make sense of ethics?
Let's ask Richard Dawkins, a consistent atheist:
The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.
River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life
So what's wrong with our home invasion scenario on the atheist worldview?
Absolutely, nothing.
If everything is matter in motion, there cannot be any absolute good or evil. The family in our example didn’t enjoy the home invasion, but you know what, our home invader did!
These are merely 2 opinions pitted against each other, so we can’t really know which is right or wrong can we? Just 2 stardust piles bumping into each other, right?
Even crazier? Hitler was an evolutionist. It was the evolutionary theory that propelled his philosophy.3
“Darwin viewed the “Caucasian” (white-skinned Europeans) as the dominant “race” in an evolutionary worldview. To many evolutionists at the time, mankind had evolved from ape-like creatures that had more hair, dark skin, dark eyes, etc. Therefore, more “evolved” meant less body hair, blond hair, blue eyes, etc.”
Bodie Hodge
Many atheists who hold to evolution are so disturbed by this, that they try to construct systems that can account for ethics while still holding to a naturalistic universe. However, all of these systems fail, and fail for 1 reason; they’re still living in God’s universe.
The Death of Evolution
The harsh truth is that, even if we grant that evolution happened, the Big bang, ape man, the whole shebang, and concede for a minute that God doesn’t exist…evolution still can’t hold up, because the entire system implodes on itself.
Why do people still hold onto it then? If this worldview can’t stand on it’s own 2 feet, if it’s not true even when we grant it to be true, and the scientific evidence doesn’t confirm it but refutes it, you may be asking then why is it “The” theory of our day? Why do people get so emotional when you poke holes into evolution?
Because evolution is what many people hold dear to their hearts, it’s their sacred religion. It’s a convenient escape from the reality of being responsible for our actions here on earth.
“As we studied the natural world we always came up against a barrier that had written upon it, ‘no further exploration by order of Moses.’ Darwin gave us a way around the barrier.”4
Thomas Huxley
When someone concedes that evolution doesn’t hold up, they have to concede that there is another explanation for the universe we see.
And when they concede to that, they have to also concede that, they know deep down, Yahweh created the universe.
And with that, they know deep down because of their conscience that Yahweh has a law, and that they have broken that law.
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them…
Romans 2:14–15
And if they concede that they have broken God’s eternal law, they also know, in some way, they deserve a punishment or judgement in response.
And instead of facing the reality of God and bowing to him as Lord, unbelievers worship the creation (that God made) to ‘escape’.
because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…
Romans 1:25
But…There’s Good News
But here’s the good news. If you or someone you know is an atheist who holds to evolution…there is still time to repent.
The problem humans have is that we have all broken God’s law and deserve judgement. God could have just given us this judgement already, and that would have been just.
It wouldn’t be any different than when we see a serial killer get sentenced in court. We cheer.
But…
God didn’t stop there. God sent himself in the form of a man 2,000 years ago. He lived a perfect life, died on a cross, and then rose from the dead.
What does that mean? It means death has been concurred. Even better news? God has promised us that if we trust in Jesus and what he did for us on the cross, and bow to him as Lord, we will be saved from the judgement of Hell that is coming for the ungodly.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
So, if you haven’t believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, repent (turn in sorrow). You’re not guaranteed tomorrow. The only thing that matters is how you stand before God, because one day, we will all give an account for what we’ve done.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
2 Corinthians 5:10
"Well, on their own worldview, they wouldn't have a reason to believe that, because that statement is just their brain fizzing atheistic chemicals." Laughed out loud. Great article.