Allen Lu

Professor Emilia Grant

UWRT 1102
April 4, 2015
Creation vs. Evolution
The debate between creation and evolution to this date, remain as one of the
biggest disputes between science and religion. Ever since Charles Darwin had
introduced his theory of evolution to the public, scientists and creationists have been
head to head in proving the legitimacy of their theories.
The earliest form of life is estimated at approximately 3.5 billion years ago.
(Smithsonian Museum). According to earlier studies, Earth was only able to sustain life
after cooling down and creating gasses from volcanoes. From there, different forms of
species have developed and inhabited the planet, all of which having their capability to
adapt to their surroundings in order to survive.
On the other hand, it is said in the Bible that God created the Earth in six days.
By means of his power, he created all things seen and unseen here on Earth. It would
sound very ridiculous when you start thinking about it. A man with what was said to be
omnipotent used his powers to create everything? Crazy isnt it, but millions of people
all over the world believe in this story like they were witnesses to it.
According to Ken Ham, a popular creationist, the creation is supernatural
opposing long naturalistic processes. The Creator did not need matter, large amounts of

time, energy or anything else. He emphasized that biblical creation is important,

because it identifies God, man, and is the basis of the gospels. It also explains death,
suffering and foreshadows Christ and His redemption.
According to Darwin, humans have evolved through the process of adaptation
and natural selection. Natural selection acts only by taking advantage of slight
successive variations she can never take a great lea, but must advance by slow and
sure, through evolution. (Darwin, 162) He discussed in his theory how primitive species
have developed certain characteristics that have enabled to to adapt to their
surroundings. Those who failed to keep up with the changes that were happening
around them become victims of natural selection and become extinct.
In all honesty, I dont quite understand religion. I grew up in a non-religious
household, even though my parents classify themselves as Buddhists. Most arguments
between the two speculations about the origin of life favour with evolution. Despite all of
those arguments, a lot of people still believe in the god that supposedly created the
entire world. They even encouraged their followers that this god is still present and that
he can provide you with the solution to all of your problems by simply talking to him
through prayer.
Many events in my life such as when my father was diagnosed with heart valve
disease, when my cousin died from cancer, and when my dog had suffered from
heartworm, have led me to challenge my belief in this superior higher being they call
God. How could someone so powerful allow his work to become a gruesome place to

live in? Ultimately, there is no physical proof that a god has or is existing, so why would
someone believe everything that is written in a book theyre not even sure who wrote?
Many nights have gone in desperation, praying and asking for answers to why these
events have happened. Through experience, I havent gained anything from praying to
a god at all. In fact, everything that I have now are from my own personal work.
It is ironic that despite the advancements that we have today, many people still
choose to believe speculations that do not even have scientific facts to back them up. In
effect, spreading the word of religion has also advanced. Through the use of media like
television, radio and the internet, religious believers, and even extremists, convince
people of the existence of their god. In their defence, however, it is questionable as to
why evolutionists are unwilling to allow competing models such as creation or even
intelligent design? Add to that the fact the theory of evolution changes every now and
then. To evolutionists, one theory is said to be factual, but is later proven wrong, giving it
more reason for creationists to doubt it, let alone consider it as a fact because a true
fact is something that never changes. (Ken Ham)
I have a fond memory from a couple years back when I saw a church protest on
television claiming that the well-known trading card game, Pokemon, was a game that
simulated a satanic world. A lot of religious extremist have jumped on the bandwagon
and supported this claim. They said that the fictional characters in the game exhibit
demonic characteristics and abilities. They argued that the character Haunters ability to
hypnotize, and Kadabras ability to emit negative energy, as well as the starter

characters that each players should choose first, only exist in thre demonic world.
Initially, this propaganda was quite humorous to me. It seemed like a desperate act for
religious extremists to utilize in order to push their controversial beliefs among gullible
individuals around them. It was as if they are so dependent and fixated on religion, that
it has already taken over their lives and has enslaved them in chains.
In the early years up to the 18 th century, most Europeans believes that god
created the world in six days, it was not long when the British scientist Charles Darwin
challenged their orthodoxy. Darwin was the first individual to lay a foundation for the
theory of evolution. He ultimately transformed the way people perceived the world and
mankind, challenging previously accepted biblical orthodoxy. There were five different
theories that Darwin hypothesized; evolution, common descent, species multiply,
gradualism and natural selection. There are many examples in todays world that point
to natural selection and how an organism evolves in order to stay fit for their
environment such as insects and their resistance to pesticides. When an organism
reproduces, they are able to pass their unique combination of genes to their offsprings,
giving their offsprings the ideal genetics for their continued survival. Darwin had a grand
idea that these all werent different but they all occurred together, causing a species to
gradually change over time so that they can best suit their environment allowing them to
have higher chances of surviving and reproducing.
These theories provide proof that natural selection allows an organism to evolve
and that apes are the origins of all humans living on earth today. Earlier last year in

2014, a heated debate became the trending topic between Bill Nye The Science Guy
and Ken Ham. In this debate between these two famous figures, one of the most
sensitive controversies was discussed. Bill Nye, who is for Evolution stated many
credible points in his side of the debate including the famous tree in Sweden, Old Tjikko
that is 9,550 years old or the ability for unskilled humans at that time to create a wooden
ship that would house 14,000 individuals (Bill Nye).
However, many believe that Darwins theory of evolution is a theory in crisis. In
light of the tremendous advances mad have made in molecular biology, biochemistry
and genetics in the past fifty years, it is now a known fact that there are thousands of
irreducibly complex systems on the cellular level. This complexity has been the
fundamental scientific fact that may disprove the theory of evolution. Although the tiniest
bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10 grams, each is in effect an
absolute micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces
of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million
atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without
parallel in the non-living world. (Denton, 250)
Many theories explain the origins of life have emerged, but despite all these,
creation and evolution remain the most prevalent. Because of the growing population of
Christians who believe in the creation, this theory is still being passed on from one
generation to another. Many household, still impose religion to their younger members
as a mandatory belief everyone should keep. On the other hand, some children are now

allowed by their parents to explore and find the best possible belief that they would want
to live with. Some might choose to agree with Darwin, others might follow other
theories; some would accept the story of creation and profess their faith in their god.
Even though I favour science over religion, I believe that those who believe in
religion deserve to be respected. However, it should be common courtesy for everyone
even those who believe in science to respect other beliefs and stop forcing other
people to agree to their ideas. Nobody knows the true meaning behind human life but to
me, the meaning of life is to leave a legacy behind, passing on our DNA to our
offsprings. The main question that should be asked about evolution is Do you
UNDERSTAND evolution? rather than, Do you BELIEVE in evolution?

Sources:

Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham : Behind the Scenes of the Great Creation Debate. Perf.
Bill Nye and Ken Ham. ABC News, 2014. Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham : Behind the
Scenes of the Great Creation Debate. UNCC Library, 23 Nov. 2014. Web. 29
Mar. 2015.

Charles Darwin, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the
Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life," 1859, p. 162.
6

Michael Denton, "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis," 1986, p. 250.