Theology 101 No. 33

While some still doubt the scientific evidence for creationism, there is little doubt about the societal impact the Theory of Evolution has had in the United States and the western world. One does not need to look far to see how evolutionary thinking influences many of today=s issues. Take, for example, the hot topic of abortion on demand. The 1972 decision called ARoe vs. Wade@ relied heavily on evolution based philosophy. One of the keys to the conclusions to make abortion Alegal@ was the argument of Apotentiality@. It was argued that the mass of cells within the mother=s womb was only a Apotential human@ and not truly or yet a human. It was reasoned if the Aembryo@ was not human it could not be murdered. This philosophy of potentiality was based on a myth within the theory of Evolution that is still perpetrated in modern biology textbooks.

In 1868, Ernst Haeckel, a disciple of Charles Darwin, wanted to show that all species have a common ancestor (which is necessary to Aprove@ particles to people/monkey to man evolution). He created a series of drawings of the human embryo showing it at various stages of development. Each drawing was designed to show how the human embryo would return the human form to its evolutionary predecessors as it grew. He had a Afish stage@ complete with gill slits, a Amonkey stage@ with a tale, and others. Just month after the so-called discovery it was exposed as a fraud by a Dr. L. Rütimeyer, and yet the fraud continued to show up in biology textbooks well into the 1990's.

This theory, called embryonic recapitulation, relates to abortion and Roe v. Wade in that abortion was deemed to not be murder because an embryo was a mass of cells that was only a potential human being in the x-stage of development. Many modern scientists, including most evolutionary ones, know that human life begins at conception. When the sperm and the egg meet and the first cell of the human being comes into existence, life begins. That cell cannot become anything else. Everything that child is going to be is determined when the two sets of chromosomes merge: hair color, skin tone, certain personality traits, eye color, and etc.

The debate concerning abortion no longer centers on whether or not the Aembryo@ is human, but now centers on the word Achoice@. This, too, is a result of a natural conclusion drawn from evolutionary thinking. If there is no God then there is the individual gets to make the rules. It is the individual who decides what is right and what is wrong. This same thinking and justifications can be found in the arguments surrounding fetal stem cell research. Justifications range from Aits just a clump of cells@ or Ait can save so many lives@. Nowhere in the Bible will you ever find it acceptable to trade one innocent human life for another with the one exception of our Lord Who traded Himself for us. It is unacceptable to trade the life of a child who is unable to fight or speak for himself for another who is trying to seek personal gain. Scientific progress should not come at the price of our unborn children no matter how Abeneficial@ anyone thinks it might be (in actuality there has been far more success with adult stem cells than embryonic ones!).

Evolutionary thinking has been behind much of the genocide that has taken place in the last 150 years. The extermination of the Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, and other peoples during World War II was the direct result of prejudices that were Ascientifically@ justified at the time. Jews and other Aundesirables@ were called untermenschen or sub-humans. It was taught that they were lesser evolved forms of human beings and therefore it was acceptable to exterminate them so that they would not Acontaminate@ better genetic human stock. They were also weaker and therefore the strong must eliminate them. As incredible as the mass murder of millions seems it must be remembered that an entire society found this an acceptable Asolution@ and they had to learn the ideas somewhere.

These Aevil@ thoughts and ideas are not just bound to the Nazis of World War II. The idea of the survival of the fittest is still with us even today. Physician assisted suicide and euthanasia (mercy killing and the extermination of the weak and sick - both elderly and young) is steadily becoming a norm within western society. In 1975 a movie named ALogan=s Run@ depicted a society where everyone who turned 35 would willing Arecycle@ themselves in order to keep society at its fittest and most productive (if they did not do it voluntarily they were recycled quite unwillingly!) There is a growing number of people who support the idea of letting the sick and elderly take themselves out of society through physician assisted suicide. The Netherlands has gone so far as allowing a family member make this determination if the individual is not able to communicate their desires for themselves. It has even become acceptable for doctors to terminate the life of a deformed or Adefective@ child upon birth - a kind of a post birth abortion.

While many simply think that the Theory of Evolution is nothing more than science, its application has become rather frightening. As more and more people justify for themselves there is no God and that we make the rules, it is easier for them to accept euthanasia, abortion, fetal stem cell research, and physician assisted suicide. It is interesting that a scientific movement that set out to Adiscover@ the origins of life is so readily usable to extinguish that life. As Christians we remember that God is the creator and author of life, both physical and eternal. He is the one who determines the starting of and the stopping of life - not a group of scientists and policy makers with their godless philosophies and reasonings. It is to Him and His Word that we must adhere when we, as Christian, seek His will for the issues that are facing us today in a world where a flawed scientific theory hold so much sway. It is not the minds of men who determine what is right and wrong - but our Almighty Lord and God who tells what is right and wrong.