Evolution—Scientific Fact or Science Fiction?

By Roger Oakland

A belief in Creation is based on God’s revelation to man; evolutionary theory is based on man’s speculation which attempts to explain away God. Just as they believe the universe came into existence with a “Big Bang,” most evolutionists believe that life emerged from non-life hundreds of millions of years ago by a process that cannot be observed today. In general, the “primitive pond” theory suggests that lightning bolts struck a body of water that contained various elements which provided the ingredients for the origin of life. Non-life became life in the prehistoric past, in an unknown place, by a mysterious process not being repeated today. Nevertheless, the certainty with which this happened, it is said, is a fact that can not be disputed.

There are some serious problems with the idea that life can spontaneously arise from non-life. To begin with, there is no scientific evidence to support the proposition that this can happen. To speculate that life appeared from non-life is one thing. To demonstrate how it happened is quite another. Hundreds of millions of years do not make an impossible idea any more probable.

Most museums, institutes, and universities illustrate the evolution of non-life to life with the use of murals, models, diagrams, and even cartoons. Yet, the fact remains that until a scientific experiment is performed that can show how atoms randomly become complex cells by chance, without any engineered devices designed by intelligent human beings, the whole idea of the origin of life without a Creator is highly questionable.
According to the biblical model of origins, the Creator created life from non-life. It did not happen by chance. Living things came on the scene suddenly. Until the fall of man, all living things were perfect, and there were no flaws. Also, according to the creation model, life was able to reproduce and perpetuate and produce variation according to certain restrictions as determined by the genetic code. The Genesis account states that God said:

Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind. (Genesis 1:24)

Both models—creation and evolution—require a certain amount of faith. The creation model requires less faith. Under no circumstances today does life appear from non-life. Life only comes from pre-existing life. The creation model is credible. It can be supported by observable facts.

The Complexity Of Life

There is nothing in the universe we have observed that is more complex than life. From the single unit of life called a cell to complex multi-cellular organisms like ourselves, everything we know about life reveals intricate, delicate, masterful design, and planning. It is difficult to understand how anyone could imagine the complexity of life being explained without a Designer. But the fact remains: millions of people worldwide are convinced that a natural process based on randomness has molded and shaped all living things.

Books do not evolve; a book is written by an author. Paintings do not evolve; a painting is painted by an artist. Buildings do not evolve; a building is designed by an architect and constructed by workers. Yet the complexity of life does not require a designer, or so they say! Such a belief requires a great deal of faith.

Think for a moment about the human organs that make up our own bodies. According to evolution, the human eye and the human brain are the product of millions of genetic mistakes that have accumulated over time. Yet no intelligent person would ever suggest that a video camera or a cassette recorder originated and developed without intelligent design.

The perpetuation of life by sexual reproduction is supposed to be the result of billions of slight mistakes in the genetic code that have occurred by chance over millions of years. However, consider the problem associated with this idea. How could complex male and female reproductive systems have originated and developed by chance? The system must be fully developed and functional or reproduction can not occur.

Until we can illustrate how complex organisms can develop from non-life then proceed from simple to complex, the whole idea of evolution is nothing more than a fairy tale for adults. Certainly it takes faith to accept the idea that the complexity of life does not require a designer. Yet it is a blind faith that many people have swallowed without thinking.

Such was the case in my own life. As a child, I had no reason to question the existence of God. Like most children, I was born a creationist. However, as I studied biology in High School and then in much greater detail later at university, I began to doubt God and then turned to disbelief. I no longer accepted the biblical account of creation as truth. I became an avid supporter of the evolution theory, and in doing so, I distanced myself from God.

It was not until I was thirty years old that my thinking was changed. Over a period of several months, I questioned some of the ideas I had used to stubbornly explain away God. Gradually, a process occurred which reprogrammed my thinking. Finally, I rejected evolution and became a creationist, then a biblical creationist. Several months later, I committed my life to Jesus Christ and became a Christian. What happened to me, I have since discovered, is happening to thousands of men and women around the world. Many are re-evaluating their former evolutionary ideas and establishing a relationship with their Creator.

The Time Element

It seems extraordinary that an evolutionist who rejects God as Creator has no problem with molecules changing and ultimately developing into human beings. To believe that an explosion plus time equals life requires faith beyond reason.

Is it really logical to say that time is a magical factor? It is easy enough to draw charts depicting fish becoming amphibians, amphibians developing into reptiles, reptiles turning into birds and mammals, and monkeys on their way to becoming men. But, where are the facts to support these ideas?

Fossils Say No

Evolutionists often point to fossils as the proof for the evolution of life. In actual fact, fossils are very supportive of the creation view. There are no fossils that show life in the process of evolving. For example, there are no fish in the process of developing legs, preparing to walk on land. There are no reptiles with their front legs transforming into wings. And, there are no missing links between apes and humans.

In essence, there are no intermediates between species. That is why evolutionists have had to come up with a new mechanism called punctuated equilibrium. This idea suggests that evolution happened very quickly, in rapid bursts. In fact, they say it happened so quickly there are no fossils left behind to show how it happened.

In spite of drawings, illustrations and models, there are no fossils showing how one kind of creature can become another. Furthermore, when we look around the world today at living creatures, nothing verifies the statement that time produces new forms of life. When it comes to demonstrating or documenting the process of evolution, evolutionists must rely upon science fiction, not scientific fact.

(Roger Oakland, a former evolutionist, is the author of The Evolution Conspiracy and several other books and booklets. His website is www.rogeroakland.com and www.understandthetimes.org.)

(Photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)