Creation vs Evolution
Controversy
David Kroll
Part Two
Part Three
Evolution presents a direct challenge
to the Christian theological system. Evolution postulates that many
millions of years ago the universe sprang forth from an explosion of
energy/matter (the Big Bang theory) that gradually developed into billions of
heavenly bodies including our solar system. Life is
seen as protein molecules coming together, reproducing themselves, and
gradually developing over millions of years into increasingly more complex life
forms leading to humans.
Biblical scripture
teaches God created the heavens and earth in six days with the first human made
by God on the sixth day of that creation. This first man is seen as committing sin, necessitating the Christ event
with its provision for release from the eternal death penalty associated with
sin. If creation of Adam as the first human didn’t
take place as scripture teaches, redemption through the Christ event becomes a
moot point. The scriptures clearly teach Christ came to redeem us from
the penalty of death which began with Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden. If it can be shown that the
scriptural account of creation is bogus, the entire Christian theological
system falls like a deck of cards.
Genesis 1:1 records that, “In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This chapter goes on to
record that in six days God created day and night (first day) , a firmament
separating water from water (second day), plants (third day), sun, moon and
stars (fourth day), fish and birds (fifth day), land animals, creeping things
and man on the sixth day.
Exodus 20:11 records:
“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that
is in them.” Exodus 31:17 records the same thing. We therefore see the
Hebrew Scriptures teaching that the heavens, earth and sea, along with their inhabitants,
were created in six days.
In the second chapter of
Genesis we find the account of Eve being formed from one of Adams
ribs and becoming his wife. In Genesis three, it’s recorded that Adam and Eve
sinned by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which
resulted in their banishment from the Garden of Eden and their becoming subject
to death. In chapter four we find Adam and Eve
beginning a family.
Christ teaches God made
humans male and female at the beginning of creation (Mark 10:6). Luke
shows Adam to be a direct creation of God (Luke 3:38). Apostle Paul speaks of
Adam being formed first and then Eve (1Timothy
2:1). In Romans 5:14, Paul writes of death beginning with Adam and to the
Corinthians Paul wrote, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made
alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Therefore, we see New Testament writers in
agreement with what the Old Testament teaches about who the first humans
were. We also see provision for salvation (eternal life) is predicated on Christ atoning for the sin that began with
Adam and Eve.
SUMMERY OF THE TWO APPROACHES:
Mainstream creationists
believe the Biblical case for creation is straightforward. God, a
personage of great power and intelligence who has existed eternally, created
the universe in six days by speaking all things into existence.
Evolutionists believe the universe results from the explosion/expansion (Big
Bang) of compressed energy/matter which gradually led
to the development of the universe and all life forms over millions of years.
Some, who call themselves scientific creationists, embrace the Big Bang
theory and believe God created the universe through this mechanism. This
approach necessitates a stretching out of the six days of Genesis into millions
of years and seeing the development of life forms as progressive creation.
LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS:
Fundamental to the
evolution/creation controversy is an understanding of the First and Second Laws
of Thermodynamics. These laws have been tested many times and
found to be universally valid. The First Law of Thermodynamics is
a statement of the conservation of energy. It postulates that the amount of
energy in the universe is constant. Einstein showed that matter is energy in
his famous equation so when we speak of matter we speak of energy as well.
While energy can change forms, it is not being created
or destroyed.
The Second Law of
Thermodynamics is a statement of entropy. Entropy (or more specifically,
increase in entropy) is defined as heat (in calories
or Btu's) absorbed by a system, divided by the absolute temperature of the
system at the time the heat is absorbed. Entropy refers to the amount of energy
that dissipates from any given system into its surroundings. A system is
anything from a machine to a living organism. The earth along with all
bodies that make up the universe, are considered
systems. In all systems, there is a certain amount of energy constantly
dissipating into random, disordered activity which the
system cannot use to its benefit. This results in all systems degrading
over time. Unless there is a purposeful source of energy operating in or on a
system to limit such degradation, the system becomes less and less organized,
more and more random and moves from complex to less and less complex. A
house will deteriorate and become a pile of dust if left on its own and not
looked after. Living organisms will die and disintegrate if not taken
care of. Everything in the universe is seen as
gradually breaking down. Everything in the universe is
seen as moving toward an increase in entropy.
Creationists say that
since everything is dissipating into less and less complexity, there has to be
a creator who started it all. While entropy of a system can be
interrupted and temporarily stopped by an influx of energy from outside itself,
entropy still continues its relentless degradation of
all systems. Creationists say this process had to have a beginning.
Someone had to make and set in motion the physical universe
which is slowly disintegrating. The atoms and molecules that make up the
universe must have had a starting point in order to experience increasing
entropy. They could not have eternally existed without contradicting the second
law of thermodynamics.
The evolutionist sees the earth as
part of an open system of heavenly bodies where systems are constantly
dissipating energy into their surroundings. Since energy is constant, neither
being created nor destroyed, it has always existed. While the earth and all it
contains may be experiencing entropy, it is also constantly
being renewed with energy from the sun and other cosmic bodies. While
energy from the sun may speed up entropy in many areas because of its oxidative
effect, it also facilitates fresh systems as seen in its effects upon the
growth of plants. Energy exchange is always taking place to keep entropy
in check.
Evolutionists do not deny the first
and second law as some creationists charge. Evolutionists are simply saying that
while entropy is taking place, reducing overall complexity, so is renewal
taking place. Evolutionists point out that the second law is all about
heat exchange where energy is allowed to do work and
thus create complexity. The second law states that heat always flows from
hot to cold. Therefore, evolutionists see the second law as supporting
the Big Bang explosion of energy which created
tremendous heat. As this heat energy cooled, matter was
formed and the universe developed. Entropy began at this point and
continues to this very day but moves at a very slow pace due
to the counter forces of renewal. Evolutionists believe that in
time everything will degrade back to its pre Big Bang state of energy
equilibrium where there is no further breakdown (entropy).
When asked what caused the Big Bang
and from where did the exploding elements come from,
the evolutionist answers that constituents of energy have always existed and
before the Big Bang these constituents were in a state of equilibrium and were
not experiencing entropy. These constituents (atoms, sub-atomic particles,
etc.) became compressed, generating disequilibrium which
led to the Big Bang. Evolutions do not teach that the universe developed
from nothing as some creationists charge. They teach it developed from
the explosion of a concentration of energy. It was at this point that
entropy began. The major difference between the creationist and the
evolutionist on the issue of origins is the creationist believes an intelligent
designer (God) is the source and facilitator of the constituents of energy
while the evolutionist believes the constituents of energy have always existed
and facilitate themselves through innate, resident forces.
Evolutionists support their view by
showing how atoms incessantly move at a few hundred to thousands of miles an
hour at ordinary temperatures. As temperature increases so does the speed of
their movement. Many atoms spontaneously bond when they collide, forming
extremely powerful associations in very specific ways. Evolutionists
believe it is this type of spontaneous reaction of elements
that created the Big Bang.
Evolutionists point out
that millions of compounds have less energy as a compound than the energy
contained in their individual atoms. Therefore
evolution is not teaching that complex systems came into existence from less
complex elements as creationists charge. Systems came into existence
through the diffusion of energy generated by the explosion of very complex
atoms/molecules. The Big Bang produced less complex systems than the
constituents that produced them. These systems may be slowly becoming less and
less complex as a system because of entropy, but they ultimately return to the
very complex molecules from which they were originally made.
Therefore, the second law does not dictate the decrease of energy
but only the spreading out of energy/matter. The second law
quantitatively describes the energetic aspects of compounds made from very
complex basic elements such as atoms.
Creationists argue that
random energy, unless directed by intelligence will never form anything.
There must be an eternal source from which all energy flows and that source
must be intelligent in order for such energy to be made
into useful systems. Creationists point out that everything exists within
defined parameters (law) and this could not happen by chance.
Evolutionists argue that constituents of energy are eternal, having innate
parameters of operation which cause such constituents to express themselves in
predictable ways. Therefore, it is not a matter of chance but of elements
performing in prescribed ways based on their makeup.
THE BIG BANG:
The Big Bang theory postulates that many millions of years ago, the universe sprang
into existence as a singularity. Singularities are
believed to exist at the core of black holes. Black holes are believed to be areas of gravitational pressure so
intense that energy is concentrated into tremendous density. It is these
zones of intense density that are called singularities
and it is from such a zone that it is felt the big bang occurred. While
some see the Big Bang as an explosion, others see it as an expansion where the
singularity didn’t appear in space but rather space
began inside the singularity. In other words, space and time began at the
same time energy began to turn into matter. In essence, this puts
everything inside the singularity which is the
universe.
EVIDENCE FOR THE BIG BANG:
The Big Bang theory began
in 1929 when astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) discovered that light from
most galaxies was shifted to the red end of the spectrum
which indicated heavenly bodies are moving away from us at speeds
proportional to their distance. When light travels away from us its wavelength is stretched out which causes this shift. Hubble’s
discovery indicated an expanding universe which led to
the theory that the elements that make up the universe were once compacted and
somehow became uncompacted which led to the
development of the physical universe and all it contains.
In 1964, two astronomers,
Arno Penzias and Robert
Wilson, in an attempt to detect microwaves from outer space, inadvertently
discovered a noise of extraterrestrial origin. The noise did not seem to emanate
from one location but instead, it came from all directions at once. They
determined that what they heard was an echo from the farthest reaches of the universe which had been left over from the Big Bang. Then in
1992, a COBE satellite confirmed that a 2.73 degrees above absolute zero on the
Kelvin scale (-270 degrees C, -454 F) temperature, called microwave background
radiation, pervades the universe. This discovery confirmed what scientists had
mathematically calculated to be the temperature that would remain from the
explosion or expansion of an intensely hot singularity millions of years
ago.
Additionally, in
order for galaxies to have formed from the Big Bang, the pattern formed by the
explosion or expansion needed to have slight variations in the form of wave
ripples. These ripples would result in very slight fluctuations in the
predicted 2.73 degree temperature and would show an
identifiable pattern. The 1992 satellite was able to measure and confirm
that such fluctuations did indeed exist relative to the 2.73
degree background radiation temperature. Radio telescopes at the
North Pole have further confirmed the existence of background radiation
conforming to mathematically predicted levels.
Evolutionists postulate
the Big Bang produced an explosion of primarily hydrogen and helium gas which they feel is verified by the fact that the
abundance of elements heavier than helium and hydrogen decreases proportionally
as you travel out into space. It is felt this pattern is only
explained by a universe that continuously expands from a beginning event
(the Big Bang) and is continuously cooling since that event.
Associated with the Big
Bang theory is the nebular hypothesis which postulates
that the planets of our solar system were formed by rings of matter split off
from rotating nebulae (cosmic dust) due to centrifugal force. Leftover matter
became our sun.
CRITICISM OF THE BIG BANG AND NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS:
Critics of the big bang
theory say it does not meet the expectations the theory demands. The
theory demands that background radiation must come from the direction where the
big bang occurred. Yet this radiation comes from everywhere in space and is felt by some to be nothing more than a slight amount of
heat given off by stars throughout the universe. Fluctuations in
radiation could be the result of solar flares and not have anything to do with
a big bang.
Critics point out that, since light
has been demonstrated to have weight, the red shift could be caused when light
from stars pass other stars whose gravitational pull slightly slows their beam
of light causing its spectrum to shift to the red. It is
further pointed out that every body in the universe is orbiting and at
the same time is moving in some direction. Much of such movement is at
right angles to us. Objects moving at right angles to an observer will always
be redshifted. Some believe light waves
lose energy as they travel large distances. This could explain why the
farthest stars from us have the greatest red shifts.
Quasars, objects in space
that emit tremendous energy, show drastically shifted spectrums toward the red which in some cases would make there speed faster than
the speed of light. This would be inconsistent with present understanding as to
the speed at which light travels and therefore calls into question the idea of
red shifting being an explanation for an expanding universe caused by the Big
Bang.
The Big Bang theory
postulates that the Big Bang explosion/expansion produced a large-scale
smoothness of the universe. The universe is seen as being isotropic (the
same in all directions) and homogeneous (the same everywhere). Those ideas,
combined with the concept of curved space, provide the basis for the Big Bang
concepts of space expansion rather than simply expansion of matter in space.
However, the observed irregularities of the universe, which include vast
galactic formations, gigantic voids and sheets of galaxies, and the "Great
Wall," that is estimated to stretch across one half billion light years of
space, deny this smoothness that the Big Bang requires.
The nebular hypothesis uses flat,
rotating nebulae as the Solar System's origin to explain why all the planets
orbit in nearly the same plane and in the same direction. This hypothesis,
however, contradicts the observation that the sun contains most of the solar
system's mass but only a small fraction of its rotating momentum. It is felt
that if this theory were correct, the sun, being as large as it is compared to the planets, would have most of the solar
system's rotating momentum. The Sun's angular momentum would have increased
significantly as it contracted, much like a spinning ice skater who rotates
faster as he brings in his arms. Another problem with the nebular hypothesis is
that if rings of matter were split off, they wouldn't
be pulled together to form planets but would disperse into space.
The Big Bang/Nebular
Hypothesis proposes that a spinning cosmic explosion or expansion began the
evolutionary process of the universe. Creationists point out that these hypotheses’s contradicts the Law of Conservation of Angular
Momentum. This law describes the tendency of a spinning object to
continue spinning in the same direction. The Big Bang theory postulates a
clockwise rotation of matter emanating from the Big Bang. Therefore all heavenly bodies should be spinning clockwise
with the larger bodies spinning at faster speeds. However, this is not the
case. Our sun, which has 99% of the mass of our solar system, has only 2% of
the angular momentum. A number of heavenly bodies have been
found to be spinning counter clockwise. For example, one-third of
the moons in our solar system rotate in the opposite direction from that of the
planets they are associated with and some revolve around their planets counter
clockwise. Both Uranus and Venus rotate differently from the other
planets in our solar system.
Some proponents
of the Big Bang postulate that the heavenly bodies were
formed by cosmic gases contracting into particles in the vacuum of space.
Creationists point to research that shows gas in a vacuum expands instead of
contracts and therefore could not develop into stars, planets, etc. Evolutions
theorize that heavier elements developed from the hydrogen and helium gas that
initially spewed forth from the Big Bang. Creationists counter that
mathematical calculations have shown the virtual impossibility of hydrogen
atoms sticking together to form particles. Creationists ask where the
dozens of heavier elements came from that make up our heavenly bodies if only
hydrogen and helium were there at the beginning. Evolutionist’s answer that the
first stars to be formed, called “first generation
stars,” proceeded to repeatedly explode. Billions upon billions of stars kept
exploding, for billions of years. Gradually, these explosions produced all our
heavier elements. Creationists point out that there are nuclear gaps which make it impossible for hydrogen or helium to
change itself into any of the heavier elements.
As mentioned
earlier, there are some creationists who embrace the Big Bang theory and
believe God, acting as the eternal first cause, facilitated the Big Bang which led to formation of the universe. Those who
take this approach believe in progressive creation were God, after having
created the basic laws and elements of the universe, has allowed a natural
progression of development to occur over billions of years. Therefore,
progressive creationists view the development of the universe as an
evolutionary process that began with God. Progressive creationists do not
embrace biological evolution. They believe God, over vast amounts of
time, progressively created a variety of living organisms with humans being the
pinnacle of such progression of biological creation. Progressive
creationists (sometimes referred to as scientific
creationists) believe the six days of creation as recorded in Genesis
represents billions of years of development. Progressive creationists believe
their view harmonizes Biblical scripture with science.
IN REVIEW:
In reviewing
the literature that addresses the origin of the universe, it is apparent that
the evidence offered for the occurrence of the Big Bang is
not proven beyond reasonable doubt. Every postulation as to how the Big
Bang may have occurred is met with reasonable
alternative explanations. Evolutionists offer no
irrefutable evidence for the Big Bang taking place. Progressive
creationists fail to provide adequate refutation of objections to the Big Bang
and have not convincingly harmonized the Big Bang with the scriptural account
of creation.
On the other
hand, what is the evidence for a supernatural being creating the universe in a six day time frame as the Biblical scriptures
teach? Are these literal twenty-four hour days or do they represent
longer periods of time. What is the evidence for a
young universe as opposed to a universe many billions of years old?
How valid are the dating methods used by evolutionists. These and many
other issues will be addressed in forth coming
installments of this series of essays.
as of 5-2007