(This is an extract from the publication "Creation or Chance?" issued by Christadelphians in 1971)
The World Gone Wrong
A vast change has come over the world in the last sixty years. Prior to 1914, the tempo of life was far more leisurely: motor cars were few and inefficient; aeroplanes were flimsy affairs that inspired little confidence; electricity was still largely in its infancy. And morally, the world was still governed by the standards and conventions of the Victorian Age.
The first World War brought great changes. It introduced a period of great inventiveness when, in the words of Bible prophecy, "knowledge was increased" (Dan. 12:4). Speed came into its own; electricity was exploited; radio became more than a mere toy. On the battlefields, millions died as mighty armies became locked in terrible death-struggles; and in the widespread catastrophe, conventions were thrown to the winds, and morals were measured by new standards.
Men began to doubt the existence of God as they had never doubted before. On the one hand, they found themselves controlling mighty forces, so that they could almost imagine themselves to be gods; on the other hand, they saw destruction so appalling as to cause them to doubt the existence of a benevolent Creator.
A materialistic philosophy gained ground which explained life in terms that left out God. It propounded the theory of evolution, setting forth the doctrine that creation, in all its complex diversity, originated from mere chance and not from the hands of an intelligent Creator with a well-defined purpose in mind. And as mankind struggled through the crisis and slump that followed the war, and saw widespread misery and want during the Depression, the principles of evolution became indoctrinated into politics. Communism became more popular, to further challenge faith and belief in God, so that it is claimed that Karl Marx did for politics what Darwin did for science. Today, whether people like to admit it or not, all forms of political thought, from right to left, are coloured by the principles of Communism, and this is manifest in a growing State totalitarianism that is evident in every country.
Meanwhile, mankind's faith in religion was shaken. The influence of the Bible steadily lost ground and was pushed more and more into the background. Morals were relaxed until today chastity is "old-fashioned." And as the concept of a heavenly Father grew dim, so the principle of fatherhood on earth waned. Divorce and juvenile delinquency grew with their heritage of misery and evil, because the whole world is delinquent towards God. Today, mankind generally, has turned its back upon God; it is morally in a shocking condition, whilst racially and nationally it faces the prospects of such terrible and widespread destruction as could completely destroy civilisation.
The Theory of Evolution The Cause
No teaching has contributed more to destroying man's confidence in the existence of God than the theory of evolution. Yet, that theory is completely false, and there does not exist today, a scientist of any standing, who would dare claim that it has been proved indisputably true. The theory is propounded on the basis of implication and circumstantial evidence, so-called evidence that fails to satisfy the truly enquiring mind. The world, on one hand, has the Bible, with its remarkable confirmation of prophecy vindicated beyond all shadow of doubt by the amazing fulfilment of that which it has predicted, and teaching a way of life that provides for the good of humanity and the well-being of one another, both now and in the age to come (1 Tim. 4:8); and on the other hand it has this theory of evolution, which not only has no answer to the insurmountable problems that face it, but is itself responsible for the decline of morals, the break-up of family life, and the political antagonism that disgraces modern society.
And yet, as the Jews of Christ's day screamed for Barabbas the murderer, and crucified the Lord of life, so a guilty world grasps hold of a God-defying theory and rejects the way of true peace, happiness and hope.
The most seriously perturbing aspect of all this, is that evolution has been gullibly accepted by people who do not understand how fallacious is its teaching, nor how dangerous its influence. Moreover, it has now become incorporated into the educational systems of the schools, and though it remains an unproven theory, it is taught as fact, as true beyond all doubt, and in such a way as to completely discredit the Bible.
Thus, from early childhood, education is now turning the minds of people from the Bible with its message of hope and its offer of salvation. They scoff at the idea that Jesus Christ is to return to this earth (Acts 1:11; 3:19), to raise from the dead and give eternal life to those who have lived in accordance with his teaching (Matt. 19:28-29); they ridicule the doctrine that shows that God will set up a Kingdom upon the earth (Daniel 2:44), over which Jesus Christ will reign as king (1 Cor. 15:24; Zech. 14:9).
So they deny themselves the salvation that God offers to perishing humanity (John 3:16), and cut themselves off from any hope in the future. And, unfortunately, these principles are indoctrinated into young children through this false and pernicious theory of evolution.
How Clever is Man?
The Bible demands faith, however, and in this materialistic age, when man has probed so many secrets of life, it is popular to mock at a Bible faith. Man imagines that he had grown beyond it, and thinks that he has all the answers to life's problems. But how mistaken such a view is! Man might be clever in a superficial way, but he does not have all the answers! And he is clever only to the extent that God has permitted him to stumble upon certain discoveries which has enabled him to use certain elements, the fundamentals of which, however, he still remains in ignorance.
Take electricity, for example. How dependent we are upon it today! Yet the scientist who harnesses it cannot explain what it is, or where it came from! Take the most common and accepted of modern miracles - radio transmission. It is entirely dependent upon elements that man has discovered, but which he cannot create. No man has ever made an electron, or the smallest quantity of tungsten, from which electrodes are made; no man has ever made a scrap of copper used to form the casing of valves. Thus the radio - advanced as a triumph of man's ingenuity - is entirely dependent upon elements he never made, but found! Who put them there in the first place? Who, but God!
Now, consider yourself. Eight hours out of a day you probably rest on a bed and try to sleep. Why? Why is sleep so essential? Ask your doctor, and discover that he does not know! He knows that it is important that you should do so; he knows that it restores and revives the whole of the human frame, and it is as important as food. But your doctor does not know why the human body must sleep! With all his knowledge, man is very limited.
The word, "miracle," is frequently used today to describe what man does, but it is an unpopular word to use in association with the Bible. The jet-plane flying overhead is a "miracle," but a loud laugh goes up when the miracles of the Bible are referred to. Yet, consider the theory of evolution. It claims that "life" came into existence by chance; that the complex and diverse forms of it seen on every hand developed out of slime; that it just happened without guidance; that it all came into being by blind accident; that it is merely luck that we have hands, and feet, and head, and eyes! Now such a theory makes me laugh. I look at a watch. I observe all the intricate mechanism. I know that there is design and purpose in it all, though (not being mechanically minded) I do not understand the functions of all the little pieces of machinery. But the science of evolution would teach me that the watch manufactured itself; that it evolved all the little springs and wheels and other intricate pieces of machinery, because it wanted to tell the time for some reason it did not know itself, and therefore, by forces working outside of itself, and a desire from within, it ultimately became a watch!
My little bit of sarcasm is not far-fetched, as every scientist will know. It is the principle upon which the theory is based. How did life come into existence? One man told me that in some remote past, mighty primeval waves beat upon the shores, and life was created! But who caused the mighty waves to beat upon the shore? He did not know. And the whole of his theory, to my mind, moved out of the range of miracle into the realm of magic! Blind chance waved its magic wand, and life was created! But then another scientist told me that the first one was wrong! And as I searched into this matter, I found so many mistakes that scientists had made, particularly in relation to this theory of evolution, so many involved and contradictory theories, all cancelling out what the other taught, that I was pleased to get back to the Bible, with its sound, clear, and plain teaching: "In the beginning God created the heaven and earth."
But what you need to bear in mind is that these God-defying theories are taught to your children in the schools, indoctrinating them with principles that will cause them to treat God's Word with disrespect, and induce in them a spirit that can lead to that greatest of all modern curses; juvenile delinquency. The greatest heritage you can give your child is a respect for God, and an education in spiritual matters.
(This series will continue next time)
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"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever" (Psalm 111:10)
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This message revised on 11th January 2012
