In the whole scheme of things, how we got here and why boils down to two main thought patterns.  Some would call them both religions though one claims to be based on science.  But what is the difference between them?  Why does it matter?  Creation and evolution have battled over the minds of people in our nation, and nations around the world, for more than 160 years.  The battle over the existence of God has been around since history began.  If there is a God it could hold major implications for the very nature of man and what becomes of us when we die.  If evolution is true, it could mean that thousands of martyrs have died in vain, and that what once was the primary religion of the United States of America has turned out to be a fairytale. 

 

So, which one is right?  According to evolution, the universe began when a tiny speck out in space (containing all of the energy of the cosmos) rapidly and dramatically expanded, or exploded, resulting in what evolutionists call the 'Big Bang'.  (Coincidentally it couldn't have made a 'bang' since sound doesn't travel in space, but that's beside the point.)  After the speck "exploded" creating the observable universe, giant dust clouds slowly began to condense into dust molecules, collecting into even bigger molecules and so-on.  Finally, planets were formed, our own solar system was created, and we received earth out of what was once a tiny speck.  All of this took billions of years to occur.

 

At this point the earth was still lifeless and cold; life was then somehow begun on earth (e.g. aliens, life containing asteroids, a primordial soup, and so forth).  When life got up and running on earth, beginning with tiny biological organisms and slowly over millions of years growing into bigger and slightly more intelligent life forms, finally after a very long time we became human beings with a certain amount of self-awareness.  This theory has taken hold of today's worldview, replacing the thought pattern of creationism.  According to creationists, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth".  He spoke it into existence and it immediately was there, not taking millions of years; this was coined 'EX-NIHILO' (out of nothing) by Dr. Carl Wieland in the late twentieth century.  Creationists say that God has been around forever (like the speck in the evolutionist worldview).  He never wasn't.  God was never created and will never cease to exist.

 

Technically neither of these views is science, though they both claim that science does not contradict them.  We hear many people say that evolution is science, but that is just not the case.   Science does not explain history even if science does not contradict history.  The same is true with the creationist view.  They do not claim their view to be a science such as geology, astronomy, or chemistry, but do claim that none of these fields, nor any other scientific field, disproves their view.

 

So where do we stand?  Though this article doesn’t cover every issue of the debate, I earnestly believe that if we are truly searching, the facts must remain our sole priority, not the argument.  The question between creation and evolution will be around for as long as we don't care which is right.  But one is correct so the question remains until we all individually search them out.  This website is not here to blast away anyone's belief, but it is here so that we can come together to truly search out the questions that hold so much potential, and so much decision.  I am not an agnostic, nor am I an evolutionist; I stand firm in my belief as a creationist.  However, no matter how solid we think our position is, we must all stay open to the questions that may rock our foundation.  If we are afraid to ask those questions, it means we truly know our foundation can't accept the answer.

 

Clay Riggs OO