Evolution in the Classroom

Recently I read a book called Intelligent Design by William Dembski, in which he makes a strong case using scientific evidence that there is great reason to believe--based on fact, not just on blind faith--that there in an intelligent designer of our universe. Science alone can not lead us to identify this designer as the God of the Bible of course. But the complexity and order of our universe do support belief in a Creator.

Yet in mainstream America, a belief called "naturalism" (the belief that the universe is all there is; there is no supernatural, no God, etc.) has a strong grip on people's minds. Thanks to Darwin's theory about how all life-forms evolved from some common ancestor, many people today believe that the universe is all there is. They believe it's been demonstrated that life in all its various forms could have evolved over millions of years from the same physical source...So they have cast off the "outdated" need to believe in a God to explain the origin of life.

Darwin's theory of evolution has many holes in it (not least of which is the fact that there have never been any fossils found of creatures that were "in between" breeds--a half man/half monkey, for example). Yet in the academic world of college, it's taught as gospel truth. And as parents of younger children, you need to be aware of how Darwin's theory has trickled down into what your children are being taught in elementary, middle, and high school; what they are seeing on Discovery Kids, etc. If you start to open your eyes and ears, you'll see evolutionary theory everywhere!

For example, in the movie Monsters vs. Aliens (which comes out on DVD tomorrow), there's a cartoon character called "the Missing Link"--a fish with legs (a fossil of which has never been found--thus it's a "missing" piece of evidence to support Darwin's theory). From conversations I've had with parents, their children are being taught in science class that the Earth and the universe are millions of years old, that animal species are as well, that dinosaurs and humans never co-existed, etc. From a young age, children in America are subtly being taught to adopt naturalism as their worldview and to believe evolution--rather than design by a Creator--has brought our species to where we are today.

Just a quick look around the internet today led me to Science News for Kids. And their lead story (which you can look at by clicking here) is blatantly promoting evolutionary theory. Parents, influences such as these are subtly leading our children to believe that science has discarded any need for God. This is subtle, but it's far from unimportant! You need to be aware of what your children are learning and strive to help them develop a view of the world and of reality that is faithful to the Bible--not to Darwin's theory of evolution. This is not to say that we should be afraid of science. Quite the contrary. We just need to be wary of science that claims to have discarded any notion of the supernatural, design, or the existence of a divine Creator.

One place that you might find helpful in helping you answer your own questions and helping your children develop a view of the world that is biblical is Answers in Genesis. You can access their site by clicking here: Answers in Genesis. Funny--as I look at their site, their front story today is very similar to what I'm writing about :)