Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
If a person is an atheist, they definitely have a problem with the concept of God creating the world. Likewise those who might believe in some kind of divine ‘entity’ but hold the view that that ‘entity’ is and has always been uninvolved in this world. Maybe once upon a time it (the entity) initiated a spark that set a process in motion but that was it.
The Theory of Evolution is about the only thing you’re left with if your foundational assumption (belief) is that God (any divine entity) CANNOT be a part of the process. (That becomes the starting point.) Over the past few decades evolution proponents have accomplished moving it from theory to accepted fact – at least in their minds and in academia. This is their faith venture.
Consider some Evolution terms: (But note how positive they all are)
Evolve = change, grow, progress, advance, go forward, develop
Evolution = development, growth, progression, advancement
Mutation = change, alteration, transformation, modification
Enter my college Genetics class that I took my senior year – big class with over 500 students in it. [FYI – The professor happened to be an atheist. I learned that, months later through discussions with him.] I had been a Christian a little over a year and hadn’t given a lot of thought to the evolution / creation issue. But from earlier college courses, I knew that mutations were the foundation of the Theory of Evolution. It couldn’t exist without them.
In Genetics class we dealt with the subject of mutations and that provided a stunning eye-opener. Most mutations are harmful or negative – or at best neutral. Let’s say that again but in a different way – Most mutations are NOT beneficial or positive!!! In addition there is the whole issue of dominant and recessive mutations. The rarest ‘critter’ out there in the world of mutations is the ‘dominant and beneficial mutation’.
Yet, that very ‘critter’ is what the whole evolution house of cards is built upon. We read and hear how evolution is predicated upon mutations – zillions and zillions of them – and unlimited time for them to occur. But the theory is based upon the ‘given’ (read fiction) that the mutations are all overwhelmingly positive, beneficial and dominant. This is the very opposite of the reality.
While this whole experience was helpful, I don’t believe in Scriptural creation because of it. My belief is settled firmly on the Rock that is Christ:
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
The good news was that the more I experienced the power and wonder of God, it became a no-brainer that God could do anything! – except lie, sin, be unfaithful, be caught off guard, and a few other things. Experiencing His supernatural power can have a profound impact on a person.
Come to think of it, creation pales in comparison to what was accomplished through Jesus: His life, death, resurrection, freeing us from a life of sin and making us new creatures in Him. Creating the world and everything in it was not a big deal – maybe the equivalent of God snapping his fingers.
Note: My atheist Genetics prof felt he was comfortable with his own explanations for describing most of my experiences with Jesus. BUT – I remember him looking at me and saying with a serious thoughtfulness, “I don’t know what to do with the miracles.”