by JC Campbell

Created on: March 05, 2008

The irony surrounding the controversy between Creationism and Evolution is that they are not the only options open to the intelligent mind who seeks an answer to the question of the origin of the universe or of life on earth. There are thinking people who reject both theories in favor of the remaining option, Creation.

Creation and Creationism are actually two different beliefs, the latter being rejected by many as illogical and unscientific. So while most would assume there are only two options to choose from, there are in fact three, because Creationism as a theory is so far removed from the concept of Creation.

The basis for the entire discussion surrounds the debate on the origin of life and the material universe and whether it has resulted from chance, as Evolution teaches, or is the product of intelligent design. The controversy has raged for more than a hundred years with the advent of Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species" raising the profile of the Evolution theory.

EVOLUTION
The theory of evolution teaches that all life sprang from one source, evolutionists suggesting that source was a one-celled amoeba in a cesspool dating back millions of years. The theory fails to explain where that one-celled life form came from, which proves to be a problem for logical people who know that life does not spring from nothing. This theory requires us to accept that every living creature on earth is related and have somehow over millions of years transformed into new life forms.

CREATIONISM
The viewpoints of those who are Creationists have been rejected even by those who believe in God and accept what the bible teaches about the origin of life. The Creationist view is a simplistic one that flies in the face of established scientific fact when it suggests that God created all living things in seven literal twenty-four hour days. The notion that creation took place just a few thousand years ago is completely unacceptable to both scientists and those who accept the bible's view. The universe is clearly millions of years old and scientific reality proves this.

CREATION
Those who believe in the bible's creation account, do not accept either of the other options, refusing to believe that the wonders of the living world and the precision of the universe could arrive by accident. They also reject the simplistic views of Creationism on the age of the universe. When the bible opens with the words "In the beginning", there is no limit placed on when that "beginning" was. If scientists and geologists offer proof that the universe is millions or even billions of years old, believers in Creation have no problem with this.

The same is true of the creative days described in the book of Genesis. There is no suggestion the creative days were only twenty-four hours in length as the word "day" is used in the bible to refer variously from a period of twelve hours to a thousand years.

The key to the entire debate between the three beliefs is to ask ourselves which one is upheld by established scientific fact as opposed to theory. The controversy will no doubt continue as people adopt the view they prefer, but hopefully intelligent, reasonable and logical thinkers will take the trouble to assess the facts before taking an entrenched view in something they don't really understand.

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