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World-view Implications
Creation: man is special, different from animals; put here for a purpose; God is in control
Evolution: man is nothing special, just an advanced animal; man is an “accident” of nature; man is in control
What are the “fruits” of an evolutionary world-view?
- Cheapening of human life
- Unwarranted elevation of animal life
- Why shouldn’t men act like animals?
Notes:
These two world-views of creation and evolution say very different things about who we are, why we are here, and who is ultimately in control. These two different outlooks tend to lead to radically different behaviors. If we teach that people are nothing but “higher animals”, then we shouldn’t be surprised when they act like animals, and the value of human life is discounted and the value of animal life is improperly inflated. Hitler and others have justified their evil actions based on evolutionary thinking (“the survival of the fittest”). Evolutionary scientists do not of course condone these actions, but it IS where this type of philosophy has led. Naturalism has no ground on which absolute morals can be based and leads to relativistic thinking. Evolution provides no explanation for why our inner sense of moral values should even exist.
Many of the social ills of today stem from a lack of understanding and/or desire to follow the intended relationship between God <=> people <=> the creation. The ideal is for people to love God and other people (the two most important commands in the Bible, see Mk 12:30-31) and to take proper care of the creation (the job of Adam and Eve). The biblical mandate to “subdue” the earth (Gen 1:28) includes learning to understand it and make use of it (which is what scientists do), but not to pollute or abuse it.