In the previous article of this series we defined evolutionism, but we can dig still deeper. In the next few articles we will look at two possible worldviews one can take when trying to explain origins. We also will address the middle ground in this war of the worldviews.

At the very heart of evolutionism is the atheistic worldview. Evolutionism is rooted in atheism, which is the denial of the God or any gods in any form or context. At the center of atheism is the idea that evidence for the existence of God is less compelling than the arguments against his existence. Atheists believe that all the suffering in life on this earth cannot possibly point to an omniscient and omnipotent God. The atheist in his foolishness says, “I cannot see God, therefore there is no God.”

We respond to this foolishness by confessing with Paul in Romans 1:20–21; “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” We read in 2 Peter 3:5–7; “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” Willingly ignorant. Can you imagine being willingly ignorant of God’s hand in creation? This is how many are, because God in his infinite wisdom ordained that it should be so. Romans 9:18 states; “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” This ought to make us all the more thankful that God has chosen us and works by his Spirit in us so that we might believe on him.

This willing ignorance is evident in atheist Richard Dawkins. As is clearly manifest in his style of writing, Dawkins takes pleasure in mocking those who still hold to a literal six day creation. His delight in this is blatant in his book, The Greatest Show on Earth (2009), from which we will quote later. In an earlier book, The God Delusion, he theorizes that creationists are deluded into thinking the universe was created:

I shall define the God Hypothesis more defensibly: there exists a superhuman, supernatural intelligence who deliberately designed and created the universe and everything in it, including us. This book will advocate an alternative view: any creative intelligence, of sufficient complexity to design anything, comes into existence only as the end product of an extended process of gradual evolution. Creative intelligences, being evolved, necessarily arrive late in the universe, and therefore cannot be responsible for designing it. God, in the sense defined, is a delusion . . . a pernicious delusion.[1]

If you want to talk about delusion as this increasingly wicked world trends towards its end, read 2 Thessalonians 2. Paul, addressing the coming of the antichrist and the increasing wickedness of the world, describes God sending strong delusion to the wicked that they might believe the lie and be damned: “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness (vv. 11–12).”

The pride of man is a recurring theme throughout this subject in general. Unbelieving man says, “I need to be able to think in my mind, using my own thought processes to explain philosophically whether or not God can exist.” Throughout history unbelieving man has been trying to find a philosophical explanation for the existence of God. In all his pondering he just can’t seem to “nail it down.” Man will never find God philosophically. He cannot. God does not allow him. God is beyond all philosophical thought. God in his omnipotence and omnipresence simply is. This is reflected in his name, “I Am.” God, speaking to Moses in Exodus 3:14, gave us his name. “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” We do not need a philosophical explanation for God’s creative and providential hand. You can argue with someone, trying to convince them that God is and created, until you are blue in the face; but they will not see it unless they have the eyes of faith given them by the Spirit.

Atheist Richard Dawkins refers to religion as parasitic genetic code in our DNA that has somewhat annoyingly hung on throughout the years. Dawkins, in many of his other writings attacks theism. He even calls theism a virus[2], one that is giving “innocent” and “gullible” children, like his own, very bad ideas. Dawkins is a leading example of how hardened secular science is against even the idea of God.

More than 40 per cent of Americans deny that humans evolved from other animals, and think that we—and by implication all of life—were created by God within the last 10,000 years. The figure is not quite so high in Britain, but it is still worryingly large. And it should be as worrying to the churches as it is to scientists. This book is necessary. I shall be using the name “history-deniers” for those people who deny evolution: who believe the world’s age is measured in thousands of years rather than thousands of millions of years, and who believe humans walked with dinosaurs. . . I shall from time to time refer to the history-deniers as the “40-percenters.”[3]

In the above quotation, not to mention the attempts to belittle those who confess creation with the titles of “history-deniers” and “40-percenters,” Dawkins makes a blanket statement: “…and it should be as worrying to the churches as it is to scientists.” This statement assumes that all churches should worry that the doctrine of creation is still very prevalent. This is downright absurd because while many churches unfortunately have apostatized in this important area of the Christian faith, the Christian faith is based on the fact that God in his infinite wisdom and power created all things out of nothing.

The history-deniers themselves are among those that I am trying to reach in this book. But, perhaps more importantly, I aspire to arm those who are not history-deniers but know some—perhaps members of their own family or church—and find themselves inadequately prepared to argue the case.

Evolution is a fact. Beyond reasonable doubt, beyond serious doubt, beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt, beyond doubt evolution is a fact. The evidence for evolution is at least as strong as the evidence for the Holocaust, even allowing for eyewitnesses to the Holocaust. It is the plain truth that we are cousins of chimpanzees, somewhat more distant cousins of monkeys, more distant cousins still of aardvarks, and manatees, yet more distant cousins of bananas and turnips. . . Evolution is a fact, and this book will demonstrate it. No reputable scientist disputes it, and no unbiased reader will close the book doubting it.[4]

To tell the truth, I did not even have to open the book to see the way evolutionists spin the debate. The unknown writer on the inside cover of The Greatest Show on Earth by Dawkins, told me how it is. “Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity.” All reputable scientists and theologians? What the writer here is saying is that if you do not uphold evolution as scientific fact, you cannot possibly be reputable. Reading farther, we find this: “In American schools, and in schools around the world, insidious attempts are made to undermine the status of science in the classroom.” Now he states that creationists are undermining the status of science in the classroom. Here again is an example of the proponents of evolutionism twisting words. He is implying that creationists throw science by the wayside. This is not true. Now more than ever, many creationists are showing how scientific evidence actually confirms Scripture.

Next time we will look at the Reformed worldview.

[1] Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion. (Great Britain: Bantam Press, 2006), 52

[2] Dawkins, Richard. Viruses of the Mind, 1991

[3] Dawkins, Richard. The Greatest Show on Earth, (New York: Free Press, 2009), 7

[4] Ibid. 8, 9