Today is the 200th anniversary celebration of the life of Charles Darwin. Darwin has become the deified figure of many committed Naturalists today. Certainly, nature is something to study and even learn from, yet when one honestly looks at nature, there are questions that arise about how a creature, life form, or formation of matter came about. With the incredible designs that are observed in this world (from the microscopic study of structures and life forms) to the telescopic understandings of this fantastic universe (just look at some of the awe inspiring photos we have today) there is no doubt that some greater force has been or is at work. As you think about this and origins, it essentially comes down to starting with impersonal matter or a personal GOD. Charles Darwin tragically fell into the trap of bitterness (see also my 01-14-09 Blog: “THEISM, A-theism and Deism”), and spent the last years of his life promoting only Naturalism. Have you succumbed to this tragedy in your own thinking or perhaps you have responded more like Abraham Lincoln?…
Some things just simply cannot be explained through Natural processes. This is what drives the modern day I.D. (Intelligent Design) movement. The more we study and learn about things in the Creation, the more we see that it is not only improbable, but also utterly impossible for everything we observe to simply have come from nothing at all or even some original impersonal matter. The most well established law we live by (that also governs the food industry and research of all kinds) is that something does not spontaneously come from nothing. The deeper question of origins is then exposed and it comes down to what I posited above (impersonal matter or personal GOD). Some highly educated people and avowed atheists (such as the highly acclaimed Richard Dawkins) even come down to hypothesizing that life here most likely started from intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. This thinking only delays the ultimate question of origins and the two starting point options (impersonal matter or personal GOD).
Friend, I could go on and speak more philosophically, yet you must practically come to grips with this question for yourself. There is no rational way to explain what we observe today from a merely natural starting point. This does not mean that we should default to simply saying “GOD did it” and refuse to do the work of science. The Bible says that GOD gave man dominion over the earth and gives man the responsibility of subduing it. In fact, you really should read and study the Bible to understand more about the Creation and its origin. The Bible claims inspiration and infallibility and the incessant scrutiny of it throughout history has only verified its claims and history to be true and accurate. The Bible also shows us the Providence of GOD in history and His plan through the Person and sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. This is available to all who will have it applied to their personal account by faith (see the Gospel Tab above).
Today is also the 200th Anniversary of the birth of another great historical figure—our 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln also had tragedies in his life and it is quite interesting to contrast his responses to those of Charles Darwin. After losing his beloved son, Willie, Lincoln responded by finally coming to personal faith in Jesus Christ. His journey to this point had also led our Country into abolishing the tragedy of slavery that existed then. Though controversy abounds, Lincoln obviously had a change in his understanding of faith in Jesus Christ and was speaking more and more of this before he was tragically shot, being pronounced dead just before Easter Sunday that year—on Good Friday morning, 1865.
Will tragedy turn you toward GOD or away from Him? Will today be a good day for you in the Providence of GOD? Will you default to the tragedy of only Naturalism? The choice is yours.
Lessons To Learn Ministries 