The Enduring Faith of Evolutionists
Yet today, the atheistic faith of evolutionists is stronger than it was in Darwin’s time as they proclaim what they call the “fact of evolution,” which is nothing more than the observation that the manifold forms of life have similarities in structure that suggest they might be related to one another in such a way that human intuition can impose a developmental pattern of change on them to explain their origin.
But the observed “fact” of evolution could just as reasonably be looked at as similarities between the many different creations of One Creator, in the same way that the creations of a human artist bear the marks and similarities that allow us to identify the artist by his creation. One example of this second way of interpreting the observed “fact” might be the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, or the impressionist paintings of Picasso.
The historical fact is that the lack of evidence for Darwinian evolution has persuaded many in the field of evolutionary biology to discard their faith in Darwin, but not their faith in evolution by some other mechanism. But their faith in other mechanisms is just as fanciful as Darwin’s and that of his staunchest contemporary advocate, T.H. Huxley.
For instance, we have the theory of “evolution by jumps” first proposed by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould, and summarized thus:
Evolution – Eldredge and Gould – (Evolution by Jumps—Punctuated Equilibrium)
OBSERVATION: No transitional fossils are found.
PREDICTION: Major genetic changes must produce remarkably different forms rapidly.
EXPERIMENT: Demonstrate major genetic (DNA) changes in living organisms that give rise to different life forms by exposure to random mutagens.
RESULTS: All controlled laboratory trials and observations in nature have shown that escalated mutagenic exposures produce sick or dead progeny.
CONCLUSION: Punctuated equilibrium is based upon fossils that are not found and heredity that is unknown and violates every scientific principle of genetics and molecular biology.
Stephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely-read writers of popular science of his generation, leading many commentators to call him “America’s unofficial evolutionist laureate.”. Gould taught and worked for most of his career at Harvard University and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Punctuated equilibrium is a useful hypothesis, since it accords with the fact that fossils are not found. In brief, this hypothesis is that certain living things become remotely isolated, undergo rapid mutation so that entirely new and different forms of life suddenly appear. Since this occurs in remote isolation and is a rare event, there is no opportunity for the naturally rare event of fossilization. Therefore, fossils are not found. Young earth creationists have rightly ridiculed this strained hypothesis as the “Hopeful Monster Theory.”
Nevertheless many attempts to test this hypothesis have been made and usually consist of exposing living creatures with rapid reproduction and short life spans (fruit flies for instance) to random mutagenic events (chemical, radiation, etc.). The results are never a new and improved or different organism, but always a sick or deformed or dead organism. This hypothesis cannot come close to explaining the manifold forms of well adapted life on Planet Earth, and it seems a little ludicrous that so much time and energy has been wasted on it.
The only conclusion is that the sudden emergence of marvelously adapted new species in the fossil record is based upon fossils that are not found and genetics that are not documented and which violate all known genetic laws discovered by science.
Another very well-known evolutionist characterized this theory as follows:
“I reflected much on the chance of favourable monstrosities (i.e. great and sudden variation) arising. I have, of course, no objection to this. Indeed it would be a great aid, but I did not allude to the subject, for, after much labour, I could find nothing which satisfied me of the probability of such occurrences.
“He who believes that some ancient form was transformed suddenly through an internal force or tendency into, for instance, one furnished with wings, will be almost compelled to assume, in opposition to all analogy, that many individuals varied simultaneously [and in identical fashion].
“He will further be compelled to believe that many structures beautifully adapted to all the other parts of the same creature, and to the surrounding conditions, have been suddenly produced.
“And of such complex and wonderful coadaptations, he will not be able to assign a shadow of an explanation. He will be forced to admit that these great and sudden transformations have left no trace of their action on the embryo. To admit all this is, as it seems to me, to enter into the realms of miracle, and to leave those of science.”
–Charles Darwin in a letter to his advocate T.H.Huxley, who presciently realized that the fossil record would not support gradualistic evolution and urged Darwin to support evolution by jumps (saltation).
Thus it is that Darwin, the author of evolution’s seminal proof text, is firmly on record that the hypothesis of evolution by jumps to explain the well observed facts of species discontinuity and lack of transitional fossils departs the halls of science and evidences a miraculous Creator.
Undismayed by evidence that contradicts evolution, Gould continues his advocacy of naturalistic evolution by any mechanism that will allow him to avoid a supernatural creation. Admitting that the evidence does not support his hypothesis, he writes in his book, Ontogeny and Phylogeny, that observed jumps in evolved organisms (phylogeny) must be explained by changes in the rate of development of individual organisms (ontogeny) in embryo.
“Major disruptions of entire genetic systems do not produce favored—or even viable—organisms.”
“If we do not invoke discontinuous change by small alteration in rates of development, I do not see how most major evolutionary transitions can be accomplished at all. How could we ever convert a rhinoceros or a mosquito into something fundamentally different? Yet transitions between major groups must have occurred in the history of life.
“In my own, strongly biased opinion, the problem of reconciling evident discontinuity in macroevolution with Darwinism is largely solved by the observation that small changes early in embryology accumulate through growth to yield profound differences among adults. Prolong the high prenatal rate of brain growth into early childhood and a monkey’s brain moves toward human size.
“The transition must occur in simpler and more similar embryos of these highly divergent adults. No one would think of transforming a starfish into a mouse, but the embryos of some echinoderms and protovertebrates are nearly identical.”
Gould illustrates his hypothesis with photographs of infant and adult chimpanzees and observes that the infant chimpanzee “looks more human” than the adult. He then opines that if the gestation (pregnancy) of the chimpanzee were somehow prolonged, a more advanced humanoid might be born. But Gould’s obvious bias that only restates his erroneous hypothesis, that “transitions between major groups must have occurred in the history of life.”
Why “must” such “transitions” have occurred? Because, unlike Darwin, Gould would not acknowledge the possibility of supernatural creation that the jumps in the record of life suggested. Gould’s bias against any notion of God rendered him unable to objectively view the evidence before him. Gould is not alone in this denial of evidence. Most evolutionists today share his view of life. But not all scientists agree with this view, which amounts to little more than an unfounded leap of faith.
A striking characteristic of evolutionists, is their extreme confidence in their presumptions, which leads to fairly outrageous statements that they use to batter those who don’t agree with them.
“Evolution is a fact, not a theory.
“It once was a theory but today, as a consequence of observation and testing it is probably the best authenticated actuality known to science.
“There are theories concerning the mechanisms of evolution, but no competent student doubts the reality of evolution.”
–Ashley Montagu, 1984
Evolutionists use pejorative declarations to dismiss dissenters—“no competent student doubts.” Therefore those who disagree are incompetent and not to be taken seriously.
“Facts don’t go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. . . And humans evolved from ape-like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin’s proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered.”
–Stephen Jay Gould, 1981
And evolutionists confuse facts with mechanisms—if Darwin did not explain how humans evolved, how does Gould know for a “fact” that humans evolved from ape-like ancestors.
So many evolutionists’ statements reflect their faith in their presumption rather than conviction derived from the facts or evidence.
To the faith of these evolutionists, gradualist or jumpy, we may contrast the incisive scientific commentary of the famous and legitimate scientist Louis Pasteur,
“In experimental science it is always a mistake not to doubt when facts do not compel affirmation.”
Pasteur’s warning has been lost on modern evolutionists, who avidly presume and propose other methodologies for evolution to support their faith. Their presumptive atheistic world view influences what they will accept as “science” and thereby makes them less than transparent about the evidence they collect. Their presumptions form an underlying method and motivation which they are not shy about sharing publicly, as they pursue their “science.” The evolutionists’ many public confessions announce their biased atheistic faith to the world, as they attempt to indoctrinate a mostly naive and uninformed public with their prejudice. A few examples can be used to illustrate their world view.
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