November 2009 marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s book on the theory of evolution entitled ,On the Origin of Species,. A theory that is still described by a large number of scientists as one of the most important theories ever. But from the corner of creationists, this opinion is not shared at all. They hold on to the creation story from the Bible. A controversy that is expressed in various ways and will probably never disappear.
Two views diametrically opposed to each other
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Evolution theory |
Creation story |
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Man in 4 billion years. |
Man in seven days. |
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Darwin hypothesized that life on Earth could originate in a warm pool. |
On the first day God created light and darkness, or day and night. |
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A pool with lots of sunlight. |
On the second day the vault of heaven. |
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Light and heat allowed a balanced chemical composition to develop. |
On day three He caused the water to flow together and called it the sea. He called the dry part earth. On this day He also created the plants and trees. |
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Living organisms could emerge from this. |
On day four it was the turn of the stars, moon and sun in the sky. |
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A fish developed among those organisms. |
The fifth day was for the fish in the water and for the birds in the air. |
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That fish evolved into man. |
And on day six, God created the land animals such as the cattle, the wild animals and the creeping things. Then He created man in His image. Man was to have dominion over all other creatures. |
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And day seven became a day of rest, because God’s Creation was finished. |
Source: Henry Maull, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Theory of Evolution: Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species
Only species that know how to adapt survive
Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) was a biologist, theologian, naturalist and geologist. His theory of evolution meant a true revolution within existing views. The core of that theory is that evolution of Earth’s species is driven by natural selection. Natural selection is the consequence of the struggle for existence. Only species that know how to adapt survive. According to Darwin, all life comes from a common descent. He described this theory in his book ,On the Origin of Species,, which was published in 1859. Darwin developed his theory after a research trip. He did this with the ship the Beagle. During that trip he visited southern Africa, South America, Australia, and archipelagos in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The most appealing was probably his visit to the Ecuadorian Galápagos Islands. He studied the geology, fossils, plants and animals at all locations visited. Darwin’s theory is a scientific theory, for which there is much evidence.
Sticking to the creation story
Where do we come from?
The answer to this question was simple for people: after all, the creation story provided the answer.
Until Darwin made his theory of evolution public. That’s when the controversy arose and continues to this day. In the 21st century, there is a group from a Christian section of the population, the creationists, who believe that Darwin’s theory cannot be proven. For example, the coordinator of the Bible and Education Foundation said:
,Darwin’s theory cannot be proven. We have not been there. The same applies to the creation story. But why is Darwin’s teaching seen as fact and the creation story as fiction?, (De Gelderlander January 13, 2009).
The group therefore adheres to the creation story from the Bible, which states that God created the world in six days. He gave man a mind completely different from that of the animals.
When 2009 marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth, that year was declared Darwin Year. That year attracted a lot of attention with activities around Darwin. Action was also taken by Christian organizations. To promote their idea of the creation story, 30 organizations distributed a door-to-door brochure with the title ,Evolution or Creation? What do you believe?, It criticized the theory of evolution. As an example, the fact that fossils have been found of animals that still look the same today was used. They find this a contradiction with Darwin’s claim of evolution. The Evangelische Omroep (EO) broadcast a documentary about the theory of evolution, but some essential parts of this theory were cut from the program. Andries Knevel of the Evangelische Omroep was criticized for preferring some of Darwin’s theories over the Creation story.
In any case, science and faith do not come together on this issue.