Creationists Challenge Evolution
Los Angeles Times

By Stephanie Simon

The Bible says God created man in His image. Biologists say man evolved from primordial muck.

Steve Abrams, a member of the Kansas Board of Education, considers both versions and then asks: Why is one more scientific than the other? True, we can't prove God created us. But neither can we prove that monkeys became men. Neither theory can be tested in the lab. Neither can be directly observed.

So neither, he concludes, should be taught in school.

This is the new creationist crusade: Instead of trying to push the Bible into biology class, they're working to kick Charles Darwin out.

In a fresh twist on an old debate, conservative Christians have given up insisting that public schools teach the Book of Genesis as science. That approach violates a Supreme Court decision.

Learning from defeat after defeat in the courts, they have fashioned a new approach. They focus instead on the theory of evolution, insisting it's too preposterously speculative to merit a place in the science curriculum.

"In the scientific field, we should be studying science: facts that can be documented, observed and measured. That's what I want for our kids," said Abrams, a veterinarian who leads a creationist bloc on the education board. "Evolution is not good science, and, as such, we don't believe it should be presented."

Polls consistently show that at least 44% of Americans believe God created life as described in Genesis: Over the course of six days, He separated day from night and created every species of life, culminating with Adam and Eve. A roughly equal percentage accept evolution but think God had a hand in guiding it. Only about 10% believe in strict evolution, unaided by external forces.

Public queasiness about the Darwinian gospel is starting to creep into education policy. Consider:

* In Alabama, all biology texts must carry a sticker advising that evolution is an "unproven belief" and "should be considered a theory." The sticker also lists several "unanswered questions" about evolution--such as the lack of transitional fossils showing, for example, a half-fish, half-amphibian.

* In Nebraska, the attorney general recently warned the Board of Education that a new science curriculum that presented evolution as fact might violate the state's constitutional guarantee of freedom of conscience since "students would be forced to accept as true something that contradicted their religion." The board revised the curriculum to teach evolution as a theory.

* In Kansas, the creationist view has earned considerable public support. In a recent Sunday editorial, the Topeka Capital-Journal opined that "creationism is as good a hypothesis as any for how the universe began" and urged schools to teach both views of our origins.
 
 
 
 
Q: But how can I be bothered with something as old-fashioned as religion when I'm so busy trying to "get ahead"

A: In today's ever-changing and increasingly complex and computerized World, more and more people find themselves so caught up in the frenzied rush to become successful financially, they often have little time to ponder such seemingly "abstract" matters as the meaning of life, peace of mind, love for their fellowman, or even the eternal welfare of their own souls!--After all, such concerns could be quite distracting or actually detrimental to their pursuit of the most popular "god" of this World; a god that commands most of the World's worship and devotion--money and material wealth!

From the time they are very young children, many people have it ingrained in them that the only way to attain happiness in life is to:
1.) Get a good education, preferably with a degree from a prestigious university.
2.) Land a "promising" job with a successful company or corporation.
3.) Make enough money to purchase a new automobile, a nice house or two, and furnish and equip it with all of the various luxury items and hi-tech electronic gadgets that are equated with "success".

Although this route to riches usually requires a lifetime of blood, sweat, tears and toil, most of the folks who follow it do so without serious doubts or reservations, for they are convinced that once they attain the wealth they desire, they will at last find true happiness and contentment.

But sad to say, such people usually discover that despite their arduous efforts to attain happiness, it somehow eludes them. As the years pass they often find that company or social pressures have filled them with stress and anxiety, not peace or satisfaction. Their private lives frequently suffer as a result, as they're unable to even find time to spend with their own families and loved ones.

Then, to their dismay, they eventually and ultimately reach a very sad realization: This World and all of its treasures and pleasures can never truly satisfy the heart of Man! Material things may temporarily satisfy the body, but they can never satisfy the soul or the spirit of Man which longs for a joy, peace and lasting fulfillment that can never be met or fulfilled by mere material gain.

This is why the rich and powerful are often the most miserable of all men.--They already possess everything that most people think can satisfy and make them happy. They've already attained all of the material things their hearts could desire, and to their sorrow they discover that things cannot satisfy or fulfill their empty hearts and starving souls!--Thus they no longer even have hope of happiness in riches! The famous English poet, Lord Byron, realized this and lamented, "I have drunk every cup of pleasure, and I have quaffed every cup of fame, and yet alas, I die of thirst!"

Although many people today take little time to ponder the prospect of a Creator, of a God, when a personal crisis or tragedy suddenly strikes--an unexpected accident or critical illness, a death in the family, a great personal loss of any kind--to whom do they turn for help? A fat bank account-- regardless of the wealth it holds--can do nothing to bring back a loved one who has passed through death's door. Houses, lands and a stockpile of luxury items can do nothing to rekindle a love that has grown cold or heal a heart that's been broken. It is during such times of crisis that people frequently realize that the true values of life are far more important than mere material wealth.

Aren't all religions basically the same? Are they not all paths that eventually reach the same summit?
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