I recall a couple of my classmates in preacher training school enjoying some good humor with one another. After going back and forth with their comments, one of them "out of the blue" said, "I can tell by the shape of your jaw, that a monkey was your Pa!" He was, of course, in a joking way making reference to the theory of evolution.

Evolution is the theory that lower forms of animals, over the course of millions or billions of years, gradually developed into or produced higher forms of animals, including humans. Simply put, as far as you and I go, according to evolution, we came from apes or some ape-like creatures. I have yet to come across a person that did not correctly answer this question that I have presented to them: "Were your parents humans beings?" "Yes" is the answer that I get 100% of the time. "Well, what about your parents’ parents, were they humans?" Again, I always get an affirmative answer. "And what about your parents’ parents, did they come from humans?" The correct answer never changes! You can see where this reasoning is going. Evolution cannot refute it. People everywhere understand the basic truth that they personally came from humans, that their pet cats came from cats, and the cattle that they raise came from cattle. Folks, it has always been that way! The Bible teaches that living things produce "after their kind" (Genesis 1). Yet, some people have simply not thought through the consequences of accepting evolution. According to evolution, somewhere way back up the line, your kinfolk and mine were not totally human. Who can believe it?!

When selecting science textbooks, public school systems around our nation often go through what is dubbed "the Creation-Evolution debate." Individual science teachers at times decide on their own whether they are going to teach or skip sections in their textbooks that promote evolution. Some teachers choose to tell their students what the evolution-saturated book says, but supplement such material with "the alternative view" of creation. Thankfully, other conscientious educators just refuse to teach the evolution materials at all.

Many people have blindly accepted the theory of evolution without giving consideration to the Bible’s explanation of man’s existence, which is creation by God, the Supreme Being. Consider some notable differences between the theory of evolution and creationism according to the Bible.

The Origin of Man – As we noted above, evolution teaches that man evolved or gradually developed from lower forms of animals. The Bible, however, says, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Exodus 20:11). The Bible plainly states that "God created man . . ." (Genesis 1:27). Think about this: If I tell you that a frog went to sleep and overnight turned into a prince (a human being), you would call that "a fairy tale." However, some folks try to convince us that a frog turned into a man, not overnight, but after millions or billions of years, and people call this "science" or "scholarship." No, that too, is just a fairy tale!

The History of Man – The textbook used for an ecology class at a local high school in our area during the 2000-2001 school year stated: "Some 4.6-4.7 billion years ago a cloud of cosmic dust condensed into planet earth." After throwing out this huge figure for the earth’s age, the book went on to say, "Humans arrived on the scene only a very short time ago." This is the basic jargon of evolutionists: the earth is extremely old, but in comparison, mankind has not been around long at all. Question: Is it true that humans arrived on the scene "only a very short time ago?" Answer: The Bible says that humans have been around since "the beginning." Jesus said, "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female" (Mark 10:6). Question: How long have humans lived on the earth? Answer: Exactly five days less than the earth has been in existence. The earth was created by Jehovah on day one, and He created man and woman on day six (6 - 1 = 5). [It is not our purpose here to discuss how old the earth is, but based on biblical records, conservative Bible students have long affirmed that the earth has existed for some 6,000-10,000 years. That, of course, would mean that humans have been around for the same length of time since the earth is only five days older than the human race (Genesis 1:1-27)].

The Nature of Man – Evolution categorizes human beings as animals. Evolutionists are quick to point out that man is superior to other animal forms, but still, he is just an animal. Because evolution looks at humans only as flesh and blood, that is, some type of "critter," it sees only the physical aspect of man. On the other hand, the Bible, in addition to noting the obvious physical side of humans, also sets forth the special spiritual nature of man.

The Bible teaches that when He made humans, "God created man in his own image" (Genesis 1:27). Since "God is a spirit" (John 4:24) and thus not a physical being, the reference to God making man in His image does not refer to some physical aspect. Therefore, it must be the case that our being in God’s image must have reference to some spiritual nature. God is "from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:2). That is, He is eternal. Humans, like the God that created us, are also an eternal being in one sense. Each human being has an eternal spirit that will one day "return unto God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Yes, we eat, breathe, and die, just as animals do. But humans will live forever (Matthew 25:46)! That’s how God made us. The Bible teaches that there is such a thing as "the saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:39). That is another truth that evolutionists fail to accept.

The Proper Behavior of Man – Lizards, squirrels, and mountain lions do not have a moral code of conduct. Since evolution looks at humans as super animal forms, then evolution cannot give mankind an objective code of conduct to follow. One horrible consequence of accepting the theory of evolution is that it removes any objective standard of right and wrong. If humans are mere animals, then just like in the animal kingdom, "anything goes" when it comes to personal behavior! But the Bible says that God wants humans to hold fast to that which He calls "good," and abstain from what He labels as "evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22). As humans, we have the capacity to understand the idea of things being morally right or wrong. If we had evolved from animals, we would clearly have no such concept of morality since morality is not a part of animals’ thinking. Furthermore, the Bible declares that man’s whole purpose or duty while living on the earth is to "Fear God, and keep his commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). You will never find an evolution-based textbook that agrees with that idea!

Make no mistake about it, evolution offers nothing but empty explanations. It cannot explain the origin of the world, the origin of life, the origin of humans, the difference in the blood of humans and animals (1 Corinthians 15:39), why it is acceptable to squash mosquitoes but not humans, and a host of other matters. Evolution is filled with assumptions, and it contains no real evidence to substantiate its claims. It never has, and it never will.

Do not be deceived: evolution is not an innocent viewpoint. You see, evolution is anti-Bible. Why? Because it denies the truth that the Bible plainly presents about creation and other topics (Genesis 1). Evolution is anti-Christ. Why? Because it denies the Bible teaching that all things were created by and for Jesus (Colossians 1:16,17). Simply put, evolution is completely against the scheme of redemption that Jehovah reveals to us in the Bible. Why do we make such a conclusion? Evolution denies creation, meaning that there was no first couple with the names "Adam and Eve." If that be true, then there was no fall of man in the Garden of Eden. But if that be the case, then there is no sin, no punishment for sin, no need for redemption, no need for a redeemer, no need for Jesus, and no need for the Bible. This, friends, is the ultimate consequence of evolution. Thus, it must be rejected!

Remember this. When all is said and done, evolution is simply an unfounded, unproven, unreasonable "t-h-e-o-r-y." On the other hand, the Bible’s message about creation is part of God’s "t-r-u-t-h" (John 17:17). Creation versus evolution? It is simply a matter of fact (God’s truth) versus fiction (man’s fantasy).

-- Roger D. Campbell