The Greatest Debate on Earth: Part 3 - Co-Existence

Part 3: Co-Existence

                I once wrote in an essay:

                “Centuries later [after Darwin published On the Origin of Species], we still find ourselves in a state of confusion; we know not whether we should side with the supernatural being and creationism; nor do we know if we should remove ourselves of this faith and side by science, which continually experiments and, after years of work, attempts to release the light of truth that God conceals.
             How can we ignore the unstoppable evidence that science throws before us, when all we have is a religious book that does not explain many mysteries of Earth? How can we delude ourselves by believing the earth is barely 10,000 years old when authentic proof shows the reign of the dinosaurs collapsed under a mass extinction 65 million years ago? This is the state of the human beings: unwilling to believe and unwilling not to believe. This is what has been causing confusion; our denial to both sides."

                I’m afraid that at the time I had written the essay, I was almost entirely pro-evolutionist, and I apologize for any confusion it may have caused. However, the main underlying point of my writing remains the same: the indecision of the common man on whether he should remain devoted to his respective deity, or support the increasingly powerful motivated scientists.

                Many adults across the world, when confronted with the question of if they believe in Evolution or God, attempt to sidetrack such a demanding query and reply that they believe in God, but say that He did not create life. I do not condemn such people for their inability to make a clear choice; I often find myself in such doubt.

                However, once again, the question of if both God and Evolution can exist simultaneously can no doubt be rising to the mind of a reader. This question has been pondered upon by many great thinkers; in this essay, I merely mention certain events that I found both important and intriguing.

                Evolution’s main curfew lies not with Creationism, but with Intelligent Design. If a religion does not plainly state that God created all life, evolution and religion can co-exist peacefully, as is the case of Hinduism, which may even support evolution in its own ways. However, when under threat from a popular religion that propagates the idea of Intelligent Design like Christianity, Evolutionary Biologists face it as what they believe it should be treated as: a direct defiance of what they believe is true.

                The Islamic religion is perhaps the closest religion to Christianity, albeit being sworn enemies. Most Islamic scholars adopt the stance of believing in evolution but insisting on the supremacy of God in the process. This is perhaps a more versatile belief than their Christian counterparts. However, some others, influenced by American Creationists, thoroughly reject evolution as “blasphemy” and “a thorough insult to God.”

                There are, however, some men who seek their refuge among their God as well as support the theory of evolution and creation of the universe without the interference of God through theistic evolution. Others believe in the existence of God and Evolution, but only with the support of the Bible. Believing in both God and Evolution is seen as the perfect refuge from such a probing question. However, many others do not believe in God and Evolution to subsist at the same time while not influencing the other; they believe that Evolution was God’s tool to create life. This incredibly versatile belief not only allows for the existence of Evolution and God at the same time, but also satisfies the beliefs of many creationists who believe that God created life indirectly or directly.

                Many bloggers across the world have addressed this question, most of them noting that they are publishing “at the risk of causing an uproar” and that they hope to unite the world that has been segregated by belief. Most of these private bloggers agree to views of the Islamic scholars and say that “Evolution was a method used by God to create life; maybe he was tired and wanted to rest,” one blog mentioned. These bloggers could persuade their followers to terminate any disputes over the existence of God or evolution, and instead unite and believe in both, an alternative not considered before.

                Evolution has caused an impact on the originally mocking group of biologists that work today. Almost all scientists are atheists and trust Evolution exists. However, apart from these “unbelieving” people, Creationism maintains a firm grip over the common man. 45% of the population of the U.S.A. reject evolution and embrace only Creationism rather than both.

                Primrack, a Jewish scientist, says that the Bible cannot be taken literally, but allegorically: “One simply cannot read the Bible as a scientific text, because it's often contradictory. For example, in the Bible, Noah takes two animals and puts them on the Ark. But in a later section, he takes seven pairs of animals. If this is the literal word of God, was God confused when He wrote it?" he says. Still others believe that the current Bible is not the least accurate; they believe that over time the words and meanings were altered; and from what was the word of God, it became an abridged version, a mere memory of its former brilliance.

                A common mistake made by many devoted Evolutionary Biologists is the usage of scalding comments to infuriate Creationists. What many fail to understand is why these biologists mock and jeer at such believers. There is no fault in believing in God, as there is no fault in believing in Evolution. Each man to his own thoughts, I should say. Any time that I read of an atheist insulting a person of any religion, I feel repulsed and immediately close the book. I am extremely disappointed to say that such an incident has occurred to me time after time.

                In retaliation, the theists reflect any insult and worsen it. For example, Richard Dawkin’s book The Greatest Show on Earth, completely devoted to evolution, was published in 2008. However, it seems that Dawkins was over passionate about his idea of the origin of life and it seemed to me that he mocked the believers in almost every other page. In a response, famous Evolution-rejecter Jonathan Safarti published his book The Greatest Hoax on Earth. In this, he read each chapter, discovered its mistakes, and plundered them, humiliating Dawkins further. However, he proved to be more gracious, saying that Richard Dawkin is a brilliant biologist, something Dawkins failed to do.

                Perhaps if such petty quarrels were solved and all disputes settled, the world could unite and remain satisfied with the existence of both evolution and God. With the simple solution staring them in the face, the world must be blind not to notice such an answer. But what is going on now? Who is winning this war? Read the final part of this essay, Conclusion, to know.