FREE ESSAY ON CREATION

CREATION

Creation II
Mrs. Brew 13 May 1996 Intelligent Design of the Universe The search for knowledge about
the origin of humanity is as old as its inhabitants. Since the early 1800's mankind has
narrowed the debate to creation by a Supreme Being and the theory of evolution. Ever
since then, science has been at odds against religion. Now it appears that science is
returning to religion. Scientists are finding proof that the universe was created by a
Supreme Being. The word evolution refers to the change of something over a period of
time(Webster's 634). In biology, the theory of evolution is the complex of processes by
which living organisms originated on earth and have been diversified and modified through
sustained changes in form and function(Valentine). This theory proposes that between 4
million and 10 million years ago, all organisms on earth had a common ancestor and that
through a process of evolution, all living organisms descended from this common
ancestor(Coyne). Chevalier de Lamarck, a French naturalist proposed a theory of evolution
in 1809. His idea did not get much scientific consideration until Charles R. Darwin
announced his theory of evolution(Coyne). Darwin published his most famous book, On the
Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection(Valentine) in 1859. Darwin stated that
offspring resemble their parents, yet they are not exactly identical to them. He also
noted that some of these differences were not effects of their environment, but actually
were passed down from parents to children(Valentine). Darwin is the most well known
scientist to write on evolution. There are many different variations on the theory of
evolution. Darwin states that natural selection is the main reason for the evolution of
life. The fight for food, water and other necessities benefits those creatures who are
well adapted for the struggle. Those that cannot survive, die with no offspring to
continue their genetic line. Natural selection is also called survival of the fittest.
Another related idea to evolution is gradualism. Gradualism is the idea that evolutionary
changes do not occur suddenly but over large amounts of time, ranging from decades to
millions of years(Coyne). Genetic drift is another way that scientists define evolution.
When two of a species mate, their offspring gets 23 chromosomes from both parents. When a
gene does not split and combine correctly, a mutation occurs. This mutation will get
passed down from the creature to its offspring. In this way a species can permanently be
changed(Coyne). Scientists who have accepted the general theory of evolution as fact
disagree among themselves about the ratio of importance between natural selection and
genetic drift. They also disagree about what caused the apparent gaps in fossil layers.
New species abruptly(Valentine) appear in the fossil record with no apparent mutation
from another species, then remain unchanged for long periods of time. They do not seem to
exhibit the gradual changes that would be expected by modern evolutionists(Valentine).
Many people, including those in the scientific community, do not accept the theory of
evolution as fact. When Darwin was alive, his theory was attacked by many scientists and
religious leaders(Coyne). In the 1900's, United States public high schools began teaching
evolution in science classes. By the 1920's, laws in twenty states to ban the teaching of
evolution in public schools had been proposed by people who did not want their children
being indoctrinated. They considered the teaching of the theory to be part of a dangerous
trend toward the separation of religious beliefs from everyday life(Coyne). Several of
the proposed laws were passed into effect in states including Arkansas and Tennessee. The
ACLU challenged the Tennessee law in 1925 by defending a teacher named John T. Scopes,
who had volunteered to stand trial on the charge of teaching evolution(Coyne). The ACLU
lost the case but because of bad press, creationists appeared ignorant to science.
However, in 1968 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that laws banning the
teaching of evolution were unconstitutional because they made religious considerations
part of the curriculum(Coyne). The courts continue to give rulings on creation and
evolution in schools, some have come as recently as 1987(Coyne). The fight to keep
evolution out of the classroom is still persevering. Those who are pushing to keep
evolution out of the public schools are primarily creationists. Creation is the belief
that a Supreme Being created the universe and all its contents from nothing(Vawter). Many
different people have believed different stories of how and why this was accomplished.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are a few of the major faiths that teach Creation. There
are many differences in what different people believe. Many Jews and Christians with a
literal interpretation of the Bible or the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible,
believe that God created the universe and all that is in it in six 24 hour days. They
believe that each species on earth has remained relatively the same since the Creation.
These people base their beliefs on the Bible(Eve) and some use fossil evidence of long
consistencies and abrupt changes(Valentine). Others believe that God created everything,
but not in six days. Still others believe that God created the universe by lighting the
fuse: the big bang was God's way of creating the universe. Many people have gone in
search for proof that the universe was created by a Supreme Being. The case for
Intelligent Design was argued by Reverend William Paley of Carlisle, England in his 1802
book Natural Theology. Take, for instance, a rock and a watch. How old are the two
objects? The rock has remained more or less the same perhaps since the earth was
formed(Miller 24). The watch is different because of the intricate gears, springs and
parts. It was produced with a specific design and knowledge of the watchmaker, and
watchmakers have not been around forever. Paley knew there cannot be design without a
designer; contrivance without a contriver.... The marks of design are too strong to be
got over. Design must have had a designer. That designer must have been a person. That
person is God(Miller). Paley's examples are understandable examples that form a line of
reasoning known as the 'argument from design'(Miller). Even some evolutionists have come
to realize that humanity is not an accident, even if they disagree with the six, 24 hour
days belief. The Anthropic Principle is based on so called technical observations about
the evolution of the universe since the Big Bang(Glynn 28). This principle has concluded
that not only was the creation of the universe not an accident, but the existence of
human life is something for which the entire universe appears to have been intricately
fine-tuned from the start(28). This principle is based on universal constants such as
Planck's constant and the gravitational constant. It started out as a list of
coincidences, but as the list grew the more it appeared as if the universe had been
designed for humanity to exist(29). The second law of thermodynamics has been extensively
studied by scientists and people as another proof of creation. The second law of
thermodynamics can be stated: The thermodynamic principle which governs the behavior of
systems is that, as they are moved away from equilibrium, they will utilize all avenues
available to counter the applied gradients. As the applied gradients increase, so does
the system's ability to oppose further movement from equilibrium(Schneider 30). In every
system, the entropy, or disorder, will increase, not decrease. This is one of a number of
different analogies to simplify this law. There is a box with ten equal compartments. Ten
thousand marbles are released into one compartment. If the box is randomly shaken, it is
expected that the marbles would pass through the open doors in each compartment and there
would be approximately 1000 marbles in each compartment. It is highly improbable, yet not
impossible that if the box continued to be shaken randomly, that all the marbles would go
back into the same compartment they started in(28). The second law of thermodynamics is
an excellent argument for creation. Creationists stand in awe of the perfection of the
earth... If it were a little farther away from the sun the entire planet would be one
gigantic Antarctica; if it were a little closer, it would be one continuous Sahara
Desert. Earth's placement is precise; and that, my friends, is not a result of
chance(Limbaugh 154). There are infinite numbers of variables. If one were changed just
slightly, like the distance from the sun, Earth would be unhabitable and humans would not
exist. This preciseness leads these people to use the second law of thermodynamics as an
argument. An ordered world like Earth could not exist in a universe that was created by
an explosion. Humanity itself is a good example for creation. The differences between
other animals in nature and humans are vast. However, many evolutionists claim that we
are animals ourselves. Jonathan Swift shows the absurdity of this comparison in the
fourth book of Gulliver's Travels. Guliver is living between two extremes: the reason
based Houyhnhms and the savage Yahoos. Gulliver tries so hard to fit in with the
Houyhnhms, or horses. They conclude that Gulliver 'must be a perfect Yahoo'(Suits 116),
yet Gulliver believes that he is more Houyhnhm. This struggle can represent the origin
struggle. The evolutionists say that humans were once like the Yahoos, but by saying that
humanity evolved because of an haphazard accident, they are claiming that humans are now
the superior being in the universe. They claim we are like the Houyhnhms(Sagan). Humans
are not like that. The Houyhnhms are divorced of passion. They have no shame, no
temptations, no conception of sin(Williams 62). Marriage is 'one of the necessary actions
in a reasonable being'(63). These definitely do not identify humanity. Gulliver
understands none of this(72). Humans have the ability to use reason and humans have
certain inherent desires that cannot be reasonably explained: love, marriage, and a sense
of right and wrong. Still the debate continues. It seems the double standard at work here
is breathtaking(Glynn 32). Scientists who believe in evolution are free to use detailed
accounts of what happened 4 billion years ago and base it on Darwin(Sagan). But the
moment scientists begin marshalling rather considerable and persuasive evidence for the
opposite case, their speculation risks being branded by colleagues as
'unscientific'(Glynn 32). This parallels the third book of Gulliver's Travels. The ways
of the respected Laputan people were very precise, according to Gulliver. All their wise
men reject what seems obviously the best way preform a task(Williams 49). Member of the
Academy are seen trying to weave with spider web and make ice into gunpowder(Swift 196).
Such acts of stupidity are Swift's attack on the Royal Society of England in Swift's
time; however the apply perfectly to many of the scientists who reject what they do not
want to see. The argument about the origin of the universe will definitely continue.
There will be those who argue both sides until this world comes to its end. To what
extent people believe the Biblical teachings or what some scientists teach is a personal
decision. Darwin concluded his book: There is grandeur in this view of life, with its
several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into
one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of
gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have
been and are being evolved(Miller 32). The more science seems to dig and research about
the origins of humanity, the less likely it is that Earth and all the creatures on it
were an accident. All the precision, consistency and detail point to an universal
architect, a Supreme Being, God. 
Bibliography
Bibliography (please disreguard my mess for now) Coyne, Jerry A. Evolution. World Book.
CD-ROM Eve, Raymond A. Creationism World Book. CD-ROM Glynn, Patrick. Beyond The Death of
God. National Review May 6,1996:28-32. Limbaugh, Rush. The Way Things Ought to Be. New
York:Pocket Books, 1992. Miller, Kenneth R. Life's Grand Design. Technology Review.
Feb./March 1994:24-32 CD-ROM. 1996 SIRS. SIRS 1994 Life Science. Article 59 Sagan, Carl.
Snowflakes Fallen on the Hearth: The Evolution of the Earth. Planetary Report. Jan./Feb.
1993:4-9 CD-ROM. 1996 SIRS. SIRS 1994 Earth Science. Article 53 Schneider, E.D, Kay, J.J.
Life as a Manifestation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Mathematical and Computer
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Harold Bloom. New York:Chelsea. 116-125 Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. New
York:Penguin,1960. Valentine, James W. Evolution. Encarta. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corp:1994
Vawter, Rev. Bruce. Creation. Encarta. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corp:1994 Webster's New
Twentieth Century Dictionary. Second Edition. 1983 Williams, Kathleen. Animal Rationis
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Bloom. New York:Chelsea. 37-82