I wonder where I came from podcast notes

This is one of our most fundamental questions. We start asking this question when we are young. It sounds like this

I wonder where I came from
I wonder how I was born.
I asked our kids to write something they wonder and one wrote.

I wonder why babies come out of mom’s bellies.

Another kid put it like this.

“I know all about where babies come from I think. From inside mommies and daddies put them there. Where are they before that? Do you have them in heaven? How do they get down here? Do you have to take care of them first. Please answer all my questions. Yours truly, Susan

The bible gives an answer to the question of where did we come from. Genesis 1-3 tells us that we are here because God created us. He started with the world. He created that in 6 days. We were created on that last day. He made us in his image.

Was I really created? Or did I evolve? Statistically speaking only 38% of people believe we were created in our present form. Another 38% believe that God guided evolution to get us to this point and another 19% believe that man evolved and God was not involved.

If you choose to believe that God is involved somehow you will not only face criticism, but there are some who will assume you to be a fool.
In the course of my research I looked up the idea of intelligent design and I found several opinions that sounded like this

Why does creationism matter so much? Scientifically, of course, it’s nonsense. Evolution is actually true. But why should this particular bit of nonsense get so many people so very upset? Andrew Brown

It is a phenomena known as willful or intentional ignorance.  Some (young earth creationists) are above average intelligence, yes, but among the most intelligent figures in the world, I really don’t think you’ll find even one genuine young earth creationist.  There does exist a line in the spectrum of intelligence where those who are so blatantly and willfully ignorant can go no further.  Josh DiGiorgio

I’m not overly concerned with the opinion of atheist scientists, but let’s be honest with ourselves for a second. We wonder. We aren’t sure.

Michael Guillen wrote a book that might ask an even more important question. Can a Smart Person Believe in God?

Nobody begins an argument with an unbiased opinion

We look at life to affirm our own preconceived ideas. Two people can look at the same set of facts and come to very different conclusions.

I was talking to a high school kid about what the best movie ever and he said his favorite movie was The Waterboy starring Adam Sandler. We both saw the same movie and came away with very different opinions. I’m sticking with Shawshank.

Scientists will say that they are just looking at the facts, but the reality is they are looking for a reason to remove God from the equation.

The reason why this is so important to understand is because I want you to know that if you have a friend who doesn’t believe in God because of evolution there will be no amount of scientific proofs you can give to change his mind. But in fairness, there will be no amount of proofs you can give me to take God out of the equation. We both come at it with our own bias.

First let me show you the options of beliefs.

Evolution theory

Evolution theory postulates that the various types of plants, animals, and other living things on Earth have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations.  That is basic evolutionary theory.

The other argument is for intelligent design. That theory says that life, or the universe, cannot have arisen by chance and was designed and created by some intelligent entity. That God was involved.

Young Earth Creationists

Intelligent design

Intelligent design people are split in several different camps. The tradition church view is that God created the earth in six literal days as mentioned in Genesis.

There is a large amount of church people who believe that God created the earth in 6 literal days. They also believe that the earth is very young. 6,000-7,000 years actually. This is the way I was taught when I first became a Christian. We believed that God created the earth and that it was a recent event. These people are called “Young Earth Creationists.”

There are some problems that people like to point out with this way of thinking. First they point to the age of the earth

Geologists will say that the earth is billions of years old. That carbon dating sets the age of the earth at 4.543 billion years old. How can the earth be that old and yet the bible says it’s only 6,000 years old.

Here’s how young earth creationists answer that question. First, is that when God created the earth he created it with the appearance of age. Let me ask you a quick question. When God created Adam did he create him as a full grown man or a baby?

There is one more believe system that is a mix of the two beliefs.

Evolutionary Creationists

These people who believe that it was God who designed evolution. They build their case on one word in Genesis. It’s the word day. In Hebrew the word day can mean a literal 24 hour day but it can also mean time or even eon. So God didn’t technically build the earth in a few days he did it over eons of time.

There is an old joke that goes like this. A man comes to God and says to him,”God, how long is a million years to you?” God answers, “To me, it’s about a second my dear” “God, how much is a million dollars to you?” asked the man “To me, it’s a penny my dear.” God replied So the man says “God, may I have a penny?” “Sure thing. Just a second.” That’s the way an evolutionary creationist would treat the days in Genesis.

Another idea they point to is that the beginning of Genesis is written in an early Hebrew poetic style. The thought is that the first few chapters of Genesis is not a science manual but it tells the story of God and his relationship to man. It wasn’t intended to spell out the details of creation. Genesis is a statement that reveals the heart of God not the timeline of creation.

There are a lot of different opinions out there about creation. It can divide friends and churches and even families.

I read a story about a little boy who came to his dad and asked “Dad, where did human beings come from?” and his father says, “Well, we descended from apes.” The little boy goes to his mom. “Mom, where did human beings come from?” She says, “We were created by God in God’s image.” The boy says, “But Dad said we descended from apes.” Mom says, “Well, I was talking about my side of the family.”

There is one verse in the bible that clearly states the purpose of this entire discussion. It’s found in Hebrews 11. It’s only a few words but it paints the picture of what I believe about the creation of the world.

By faith, we understand the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible. Hebrews 11:6

God created this world. He created us. There is intelligent design to the place that we live and the people that we are.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. Psalm 19:1,2

God created this world. The heavens declare it. The skies proclaim it. The earth reveals the nature of God. It is not foolish to believe that. A smart person can believe in God.

Why intelligent people have a problem with evolution

Evolution claims to have the last and only word on the question where I came from. There is no room for discussion according to die hard evolutionists. New York Times science writer Cornelia Dean asserted in 2007, “There is no credible scientific challenge to the theory of evolution as an explanation for the complexity and diversity of life on earth.”

Eugenie Scott, spokeswoman for the National Center for Science Education, insisted in The Dallas Morning News, “There are no weaknesses in the theory of evolution.”

At the same time, Stephen Meyer, author of Darwin’s Doubt was preparing a binder of one hundred peer-reviewed scientific articles in which biologists described significant problems with the theory. Let me give you some of the major problems.

Darwin himself had doubts about his own theory that have never been resolved

I got a hold of a book in my research called Darwin’s Doubt. When Charles Darwin wrote the Origin of the Species he concluded that his theory that animals and people had evolved from lower species would be revealed in the fossil record. Science has yet to find those fossil records. They have, however, accurately proved evolution within species. We would be foolish to argue that. Let me give you an example

Bedbug
Okay, one more example that you will hate even more. Anyone know what this is. Bed bug. Who’s had to battle that? You probably don’t want to raise your hands. Unfortunately, our long-running battle with these bed-hopping pests has backfired, producing bedbugs with thicker shells and nerve cells of steel to resist the harsh chemicals we lob at them. Bedbugs in New York City are now 250 times more resistant to pesticides than the bedbugs in Florida.

Animals evolve. They adapt. They change to meet the challenges of their environment. But here’s where the evolutionary theory breaks down. Evolution can explain change within a species, but it can’t explain the development of new species..

Evolution struggles to explain the complexity of creation

The biggest problem I have with evolution is right here. The human eye. Let me give you a few eye facts.The tiny retina contains about 130 million rod-shaped cells, which detect light intensity and transmit impulses to the visual cortex. The eyes can handle 500,00 messages simultaneously. I read this week about the Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). In short, it’s our own personal Steadicam – an inbuilt muscular response that stabilises everything we see. Without VOR, any attempts at walking, running would make our vision blurred, scattered and impossible to comprehend. How did this develop from a single cell organism. It seems ridiculous to make that assumption. I’m not alone in this. One scientist put it like this.

To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems absurd in the highest sense. Do you know the name of that scientist?  That’s Charles Darwin In The Origin of Species.

Sir Fred Hoyle, said it like this. “Let’s be scientifically honest. The probability of life arising to greater and greater complexity by chance through evolution is the same probability as having a tornado tear through a junkyard and form a Boeing 747 jetliner.”

Relying on billions of years for change is just lazy science

I still believe this verse holds the key to where we came from.

By faith, we understand the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible. Hebrews 11:6

Whatever you believe you have to have faith. So what are you going to put your faith in. Are you going to put your faith in science? Are you going to put your faith that single cell organisms divided. Are you going to put your faith hoping that over billions of years organisms got more and more complex.

Or are you going to put your faith in a creator?

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4  what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:3,4

Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.” I chose to believe that the world around me is a miracle. I also believe that God has more miracles for me in the future.

Let’s close like this. I believe in a God who created you. I believe in a God who can speak change into your life right now. Who needs that today?

Is there someone here today that needs God to speak change into their marriage?
Is there someone here today that needs God to speak change into their parenting?
Is there someone here today that needs to have God speak change into their kids or their work or their health.