Twenty years ago, I would never have thought I would be sitting here today a Christian and believing that God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). The very first thing I was taught in my history class in secondary school was that human beings came from apes. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was proof of the origin of life and human beings. I remember always enjoying visiting a museum in my home town that brought this theory to life. I had always found this quite fascinating.
Although I grew up in a non-Christian household, we often attended church on Sundays so I had been exposed to the biblical notion that God had created the world and all that is in it. Towards the end of my secondary school education, I began to question the truthfulness of the bible given the "evidence" for the theory of evolution. The teaching I had received had stressed that there was clear evidence that man came from apes. Africa was called the "Cradle of mankind" because the oldest fossils were found in Tanzania and so obviously this had to be the truth. I had never seen any evidence brought forward to support the claims of the bible and hence the bible had to be untrue.
But what was the effect of this evolutionary teaching? In my case, it brought about confusion and further aided my disbelief in the existence of God. If this planet and human life came about by accident and as a result of natural processes, then there was no need for God.
It wasn't until I became a Christian that I began to truly understand and believe what the bible teaches.
I believe in the bible in its entirety. I believe that God literally created the heavens and the earth in six days and that on the sixth day, God created man in His own image (Gen 1:27). I don't believe it took millions of years to develop human beings to what we are today as the theory of evolution suggests. Some (even Christians) have made the suggestion that it is possible that God could have used evolution in the creation of life. I have never really grasped this idea.
How can one believe in both evolution and creation (as the bible sees it)? What would this idea of thought actually imply? Why make additions to an already complete Word of God? Wouldn't this contradict the bible itself and undermine the authority of the word of God? Should we as Christians believe in a theory that man created or should we hold true what God has said?
I think that the theory of evolution was just that – a theory not proof of reality. The reason why evolutionary teaching was added to the curriculum of schools and taught as a true fact I cannot understand. But I think it is as a result of man's sinful nature and just another way of deviating people from God. The evil one (Satan) can disguise himself in so many different ways, and will find any attempt (even a theory) to try and direct people away from God.
Furthermore, we are told in Romans 1:18-22, that God's eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen and being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Man neither glorified him as God nor thanked Him. It goes on to say that mankind's thinking has become futile and hearts darkened. Even though man claimed to be wise, man became fools.
Many people search for meaning and purpose in their lives. In the book 'Answers to the 4 Big Questions", the authors make the point that "evolutionary teaching destroys meaning, purpose and morality". If life did indeed result from sheer natural processes, how do we explain purpose, love and morality? Evolutionary thinking gives no room for accountability for your actions.
In the Christian view however love, purpose, and distinction of right from wrong come from God. He has shown us His love and mercy from the beginning and through His son Jesus (John 3:16). He gave us the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and through these commandments, we know right from wrong and can be held accountable for our actions. God has made us with a purpose.
Everyday I'm in amazement as I breathe in the fresh air, as I look at the sunrise, the beautiful beaches, the landscapes, and the different kinds of animals. Could all this be just by accident or evolution? No - I believe not. I believe that all this is a product of our Creator – God.
For further reading on this topic I would recommend visiting www.answersingenesis.org and would encourage you to dig deeply and sincerely into the word of God.
Kandima Awendila was born in Mozambique and lives and works as an IT Service
Desk Engineer on the Gold Coast.'
Kandi Awendila's archive of articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/kandima-awendila.html