The creation – evolution controversy has for some time created a peculiar sort of one-sided argument, where many fundamentalists have taken aim at the findings of science in the post-Darwin period.
The theories – for there is not one theory, but a vast network of interlinking theories of science which make up the scientific body of knowledge related to the evolution of life on Earth – have flowed from centuries of discovery since Darwin, and have tended to confirm and support the basic Darwinian thesis of evolution, while at the same time clarifying many issues, and creating a large number of new mysteries. There has now been dozens of decades of constructive criticism.
The destructive criticism has tended to flow and be supported mainly from individuals who are only partially educated in fields which do not touch directly on the studies of archaeology, geology, or other areas which now rely upon the evolutionary theories for such practical matters as dating geologic formations, finding coal, oil or other minerals. It would seem that the proof of pudding should be in the eating, but such is not the case.
No one seems to manage to stand in the middle of this heated debate for long. Indeed it can be a disturbing place to be, full more of heat than light, since those who have genuine knowledge are far too busy furthering it to pander to useless debate.
I intend to try to sidestep the debate, since I do feel it to be senseless, and I will propose a calmer examination of the concepts of creation from a historical and, I hope, sensible point of view.
No doubt it has occurred to some that since there is a massive body of evidence for the evolutionary development of life; and since there have been numerous mechanisms identified for bringing it about; and since we can observe at least some of these mechanisms at work today, that perhaps we ought to accept evolution as a proven theory, in a general sense, with some lingering details still to be straightened out. To accept this is to leave behind the view of things as starkly black and white, and open our minds to not only shades of gray, but to the many shades of color that the world is really made of.
The good news is that this acceptance need not be cause for abandonment of our philosophical and emotional need for belief in a Creative Mind at work. The argument is useless because it is needless, pointless, as there is a much greater concept of creation which awaits us.
To adopt it, however, requires one thing. It requires the thinkers to let go of literalism, loosen their fervent grip on fundamentalism, and accept that the Truth of the Bible is a greater truth than merely a collection of accurate factoids. The Truth is of a Spiritual kind; and the fact is that evolution is the physical mechanism of creation, the clear evidence of a guided upward advance. It is the greater Life of the Universe unfolding Itself into the physical realm.
Science too must let go of something, and in many cases, it has already done so. The reliance of purely random processes to bring about the genesis of life has already been partly superseded by the more recent theories of the quantum universe; in which space has no real emptiness, and instead lies curled into at least ten dimensions of incredible energy. The development of chaos theory has shed some light on the way the universe behaves. The latest mathematical exploration reveals a Universe which has a bias toward order – the urge for creation is built into our world.
We have now offended both camps somewhat, and so we will never satisfy those who wish to hang on and argue. We can only stay in our own corner and explore our own thinking on the matter. Perhaps the most flexible among the combatants will eventually sit down and join us in a calmer exploration of the Creative Principle.
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