An imaginary conversation between a creationist and an evolutionist.

by Fred Schmugge

May I ask you where our universe came from?

Most scientists believe it started from a "Big Bang."

A bang? That sounds like an explosion. What exploded?

Well, many scientists believe it was a quite small concentration of a tremendous amount of energy.

That doesn't answer the question, does it? The question then is where did that energy come from?

I guess I don't know, and I don't think any scientist knows. Perhaps that's why many other scientists believe that it was nothing' that exploded.

Do you mean that there was nothing there, but that "nothingness" somehow exploded and produced all the tremendous amounts of matter and energy throughout this entire universe? Wouldn't creating all that out of nothing require a miracle?

Scientists never consider the possibility of anything supernatural. They prefer to call the "Big Bang" a singularity-that is, something that must have happened, but isn't likely to ever happen again according to the principles that presently control the universe.

But do you know that a God doesn't exist and didn't create the universe?

No, it doesn't appear possible to prove either that God does or does not exist.

The English word "science" is from the Latin word for "knowledge?' If you can't prove, and therefore can't know, whether God does not exist, you can't really call it {at}science' or "knowledge" when you leave Him out of the picture, can you?

I guess I've never thought of that.

Let me mention another thing: I was taught a scientific principle that I seem to remember was called the "Law of Conservation of Mass/Energy." This Law says that mass/energy can be neither created nor destroyed. That means that the "Big Bang" is scientifically impossible. Do you believe it in spite of its being contrary to a scientific law?

Yes, I still do.

Let me ask you another question: what is "life?" All life here on earth seems to be based on carbon; is it possible for life to exist based on some other element-perhaps silicon or nitrogen?

I don't think any scientist has ever been able to define "life" or been able to predict life based on any other chemistry than it is based on here on earth.

Let me ask you then, how did life get started here on earth?

I think that most scientists believe that the necessary elements happened to come together in one place and life formed by itself, spontaneously, and then gradually evolved into all the life forms we see today.

I was taught another scientific law which I recall as the "Law of Biogenesis?" It says that life comes from life. The whole canned foods industry is based on the reliability of that law. If life comes from life, it can't come from non-life, can it? Was it a miracle?

No, scientists in their thoughts about nature do not accept anything supernatural, and so would prefer to call it another singularity, another event that must have happened but that isn't likely to happen again.

And even though spontaneous generation of life is contrary to the scientific Law of Biogenesis, do you still believe it happened?

Yes, I do.

Let me ask you another question: You used the term "believe" many times in this conversation. Do you think your beliefs have any more right to be taught in the schools than any other beliefs, such as the Christian belief in a Creator God?

Yes, I do, because I consider their beliefs to be religion and I consider mine to be science.

What? You regard the theories concerning evolution as a system of beliefs, apparently because you are aware that these theories have never been proved scientifically; and they contradict widely-held scientific laws; yet you consider them to be scientific?

Well, reader, what do you make of the above conversation? If such beliefs actually are contrary to scientific laws, should they still be considered to be scientific and be taught as science? Or should they be taught only as a belief system? Which beliefs do you think are more scientific: those of the evolutionist or those of the Bible-believing Christian?

Fred Schmugge is a retired pastor living in Vadnais Heights Minnesota.

From the DECEMBER 2001 LUTHERAN SENTINEL, used by permission of the author.

(Rev. Schmugge was one of the organizers and served as the first secretary of TCCSA.)