Worldviews In Conflict

Part 2: Origins

Secular Humanism takes it cues concerning the origins of the universe from the only realm it recognizes – the natural world. But clues that explain the existence of the universe without a supernatural cause have been found only after a long and difficult struggle.

Examining the strata of built up layers of dirt, scientists believe they have found a record of gradual change in the various species of life that inhabit this planet. Thus, Secular Humanists believe that life has evolved over the space of four billion years to what it is today, and that it is continuing to evolve. The process that drives the evolution of life, according to Charles Darwin, is natural selection. The healthier and stronger individuals tend to survive the longest and pass on their characteristics to the next generation. Thus, over many generations, individuals become healthier and stronger as they inherit the strong genes of their ancestors, and the weaker genes die out.

Secular Humanism accepts the current scientific explanation of the beginning of the universe at more than thirteen billion years ago. At that time, all the material in the universe was concentrated in a relatively tiny point of intense heat. Then this point began to expand, increasing the space between all its particles. This process continued until there was an explosion that sent particles far and wide in an ever expanding circle out from the central point. This is referred to as the Big Bang.

Scientists are constantly seeking to redefine and improve their conception of the beginnings of the universe. Secular Humanists, because they are so intently tied to science, tend to accept whatever scientists say about the beginnings and existence of the universe.

But there is one part of the history of the universe that scientists generally do not discuss or seek to define, and Secular Humanists generally follow their cue. There is an important question that science cannot answer because it is entirely beyond the realm of that which is knowable by natural means. The question is, where did the material come from that expanded from that small point into the vastness of the universe as we know it? If science says this material always existed and always will, in other words, if they say that this material is eternal, than they are saying this material is God. They do not wish to say that.

To further complicate the picture for the Secular Humanist, who simply follows science on the issue of origins, is the fact that if the material of the universe is not eternal, than it must have originated at some point. But where did it come from? Did this material come from nothing? How could that be? Even Secular Humanists have difficulty imagining a universe coming from nothing. As a result, scientists and the Secular Humanists who follow them cannot answer and usually simply ignore the question about the origin of the material of the universe.

For the theory of evolution to work, vast periods of time are required. Currently, many scientists believe the universe is about thirteen billion years old. They do not comment about what might have been there before this point in time.

The Biblical Christian, however, takes his cues from the Bible, primarily from the Genesis account of creation. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." God is eternal, the only existence that always is, that has no beginning and no end. The materials of the universe were created by the eternal God from nothing. They did not exist until God created them. Light. Water. Air. Space. Stars. Planets. Everything was created by God out of nothing.

The life that is found abundantly on one particular planet we call Earth and Home, all came from the creative hand of God. According to the Biblical account the different species of life – plants, animals, humans – were individually created by God, each "according to its kind" (species), as the Genesis account states.

The Biblical account states clearly that God created everything within the space of six twenty-four hour days, and that He rested on the seventh. There was nothing but God. One hundred and forty-four hours later, there was everything that God had created from nothing.

The Biblical account is not hesitant about answering the question science and the humanists seek to ignore. Where did the material of the universe come from? God created all of it out of nothing. Then in six days He fashioned it into all the structures of the universe, concentrating His special creative efforts to populate one particular planet with life in abundance. And He did it all for His glory.

The Secular Humanist believes either that the universe is eternal, which is difficult for them to fathom, or that it created itself out of nothing, something that is even more difficult for them to fathom. The Biblical Christian, on the other hand, believes that the eternal God created everything out of nothing for His own glory and pleasure. Because God completed His creation in six days, vast amounts of time are not required for the universe to reach its present state. Some creationists put creation at about six thousand years ago. This is based on an arbitrary time structure imposed on Bible history by some scholars. Other creationists suggest the universe may be about ten thousand years old. The Bible does not actually state the age of the universe.

It has been said that it takes a great deal of faith to believe that God created everything out of nothing in six days. It has also been noted that it takes even more faith to believe that everything randomly evolved from nothing over the space of thirteen billion years. Once again, both the Secular Humanist and the Biblical Christian must depend on faith to answer one of the most important questions facing the human race: How did we get here?