Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Questioning evolution in the classroom


Asking questions in the classroom - be it collegiate, high school, or younger – would seem to be a simple task of raising your hand, being recognized by the teacher, and asking the question.  However, in today’s world, it seems there are certain questions that are frowned upon, belittled, or not permitted.  Among these, increasingly being included are questions that contradict or show the vast weaknesses and lack of science involving evolution.

How should one go about asking questions about evolution, particularly the 15 questions from the Question Evolution! Campaign, in a classroom setting?  In prayerfully considering this, I believe I have received a number of things to be done for the sincere questioning of evolution in the classroom.

1)  Count the benefits and the cost.

What are the benefits of questioning evolution in the classroom?  What is the cost of asking such questions in the classroom?  What is the cost of not asking the questions?

Questioning evolution in the classroom may also bring great benefit.  Although there are teachers who believe in evolution, some are undecided, and there are also teachers in our educational system who indeed understand the bankruptcy of evolution and who are waiting for such a question from a student to be asked so they may be permitted to have an open and honest discussion of the issue. There are likely to be other students with the same or similar questions who do not have the boldness to ask them; these students would be greatly relieved and encouraged.

Questioning evolution in the classroom can become a fear inspiring experience, particularly if the teacher is a staunch evolutionist and not open to anything that questions his/her paradigm.  Questioning evolution can also bring criticism from classmates, and other pressures within the educational environment (i.e., lower grades than earned, difficulty obtaining necessary faculty recommendations).

What is the cost of not questioning evolution?  There is the saying, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to be silent.”  We are called to be lights in the darkness, is it right for us to hide our light under a basket?  Evolution is a belief system that shrouds itself in the garb of scientific language to explain away Almighty God.  Without God, there is no Ultimate Authority of right and wrong, whether on the personal level or the societal level.  Without God, right and wrong, moral and immoral become hostage to whoever can enforce their desires and beliefs upon others.  History is filled with the horror of the tyranny of such beliefs.

2)  Ask God for the wisdom and guidance of Holy Spirit.

Much is to be said for having knowledge of the truth about evolution, and even more for having the understanding to question evolution and explain the truth.  Wisdom is the ability to apply such knowledge and understanding in a way that is beneficial to others, and for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

Ask Holy Spirit to fill your mouth with the right words and questions when the time comes to speak.  His wisdom far exceeds our own, and being that our Lord Jesus Christ relied upon the leading of Holy Spirit, and instructed His original disciples to do the same, it would behoove us to follow Jesus’ example.

3)  Understand the question you are asking and why it is important.

Go online to the sites of Creation Ministries International, the Institute for Creation Research, Answers in Genesis and other biblical creation websites to research the questions you are asking.

It is said that a good lawyer never asks a question in court to which he/she does not already know the answer.  In the classroom, we are the questioning attorney and our questions are on trial; the students are the jury, and the teacher is the judge.  Be prepared to discuss the question, and be prepared to honestly discuss what you do understand, and honestly admit what you do not.

4)  Recognize your real enemies.

Though you may be verbally castigated by a teacher, or ridiculed by others, these people are not your true enemies.  Remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the kingdom of darkness in the realm of the spirit.  This leads us to the next point.

5)  Pray for the situation and the people involved.

Pray ahead of time, asking God for the boldness to ask your questions.  Also pray for the people who are in your classroom and for the teacher.  Pray for God to prepare the situation and the hearts and minds of all those who will or may be involved.  Pray for them to have eyes to see and ears to hear the truth.  Pray for the kingdom of darkness to be held at bay and unable to disrupt and control the conversations.

6)  Be genuinely humble.

Do NOT ask these questions with an air of haughtiness or superiority, or to attempt to make a fool of a teacher, or to show off to others students.  DO ask these questions with genuine humility, understanding a teacher may not be inclined to discuss them or may react badly to them.  Doing this in true humility allows the teacher the freedom to not feel backed into a corner, or as though he/she is personally on trial, but that you are asking a sincere question with the sincere desire for knowledge and his/her input even if he/she is totally wrong or lacks the necessary knowledge and understanding to answer your question.

7)  Walk in love.

Walk in love towards your teachers and classmates.  The walk of love develops an environment of trust and security in which we are able to ask difficult questions, and prepare the precious hearts of ourselves and others for discovery of truth, and the planting of the Word of God.

8)  Be respectful.

Teachers are the authority in the classroom.  Look at the classroom as the teacher’s little kingdom in which they rule over the subjects (yourself and your classmates).  Respect your teachers, and ask your questions with respect; honoring your teacher in your teacher’s eyes and the eyes of your classmates.  Developing a culture of honor and respect in the classroom goes a long way to opening hearts and minds to the truth.

9)  Timing.

Ask God to help you recognize His proper timing for asking such questions.  It is inappropriate to ask, “How did the DNA code originate?” during a discussion on the Pythagorean Theorem.  However, there are appropriate times to ask these questions.  In biology class, the subject of DNA will come up.  Politely raise your hand, and when recognized, ask, “How did the DNA code originate?”  You will be seen as neither confrontational or a threat, and may then have the opportunity to develop the discussion according to the leading of Holy Spirit.

There will be many opportunities that will lend themselves to gently asking our questions.  Some may be a little more direct than others.  When a teacher begins speaking about evolution, in general, it would be quite appropriate to ask, “Why is evolution, a theory about history, taught as if it is the same as the operational science?”

This question may lead to a discussion where it can be followed up with other questions from the Question Evolution! Campaign list.  There will be times where questions will naturally fit in, and there will be others when a teacher may go on a rant, and one of the questions simply rises up within us so we politely and respectfully raise our hand, get recognized, and humbly ask the question.  The results of such questions can be both enlightening and devastating.  Timing is key in their overall effectiveness.  Remember also, some teachers open the floor up for questions in general, and on days where others do not seem to have any questions, an honestly asked question about evolution is sure to bring about an interesting discussion.  Do not force the outcome, but allow Holy Spirit to help you lead others to their personal discovery of truth.

10)  Stand.

Having done all you are supposed to do continue to stand in prayer, stand on the truth in true humility, and walk in love.  After the questions have been asked, whatever the outcome, we must continue to walk in love, pray and be humble.  In this way, the seed that was planted will be protected and encouraged to grow.  Watering, sprouting and blossoming of the truth may take some time; sometimes, we may be surprised and amazed at the wonderful results.

I pray these guidelines prove useful and beneficial when questioning evolution in the classroom, and anywhere your heart is lead to question evolution.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

More volunteers are joining our Question evolution! campaign volunteer group

In the last two days, 3 people indicated to us that they want to roll up their sleeves and volunteer their time in our Question evolution! campaign group:

- a Christian businessman from Singapore who wants to help spread the campaign in his country and in Malaysia

- a Christian high school student in Illinois who wants to spread the campaign on the internet for about 30 minutes a day. He is going to focus on telling people about the campaign and recruiting people to join the campaign

- another Christian blogger

We now have about 15 volunteers in our group and it keeps on growing.

Evolution quotes #1

Richard Lewontin (Harvard University Professor of zoology and biology):


"Our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the
supernatural…

we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door…

scientists transgress the bounds of their own specialty they have no choice but to accept the claims of authority, even though they do not know how solid the grounds of those claims may be. Who am I to believe about quantum physics if not Steven Weinberg, or about the solar system if not Carl Sagan? What worries me is that they may believe what Dawkins and Wilson tell them about evolution…

In the end we must trust the experts and they, in turn, exploit their authority as experts and their rhetorical skills to secure our attention and our belief in things that we do not really understand."

Richard Lewontin, "Billions and Billions of Demons," New York Times, Book Reviews, Volume 44, Number 1 (January 9, 1997) reviewing Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Friday, November 25, 2011

Questioning Evolution

One of the basic practices of an educated society is teaching its members to ask questions. Question everything. Ask questions of parents, teachers, scientists, theologians, government officials; ask questions of everyone. We are even encouraged to ask questions of God.

God does not mind us asking questions of Him; actually, He quite prefers it, particularly if we are willing to listen for and seek the answers from Him and His Word. Parents often enjoy answering the questions of their children, though sometimes a child’s curiosity requires more time in the day to be able to answer the multitude of questions a curious child often has. Teachers enjoy students who ask questions in attempt to understand the subjects they are teaching, it shows that they have engaged the students and are helping the students learn to think and seek answers.

Scientists often pride themselves upon their ability to ask questions, and finding the right questions to ask in order to push the boundaries of knowledge as far as possible. Theologians enjoy questions because it shows an inquisitiveness and desire to learn more of the things of God.

There is, however, one subject area that seems to have become off limits in seriously asking questions, particularly if you want solid, truthful answers. This subject is evolution. People who question evolution, and the belief system inherent in evolution are often mercilessly ridiculed, particularly if they insist upon truthful answers.

Evolution is a belief system that explains the existence of the universe in which we live, and all life within it. It is time to Question Evolution! It is time to continue questioning evolution until the truth of this bankrupt belief system is exposed for what it is: a series of beliefs void of scientific proof that is dressed in scientific sounding language created in order to deny the existence of the Creator.

So, let us take the lessons we were taught by our parents, teachers, scientists and theologians and start to Question Evolution! Let us ask questions until we get honest and truthful answers. Let us learn to respect those who disagree with us, and respectfully continue to Question Evolution! until we get the honest and truthful answers we seek.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Richard Dawkins: a great reason to join the Question Evolution! campaign

Richard Dawkins certainly seems somewhat certain:
Evolution is a fact…evolution is a fact…all except the woefully uninformed are forced to accept the fact of evolution…Evolution is a fact. Beyond reasonable doubt, beyond serious doubt, beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt, beyond doubt evolution is a fact…It is the plain truth…It didn't have to be true, but it is…Evolution is a fact…Evolution is a fact…some theories are beyond sensible doubt, and we call them facts…Evolution is an inescapable fact…the fact of evolution...[1]

It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane (or wicked, but I'd rather not consider that).[2]

But what, pray tell, is the point:
...that we are cousins of chimpanzees, somewhat more distant cousins of monkeys, more distant cousins still of aardvarks and manatees, yet more distant cousins of bananas and turnips.
But what if you doubt, no we are not even up to "deny" at this point but merely "doubt," that we are related to bananas and turnips?

Richard Dawkins then likens you to Holocaust deniers and he has concocted two terms of derision namely, "historydeniers" and "40percenters":

More than 40 per cent of Americans deny that humans evolved from other animals [and bananas and turnips]…I shall be using the name "historydeniers" for those people who deny evolution…I shall from time to time refer to the history-deniers as the "40percenters".
And behold, another great reason for joining he Question Evolution! Campaign at Creation.com rears its ugly head.



[1] Richard Dawkins, "Creationists, Now They're Coming For Your Children," Times Online, August 24, 2009

[2] Richard Dawkins, Late City Final Edition, 4-9-89

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Evolutionary belief: The silent engine behind atheism

Evolution, the silent engine behind atheism, attempts to turn mankind into nothing more than chemicals and random chance. Have we become nothing more than animals with ideas? The Question Evolution! Campaign at Creation.com will bring an eye-opening look at the questions that continue to go unanswered.

The funny thing about unanswered questions is that they often continue to go on unanswered.

I have a personal challenge to any so called intellectual who is running their engine on the power of evolution. Take the time try answer these 15 questions of the Question Evolution! campaign.

Christians come out from among them, learn the truth about microevolution vs. macroevolution.

Become informed about the pseudoscience that hides behind the evolutionary curtain. The website Creation.com has many well researched articles and information to keep your engine running clean with the faith in Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment equals results

I live in the United States and in my native state of Tennessee, I am very committed to spreading this campaign. I hope to be able to root out some of the misconceptions and lies of evolution. I am going to spread this campaign as often as I can and I am expecting big results. The first item on my agenda as far as spreading the campaign is telling my friends about the campaign and getting them involved. In my community I plan on starting a Question Evolution! group that will be highly motivated and extremely dedicated.

Excited to be a part of the Question Evolution! Campaign

My name is Jimmy and I am a dedicated Christian. I am very excited to be a part of this Question Evolution! Campaign blog. Creation Ministries International (CMI) has sparked the bold enterprise, Question Evolution!, to refute evolutionary indoctrination. I am enthusiastic to be involved with this online blog that seeks to spread the truth, encourage the biblical creationists of the world, and keep people in touch with CMI’s new movement.

Since this is my first post, I would like to thank God first for giving me the ability to write for this noble cause. Secondly, I would like to welcome everyone. I hope creationists find this site to be inspirational, insightful and informative. In addition to the Question Evolution! Campaign blog, I am also covering the subject of evolution and creationism on my personal site, as are many others, and the many positive responses are motivating. It is very important that the many falsehoods of evolution are exposed. I expect a great future with the Question Evolution! blog and CMI’s campaign against evolutionary indoctrination.

God bless,

Anel Vadren