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Evolution vs CreationismDoes it impact our self esteem and body image?We all know that there is a big debate about evolution vs creationism in our culture today. I’m not here to debate. What I am here to do is to ask you to consider its impact on girls today. Is there a connection at all? Read on and you decide. A Deeper Issue?Is there more to the onslaught of low self esteem and body image issues teen girls and women face today? Could there be something deeper going on? I think there is... I believe there is a battle for our souls. And I believe it is a spiritual battle. A battle against good and evil. A battle waging in the heavens against God and Satan. For you. For me. It’s subtle. Many times it comes through our thoughts. Subtle lies that we end up latching onto and believing. Our enemy, Satan, may try to convince us to believe that…
Wow! Did you read those subtle lies? Those thoughts can have major implications if we begin to bite into them…if we begin to believe them. What is the result?Broken, lifeless, defeated lives. We may experience sparks of real life from time to time, but in general we live with a deep ache inside. A sense that we don't belong. A sense that there's something wrong with us. Like I did for years. The Connection to Evolution vs Creationism What if some of these thoughts could originate from something even deeper?What if our enemy convinces us to believe that science has found the answer to how our universe began. And that if science can explain our origins, we don't need any other explanation. It's as if there's been a debate between science and God, and we've been told that science wins every time, hands down. And many of us have believed it. What is the result?We come to the conclusion that there is no need for an intelligent designer of our universe, that we are simply animals that evolved from lifeless cells millions of years ago.You see, when we believe instead that there exists an intelligent designer or Creator of this universe that created us with love and value and thought, then we see ourselves differently. How does evolution vs creationism impact us in our search for true beauty and meaning in life? Think about it. If you evolved from lifeless, meaningless cells over millions of years, does your life really matter? But what if there is more?What if there is more to what we see all around us. Doesn't the beauty, complexity and magnificence of it all ever make you wonder?    I recently read something by Mark Cahill that made sense to me.(1) He says, "every time we look at something built by man -- a house, for example -- we know it had a builder, someone who assembled it. When we see something that has design, like a watch, we know it had a designer who planned it. When we see artwork, like a painting, we know there is an artist who painted it. When we observe order -- say 20 Coke cups lined up in a row -- we know there was an “orderer" who set them up that way. When we look around the universe at things not made by man, what do we see? We see creation, design, art, and order. So if everything man-made has a creator, designer, artist, or orderer behind it, why would you not think there is a Creator, Designer, Artist, and Orderer behind the universe? Why is it that when we look at Mount Rushmore, we don't say ‘Wow, erosion is an amazing thing! Look how it formed the heads of four presidents of the United States’? We realize that would be a foolish statement. Whenever we see creation, design, art, or order, it's obvious that there was some intelligent force behind it to make it happen."(1) He then goes on to tell the story. "I was talking with a man one day in downtown Atlanta, and I asked him a question about spiritual matters. He replied that he was an atheist, and there was no way to prove there is a God. We were standing among tall buildings, so I pointed to one of the skyscrapers and said, ‘Prove to me that there was a builder for that building.’ He answered, ‘That’s easy. The building itself is proof that there is a builder.’ He was 100% correct. We know that you don't just gather some concrete, pipes, Windows, paint, wires, etc., then turn around and look back to suddenly find a building. A building requires a builder. I said, ‘Exactly. The building is proof that there is a builder.’ I then added, ‘The sun, the moon, the stars, the oceans, the sand, each unique snowflake, the 3 billion pieces of your DNA that are different from mine, are absolute proof that there had to be a Creator of this universe.’ He looked at me. I could see the light bulb flash on behind his eyes and then he glanced away. As he thought about the statement, he realized he had proved his own proof. The fact that you can't see, touch, taste, smell, or hear the builder of a skyscraper doesn't mean that such a person doesn't exist. You don't need any amazing faith to believe there was a builder of a building you can see; you just need to look at the evidence and make an informed decision. And the best piece of evidence you have is the work that builder left behind. The same holds true for the God of the universe. The evidence left for us to look at is all the evidence we will ever need in order to know that our universe has a Creator."(2) So what if we had an intelligent designer, a Creator?That would mean that...
See the difference?If you're still struggling with the evolution vs creationism idea, I recommend reading chapter two of Mark Cahill's book, One Heartbeat Away, Your Journey into Eternity.(3) He explains microevolution vs. macroevolution, transitional forms and more. It helped me better understand why Creation really does make sense when you truly take the time to examine the claims and evidence of evolution. I realized that it really does take more faith to believe in the evidence of evolution vs creationism. Now it’s time for you to decide for yourself. (1) Mark Cahill, One Heartbeat Away, Your Journey into Eternity. (BDM Publishing, 2005), 15-16.(2) Ibid. 17-18.(3) You can purchase Mark’s book online at www.markcahill.org/resource.html.
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