Entry Should public schools be allowed or encouraged to teach Intelligent Design, along with evolution, in their science curriculum? This movement concludes that the make-up and history of the universe point beyond itself to an intelligent designer. ID claims that it is not religious in nature; in fact, it argues that the epistemological source of science can justify the ID conclusion.

Biology

Objectives After completing this section, you will be able to: I. Define the following terms: biology, creationism, Darwinian evolution, evolution, ex nihilo, Intelligent Design, irreducible complexity, Gaia Hypothesis, neo-Darwinian evolution, natural selection, punctuated equilibrium, spontaneous generation, and uniformitarianism II. Identify the biological perspective of each worldview. III. Critique the basic tenets of each biological perspective.

Introductory Questions What biological perspectives are available to individuals? Interviews Does it matter which biological perspective (on origins) a person embraces? Why or why not?

I. Basic Terminology 1. Biology – Semantically, this term refers to the study of life (Bio – life). This field is concerned with the history, structure, and distribution of living organisms. 2. Concordism - Concordists believe the Bible must agree and be in accordance with the discoveries of modern science. The controversy is over how much influence modern discoveries should influence the field of biblical interpretation. 3. Creationism – Creationists believe that the earth and the entire universe were brought into existence by a supernatural entity. Commonly, the word is used as a synonym for the young-earth position, but this word is vague enough to cover a broader range of views.   4. Darwinian Evolution - The biological theory of origins which proposes the gradual development of life, over a vast period of time (i.e. millions or billions of years), propelled by natural selection, progressing from proteins and amino acids to amoebas to simple organisms and finally to more complex life forms like human beings.

I. Basic Terminology 6. Ex nihilo – This Latin phrase means “out of nothing.” Many theologians utilize this term when describing the initial act of creation; namely, God brought time, space, and matter into existence without using any pre-existent materials. 7. Intelligent Design – This movement concludes that the make-up and history of the universe point beyond itself to an intelligent designer. ID claims that it is not religious in nature; in fact, it argues that the epistemological source of science can justify the ID conclusion. 8. Irreducible complexity – This argument attempts to demonstrate that some biological systems are too complex to have evolved from less complete forerunners; in other words, natural selection and genetic mutations are insufficient to account for these examples. 9. Gaia Hypothesis - This theory proposes that all inanimate and animate entities form one complex being. Gaia

I. Basic Terminology

I. Basic Terminology “Natural Selection almost inevitably causes much Extinction of the less improved forms of life and induces what I have called Divergence of Character.” ― Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Vol 2 10. Neo-Darwinian evolution - The biological theory of origins which proposes the gradual development of life, over a vast period of time (i.e. millions or billions of years), propelled by natural selection and genetic mutations, progressing from proteins and amino acids to amoebas to simple organisms and finally to more complex life forms like human beings. 11. Natural selection – The process by which biological entities with favorable traits survive and reproduce more successfully than organisms that do not possess such traits. The term was introduced by Charles Darwin in 1859; it was penned in his The Origin of Species. Also, some believe that natural selection possesses the creative power to produce macro-evolutionary changes, such as the construction of a new species. 12. Punctuated equilibrium – Like Darwinian and Neo-Darwinian evolutionary models, the theory of punctuated equilibrium argues in favor of macro-evolution. On the other hand, it proposes that macro-evolutionary advances occur in rapid time frames, not in a slow step-by-step process. 13. Spontaneous generation – This theory proposes that life can emerge from non-living matter. In cosmology, this phrase is used as an explanation for the origin of the universe.

I. Basic Terminology 14. Uniformitarianism – This idea suggests that the attributes of the earth resulted over long periods of time through slow geologic processes. The theory is the antithesis of catastrophism, which states that the earth has been affected by abrupt, short-lived, fierce events. This theory is especially important when evaluating carbon dating and the age of the earth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9-H4j-iYz4&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Game Time __________________– This movement concludes that the make-up and history of the universe point beyond itself to an intelligent designer. ____________________ – Semantically, this term refers to the study of life. This field is concerned with the history, structure, and distribution of living organisms. ___________________– This argument attempts to demonstrate that some biological systems are too complex to have evolved from less complete forerunners; in other words, natural selection and genetic mutations are insufficient to account for these examples. _______________________– This Latin phrase means “out of nothing.” Many theologians utilize this term when describing the initial act of creation; namely, God brought time, space, and matter into existence without using any pre-existent materials. ____________________- This theory proposes that all inanimate and animate entities form one complex being.

Game Time ______________ – believe that the earth and the entire universe were brought into existence by a supernatural entity. Commonly, the word is used as a synonym for the young-earth position, but this word is vague enough to cover a broader range of views. ____________________- The biological theory of origins which proposes the gradual development of life, over a vast period of time (i.e. millions or billions of years), propelled by natural selection, progressing from proteins and amino acids to amoebas to simple organisms and finally to more complex life forms like human beings. _______________- The biological theory of origins which proposes the gradual development of life, over a vast period of time (i.e. millions or billions of years), propelled by natural selection and genetic mutations, progressing from proteins and amino acids to amoebas to simple organisms and finally to more complex life forms like human beings. __________________– The process by which biological entities with favorable traits survive and reproduce more successfully than organisms that do not possess such traits. __________________ – This theory proposes that life can emerge from non-living matter. In cosmology, this phrase is used as an explanation for the origin of the universe.

Expelled Do you believe that discrimination is occurring against ID at the high school and college levels? You must justified your answer with three examples. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5EPymcWp-g

Conservative Views DAY AGE THEORY FRAMEWORK THEORY YOUNG-EARTH THEORY

Less Conservative Views Evaluation 1. Theistic Evolution This view attempts to bring together the basic components of the theory of macro-evolution with the Creator God of the Bible. The basic idea is that God is the Creator, but he used the process of evolution to bring it all about. This view holds hold that Adam’s body was simply that of an animal, and it was the result of millions of years of evolutionary development. Eventually, God placed an eternal soul into this apelike two-legged animal. This act is what sets animals and humans apart. This view is problematic to reconcile with the Bible.   a. The Bible affirms that death came into the world only after Adam sinned, not before (see Romans 5:12). Evolution produces death and decay. b. God performed more than one supernatural act. “And God said” –occurs on every creation day. God did not create and merely let the evolutionary processes take over.

At best, what are the implications of macro-evolution?   At worst, what are the implications of macro-evolution?

Less Conservative Views 2. Neo-Orthodox View The Genesis account is a saga. The creation account describes the present experience of every person. A person is created; then, he or she rebels against God. Adam and Eve are mythical figures. This view is incompatible with the Bible. Scripture affirms the actual existence of Adam. a. Genesis chapter one is a historical narrative; it is not poetic in its genre. b. Romans 5:12 - Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— c. Luke’s genealogy from Adam to Christ d. 1 Corinthians 15:45 - The first Adam became a living being; the last Adam [Jesus], a life-giving spirit.  

Biblical Christian Biology 1. Christian Perspective a. Christians are creationists. They believe that a supernatural entity created the universe. b. Many Christians believe that the source of science is compatible with the Bible. In fact, modern science was based on the assumption that the universe is orderly and can be expected to act according to discoverable laws. An orderly universe would seem to be the effect of an intelligent cause; this is belief of most early scientists.

Biblical Christian Biology 2. Evidences for Intelligent Design c. Teleology – The study of design. i. Teleological Argument Premiss 1 – Complexity and functionality imply design. Premiss 2 – On a macro and micro level, the universe is highly complex and functional. Conclusion – The universe is designed. ii. Example *DNA – code.

Biblical Christian Biology iii. The Fossil Records i. The Fossil Record - The evidence for a few “transitional forms” on a macro scale is implicit at best. Paleontology, the main epistemological source for macro-evolution, provides unconvincing evidence. ii. The Cambrian Explosion - Many simple and complex forms appear in the earliest rock layers.

Christian Biology d. Various Perspectives View Evaluation 1. Theistic Evolution This view attempts to bring together the basic components of the theory of macro-evolution with the Creator God of the Bible. The basic idea is that God is the Creator, but he used the process of evolution to bring it all about. This view holds hold that Adam’s body was simply that of an animal, and it was the result of millions of years of evolutionary development. Eventually, God placed an eternal soul into this apelike two-legged animal. This act is what sets animals and humans apart. This view is problematic to reconcile with the Bible.   a. The Bible affirms that death came into the world only after Adam sinned, not before (see Romans 5:12). Evolution produces death and decay. b. God performed more than one supernatural act. “And God said” –occurs on every creation day. God did not create and merely let the evolutionary processes take over.

Christian Biology 2. Neo-Orthodox View The Genesis account is a saga. The creation account describes the present experience of every person. A person is created; then, he or she rebels against God. Adam and Eve are mythical figures. This view is incompatible with the Bible. Scripture affirms the actual existence of Adam. a. Genesis chapter one is a historical narrative; it is not poetic in its genre. b. Romans 5:12 - Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— c. Luke’s genealogy from Adam to Christ d. 1 Corinthians 15:45 - The first Adam became a living being; the last Adam [Jesus], a life-giving spirit.  

Christian Biology 3. Young-Earth Position God created everything ex nihilo. He used the created energy to fashion the earth in six-24 hour days. The earth is less than 12,000 years old. Fossils appear old in age because of the flood. Thus, scientists ought to reject uniformitarianism - the belief that the physical processes of the past are the same as the physical processes of the present. This position is perfectly compatible with the Bible, but it draws major criticism from numerous scientists.   4. Old-Earth views 1) The Genesis days are epochs of time; they are not 24- hour literal days. Thus, the universe is very old. 2) God created matter, space, and time. There was a long-period of time between the creation of the original elementary materials and the initiation of the six 24-hour days. Option 1 It seems to semantically stretch the Hebrew word for day (Yom). Thus, many conservative scholars are uncomfortable with this theory. Having said this, it is not an impossible interpretation; Day 7 seems to imply a period more than 24 hours. Option 2 This theory seems to be compatible with Genesis 1 and the teachings of Scripture; it is also in harmony with any stance on the age of the universe.

Genesis 2:1-3 - By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. “And there was evening, and there was morning” is mentioned everyday except for day seven. 2 Peter 3:8 - But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day

Christian Biology Conclusion 1) The exact age of the universe is not a major concern of the biblical text. Genesis 1:1- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  3 And God said, “Let there be light,” We have no idea how long the universe was in this condition before day 1. 2) The Bible is almost certainly not compatible with macro-evolution. God performed more than one supernatural creative act. God spoke things into being six times. Adam brought sin and death into the world. Evolutionary theory requires death prior to Adam Conclusion – The following are acceptable creationistic views: Young-earth view Old-earth views that reject macro-evolution

____________ – study of design in nature. ____________ - evolution – believes that small variations occur within a species. ____________ - Many simple and complex forms appear in the earliest rocks. ____________ - This view attempts to bring together the basic components of the theory of macro-evolution with the Creator God of the Bible ____________ - This view believes that the creation account describes the present experience of every person. ___________ - God created matter, space, and time. There was a long-period of time between the creation of the original energy and the initiation of the six 24-hour days. ____________ - This creation view believes the earth is less than 12,000 years of age. ___________- evolution believes that certain species have evolved into more complex species. ___________ - means that God created “out of nothing”

Inherit the Wind

Differences between the Scopes Trial and Inherit the Wind

What is the difference between micro evolution and macro evolution?