Evolution Makes Us Equal to Animals-Not! - Vol 4 No 3

The student said, "We must become vegan, because to eat any form of meat is cannibalism..."

Humans are equal to animals

The Professor cued up the class with the querry, “When did the human animal take dominion over animals in the lower rationality?” Clearly, he equated humans with all other animals. “When did man assert his dominance over the other animals?”

The students quickly offered up various answers, most of which were disparaging of humankind and were chronologically placed somewhere in the millions of years

ago.

“Humans are not better or higher," one student confidently asserted. “Bees have

a better language than we do; they just don’t have symbols.”

“We must become vegan, because to eat any form of meat is cannibalism,” confidently declared another. A number of heads nodded in agreement.

The professor encouraged the thread. “I’mhumans

reminded of Peter Singer, a twentieth century philosopher, who talked about humans being the most murderous and most dangerous of all animals.” Counting off on his fingers he continued “Men waste the most resources. Men spoil the environment. They take and don't give back." He flipped his hand. "No other animal does that.”

Zeke offered, “But humans evolved language, and that has set them above the rest, although it's wrong that man has screwed it up with his greed and carelessness.”

No Basis for Morality with Evolution

Mike sat back in his chair and challenged, “If we are only evolved material, why

do we care? Evolved material does not have value, nothing to set it apart as better or worse than another. And how can you say it is wrong that man has screwed up the environment? In a purely material evolutionary world, there is no right and wrong, good or bad, or even value because we're all material. Just material. There is no purpose in life. Man is just another animal living among other less evolved animals. So what is the basis for your moral claim?"

Zeke spoke up. “Man has evolved more and therefore has a greater responsibility. The fact that he has evolved language means that he has more responsibility to protect those beneath him."

“Responsibility?" Mike smiled. "Like, moral responsibility?"They are always talking about how there is no right or wrong. No external standard of morality, so Mike seized the opportunity. "Upon what basis does one evolving mass of material have a responsibility to another evolving mass of material? We are just masses of atoms fizzing about. Atoms are not right or wrong, good or bad. There is no moral responsibility among fizzing atoms.”

A number of students were quiet. You could tell this was a new way of thinking for some of them and to their credit, they were doing just that.

Man in the Image of God

Mike took this opportunity to bring the truths of God to the forefront without apology. “As a Christian, I know from the Bible that man does have value. Man was created by God as a moral creature. We each have a conscience and I think you know it."

He smiled and paused to let that sink in. Then seeing they were interested, he kept on. "God made us in His image and gives each human a soul that will never die. That soul makes you unique and special. God made mankind with language and gave us the dominion you mentioned over the animals and over the creation from the start. See, Zeke, we do have responsibility over the lower creation, but not because our language sets us apart, but because God gave us that responsibility. And yes, we have often displeased God by not doing a good job at it."

"So you see,man is a moral creature because every man is made by God with a soul that can never die, and is therefore, accountable to God. God allows for the responsible killing of animals for man’s welfare, food and clothing, but does not allow the murder of other humans because we are made in His image.”

We Don't Need God

“Thank you, Mike,” said the professor coolly and perhaps dismissively. “Class, what you have just heard from Mike was the classical view. You need to know that the majority of contemporary scientists, philosophers and academics totally disagree with him. We have evolved in our thinking such that we have deconstructed these ideas and gotten closer to properly understanding that we don’t need God as a reference point. We don’t need God as an umpire. We don’t need God to give us a desire for eternity, a hope for eternal life, because there is no such thing as eternal life.”

“You disagree with the Bible then,” said Mike. “And the Bible is God’s authoritative Word.”

The Professor walked over and stood in front of Mike's desk and spoke to him directly but smoothly. “We have literature of writings that are much older than the Bible. And therefore, the people who wrote the Bible learn what they learned from

the philosophers, especially the Greeks.”

Mike maintained, “But the Bible in the book of Acts actually mentions Greek

philosophers by name and by school, particularly the Epicureans and Stoics, and refutes them.”

The professor retorted, “Well, that's the Apostle Paul. That’s not the Bible.”

Mike looked up at him. "The Apostle Paul wrote about half of the newer testament, and the book of Acts is in the newer testament.”

“Well, yeah, that's right, I know that, but the Apostle Paul did not understand the Greeks.”

“Or maybe we don't want to understand the Apostle Paul," persisted Mike, "nor do we understand the Greeks. I believe that the Apostle Paul perfectly understood

the ancient Greeks, pinpointed their error and refuted them soundly.”

The professor concluded, “Well, that's your opinion." Turning away he said, "OK

class...moving on...” and the subject was closed.

After class

After class, the students were waiting to talk about it. One middle aged woman, who is a new student to the Philosophy department, met him at the exit.

“Doesn’t it embarrass you to talk about God, the Bible, Adam and Eve and things like that in class? Does it really belong here?”

“Of course it belongs here!” laughed Mike. “It's true! There is no place where the truth of God does not belong.”

She lowered her eyes. “I wish I had your confidence.

”Natalie walked up to him with a couple of other students. She declared, “God did

not create man. Man created God in order to not have to fear nature.”

Mike laughed and then smiled at her, “Oh, that means you’ve read Sigmund

Freud’s, The Future of an Illusion! ”

She smiled, “Freud was a great philosopher.”

Mike cocked his head and chuckled, “How would you define 'great'?”

A girl beside her said, “I like Freud. He's great because he frees us up from the idea that we have to fear God or nature. He says man made up God because he could blame or pray to this "god" when he felt out of control.”

“So you don’t fear God or nature?” Mike retorted good-naturedly.

“Why should we fear nature?” she asked.

“If the hurricane comes, are you going to laugh at it?" He didn't wait for an

answer. "Look, nature is in the hand of God and the penalty for ignoring nature may be that you find yourself on top of a roof with your house underwater. But the penalty for ignoring God is eternal damnation. It's serious. I really want you to think about it. But there is a remedy that starts by acknowledging that there is a God and by acknowledging your sin against Him.

The other girl rolled her eyes and her head and moaned, "Uhhhhh, there's that sin thing again that Freud talked about."

But Natalie looked more serious and thoughtful.

Mike looked at her very sincerely, "Your sin is the biggest problem you have."

She paused and then quickly turned away announcing, "I have to go."

Mike was disappointed. He wanted her to want more, but he was comforted by God's Word, knowing that God is at work:

"So will My Word be which goes out of My mouth;It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding

in the purpose for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:11

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