2. Since when has belief in evolution notably increased, and where is it particularly emphasized?

² Belief in evolution is not new; it did not originate with Charles Darwin. But, following publication, in 1859, of his book The Origin of Species, the supporters of the idea have greatly increased in number. In those lands where considerable emphasis is placed on “science,” the teaching of evolution holds a prominent place in school textbooks. It is introduced in the early grades, and repeated and enlarged upon year after year.

4. (a) Explain the basic idea of evolution. (b) Who do not believe that theory?

⁴ The basic idea of evolution is that all the plant, animal and human life on this earth had its origin in one-celled life forms that developed in the sea hundreds of millions of years ago. Though some profess to believe that a Creator began the process, this is not true of the majority. Evolutionists contend that the ancestors of man included both apelike beasts and fish. But that is not what everyone believes. Not all educators believe in evolution, nor do all scientists. There are many people who believe that God created the earth, and that he made the vegetation, the animals and man. (Jer. 27:4, 5) That is what Jesus Christ believed. (Mark 10:5, 6; Matt. 6:26-30) What do you personally believe?

5. What did students at a Catholic high school say that they believed as to the origin of man, but why did they view matters in that way?

⁵ This question was recently asked of both students and teachers in a ninth-grade class in a Catholic high school located in New York state. The entire class responded that they believed that “man came by evolution.” When asked if any of them believed that God made man, not one hand was raised. Further questioning revealed that they knew names and details connected with the teaching of evolution, but none of them knew even the name of the God who the Bible says made man. Did they really believe in evolution? Or was it simply that they knew something about evolution, whereas they had not been taught what the Bible says about creation?

WHAT DO YOUR CHILDREN BELIEVE?

6. (a) Why are some children more deeply influenced by the teaching of evolution than they are by their parents’ belief in the Bible? (b) At the beginning of each school term, what might parents do in order to safeguard the faith of their children?

⁶ It has come as quite a surprise to some parents when they learned the extent to which the teaching of evolution permeates the school courses. They may have taken for granted that, since they believed the Bible, their children would also accept what the Scriptures say about God and his creating of the earth and living things upon it. But when the school puts forth more effort to emphasize evolution than the parents do to give reasons for belief in creation, it is not difficult to see which viewpoint will more deeply influence the child. (Prov. 22:6; Deut. 6:4-9) If you are a parent, do you take time at the beginning of each school term to examine the textbooks that your children will be using so you know what they are going to be taught? Doing so would show your deep concern for their welfare. Then, if you do find that the textbooks advocate evolution, what can you do about it? You can, of course, tell your child what you believe, and you should. But, to be truly persuasive, you may find that you need to read and discuss together certain portions of the school textbook, making sure that your child understands why the various theories in support of evolution are in error and what the facts are that support belief in creation.

7. (a) What do many school textbooks teach as to evolution? (b) Since Christian children are exposed to this teaching, what do parents need to help their children to do?

⁷ An examination of current school textbooks shows that, in the earlier grades in many localities, any direct mention of the term “evolution” is rare. But the books may comment on early life forms that they say developed in the sea “billions of years ago” and “prehistoric” dinosaurs that lived “millions of years in the past.” As the years pass, more details are given. In support of evolution, they point prominently to bones that have been unearthed and to fossils of living things in the rocks. These books also emphasize mutations, or changes in heredity, coupled with natural selection as the means by which new species came into existence. Your child may be given the impression that this has been well established by scientific research, and that, while he is free to believe in creation if that is what he chooses, all the facts support evolution. In order to reason clearly on the matter, your child needs your assistance. He is in the world, exposed to its viewpoints, so he needs to learn to examine facts, reason sensibly and draw sound conclusions.​—Prov. 5:1, 2.

8. What does the earth’s fossil record include, and what does it not contain? So, what viewpoint as to the origin of life does it really support?

⁸ As an example, you may find it helpful to approach the matter as follows: How many facts do the advocates of evolution actually have? What does the fossil record really show? Their own writings admit that in the lowest rocks in which there are fossils, they do not find primitive life forms, but complex organisms representing most of the basic divisions of plant and animal life.a They say much about primitive forms from which these evolved, and such are vital to their theory, but none of them have ever been found. Also, textbook illustrations and museum displays line up skeletons in a way that they say demonstrates the evolution of the horse, man and other creatures. But notice that each skeleton is fully formed. They write at length about transitional forms, upon which their whole argument depends, but none are displayed with primitive forms of arms and legs on otherwise full-grown bodies. As for pictures that they draw, these are largely imagination; they have no photographs from which to work.

9. Do the dates used by evolutionists prove that the Bible is wrong?

⁹ The dates used by evolutionists sound impressive. But seldom do school textbooks include such items as the following from Science magazine of December 11, 1959: “Although it was hailed as the answer to the prehistorian’s prayer when it was first announced, there has been increasing disillusion with the method because of the chronological uncertainties (in some cases, absurdities) that would follow a strict adherence to published C-14 dates.” Nor do they alert students to the fact that potassium-argon dating of rocks starts, not with fact, but with an unprovable assumption concerning the condition of the rocks, and that, if even a tiny bit of argon remained in the rock when it was molten, the date could be millions of years too high. These are points that your child should know.

10. (a) What do evolutionists theorize as to mutations, but what are the facts? (b) To what balanced view of science can Christian parents help their children to come?

¹⁰ What, then, of the mutations, actual changes in the heredity, coupled with natural selection of the ones that prove beneficial? The books point to examples of these, do they not? Reports and pictures are presented to show changes that have taken place in moths, fruit flies, grapes, and so forth. On this basis, it is speculated that greater changes could take place, that life forms radically different from their parents might result, and that natural selection would result in preserving those changes that were truly advantageous. But what are the facts? The moths did not develop into eagles; the fruit flies did not produce buzzards, and the grapes did not become watermelons. Variation in color, size and flavor was possible, but there was no change into plants or insects of other kinds. Therefore, absolutely no proof for evolution. Reason with your children on these matters; help them to see the difference between fact and speculation. Show them that there is nothing wrong with true science; it is a study of the handiwork of God. But there is much that is falsely called “science” or “knowledge,” and by accepting it some lose what is truly worth while in life.​—1 Tim. 6:20, 21; AV.