Recently I went to the National Museum for Natural History in London and saw some of the dinosaur skeletons. How they fitted into the creational timeline, I do not know – God knows. One thing which amused me – I should say concerned me – was an oxymoronic title on one of the exhibits which spoke of Russel and Darwin discovering the theory of evolution. I ask, ‘How do you discover a theory?’ You cannot discover a theory. A theory is a theory – it’s not a fact. So to discover a theory is completely unscientific. Similarly, Darby in his paper ‘Evolution’ showed how unscientific this was.
Charles Darwin and JN Darby were contemporary with one another. Darwin was nine years younger, but they died at 10 days apart in April 1882. Of course there have been many discoveries and developments since the nineteenth century, but the thought process has not changed. In my opinion, all new discoveries only bring out more questions and doubts about the so-called ‘science’ of evolution.
Darby stated plainly that each species was distinct. Men and women produced human children; cocks and hens produced chickens. God may allow a horse and a donkey to produce a mule but mules do not reproduce. Scientific observation supports the biblical statement that each produces ‘after its kind’ (Gen 1:25).
Evolutionists cannot explain how protoplasm came about, but the Bible tells us that God was pleased when life began, even if it was protoplasm. We can now say the same about DNA. Darby said science is atheistical (I don’t quite understand this – studying physics, biology mathematics or astronomy makes us wonder at God’s creation – Pascal, Newton, Boyle, Fleming and many others were sincere believers). However, it is clear that scientists follow what exists, and do not bring God into the equation. Matter is what exists, and are as far as scientists are concerned matter, or the combination of matter and energy, is eternal. But this cannot be proven. Our finite minds cannot comprehend eternity.
Now as we were saying, each species is distinct. Evolutionists will say that the one species evolved into another, but as they cannot prove it – it remains only a theory. The Christian accepts God as the Creator: God created the animals. ‘God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so’ (Gen 1:24). The earth brought forth the animals, but God formed man. The creation of man was quite distinct. Our God gave man a face to look upwards towards Him, and He breathed into man so that he became a living soul. That is not said of any of the animals. We do not know how this came about other than that Adam had a deep sleep, but we accept it by faith.
Scientists deal with phenomena. Evolution from one species to another is not a phenomenon – it cannot be observed. Whilst species adapt (evolution in a small sense), nobody man has observed the gradual migration of one species to another: half man, half ape for example. This would have been necessary were evolution to be true. Evolution is therefore not scientific.
Darby asks what the answer is. Though many scientists have faith, it would seem that infidel scientists choose to ignore the fixed laws of science, and are afraid to be honest. Man’s mind cannot go further than antecedents and consequences: a point comes where speculation has to stop.
Based on J. N. Darby: Evolution – Notes and Comments Vol. 1, p 4
Sosthenes
August 2016