Sagan speaks on evolution

You may be surprised to know that earlier this week I paid to have these statements broadcast to thousands of homes here in Georgia: "Evolution is a fact, not a theory. It really happened." "The resulting series of slow changes in the nature of living beings is the origin of the species." If you pay taxes here in Georgia you paid for them too. Those are just a few statements from Carl Sagan in the broadcast and rebroadcasts of "The Best of Cosmos" by GPTV, Public Broadcasting.

I had read about and heard about Carl Sagan; I could recognize him from pictures I have seen of him, but this was the first time I actually ever saw him on television. Carl Sagan, in cult-leader fashion, led the viewer through the cosmos with bold statements presented uncritically as fact. Leaning against a tree and petting it he said, "This oak tree and me, we're made of the same stuff. If you go back far enough you'll find that we have a common ancestor. That's why our chemistry is so alike." As the promoters interrupted this comedy it became evident that they did not share my opinion that this was humorous. What should have been an embarrassment for television and science was treated with heaping doses of respect and reverence. Demonstrating his own commitment to the religion of evolution, one of the announcers offered up his praise by saying, "This is the perfect program for PBS. This is really a good show." Another, amazed by the impossibility of it all, said in a somewhat worshipful fashion: "I'm really amazed. I knew I had a family tree but I didn't know my ancestors might have been trees."

Donald Chittick, in his excellent book, The Controversy wrote, "Repeated confession of belief in something for which there is no proof is a well-recognized and practiced religious device, used to build the faith of the believer." There is no scientific proof for evolution. Incidentally, there is no scientific proof for the creation model of origin either. Both evolution and creation are reconstructions of unobserved history. Thus, we can use science as a tool to help us understand the events of the past but cannot prove a model of origin with science. Honest science is not dogmatic. For example, when I present an explanation for long ages in the Bible I explain that perhaps a vapor canopy existed on the earth that could have blocked radiation and thus allowed old ages. The word "perhaps" is very important. This explanation is one that agrees with the evidence we have in the present world and agrees with the creation model, but it may not have happened that way. I will admit that I am always dogmatic when I consider the Bible to be without error, but I will never be dogmatic about the vapor canopy model or any other such explanation of the events of the Bible. Evolution, however, whether presented by Carl Sagan or the textbooks is presented as fact; no questions asked. This is a fundamental flaw in science education. Science continually changes and to use such absolute terms in education is nothing less than indoctrination. Yet, unashamed Sagan regarded evolution as fact saying, "Evolution is a fact, not a theory."

Unfortunately, this same sermon is preached daily in education from kindergarten to college. Thus, today's youth have been sacrificed on the altar of evolution. A sharp blow to the head by the blunt statement, "Evolution is a fact, not a theory" causes the death of critical thinking in these impressionable minds. Willingly, students are strapped to the altar because they are told the constraints tying them down are made up of science. Ironically, real science, could actually free them from the shackles of evolution. That is why it is so necessary for the executioner of such a deadly doctrine to suppress real science. Keenly, those priests of evolution like Carl Sagan steal timber for their fire from those who know the true God. Perhaps because they are gullible or ignorant or compromising most of those who worship the God of the Bible fuel this sacrifice with their tax dollars without dispute. Others even become willing accomplices by becoming a "Viewer like You." Some even sacrifice themselves, or if they are pastors, their flock out of reverence to the so-called science of evolution. All the while, atheists happily provide the fire recognizing what many believers are blind to: the aroma coming from the sacrifice is a stench in the nostrils of the Creator of the Universe.

Programs like "Cosmos" on Public Broadcasting vividly demonstrate the fact that the battle for Truth is being lost in the public arena. For the Christian, this should be disturbing. We must be careful not to fall prey to this "empty deception." "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." Colossians 2:8.

Furthermore, anyone interested in just "plain ole" fairness should be appalled by such a blatant display of evangelism at the taxpayer's expense.

3/10/01



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