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May 04, 2007

Why the Evolution Question Matters

It's interesting to me that three Republican presidential candidates in last night's debate said they did not believe in Evolution. I think it's interesting because Evolution is something that has really been on my mind lately as I have been watching the incredible BBC's series Planet Earth. Watching the magnificence of the natural world in action has both reinforced my belief that there simply must be a God AND convinced me that Evolution is absolutely true. To put it simply, I have come to believe that Evolution was actually designed by God, who got the whole ball rolling the first place and gets involved now and then when need be. In any case, the more I learn about science and the natural world, the more incredulous I am that anyone who has reached the level of being a credible presidential candidate could still deny that Evolution is true.

For instance, the episode I watched last night was the one about caves. I have always loved geology and been awestruck by all sorts of geological formations. I've never had the opportunity to formally study it, however. So even at my age with my lifelong interest in it, it is still really easy to knock my socks off. And this episode really did that.

One of the things that never really sank into my head before was the incredible amount of time it takes to form stalagmites and stalactites. I have thought about how long it takes for them to drip down and form, but that's not what I'm talking about. Before that eons-long process to even begin, you have to have the eons-long process of cave formation. Stalagmites and stalactites form in limestone caves. And limestone caves form through erosion from water, chemical processes, the eating away of the stone by microorganisms, etc. Think about how hard limestone is. Think about how big and long limestone caves are. Think about how long it would take for them to erode. Wow.

But even that isn't the beginning. Because before the limestone could be eroded it had to be formed. Limestone is a sedimentary rock. That means it is formed by gradual layering and compaction. It is composed largely of calcite, the primary source of which is marine organisms. Can you imagine the eons of time that would go into creating limestone slabs hundreds of feet thick? Now consider that had to have occurred at the bottom of the ocean. So how did it make it all the way up into the mountains? After forming for eons of time at the bottom of the ocean, it slowly was pushed up over more eons of time, after which it was eroded for eons of time into caves, after which the slow drip-dripping of water from the ceiling of the caves over eons of time formed stalagmites and stalactites. This didn't happen in 6,000 years. It happened in a period of time that is so great my mind cannot wrap itself around it. And just to make sure my mind went that little bit further, the episode showed underwater limestone caves with enormous stalagmites and stalactites that are no longer developing. They stopped developing at the end of the last ice age – 10,000 years ago – at which time they became flooded.

You cannot rationally dismiss all of that. Obviously, life existed so far back in time we can't grasp it. Nor can you dismiss all the bizarre life that has developed inside all those caves and the eons of time it took for that life to get to where it could withstand highly acidic water or living without any form of light, not to mention how many generations of mutations it would take for a species to lose its eyes altogether.

And here's another thing I've been thinking about – what the natural world really tells us about the nature of God, if God exists, and, as I said, I believe he does. It seems very clear to me that God is inconceivably great, creating an enormous universe that is breathtakingly beautiful, but God is also not exactly the soft, sweet, and nice Christian God. Life outside our protected society (and even inside it at times) is really excruciatingly difficult. Chance and weakness can take you down in a pretty heartless way. BUT God is fair and gives every living thing a fighting chance. We can adapt for survival. We can learn to work together for survival. Of course, so can the predators. But ultimately, the balance between life and death, survival and defeat, joy and fear, is all maintained so that life has existed here on this planet for at least millions of years. The harshness of life gives us a sense of appreciation for the good things and keeps us working together. It's a pretty phenomenal system if you think about it. Take away the negatives – the pain, hunger, and death - turn it all into Heaven, and it quite simply would not work.

In my opinion, the three Republican candidates who said they did not believe in Evolution were also saying they do not believe in science and that they prefer faith over long, deep contemplation about life. Bring it all back from the existential to the mundane and you can see why it matters. As this blogger wrote, the focus by the candidates on competing "with China, Mexico, and other countries, where low cost labor is abundant," is a prime example of what happens when candidates are in denial of science. Were they thinking about science, they would not even want to compete with these countries. Instead, they would be working to transform our country "from an industrial economy to a knowledge and service driven economy." We could be focusing on innovation in the development of alternative energy sources or developing cures for diseases through stem cell research, for example. These are the sorts of things that a curious, scientifically interested leader will pursue. And that is why the question of belief in Evolution matters.

Posted by Becky at May 4, 2007 01:52 PM