by Robert Brow (www.brow.on.ca), Kingston, Ontario, April 2006

There is no reason to suppose that the Bible is opposed to stages of evolution in the creation of our world. The very first chapter sets out a model in which there is a sequence of

LIGHT (Genesis 1:3)

WATER (1:6-8)

LAND AND VEGETATION (1:9-13)

THE SUN AND MOON SETTING TIME AND THE SEASONS (1:14-19)

BIRDS AND FISH (1:20-23)

MAMMALS, HOMINIDS AND IMAGE OF GOD HUMANS (1:24-27).

Nor is there any need to deny the survival of the fittest as species ruthlessly fight for survival. Those are not the big question. What we want to ask is whether all this was the product of a vast cosmic fluke? Or is it simpler to imagine the work of some kind of intelligent design ?

It is important to define our terms. Consider a statement like "God created our world." Here our world is not a Tolkien fantasy, or the world of micro-biology, or Quantum mechanics, but the world ordinary people like us can see and hear and feel in our daily lives.

Secondly we need to ask how we define a creation. If a car goes through colored water and makes a beautiful pattern on a white wall, is it a creation? Are the stalactites and stalagmites in this cave the work of humans? Does that noise sound like the rustling of leaves, the gurgling of a spring, or is it from a human creator of music? Are these signals from space created by humans like us?

Having decided that our world was created, we can then give the Creator a name. In English we call him God, the French call him Dieu, for Greeks he is Theos, ancient Hebrew used Elohim, in Arabic he is Allah, Urdu names him Khuda, and in Hindi he is named Permeshwar (Universal Lord). An Atheist is someone who says he or she can see no evidence for a Creator.

If we believe in intelligent design, we assume that the experiences of our world suggest

an Artist or Creator. But that cannot be settled by scientific investigation. Where would we obtain the DNA of the he or she that did it?