Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
by Dr Veronica Evelyn
Are chapters 1:11 of the book of Genesis simply “myth” as Senator The Reverend Dr. John A. Rogers categorically stated in his recent sermon to mark African Heritage Day? There are many people today who say the earth is flat but that does not make it so. One needs to bring forth credible evidence to support one’s claim.
Reverend Rogers has described himself as an ‘unrepentant evolutionist’. (Humanity Sunday, September 12, 2021) That is his right. However, with rights come responsibilities. Since his claim contradicts core tenets of Christianity, this clergyman owes it to the Christian community to furnish evidence for his claim. Family-Faith-Freedom, Barbados, invites him to do so in a public discussion with representatives from our organisation.
Until then, this brief response will suffice.
The few examples mentioned here (out of hundreds that could be cited) will show that scientific evidence SUPPORTS the biblical account of origins as documented in Genesis 1:11:
• Creation of the universe and humankind by God without long evolutionary periods of time. (Chapters 1:2)
• The fall of humankind into sin and rebellion against God. (Chapters 3:5)
• God’s judgement on humankind’s wickedness via a worldwide flood. (Chapters 6:9)
• The dispersion of humankind into different language speaking nations and cultures. (Chapters 10:11) Atheistic Darwinism which is the foundation of Theistic Evolution passionately espoused by Rev. Rogers, teaches that:
• Humankind evolved from ape-like creatures over extended periods of time.
• There was no fall of humankind into sin. Thus, as evolutionist and atheist Richard Dawkins says, there is “no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference.” (Dawkins, The Blind Watch Maker, p.133).
• There was no judgment of humankind’s wickedness via a worldwide flood.
• Some Hominids (ape-men) evolved into increasingly refined homo sapiens, giving rise to different civilisations with different languages and cultures.
If Darwinism is true, then Rev. Rogers is correct, and the first eleven chapters of Genesis are, indeed, “myth”. If Darwinism is false, then Rev. Rogers’ bold assertion that the first eleven chapters of Genesis are “myth”, is also false.
Considering the evidence
The fossil record shows that complex life appeared suddenly without evolutionary ancestors. As Charles Darwin himself said: “Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory.” (Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species (1859), p. 292 (reprint, London: Penguin Group, 1985).
The late evolutionary paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould stated: “The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualistic accounts of evolution.” (Stephen Jay Gould, “Is a new and general theory of evolution emerging?” Paleobiology, 6(1): 119-130 (1980).
Similarly, the late Dr Colin Patterson, who was the senior paleontologist (fossil expert) at the prestigious British Museum of Natural History frankly admitted: “I will lay it on the line — there is not one such fossil for which one could make a watertight argument.” (Sunderland, L., Darwin’s Enigma, Master Books, Arkansas, USA, pp. 101–102, 1998).
And while Rev. Rogers espouses the evolutionary belief that Australopithecus Afarensis (a.k.a. “Lucy”) is “the oldest ancestor of human beings”, supposedly making Adam and Eve a myth, the scientific evidence shows that “Lucy” had shoulders like a gorilla ideal for tree swinging, locking wrists, curled fingers and short legs like quadruped apes, and other features which showed the creature was ideally suited for tree dwelling and walked on all fours (Daniel A. Biddle, Ph.D, Lucy: The Australopithecus
That Fell Out Of The Human Evolution Tree, 2017). Conclusion: the creature was simply an ape and not an ancestor of humans as Rev. Rogers so strongly believes.
The scientific evidence reveals that humans appeared on the scene suddenly without evolutionary ancestors, just as Genesis teaches.
Regarding the flood, apart from the many geological features (including the fossil record itself) that bear testimony to this ancient worldwide catastrophe, there is ample worldwide extra-biblical evidence for its occurrence recorded in written or the oral traditions of many ancient far-flung cultures.
In The Antiquities of the Jews, first-century historian Josephus cites myriad ancient histories recording the flood, including those by Berosus the Chaldean, Hieronymus the Egyptian, Mnaseas, and Nicolaus of Damascus (Antiquities I:3:93-95.).
Estimates indicate that altogether there are over 500 ancient Flood legends worldwide. Ancient civilisations such as China, Babylonia, Wales, Russia, India, North and South America, Hawaii, Scandinavia, Sumatra, Peru, and Polynesia all have their own versions of a giant flood.
These flood legends are frequently linked by common elements that parallel the Biblical account including:
1. The warning of the coming flood;
2. The construction of a boat in advance;
3. The storage of animals;
4. The inclusion of family;
5. The release of birds to determine if the water level had subsided.
6. The repopulation of the earth by the survivors.
The Encyclopedia of Creation Science observes: “The overwhelming consistency among flood legends found in distant parts of the globe indicates they were derived from the same origin but oral transcription has changed the details through time” (Flood legends http://creationwiki.org/ Flood_legends).
This is exactly what we would expect. For if the flood did occur it would be expected that many other cultures all over the world would also recall the event since they are descended from Noah and his children. That’s exactly what we do find!
The sudden universal appearance of language was separated in three basic discernable forms by early secularists (who didn’t even accept the biblical account of the origin of different languages at Babel) namely, “Japhetic”, “Semitic”, and “Hamitic” language groups. Japhetic referred to the Indo-European language family, Semitic to the languages of the Near East, and Hamitic to those of Africa inclusive of Egypt.
That threesome is maintained today as Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan and Afro-Asiatic which evolutionist Professor Joseph Greenberg and his colleagues (Stanford University) hypothesise developed from an original mother language in Africa among early Homo sapiens (The Root of All Human Languages, published 26/10/2014 by angmohdan.com), thus again bearing testimony to the truth of the biblical accounts found in Genesis 10:11 that the descendants of Noah’s three sons, who all spoke one common mother language, were split into three main language groups in their families and spread abroad, “each according to their languages”. It is no mean matter to trifle with the authenticity of the Scriptures.
Such trifling has resulted in the shipwreck of the faith of many, leading some to embrace atheism. Such is not the mandate of any clergyman.
As a shepherd of the flock, the Reverend John Rogers has a responsibility to the Christian community to support his claims.
Family-Faith-Freedom, Barbados calls on him to do so with reference to the full body of scientific evidence available.
Veronica C. Evelyn Ph.D.; M.Phil. is a consultant sociologist. She is owner and director of Proteqt Inc., a Caribbean regional consulting firm which undertakes developmental research in the areas of Education, Public Health and Social Services.
