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Who are we, and where did we come from? These are basic questions concerning the human condition and the meaning of life. Indeed the answers to these are interrelated, for one's understanding of the second question greatly influences the meaning of the first. To put it another way, man's origin deeply impacts his perception of himself and the world around him.
John Calvin once said that "true and sound wisdom consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves." If this is true, our place in the cosmos is a tremendously significant matter to consider. It impacts, in one form or another, all of life.
Because the Creator-creature relationship is fundamental to the way we think and live, factors related to creation play a vital role in a Christian apologetic. Therefore this segment of Truth & Things is dedicated to understanding origins and other related subjects. As a result it is hoped the reader will come to appreciate that the brilliance and beauty of the cosmos serve to announce the majesty of its Maker. This in turn makes plain the reality of that ancient saying: "The heavens declare the glory of God."
What can more foolish than to think that all this rare fabric of heaven and earth could come by chance, when all the skill of science is not able to make an oyster.
Jeremy Taylor
I asked the whole frame of the world about my God; and he answered, ‘I am not He, but He made me.'
Augustine, Confessions
Darwinian evolution with its blind watchmaker thesis makes me think of a great battleship on the ocean of reality. Its sides are heavily armored with philosophical barriers to criticism, and its decks are stacked with big rhetorical guns ready to intimidate any would-be attackers. In appearance, it is as impregnable as the Soviet Union seemed to be a few years ago. But the ship has sprung a metaphysical leak, and the more perceptive of the ship's officers have begun to sense that all the ships firepower cannot save it if the leak is not plugged. There will be heroic efforts to save the ship, of course, and some plausible rescuers will invite the officers to take refuge in electronic lifeboats equipped with high-tech gear like autocatalytic sets and computer models of self-organizing systems. The spectacle will be fascinating, and the battle will go on for a long time. But in the end reality will win.
Phillip E. Johnson, Darwin On Trial
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