By Michael Shermer
I've given more thought to the creationists demand that evolution be stricken
from public school science classes, or that it be taught side-by-side with
creationism because "evolution is only a theory" and "no one was there to
witness the creation" so we cannot say for sure what really happened.
I have come to the conclusion that what's fair is fair, and that the
creationists have a good point. Afterall, isn't education all about hearing
both sides of an issue? And they are correct, no one was there to witness the
creation, so any ideas about who or what caused the creation can only be
speculative theories and therefore never provable.
Therefore, I am certain that Ministers, Priests, Rabbis, and religious
leaders of all sects will be pleased to read the following disclaimer to
their respective congregations every Sunday morning, or before any sermon
delivered:
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, God bless and welcome to [FILL IN THE NAME
OF YOUR CHURCH, TEMPLE, MOSQUE, OR CENTER OF WORSHIP HERE]. This morning we
are going to talk about the creation of the universe and the origins of life
on Earth. According to the Bible, Genesis 1:1-3: "In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void;
and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters. And God said, LEt there be light: and there was
light."
Now, it is important for us to understand that no one was actually present at
the creation so we don't really know what happened. Genesis 1:1-3 is only a
theory, and as such cannot be treated as fact. And it is only fair that I
share with you that there are other theories of the creation. For example,
some Sumerians and Babylonians, Gilbert Islanders, Koreans, and Greeks
believed that the world was created from the parts of a slain monster; some
Zuni Indians, Cook Islanders, and Tahitians have a theory that the world was
created by the interaction of primordial parents; and some Japanese, Samoan,
Persian, Chinese, and Hindu have a theory that the world was generated from
an egg." And, of course, there is that dogma being foisted upon us by the
liberal media and intelligentsia, the theory of evolution.
As for the origins of human life, that is spelled out in Genesis 1:27: "God
created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them." Of course, not only was no one present to witness
this act, except for Adam and Eve after they were created, I should point out
that this theory has a counter theory in Genesis 2:7, where "the Lord God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul." In this theory Adam is all
alone without a mate, so in Genesis 2:21-22 "the Lord God caused a deep sleep
to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up
the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from
man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man."
Since everyone here was blessed by the almighty with a brain that thinks, I
will allow you to decide which theory is the correct theory of the creation
of humans, Genesis 1 or Genesis 2. Weigh the evidence and decide for
yourselves. You be the judge.
Oh, there is one other minor detail. Adam and Eve begat Cain and Abel, and as
you all know Cain, as firstborns are wont to do to their laterborn siblings
who might cut into their limited parental resources, slew him. That left
Adam, Eve, and Cain as the only humans on the entire Earth. But in Genesis
4:17 we read that "Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch."
Now, I don't mean to burden you with more of the liberal media's fascination
with smut and porn, but I think as created beings endowed with intelligence
and critical thinking skills blessed to us by the good Lord, it might be
reasonable to ask just who it was that Cain "knew." Unless Adam was himself
blessed with both types of reproductive organs, or Cain was capable of
parthenogenesis, then we are left with the theory that Cain "knew" his
mother.
But that's just a theory, and as we all know, theories are just wild guesses
and should not be taken seriously.