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Creation or Evolution?—Part 3: Why Believe in Creation?Young People Ask
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YOUNG PEOPLE ASK
Creation or Evolution?—Part 3: Why Believe in Creation?
“If you believe in creation, people might think that you’re stupid, that you’re clinging to childish beliefs taught to you by your parents, or that you’ve been brainwashed by religion.”—Jeanette.
Do you feel the same way Jeanette does? If so, you may find yourself doubting your belief in creation. After all, no one likes to be viewed as ignorant. What can help?
Objections to belief
1. If you believe in creation, people will think you’re against science.
“My teacher said that believing in creation is something people do when they’re too lazy to come up with an explanation for how the world works.”—Maria.
What you should know: Those who make such claims are not aware of the facts. Famous scientists such as Galileo and Isaac Newton believed in a Creator. Their belief did not conflict with their love for science. Likewise, some scientists today find no conflict between science and belief in creation.
Try this: Type the expression (including quotation marks) “explains her faith” or “explains his faith” in the search box of Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY for examples of those in the field of medicine and science who accept creation. Note what helped them to reach that conclusion.
The bottom line: Belief in creation doesn’t make you antiscience. In fact, learning more about the natural world can strengthen your belief in creation.—Romans 1:20.
2. If you believe in the Bible’s account of creation, people will think you’re a religious fanatic.
“A lot of people consider belief in creation to be a joke. They feel that the Genesis account is just a story.”—Jasmine.
What you should know: People often have misconceptions about the Bible’s account of creation. For example, some creationists claim that the earth was recently created or that life was created in six 24-hour days. The Bible does not support either viewpoint.
Genesis 1:1 simply states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This does not conflict with scientific evidence that the earth is billions of years old.
The word “day” as used in Genesis can refer to long periods of time. In fact, at Genesis 2:4, the word “day” is used to describe all six days of creation.
The bottom line: The Bible’s account of creation is in harmony with scientific facts.
Think about your beliefs
Belief in creation does not require “blind faith.” Rather, it rests on sound reasoning. Consider this:
Everything you experience in life teaches you that where there is design, there is a designer. When you see a camera, a plane, or a house, you rightly conclude that someone designed it. Why should you abandon that logic when you consider the human eye, a bird in the sky, or our planet Earth?
To think about: Engineers often copy traits that they observe in nature so that they can improve their own inventions, and they rightly want others to acknowledge their work. Is it logical to recognize the human inventor and his work and yet fail to acknowledge the Creator and His far superior designs?
Tools to help you examine the evidence
You can strengthen your conviction in creation by inspecting the evidence found in nature.
Try this: Type the phrase (including quotation marks) “was it designed” in the search box of Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY. Select some titles that interest you from the Awake! series “Was It Designed?” For each article, identify what is remarkable about the aspect of nature discussed. How does it convince you that there is a Designer?
Dig deeper: Use the following brochures to explore the evidence for creation in more detail.
Was Life Created?
The earth is perfectly located and equipped to support life.—See pages 4-10.
Examples of design are found in nature.—See pages 11-17.
The Bible’s account of creation in Genesis is in harmony with science.—See pages 24-28.
The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking
Life could not have begun spontaneously from nonliving matter.—See pages 4-7.
Living organisms are too complex to have developed through undirected, spontaneous events.—See pages 8-12.
The information capacity within the genetic code surpasses modern technology.—See pages 13-21.
All life did not descend from a common ancestor. The fossil record supports the sudden appearance of major animal groups, not their gradual development.—See pages 22-29.
“The natural world convinces me most about God’s existence, from the animals here on earth to the universe and the order that exists in it.”—Thomas.
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Creation or Evolution?—Part 4: How Can I Explain My Belief in Creation?Young People Ask
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YOUNG PEOPLE ASK
Creation or Evolution?—Part 4: How Can I Explain My Belief in Creation?
You believe in creation, but you’re reluctant to say so openly at school. Maybe your textbooks endorse evolution and you worry that teachers and classmates might make fun of you. How can you speak up confidently and explain your belief in creation?
You can do it!
You might think: ‘I’m not smart enough to discuss science and debate evolution.’ That’s how Danielle felt at one time. “I hated feeling that I had to contradict my teacher and my classmates,” she says. Diana agrees, “I got confused when they argued using scientific terms.”
However, your goal is not to win arguments. And the good news is that you don’t need to be a genius at science to explain why you find creation to be a rational explanation for the natural world.
Tip: Use the simple logic found in the Bible at Hebrews 3:4: “Every house is constructed by someone, but the one who constructed all things is God.”
A young woman named Carol reasons on the principle of Hebrews 3:4 this way: “Imagine that you’re walking through a dense forest. Every evidence of a human being is miles away. You then look down and see a toothpick on the ground. What is your conclusion? Most people would say, ‘Someone else has been here.’ If something as small and insignificant as a toothpick is evidence of intelligent life, how much more so is the universe and all that’s in it!”
If someone says: “If creation is true, then who created the Creator?”
You could respond: “Just because we don’t understand everything about the Creator doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. For example, you may not know the history of the person who designed your cell phone, but you still believe it was designed by somebody, right? [Allow for response.] There’s so much we can know about the Creator. If you’re curious, I’d be happy to share what I’ve learned about him.”
Be ready
The Bible says that you should be “ready to make a defense before everyone who demands of you a reason for the hope you have, but doing so with a mild temper and deep respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) Therefore, give attention to two factors—what you say and how you say it.
What you say. Your love of God is important and can motivate you to speak up. But just telling others how much you love God may not be enough to convince them that God created all things. It might be best to use examples from nature to show why it is rational to believe in creation.
How you say it. Be confident, but don’t be rude or condescending. People are likely to consider your viewpoint if you speak respectfully about their beliefs and acknowledge their right to come to their own conclusions.
“I think it’s important never to come across as insulting or as a know-it-all. It would be counterproductive to speak in a condescending tone.”—Elaine.
Tools to help you explain your belief
“If we aren’t prepared,” says a teenager named Alicia, “we’ll just want to stay quiet to avoid embarrassment.” As Alicia points out, preparation is vital to success. Jenna states, “I feel much more comfortable discussing creation when I have a simple yet well-thought-out example to back up my belief.”
Where can you find such examples? Many young people have had success using the following material:
Was Life Created?
The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking
The Wonders of Creation Reveal God’s Glory (video)
The series “Was It Designed?” in the Awake! magazine. (Type the phrase [including quotation marks] “was it designed” in the search box of Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY.)
Use Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY for additional research.
You might also find it helpful to review the previous articles in this series, “Creation or Evolution?”
Tip: Choose examples that convince you. They will be easier for you to remember, and you will be able to speak about them with conviction. Try practicing how you will explain your belief.
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