How to Make a Good Argument for Creation
Although a straightforward presentation of the facts about evolution is a powerful defense against Darwinism and evolutionary theory, below are a few tips that may help you to present a persuasive case.
Beware of Selective Use of Evidence
It is common practice in paleontology to speculate and extrapolate details from a small amount of evidence. One of the greatest and most misleading examples of this practice is Nebraska Man. Once thought to be the proverbial missing link between man and ape, this would-be transitional form consisted of nothing more than a pig's tooth. From this tiny scrap of tooth entire human forms were imagined and rendered.
Science books have pictures of Nebraska Man. Museums have posters and statues, but they all fail to mention that this being - this missing link - was imagined from a pig's tooth! Examine evidence closely and you will find that the missing evidence of transitional forms is still missing.
Remember Copernicus? He was the insane fellow who thought the earth might not be the center of the universe. As Paul Harvey would say, "You know the rest of the story." He was right. Absolute truth exists. Whether or not we believe the earth revolves around the sun doesn't change the truth. Likewise, whether or not science supports the existence of God (and by the way, many scientists do) doesn't change the facts either.
Just like Copernicus, sometimes the little guy is right. Regardless of how many people say the earth is the center of the universe, it keeps on spinning around the sun. On the other hand, don't be too quick to judge all scientists categorically. Many of the most well known scientists and other great thinkers of our day support the existence of God. Consider the following list of creationist-believers, who founded many of our modern sciences1,
One of the great negotiating tactics is to switch gears when things look dim. As a salesperson of over twenty years, I have become keenly aware of this particular practice. I'm sure I've encountered it many times. When a particular point of negotiation is "going south" gently set it aside and agree to come back to it later. Meanwhile move on to another area where your position is stronger.
Interestingly, I've had conversations like this with several agnostics as well. The moment a point seems hopeless, the subject will quickly change to a completely different area. I can recall one such conversation that I had with a business associate where we casually debated the theory of evolution versus creation by God. The moment I started revealing some of the facts about the fossil record evidence he quickly changed the subject to attacking the Bible as God's word. I made the mistake of chasing that argument and several others with suitable defenses. It would have been more productive to insist on sticking to the point.
Does the fossil record support evolution or not? When that question is answered we can move on. As it was we had a lot of debate and never reached any conclusions. Since that time I've learned the importance of staying on topic until truth is exposed. One final note on this topic should be taken about the importance of some arguments. Sometimes skeptics toss out assertions right and left, many of which are trivial. Try to get to the important points.
What is evolution? Though I am a Christian, believer in God, and staunch proponent of creationism, I believe that evolution exists. That's right, I said it... evolution is a fact of science. A better definition might be micro-evolution, or that form of evolution that takes place within a particular species. This is also known as speciation. Conversely, macro-evolution, or the change of one species to another, is bad science.
The theory that mutations of a species cause the gradual change in genetic make-up, converting one species to another, is an arduous and failing argument. Mutations are destructive. Science has never observed otherwise. All known mutations are harmful, or at best neutral. Natural selection exists, but only within the limitations of adaptability of a particular species.
This is just a single example of why it is important to define terms. Be sure you know what specific words mean, and don't forget they might mean something different to the other person.
One of the most important terms to remember is theory. Darwinism is a theory, not a fact. A theory can be defined as: a specific statement of concept, which is supported by scientific observation. Sometimes the data being observed is direct and replicable, like gravity. I can test it by dropping a ball and seeing it fall to the floor. Other times the data is circumstantial and indirect like evolution. This is the case with the origin of life. I can't watch man evolve, I can only look at circumstantial evidence and see if the observations can be fit together to support my theory.
The same is true of creationism. I didn't see God speak the universe into existence. Rather, I must formulate a theory about that and see if the observable circumstantial evidence fits. Interestingly, the theory (if we might call it that) of creationism is far more compelling than the theory of evolution. The facts of design, the fossil record, moral values, and the rest of what we have seen firmly support this position.
| 1 | Geisler, Norman. When Skeptics Ask, Wheaton, Il: Victor Books, 1990. p. 214. |