Ask the Editor: Science and religion

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, March 1st. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.  It’s that time again to ask our editor in chief why we do the things we do.

Here’s Marvin Olasky.

MARVIN OLASKY, EDITOR IN CHIEF: One reader wrote, I love World, but I worry about your opposition to evolution. 97 percent of scientists believe in it. Won’t that hurt your witness to them?

Good question, and here are a couple of thoughts, starting with a list: Iran 99 percent, Somalia 99 percent, Libya 97 percent, Saudi Arabia 97 percent, Sudan 97 percent…

Those statistics display country-by-country adherence to Islam, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center and other organizations.  If such high percentages of inhabitants have those beliefs, they are likely to be right, yes? How could so many people be wrong?

Well, they could be because of ignorance and sin: Many have never heard arguments against Islam from sources they consider reliable. Their mullahs say critics of Islam are idiots or liars. Those countries have laws against blasphemy and apostasy. People who criticize Muhammad or abandon Islam often go to prison. They may even have their heads caught off. Given the threats, some poll respondents probably lie.

Scientists who criticize Darwinism and defend the Bible’s account of creation do not have their heads cut off. They do have their careers cut off, as the book Slaughter of the Dissidents shows. Brave scientists face harassment and even persecution. Beyond that, it’s important to know that few scientists have themselves done experiments related to the evolution debate. They base their response on what their professors and deans, the mullahs of materialism, have told them.

Nevertheless, some 1,000 scientists have signed a statement called Scientific Dissent from Darwin list: You can see the list at dissentfromdarwin.org. Given the academic scimitars they face, those scientists are as brave as dissenters from Islam in most Muslim countries. They need our support.

One other important thing to realize: New scientific research is undermining Darwinism. It’s not Darwin’s fault: He thought cells were made up of a simple jelly. We now know cells are filled with sophisticated molecular machinery. You can read about that in a book by scientist Michael Behe that came out three days ago, on Feb. 26. The title is Darwin Devolves: The New Science About DNA That Challenges Evolution. It’s published by HarperOne.

Here’s what I hope you’ll take away. Don’t be taken in by those who say the battle is science vs. ancient religion. The real fight now is 21st century science that shows Intelligent Design at work vs. the 19th century religion of Darwinism.  

For WORLD Radio, I’m Marvin Olasky.

(Photo/Smithsonian)

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