Is Man an Animal?
From childhood I was taught that humans were descended from
a branch of primates, and that primates were themselves descendants of other
forms of life. The process of evolution, I was told, was caused by various
factors - a slowly changing environment, mutations, and the struggle to survive
which led to advantageous adaptations.
The giraffe was often used as an illustration of
evolution by adaptation. This creature, it was said, attained its long neck
because, over millions of years, successive generations of giraffe reached for
ever-higher branches. The longer the neck, the more viable the creature was to
survive. It was not until I read up on genetics that I saw through the fallacy
of this idea.
The truth is, genes, DNA and alleles carry only a limited
number of possible variations. A giraffe may have only one maximum length for
its neck, and never any more than that. No amount of ‘natural selection’ will
ever alter the genetic blueprint, so acquired characteristics are absolutely
unable to produce a new type of giraffe, let alone a new creature. The amount
of time here is irrelevant. Billions of years would never make the slightest
difference to the genes.
Another example of this unchangeable rule is : the pigeon.
Over the years many hundreds of different types of pigeon have been
artificially bred, and a huge variety of shapes has been produced, but no new
type or species of bird has ever appeared. The gene pool allows for great
variety but never any more than that.
With dogs it is exactly the same. There are hundreds
of breeds, with a wide variety of sizes, colours, coats and temperaments, but
no new species of dog has ever been produced. All dogs are inter-fertile. The
same can be said for horses, and cats, budgies, cows, and other animals which
man selectively breeds.
Cross-breeding of the same species utilizes the available
gene pool, but it never adds anything to the genes - that would be the
only way a new species could ever appear.
Another piece of evolutionary interpretation I received from
my school Science teacher was the idea that the finches on the Galapagos
Islands, (called
But when
It used to be theorized, before genetics became a science,
that changes could occur through mutilation. This has since been proved
utterly without foundation. For example, if a dog’s tail is clipped, it does
not have puppies with short tails. Neither does foot-binding produce babies
with small feet. Circumcision has been practiced by Jews for centuries, but no
change has occurred to male Jews. Mutilation affects only the living organism,
never the DNA. Obviously mutilation of the parent makes no difference to the
offspring.
Another proposed way for animals to evolve is by mutation,
but mutations have been found to be either disadvantageous to the
organism, or deadly. For example, fruit flies have been bombarded with
radiation over successive generations, in the hope that some ‘lucky mutation’
may occur, producing a fruit fly with some advantageous mutation. No such event
has ocurred. All the fruit flies, (which represents hundreds of generations)
have come out deformed and less viable than their parent to survive in the
wild.
But let us suppose, just for the sake of the discussion,
that Man is in fact nothing more or less than an animal. This would put the human
species on absolutely the same footing, biologically as all other animals. This
would level Mankind as low as the virus, the bacteria, and all other
microorganisms. There would be no intrinsic difference between Man and flies,
or Man and elephants. All of Man’s value-systems, his politics, his art, music,
science, philosophy, and even his so-called spirituality, would be no more
‘valuable’ - as indicators of difference, that the bellowing of a bull or the
hissing of a snake. Man would lose all value, to himself and to the universe,
because if Man was an animal the universe would, logically, have to be
absolutely empty of purpose.
This point of view, which springs logically out of the
theory of Evolution, can be rather devastating. It destroys the foundation for
optimism, hope, and meaning in life. It reduces positivism to a totally
subjective decision on the part of those who choose it. It drains meaning from
words such as "love" and "beautiful".
But there are few humans who let the theory of evolution
sink right down to their bellies. The nearer it comes to full acceptance, the
more uncomfortable people feel, so, I suspect, most people keep the theory near
the top of their head - as a theory without a conclusion. The theory itself is
much like a car which one buys from a ‘sharp’ car sales man. You sit in the
plush seat and steer as the man pushes the car out the gate. He assures you
that the car is the best model, and as you roll down the hill you feel
excitement at the suspension, the paint job, the quietness of the engine. At
the bottom of the hill the car rolls to a dead stop, so you lift the bonnet to
check the engine and find that it has none. Evolution is much the same.
What is an animal?
The definition of "animal" is quite
complicated.
Animals are multicellular organisms. They obtain their
energy from organic substances produced by other organisms. Their genetic
material is contained within thin-walled cells with a distinct nucleus. Most
animals are capable of moving around. As far as the definition goes, Man is
therefore an animal, but the definition is limited, because it is based
solely on biology. There is a lot more to Man than a simple biological
definition.
For example, we could define "car" this way
: "small, driver-guided, passenger-carrying motor-vehicle" (
1. The hideaway they played in as kids
2. The gleaming, restored gift their parents gave to them in
their teens
3. The flower-decked wedding vehicle
4. The holiday transport which took them to numerous beaches
and parks
In short, the car would be a reminder of many happy and/or
unhappy memories. Objectively and technically the car would still fit the
simple definition, but that would be the barest minimum one could say about it.
And what would "car" mean to a scientist, an oil-refinery manager, a
handicapped person, a road accident victim, or a chemist?
It is the same with
Is Man an animal? By one simple biology-based definition, he is, but
by another definition he is something far more. Before we look at this other
view of man, we ought to clarify the situation.
There are, as far as I know, only two possible ways of
examining Man :
1. From the point of view of evolution.
2. From the point of view of the Bible.
It is therefore a battle between Darwin and God.
Day One : Formless beginning, light appears, empty, rotating
earth.
Evolution : Universe explodes
Day Two : Atmosphere and seas
Evolution : Billions of years, universe expands, cools,
forms galaxies etc.
Day Three : Dry land appears defining seas, All kinds of
plants start growing on land
Evolution : Primordial warm water, first living cells form
by accident
Day Four : Sun, moon and stars created
Evolution : Sea creatures crawl on to land
Day Five : Water and sea creatures, and birds created
Evolution : Amphibians and land creatures grow wings
Day Six : All land animals and first humans created -
glorious and perfect No death or decay. All animals eating only plants.
Evolution : Millions of years of killing, dying, mutations
and natural selection, finally apes evolve, then primitive humans.
The two views are as different as black is from white. In
the Creation account, God begins His universe fully powered up and complete.
Man is created as a glorious and intellectually and physically and spiritually
perfect creature. There is no death or decay of animal life, no ‘wildness’ or
violence between Man and animals.
In the evolution account billions of years are required, the
‘Big Bang’ is given as the origin of matter and energy, and random processes
are assumed for the origin of all complexity. Millions of years of dying,
savagery and brutality are required, plus mutations and the battle for
survival. Man is dragged up from the ape family tree and 'ennobled' with
gradually developing skills.
Because the two accounts are so different, it is impossible
to mix them together without doing violence to Scripture. Many theologians have
tried to combine the two views, but never with any great success. Usually, in
such attempts, the Bible has to be reinterpreted and altered to fit the theory
rather than the other way round.
But there is some reliable Science which supports the
Genesis account very firmly -
There is a very strong argument against evolution
based on the 2nd Law of thermodynamics. This law describes basic principles familiar to us in
everyday life. Put simply, the law states that any complex system, left to
itself, will eventually break down into less complex systems. For example,
fresh fruit goes rotten, animals age and die, cars rust, perish and fall apart.
On a larger scale, the sun is burning up its fuel, comets disintegrate, and
earth’s magnetic field is decaying.
Through time, the whole universe’s order and the amount of
useable energy is decreasing. Ultimately all the useable energy in the universe
will be gone - our universe is running down. Yet evolutionists require the
very opposite to happen for their theory to work. Evolutionists require a
continuing trend towards increasing complexity, and order, so that, over
time, things become more ordered and more complex. Despite all
the present evidence to the contrary, and the well established scientific law
of thermodynamics, evolutionists maintain that in the past everything
went the opposite way. As there is no way of disproving this, it is all a
matter of faith on their part.
The same principle applies to complexity.
Evolutionists would have us believe that such things as galaxies, planetary
systems, photosynthesis, the migration of monarch butterflies, metamorphosis
and the DNA code (to name but a few) are all the result of random processes
which are the result of increasing complexity. Out of these few examples, we
will look briefly at DNA :
The DNA code in each of our cells is enormously complex. No
chemical interaction of molecules has ever come close to producing this
ultra-complex code which is so essential to all known life. Only DNA can
produce DNA.
DNA is an absolutely incredible thing. It is something like
a huge computer program stored on tiny strands less than one trillionth of an
inch thick. What are the chances of something this complex appearing through
chance? Nil.
And obviously, if there was no original DNA, fully
functional and complete, then there could never be a copy made of it.
Logically, this means that unless DNA was ‘on the scene’ fully functional and
complete at the very first instance, no life could exist today. So we
are forced into one of two camps : either DNA, (that is living organisms with
cells containing the complete DNA sequence), appeared fully complete by
accident, or they were created. There is no other known way by which something
so complex could have come together. (The chance of DNA appearing by accident
has been likened to an explosion in a machinery factory producing a jumbo jet,
or an explosion in a printing works producing the complete works of
Shakespeare.)
But evolutionists cling to the idea that, given enough
time, and given enough opportunities, DNA will accidentally assemble
itself. The main way this event can occur, they say, is by a thing called
natural selection (formerly ‘survival of the fittest’). From the very first
living cells, they say, right through to today’s highly complex creatures,
natural selection is still helping to weed out the stronger from the weaker.
There is no disputing the fact that this happens. Out of a litter of six, two
die because they are small and weak. Out of a a hundred eggs, ten are eaten
because their shells were thinner than the others. It is an efficient way of
ensuring that only the best survive, and disadvantageous characteristics are
not passed on.
But does natural selection drive evolution? Absolutely not.
It is not capable of creating anything. It cannot produce new information or
add anything to the genetic make-up of the organism. All it does is conserve a
species and help to prevent deterioration.
The fossil record.
One of the main ‘planks’ on which those who claim that Man
is an animal stand, is the fossil record. There, they say, is the evidence that
life began simple and gradually evolved upward into more and more complex
levels. There, they say is the proof that Man is an animal. The fossils tell
the story of evolution.
But what does the fossil record really show?
Fact : Out of all the millions of fossils now discovered, not
a single transitional form has ever been found. Surely, with all the
fossils now available, we would expect to find just one series, showing how
fish grew legs, or how mammals grew wings. Surely, out of all the tons of bones
available we would find something to show how tyrannosaurus rex and other huge
creatures evolved from tiny animals?
But no such series exists. In the fossil record all the basic
kinds of animals and plants appear abruptly without ancestors. The
fossil record represents mass extinction of life on a vast scale, and
none of that is in a transitional stage.
What the fossil record shows is millions of animals and
plants buried suddenly in and by sedimentary deposits. Fossils represent a vast
cemetery, which stretches around the world. 80% of the world’s land
comprises sedimentary rock, in which fossils are found. This indicates that at
some time in the past the world was covered by fast moving water, which drowned
and buried animals, plants and fish on a global scale. It is under sedimentary
rock that we find coal - the remains of buried forests, and oil - the remains
of organic material. collections.
The fossil record actually confirms the Bible story of
Noah’s
Why does evolution have to be brought into this?
It is impossible to address the question which this essay is
about without examining the theory of evolution, because the evolutionist is
forced, by his theory, to say that Man is an animal. Outside of evolution there
is no other explanation, other than Creation, and to most evolutionists the
idea that life came from a Creator is untenable. Man, says the evolutionist, is
"just" an animal. That is all Man is - nothing more or less.
But IF Man is just an animal - no more nor less, then
:
1. Man cannot have a ‘spiritual’ aspect, because
‘spiritual’ implies more than the organic. Man may, he says, believe in
‘spiritual’ things, and even experience ‘spiritual’ feelings, but these are
nothing but illusions.
2. Man is a machine. Man is nothing but a chemical
skeleton, clothed in flesh which is itself a collection of chemicals. Man and
all life are constructed out of atoms and molecules, which have no self-awareness
in themselves. All of life is therefore a mechanical process, ultimately
predictable and absolutely meaningless.
3. Man has no grounds for believing in Creation, a Creator,
a purpose for life, or life after death. Man is not accountable to any Supreme
being, because Man and the whole universe are the result of random unguided
processes.
The strange things is, while evolutionists must ultimately
hold these logical views - since they all flow logically and inevitably from
the first premise, that life originated without the help of ‘God’ - very few
evolutionists live consistently with their conclusions. They deny Creation but
by their love of people, music and nature, they contradict what they profess,
and betray their ‘createdness’ and actually bear witness to the Biblical point
of view.
This is where we must examine the Bible point of view :
The writings of
But since
But on the other hand, there is the Christian answer.
Man, the Christian must say, is not an animal. But this answer leads to the
question : What about the similarities between Man and animals? Surely
the many similarities between humans and animals ‘proves’ common origins? This
argument works just as well for the Creationist as for the evolutionist. The Creationist
says that the fact that there are similarities between humans and the entire
animal kingdom is logical because all living things have a Common Designer.
Another reason why these similarities exist could be because
God intended Man to relate well to the animals, to be sensitive to them,
and to care for them. God also intended humans to enjoy His
creation.
An illustration. Suppose someone were to suggest that the motorbike
and the airplane were almost identical in every way? You would agree with them
to the extent that both machines have seats, wheels, motors, lights, and a
large number of other features, but you would disagree violently over the fact
that one machine is designed to roll along the ground, and the other is built
to fly! Both machines use similar materials, and both are made essentially from
the same materials, but they each serve very different purposes.
The application. Man and animals share many similarities. Both have
blood, skin, organs, bones, some sort of skin-covering, senses (sight, hearing,
taste, smell, touch), both are mobile, both are made of cells, both breath,
both move about, both have brains and a nervous system. Like motorbikes and
airplanes, humans and animals seem to be made from the same things, but there
is a huge difference once these similarities have been covered. Humans use
written and spoken words to communicate, humans pray, humans are creative, and
so on. While there are people who claim that animals do some of these things in
comparatively limited ways, no animal has ever come close to the levels at
which humans do some things. This should indicate that humans are, in some ways
at least, not animals, or at the very least extremely advanced animals.
Another way of dealing with the question is to ask : Where
did Man come from? The evolutionist would say "From random processes,
over billions of years." The Creationist would say "From the
Creator". The first answer is supported by conjectural science and no
direct evidence. The second answer is supported by the Bible and all its
statements can be tested - in the sense that what the Bible says is consistent
with what we see.
The Biblical view of Man begins with Genesis 1:26, 27.
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
In this statement we have many things to consider. First we
see that God is declaring His intention to create a living organism, which will
be, in some way, like Himself. ( The word "God" = Elohim = the plural
form of El. Here, in this plural form, we have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
working together). God says this new creature will be "in our image, after
our likeness" - or similar to Him.
"Let them have dominion" means that God intended
"man", i.e. male and female humans, to rule over, or supervise the
animal kingdom.
So in just this one verse, we see that humans were created
as superior to the whole animal kingdom. No other creatures were made in God’s
image, or likeness. No animal was given dominion over
Before Adam and Eve sinned, this original plan of God worked
perfectly. In order to emphasize Man’s role as lord of Creation, God brought
the animals to Adam for him to name : "And Adam gave names to all
cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field;"
Genesis 2:20.
(This verse also indicates that Adam had a massive
intellect. Adam was also creative, cognitive, and he had broad imaginative
abilities, a huge memory, and the ability to communicate using precise
language).
Initially, Man worked in harmony with God, and Nature was at
peace. Before sin entered the world, no animals were carnivorous, and the
climate of the earth was mild. No rain (hail, snow or sleet) fell, and the
weather was not erratic or violent. Genesis 1:29, 30,31, 2:5.
Some of the abilities which Man shared with God :.
1. Man could communicate clearly using verbal language,
2. Man could think for himself,
3. Man had a moral consciousness,
4. Man had a sense of Time,
5. Man was creative, inventive, imaginative.
6. Man was self-aware,
7. Man had responsibilities,
8. Man had free will morally.
God soon gave Adam and Eve an opportunity to exercise their
freewill. He pointed out a fruit tree in the garden (or orchard) of
But the implications were far wider than that. Because Adam
and Eve were rulers over Creation, they and all their dominion came
under the judgment. The whole Creation was degraded, or "cursed" or
brought down from its perfection. The scientific expression is summed up in the
2nd law of Thermodynamics - the earth and the universe are presently ‘winding
down’, wearing out, perishing, falling apart - "moving towards an
increased state of randomness".
Instead of the perfection which God began the world with,
imperfections began to appear. The weather changed, animals became carnivorous,
harmless plants degenerated to produce thorns and poisonous fruits and berries,
fruit trees degenerated, producing small and unpalatable fruit, aging set in to
all life, sickness and death worked in all living things.
Scripture picks up this theme repeatedly, showing that death
came after sin, and not before. (Evolutionists believe that death
was a normal part of this world for millions of years. The choice is clear -
either death came into the world before or after Adam).
"For since by man came death . . ."1 Corinthians
15:21
"For as in Adam all die . . ." 1 Corinthians 15:22
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned:" Romans 5:12
"For if by one man's offense death reigned . . ."
Romans 5:17;
"For the wages of sin is death . . ." Romans 6:23
"The sting of death is sin . . ." 1 Corinthians
15:56
One of the great hopes which the Bible holds out to humans
is that one day the present state of affairs will pass. Aging, violence,
sickness, droughts, famines, tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards, tidal waves,
ultraviolet radiation, pollution, mutations, genetic deformities, and all the
horrors of this present world, (those things which are not caused directly by
Man) will one day pass. The world we are living in today is temporary. The 2nd
Law of Thermodynamics has been operating for only a few thousand years. One day
it will no longer operate. Death, aging and sickness will be no more, as
demonstrated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As C.S.Lewis put it, in
regard to the resurrection "Death worked backwards". The 2nd law of
Thermodynamics will be replaced by another Law, which will maintain all life at
its optimum.
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us. (Christians)
For the earnest expectation (a sort of yearning) of the
creature ( All Creation) waits for the manifestation (showing forth or
revealing) of the sons of God. (When Christians finally perfected by God,
Creation will also share in this transformation)
For the creature (All Creation) was made subject (cursed, or
degraded) to vanity (futility), not willingly, but by reason of him who has
subjected the same in hope, (God)
Because the creature (All Creation) itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption (The 2nd Law of thermodynamics)
into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and travails
in pain together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Romans
8:18-23
All the above points about fallen Creation are relevant to
this discussion because it is consistent with the evidence that Mankind is not
perfect, and all the marks of a fallen or degraded Creation are present with us
today.
The present evidence in today’s world matches perfectly with
the testimony of the Bible. All Mankind is sinful, and inherently rebellious
against God. All Mankind has inherited the rebellious nature of Adam and Eve,
Mankind’s original parents. The history of Man is a history of rebellion and
sin - or what we usually call immorality. Children have to be taught how to be
"good" - never how to be "bad" because all humans have
inherited Adam’s rebellious nature. Humans have also always had a sense of
right and wrong, and through all of history and in every culture, all morals
have been similar to the Ten Commandments. Moral consciousness is another
evidence of God’s creative influence.
In the Bible, Man is often viewed with wonder. For example,
Job asks God : "What is man, that you should magnify (or make so much of)
him? And that you should set your heart upon him?" (Job 7:17) and King
David asks : "What is man that you are mindful of him? And the son of man,
that you visit him?" (Psalm 8:4) and "Lord, what is man, that you
take knowledge of him! Or the son of man, that you take account of him!"
(Psalm 144:3)
The problem of Jesus.
In Hebrews 2:6-9, the writer suddenly brings Jesus Christ
into the picture : "You made him a little lower than the angels; you
crowned him with glory and honour, and did set him over the works of your hands:
You have put all things in subjection under his feet . . .
But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every
man".
From the above scripture, we understand that while all
Creation remains under the degrading principle, one Man, Jesus, has overcome
this process of decay and disintegration and gone to heaven, where he waits for
the moment when he can return and transform all the rest or Creation.
The strongest argument against evolution is the Man
Jesus. If Man is an
animal, there is no explaining Jesus. If Man is the product of evolution, where
on earth does Jesus fit in? There is no place for him in the theory, because in
every thing Jesus did and said, he contradicted every main teaching of
evolution.
Philip Schaff in ‘The person of Christ’ (Page 73) wrote :
"Such was Jesus of Nazareth, a true man in body, soul and spirit, yet
differing from all men; a character unique and original from tender childhood
to ripe manhood, moving in unbroken union with God, overflowing with love to
man, free from every sin and error, innocent and holy, devoted to the nobles
ends, teaching and practicing all virtues in perfect harmony, sealing the
purest life with the most sublime death, and ever acknowledged such as the one
and only perfect model of goodness and holiness."
According to eyewitness accounts recorded in the New
Testament, Jesus worked miracles everywhere he went. He also fulfilled over 600
prophecies and predicted his own death and resurrection. Three days after he
was crucified he came back to life, and again was seen by hundreds of
eyewitnesses. Fifty days after his resurrection he rose into the sky, with the
promise that he would return.
The gospel is the story of God’s love to fallen
It is most logical therefore that Satan, the enemy of God,
would want to destroy Man’s opportunity to be saved from sin. One of the ways
in which Satan has succeeded in blinding people to God’s love is by concocting
the theory of evolution, and through that theory he has spent much time
inferring that humans are but the descendants of animals.
Is Man an animal?
No, according to the Bible, he is not. Yes, according to
Darwin, he is, in fact Darwin’s Theory leads us to believe that Man and all
animals are nothing more than collections of molecules and atoms clustered
together by chance in a purposeless universe. Either the Bible is correct when
it says that God created Man in His own image, or
There seems to be only one more thing to add. If God’s Word
is correct, then all evolutionists are in for a terrible experience, when they
have to explain why they rejected the Bible and the words of Jesus, and why they
denied the evidence all around them.
Romans 1:18-20 "For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth
(i.e. hold the truth down, or suppress it) in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in
them; for God hath showed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that
are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse:"
What these words mean is that Creation displays the
handiwork of God. The Animal, Vegetable and Mineral Kingdoms, by their order,
structure, design and so on, show clearly the Designer’s work, and therefore
testify that life and the whole universe are not the product of blind chance.
God has provided ample evidence that He exists, and that the universe is not
empty.
As Paul said : "For it is written, "As I live,
says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue confess to
God" So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God".
(Romans 14:11-12)