A. Overall Lesson Objective

B. Learning Competencies

C. Lesson

The school subjects and textbooks wherein a naturalistic or evolutionary view is most prevalent are biology (usually at the high school level) and integrated or earth science (usually for students a few years younger). One might ask, ‘Why not just remain neutral about the origins of earth and life?’ Man was made curious; he wants answers. When he wants answers outside of God, he is still determined to make sense of the world—one way or the other. Most textbooks, therefore, are not neutral; children are taught from elementary grades that the earth and life developed by themselves. The effects of this might not be immediately obvious. By the time the student reaches a responsible age, the years of ‘fact’ in textbooks have much more weight than a Bible. Religious life has already been perceived as separate (although this is not correct), so the Bible and its creation concepts are marginalized. You might say, ‘That is too extreme! It can’t be this way!’ As we suggested in the last lesson, examine common textbooks. While the subject of a naturalistic or evolutionary view of the universe takes up only a small part of textbooks, it is critical, and most children take it as factual. Further, the naturalistic assumptions that flow from it typically permeate much of the thinking in the rest of the book, though this is often not obvious. Man (authoring books) must have an answer, so his best answer (after eliminating God) is naturalism and evolution. While not fact, nearly every aspect of the way this view is presented is intended to indicate ‘fact’. This is especially prevalent in biology and integrated or earth science because both deal with the origin of life, earth, and the universe.

The next section deals with the basic treatment found in most secular texts. The last section compares it with the biblical creation view. The latter is rarely, if ever, mentioned in textbooks, and it is almost never portrayed as realistic, modern, or pertinent to life in comparison to the naturalistic or evolutionary view.

Nearly every textbook begins with the scientific method. The pure method for operational or testable science is consistently accurate and good. The explanations and comparisons, however, are often poor. Why? Because they fail to properly distinguish theories from conjectures. They also usually fail to note the overriding effects of a world view on the method’s application to the ‘science’ of origins. Why the quotes around ‘science’? Because origins are not observable or repeatable; no one was there. Historical ‘science’ is not testable in the same manner as empirical or operational science.

The child, as a result, learns with a set of unwritten assumptions that accompany the naturalistic world view but no other. They are presented as fact: life came from simple life; simple life came from non-life; non-life came from an unspecific source (usually the Big Bang). This is NOT science; it is a world view that is assumed and drives science in specific directions, and, by definition, denies any other world view.

By its very nature, naturalism (which requires some form of evolution, i.e. things making themselves, in essence) is ultimately non-verifiable. However, from the way it is presented in textbooks, one gets the impression that it is a testable theory in the same way as gravity, for instance. Whole chapters on evidence to support a naturalistic origin of life are often included, but the same evidence can be interpreted, often more directly and easily, as evidence for creation. The world view’s fundamental assumptions, in any case, automatically dismiss God as the Cause and Creator of the universe or life. Regardless, the naturalistic view is portrayed as entirely factual. The younger the child, the more authority the text has.

Many texts give examples of the preeminence of science because the scientific method eliminates superstition and guessing. When religion is mentioned, which is rare, it is portrayed as non-scientific or ‘old’ thinking. The student, therefore, concludes that religion has no place in the subject of origins in the modern world. Many chapters are actually titled to emphasize the point, where religion is considered ‘old thinking’ and the scientific method is considered ‘new thinking.’ (They ignore the fact, mentioned earlier, that modern science owes its very birth to the Bible and Christianity.)

In short, the world view of naturalism and evolution is the only realistic and permitted truth. It is first encountered in integrated or earth sciences and biology. It continues to be presented in other subjects and at other levels through the university level, where most teachers are trained, who then teach younger generations. It is not hard to see that several generations of the same approach automatically remove the authority of the Bible, lessen the influence of church teaching, and disconnect God from the world around us. The net effect can have serious consequences, not just on society but also on the scientific endeavor itself. This will be discussed further.

Introductory science courses (like earth science or integrated science and biology) spend several chapters on origin of life, history of life, and origin of the universe. While origins are non-testable in a classic sense and the subject is really a world view approach to life (in contrast to operational science), it is presented as fact. In truth, it is conjecture or a guess because it does not meet the standard definition of a theory. A theory is often stated as a hypothesis that can be rigorously tested. Can the origin of life be tested? Can the origin of the universe be tested? Textbooks ignore these distinctions, because they just assume the naturalistic and evolutionary view as fact. So, book sections on the origin of life usually begin with naturalistic conjectures as if they were testable scientific theories.

The origin of life presentation is usually rather simple: life started as non-life in the early stages of earth’s development. As a result of eons of time and chance, some sort of special non-living substance accidentally appears. Something else happens (not ever defined) so that this non-life becomes life, which is a reproducing entity that can harness energy and raw materials from its environment. This is treated as the fundamental starting point for most textbooks but without any detail (because there isn’t any).

The times that are presented have generally been the same for many years now in industrialized nations: some 15-18 billion years since the spontaneous generation of the universe (some version of the Big Bang) and about 4.5 billion years since the earth became an actual sphere of something solid. It is portrayed as fact. Origin of the universe, in terms of the scientific method, is not a theory since it is not observable or testable. It is conjecture. No matter how strongly a world view like this might be held, it does not meet the formal definition of a theory.

Please understand this from a child’s perspective. Most children hear this as fact at a young age, and it is in authoritative textbooks being taught by well-meaning teachers. Students and parents see school as a general knowledge base that is true. The children are in school nearly 40 hours a week; they consider the whole of school as teaching truth. Can anything else be possible from the child’s point of view? Several decades (at least two generations) have elapsed since naturalism has been taught with the exclusion of any biblical creation reference. So how can most people tell what is true if it is not naturalism?

Because we have an innate desire to know who we are and where we come from, it is rare that basic biology/integrated science books will not treat the subject. It becomes the answer to the growing child’s question: where did we come from? Evolution is the only answer seriously given to the question. Evolution is divided as follows:

🦕 CT? Does life just happen? The implication of abiogenesis is that it does, as long as the time period is long enough. Does an extended time help or not? Discuss.

🦕 CT? Do similar features and similar functions mean something comes from the same ancestor or the same designer? Discuss.

The first five paragraphs below are parallel to those in the previous section. They comprise a brief summary of the major points of biblical creation with respect to Biology:

🦕 CT? Who wrote the code and when was it written? Review the assignment for this class and discuss the results about the types of code that have been written and how elaborate the codes are. With this in view, who wrote it and when were certain parts of the code written? Support the answers with biblical references.

In conclusion, the biblical world view provides an entirely different view of earth sciences compared to naturalism. Unit 1 chapters cover the creation of earth (dry land), which was utterly rearranged by the Genesis Flood. The Genesis Flood affects nearly everything we see since the current continents and seas are the result of this period. Furthermore, the vegetation we see—how much and where it appears—is a product of the Flood period. The massive extinction of some living things (notably, the large dinosaurs) occurred because of harsh conditions after the period, their being hunted by the rapidly growing population, and climate change. Sea level changes affected the migrations of generations after Noah and the dispersion after the Tower of Babel incident. As the sea levels rose after the Ice Age, people groups were separated as the land bridges disappeared. In short, the upheaval was centuries long and yielded the topography, divisions of people, divisions of living things and vegetation that we see today.

The believer today, after taking these into account, can be passionate about biological and earth sciences because they reveal much about God’s creative ability and His attention to the affairs of men. While He promises a flood that covers the earth will not occur again, He has left widespread evidence of its effects so that we do not forget what occurred. The ‘recovered’ earth also displays His mercy, because the earth continues to be watered, produce fruit, and give mankind opportunity to reach out to Him. This view is rarely mentioned or acceptable in secular education. However, the Word and the evidence around us attests to its validity.

D. Assignment

The periodic table, which is an excellent picture of the elements known to man, shows an incredible model. Look for a version of the table and consider this question: Is it possible that the ordered substance of the universe could happen by chance, or did it happen by design? Defend your position with a source. Explain your defense in one paragraph.

E. Learning Activity

Divide into two teams. Quickly review Psalm 104. It is deliberately poetic, but it still lists the manifold works of God (the phrase from verse 24). List those works in columns as they pertain to geography, water and water sources, vegetation, birds and animals, and sea life. Then, use 28-30 to explain in one short paragraph—nor more than 150 words—how all of this relates to God. Compare the results between the teams.

F. Concluding Assessment

Earth is a specially created home for life, designed to be inhabited. Both the earth’s features and life point to the Creator. Thus, the study of biology and earth sciences can be impassioned by contemplating the wonder of the biosphere and the planet on which it was created.