CREATIONISTS

Yesterday I pointed out that the Bible itself desribes evolution of life on Earth, along with other modern scientific concepts such as the Big Bang and the formation of the solar system.

So why isn't the religious community rejoicing, and embracing science for confirmation of its own Holy Bible?

Well, it has to do with the difference between religion, and religion gone bad.

Religion can be and usually is a good thing. It provides answers to questions that cannot be answered in any normal way, and helps people cope with their lives. The most awesome question that all religions seek to answer is What happens after death? This question is urgent enough in considering our own fate, but is especially distressing in considering the fate of our loved ones who pass away. The answers provided by various religions differ in the details, but provide comfort and hope to those bereaved.

These answers often contain a common theme: Those who live a good life will be rewarded in the afterlife. This not only offers comfort to those who have witnessed the death of a loved one, but offers hope that they too can enter a paradise by being righteous in their own lives. If religion did no more than this - comfort us in the face of death and encourage us to lead good lives - it would be what religion should be, wholly good and beneficial.

Sadly, religions are human institutions, not divine, and every religion can be perverted into evil. The dividing line is simple: Actions taken by individuals to seek their personal spiritual fulfillment are positive; actions taken to coerce the actions or beliefs of others are perverse.

It would be one thing for Creationists to approach the Bible with reverence and humility. Then they - as fallible humans - might acknowledge the difficulty in comprehending the mind of the Almighty and they - as fallible humans - would treat other opinions with interest and respect.

But here we are talking about religion gone bad.

Creationists do not respect the Bible, because they treat it as a done deal, something they've got down cold, something they don't need to seek to understand. They use the Bible to intimidate any others who question their beliefs; they are pretenders to the authority of God himself. They worship themselves, not God or anything decent. They are filled with arrogance and pride, Satan's own sins.

Is it possible for a person to believe in Creationism as historically understood from the Bible, that is, a miraculaous act performed by a divine being, and not be perverse and evil? Yes, so long as that person has the humility to admit their own humanity and the possibility that they could be mistaken. If they are willing to listen to others and respect the beliefs of others, there is no harm in believing in Creationism.

But what of the person who admits no doubt, no possibility of error, who insists that all accept his one, true teaching? He has perverted religion the decent and hopeful human impulses that create our religions and turned religion into something evil. He is an abomination.