DNA, image by Furiosa-L, on Pixabay
Human Evolution: A Fairy Tale?
Sometimes smart people find vague connections between unrelated things,
like how one could say there is a relationship between a chair and a dog
because both have four legs. When evolutionists tell us that humans evolved
from half-ape, half-human, it is not a flattering statement. Many scientists
postulate chimpanzees are our closest relatives. They claim we share a
common ancestor because chimpanzees share about 98% of our DNA.
Fortunately, some scientists are not amused by this fairy tale.
When comparing the entire human and chimpanzee genomes, geneticist
Dr. Georgia Purdom stresses school textbooks do not tell the whole story,
but put more emphasis on distorted facts. Here are some interesting and
salient differences between the human and chimp genomes that are often
not reported. For example, the amount of chimp DNA is 12% more than
what is in humans. The 2–4% difference in the genomes actually involves
millions and millions of bases (individual components of DNA).
When Donald Johanson and Tom Gray found a collection of bones in Ethiopia,
they believed the bones belonged to a half-ape/half-human which represented
our ancestors. They named the collection Lucy after the Beatles song “Lucy
in the Sky with Diamonds.” A collection of bones became a historical figure.
Lucy was given significance comparable to that given to Aristotle, Genghis Khan,
or Caesar. Paleo-artists filled the gaps with precise and intricate features like
cheekbones, eyes, hair, etc. of a half-woman/half-beast who/which seemed to have
a kinship with primates, especially humans. An observer may not realize he is
looking merely at skeletal fragments, not a sculpture of our genealogical grandma.
Lucy was supposed to have lived 3 million years ago. Not every scientist believes
that radiocarbon/radiometric dating is accurate in determining timelines. The
adversaries of carbon dating claim that soft tissues, blood tissues, and DNA that
were found in dinosaur bones could not have survived millions of years. Studies
have shown collagen cannot last longer than 900 thousand years, without fully
degrading, even under the best conditions (Clarey, 2015, p. 48).
DNA can survive about a few thousand years and at refrigerated temperature
would fall apart after 350 thousand years. That is a very long way from the time
the last dinosaur is claimed to have died: 65 million years ago (Cohen, 2002). Biotechnology and paleobiochemistry expert Brian Thomas echoes the same
sentiments. He asserts that collagen could exist in fossil bone for only thousands
of years, not millions of years (Creation, 2020).
How long DNA can survive is not unanimous within the scientific fraternity,
and the disparity of the timelines among scientists is wide. So, if you believe
dinosaurs roamed the Earth 65 million years ago and humans evolved from
half-ape, half-human (macroevolution), then these beliefs are articles of faith.
It is the same term used by evolutionists and atheists to attempt to disprove
religion and God.
A team of scientists claims Lucy lived both on trees and ground. They could
tell precisely that Lucy fell from a tree and fractured her skull, as though there
was only one way to fracture one’s skull. Another scientist discovered one of
Lucy’s bones belonged to a baboon. The intellects just ignore that bone and
stretch their minds to create something to fill in the blanks—a treatise on evolution
where a half-human/half-ape creature evolved into a human. Some scientists seem
so obsessed with the theory of evolution that they would create a narrative of life
minus intelligent design. They are plagued by an obsession to issue statements
in support of the theory of evolution, though the evidence is highly questionable.
Hence, a picture with a collection of 40% of the bones assumed to come from
half-person/half-beast was created.
This is no different from the discovery of the Java Man by Dubois which intellects
claim as “indisputable proof of human evolution-from half-human/half-ape to humans.”
“The bones did not show whether their owner (or owners) had much body hair or not.
Yet drawings of "Java man" all showed the required amount of hair, the usual club
in the hand, and so on. Although no face bones had been found, suitably "half-ape,
half-man" features were reconstructed in artists’ drawings” (Creation, 1991).
A few years ago, researchers from France, Italy, and the U.S. debunked a study
conducted in 2002 by Brunet and his team that claimed fossilized remains of Sahelanthropus tchadensis were evidence of the human lineage. Brunet’s work
was not peer-reviewed and he refused to allow access to the fossilized remains.
Current researchers claim to “have found evidence Sahelanthropus tchadensis
did not walk upright and thus was not a hominin, but was instead an ape ancestor”
(Yirka, 2020).
In tracing human civilizations, evolutionists are of the notion that humans evolved
from barbarians to civilized people over the years. We do not have human records
during the prehistoric period to show such evolvement. So far, there is no scientific evidence of a transition period where beasts transformed into humans. So, the predecessors of the earliest human civilization ought not be considered brutes.
When historians write about ancient civilizations, they don’t portray ancient people
as bestial. Ancient civilizations in Rome, Greece, India, Egypt, and other parts
of the world exemplify this point. If I want to learn about human civilization, I would
trust the ancient holy books, prophets, priests, and temples more than evolutionary scientists.
The ancient agrarian society in India can be considered one of the oldest forms of democracy. It was under shady trees that people voted for their leaders. It was here
they formed decentralized courts known as Panchayat Raj to settle disputes, not
through violence but in the most civilized manner. You may be only fascinated by
their religion, but even the most blasphemous person will not disprove the knowledge imparted by their ancient holy books as a guide to civil society.
The knowledge and the spiritual journey of human civilization were depicted in every
brick before their temples were built from them, reflecting a highly intellectual and assiduous civilization that was not ignorant of scientific systems. It is a story of human civilization, not a story of beasts. They built monumental architecture almost with their
bare hands, which would be herculean today, even with modern technology.
There are similar ancient monuments throughout the world associated with spirituality
and religion, indicating an innate human attitude to show reverence to an invisible
supreme authority. These things are alien in the scientific sense because they fall
outside the parameters of scientific inquiry. There are several historical records and unearthed artifacts that correspond with Biblical records, casting doubts on the view
that the Bible is a book of made-up stories. Science “disproved” certain Biblical facts
in the past to which science subsequently agreed.
For example, the Bible states “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth” (Isaiah
42:20, NKJV), indicating the world is round. Earlier thinkers thought that the earth
was flat. The Bible was also ahead of science in stating that the earth suspends
in space without any visible support, “He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7 NKJV).
Isn’t it ironic that evolutionists are given license to explore beyond 3 million years
and gather so much information, not through scientific evidence, but through
guesswork and assumptions? It is something dreamy poets and fantasy novelists
do. When we talk about timelines spanning millions of years, we are exploring
uncharted territories. The imaginative minds stretch as far as the timelines. They
connect the dots of the terra incognita according to their whims and fancies and
create imaginative narratives, which would not fit the feeblest hypotheses that claim
our ancestors were half-human/half-ape. The only thing that can be concluded by
these reckless, dreamy assumptions is fragmentary evidence, like the fragmentary
skeletal remains found in the Ethiopian desert. It is a disservice to science to add questionable data and make scientific assertions.
I have great respect for scientists, who are far more intelligent than many of us.
Yet I listen to the claims of those among them who maintain they can “accurately”
trace the origin of humankind to three million years ago. Not only that, but they
claim with great confidence to know the broad history of life on Earth, along with
many details, much further back—not just millions, even billions of years ago.
On the other hand, we have the timeline of events prior to the disappearance of
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. This misfortune happened in 2014, the recent past.
So far, no one has given any conclusive explanation about it.
Scientists have made great accomplishments like sending man to the moon and
back, creating artificial intelligence, computers, and the Internet. Perhaps what is
lacking is not so much intelligence, but humility.
“The fool has said in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1 NKJV).
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References:
Clarey, T., 2015. Dinosaurs: Marvels of God’s Design: The Science of the Biblical Account
USA: New Leaf Publishing Group.
Cohen, D., 2002. Cloning. 2nd ed. Brookfield, Conn.: Twenty-First Century Books.
Creation, 2020. How long can proteins last? [Online] Available at: https://creation.com/brian-
thomas-interview>
Creation, 1991. Who Was ‘Java Man’? - Creation.Com. [Online] Available at:
Purdom, G., 2019. Are Humans and Chimps Related? [Online] Available at:
https://answersingenesis.org/human-evolution/are-humans-and-chimps-related>
Yirka, B., 2020. Study of Partial Left Femur Suggests Sahelanthropus Tchadensis Was Not
A Hominin After All. [Online] Phys.org. Available at: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-partial-left-femur-sahelanthropus-tchadensis.html>
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Christopher Fernandez is a corporate/academic trainer for management and English language programs. He also teaches qualitative and quantitative research methods and has written academic articles. He believes, if you are in
doubt about something, the best way to find
the answers is to take a disinterested stand
on all views before you. He has read the views
of creationists and evolutionists and is convinced that science and the Bible are not in conflict
but show evidence of intelligent design for the existence of the universe.