About Taking Everything by Faith

The fact that Darwinian evolution is still adhered to by educational institutions and a wide expanse of thoughtful people astounds me. I have always believed that just because species evolve over time does not prove that one species can evolve into another species; i.e., from apes to humans. I have discovered a very useful critique of evolution by one Clarence B. Carson (1925-2003). He was an author and lecturer from Alabama who earned a B.S. in Education and an M.A. in history from Auburn University and a Ph. D. in History from Vanderbilt University. He wrote a five volume history of the United States called The Growth of America. I found Volume 4 dealing with the years 1878-1928. I found this book at a local thrift store, and couldn't resist it, mainly because it includes the years of 1897-1920, which refer to the "progressive era," about which I have an enduring interest. In a section called "Critique of Darwinian Evolution" he makes the same argument I just made, and adds that both those who believe that God made man in his image and created other species and those who believe in Darwin's theory, believe both by faith, not by science, because neither belief system has been proven by any scientific method. He states it like this: "It may be that Darwin contributed to our understanding of an evolution within species. But he did not prove the evolution of the species, nor establish as fact the method by which it occurred. Those who believe this take it on faith, not because it has been shown to be true. Undoubtedly, those who believe that God created man in His image, that He created the other species and gave man dominion over them, accept this on faith also. The latter are aware of and avow their faith; the former conceal theirs under scientific gloss." (p. 41) I find this completely adequate to answer anyone who challenges me about my belief in the Genesis story of creation. I accept it by faith, just as people who believe in evolution take it on faith, just as Dr. Carson explained. They may argue that this or that has been found in the fossil record or whatever, and they may call me ignorant, but I am not moved by that. I am not greatly motivated to try to convince anyone of what I believe, other than to tell it and let people decide what they will decide. Today I am not sure why I write every day for so few readers, other than that I feel like I am supposed to, that I am on a mission, or a journey or a task, and I have to keep doing it. It's just part of my assignment in life. There are approximately three and a half weeks (including this one) until school starts again and I won't be able to stay up until 2:00 a.m. every night as I have been doing all summer, so I am going to start transitioning back into the routine of working every day. Tonight also was the night I sing at a retirement home. I had fun singing to my widow ladies and I've been home for a couple of hours, and I want to do some reading before I go to bed. I am between books. I finished "Blue Shoe" by Anne Lamott and got "Revolutionary Road" at the library and read chapter one last night. I am not much engaged in it at present. I have a stack of books from the library book sale I went to Saturday. I have a book about haiku, a book about writing, a book about Leonardo DaVinci, one about Kahlil Gibran, one about Theodore Roosevelt, and a children's book in Spanish--a translation of "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh." So I have plenty of projects to carry me through till I go back to work being a literacy tutor. And it may be some other book besides any of those that I ultimately settle into. I always wanted to be a professional student, and in a way that is what I am. I am not going to stop trying to figure out "what I want to be when I grow up" as a new friend recently expressed it. I am what I want to be when I grow up, first and foremost, a follower of Jesus Christ and wherever that leads me. And tonight I am going to bed earlier than last night, if at all possible. By the way, I ran across a bottle of Ritalin that was prescribed to me in around 1990 when I was diagnosed with ADD, so there you go. Those pills didn't help me much, and I remember the effect being similar to that of the Prevagen that I tried a few days ago, but I am no more convinced of the help offered by doctors than I was thirty years ago, in fact, I am less convinced of the help offered by doctors. I take everything with a grain of salt at this point, that and faith. Life is all about what you take by faith anyway. People are going to believe what they're going to believe and you are not going to change their mind. If you haven't figured that out yet, I hope that you do soon before you go insane.