Running head: IN THE BEGINNING

In the Beginning

Clarice Hester

Arizona State University

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Abstract

In this paper I will discussion the different beliefs/theories surrounding the creation of the

universe and everything in it. I will define creationism, evolution, and intelligent design. I will

discuss my own personal beliefs and why I believe to have ideas about something no one was

there to witness requires a leap of faith.

Keywords: Intelligent design, creationism, evolution, God, Christianity, science, religion,

leap of faith
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In the Beginning

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) or maybe he

didnt. There are a lot of beliefs and theories and people who think they have all the answers to

questions like: Who are we? How did we get here? And why are we here? Everyday all of us are

faced with these questions. Most people make the executive decision to ignore these questions,

put them off until you cant sleep and need something to think about. Some people look to

religion to solve these problems. They put their trust in a higher power and believe that thing or

person or whatever created them and gave them a purpose and place to live. Others take a more

scientific route. They say to hell with God and trust what they can see, what they can prove.

They believe in the Big Bang and evolution. And then there are those of us, myself included, that

fall somewhere in the middle. Were called subscribers of intelligent design.

Creationism is the believe that God (most often the Christian god) created the universe

and everything in it. I would consider these people to be the most devout Christians; the ones

who truly believe God hates gays and burn chairs after menstruating women sit on them. They

are the Christians like Pastor Clay Gentry who say that Genesis 1:1 is the first test of faith in the

Bible and that to deny it is to deny God himself (In The Beginning God). Evolution/the Big Bang

are the theories that say a anomaly created the universe. By chance all the galaxies, all the solar

systems, and the planets suddenly came into existence. A single cell organism on a planet with

just the right atmosphere, with just the right amount of water on a planet just the right distance

from just the right sun divided and evolved again and again until we got all the plants, animals,

and people that ever were and will ever be.

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Intelligent design is a sort of middle ground between the two classic beliefs. Intelligent

design is the belief that attempts to combine science and religion and says that supreme being,

God, higher power, whatever you want to call it, got the ball rolling, so to speak, and evolution

took care of the rest. This is a very controversial belief for a plethora of reasons. According to

the University of Berkeley intelligent design cannot be considered a scientific belief because no

one was there to witness the beginning of the universe and the results cannot be replicated

(Intelligent Design : Is it Scientific?). The Bible itself even has something to say about so called

lukewarm Christians: I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were

either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of

my mouth (Revelation 3:15-16). This essential means that God looks down upon the lesser

devout. This poses quite the dilemma for Christians such as myself who consider ourselves to be

very devout, but simply cannot deny the overwhelming evidence against the story of the seven

days and Adam and Eve.

I have this very vivid memory of watching a documentary where several scientists were

interviewed about their take on religion. Now I either made this up entirely or it is just extremely

difficult to find, but I remember one of the scientists saying something to the effect of, I am a

woman of science and a child of God. That quote really stuck out to me and something I have

always identified with. And then I did the research for this essay and I really had to look inward

and question the beliefs I was brought up with.

In the end, whatever I chose to believe, whatever anyone chooses to believe, whether it

be science or religion, it all takes a leap of faith. It takes a leap of faith to look at the 500

testimonies from the people who claim to have seen Jesus Christ and chose to chalk it all up as
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hogwash. It takes a leap of faith to see all the evidence of evolution and the missing links

between primates and humans and chalk all that up to fake news.
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References

Cox and Forkum. The New Creationism. Capitalism Magazine, 2005.

Draper, Paul. Atheism and Agnosticism. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017

Gentry, Clay. In the Beginning God. Sermoncentral, 2013.

Green, Hank. Intelligent Design: Crash Course Philosophy #11. YouTube, 2016.

National Center for Science Education. What is "Intelligent Design" Creationism? Retrieved

October 30, 2008

NOVA. Defending Intelligent Design. PBS, 2007.