So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27
Every caring person is impacted by the constant stream of human injustices. This began with the first family and intensified thereafter (Genesis 4:8-10; 6:5). Since then, human wickedness has consistently plagued us with doubt, fear, suspicion, and sorrow. The wicked have become more advanced in their wickedness. The 20th century saw over 200 million casualties from various conflicts with advanced weaponry. Roughly 15 million unborn people are slaughtered annually worldwide, and great numbers that go unreported. As I write this, violent crime is rapidly rising in the US. War is raging in Europe as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues. China is holding roughly 1 million Uighur Muslims and other Turkic minorities in concentration camps. Human sex trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar global industry, and pornography is the engine that drives it. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic violence skyrocketed with little sign of slowing. This list could go on and on, but we all get the picture. Our world is sin-sick and desperately in need of a cure.
The world is suffering from heart disease, and if we hope to find a cure, we must identify its source. Though the issue is complex, I suggest that the root of many of these evil deeds is the improper view of humanity at the most basic level. Misunderstanding humanity’s origin and nature devalues human life. Devaluation of human life emboldens people to perpetrate terrible atrocities against their fellow human beings. How did we get to this place?
Generations of evolutionary dogma have infused this animalistic behavior into our culture. If our rule of life is survival of the fittest, then there is no logical basis to call any of the atrocities cited above morally wrong. Let the fit survive while the unfit are weeded out. Though most evolutionists do not take their philosophy to this extent, it is the logical conclusion of the system. William Provine, distinguished professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, stated this truth plainly at the second annual Darwin Day Celebration in 1998 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Provine said, “Naturalistic evolution has clear consequences that Charles Darwin understood perfectly. 1) No gods worth having exist; 2) no life after death exists; 3) no ultimate foundation for ethics exists; 4) no ultimate meaning in life exists; and 5) human free will is nonexistent.”
With no God or afterlife, there are no consequences beyond this life. With no foundation for ethics, nothing is objectively right or wrong, regardless of how we feel about it. If life has no meaning, why should we care? Finally, if human free will is nonexistent, who is anyone to judge the deeds of another? As the late Wayne Jackson put it, “If you convince a man he is an ape, he will soon begin to act like one.” Yet, proponents of this animalistic worldview scratch their heads and wonder why the people they have worked so feverishly to convince they are mere mammals are acting like mere mammals. Animals rip each other limb from limb daily, and no one gives it much thought. Why would we expect different from the human animal?
The solution is simple but getting people to hear it is difficult. This is because accepting the biblical worldview of humanity demands keeping all of His will (Matthew 7:21-27; John 14:15; 15:14; Romans 2:6-10). The Bible tells us human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, so human life is to be protected from violence (Genesis 1:26-28; 9:5-6). This is true in the womb as well as outside (Exodus 21:22-25). This bearing of the image of God is unique to humanity, and it is the singular objective reason to uphold the sanctity of human life. If we would see human beings treat one another properly, human beings must first value one another properly. Though human beings are mammals (creatures that produce milk for their offspring), we are so much more!