Wide Angle Session 3 - Where Did We Come From?

Opening Prayer - Pray that God will help you to be open to what he wants to teach you through this series.


Key Verse - Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. - Isaiah 40:28a



Summary #1 - God loves us and he made us for a purpose.  Although we cannot contemplate life without a purpose, naturalism cannot supply us with one.  According to the naturalism worldview, we are a result of random mutations and are effectively "complex slime".  Despite this, naturalism, buoyed by Darwinism, is the dominant worldview in secular society today.  Darwinism arose in an era that was moving away from biblical truth and replacing Christianity with enlightenment thought.

Summary #2 - Darwinism is so popular because it cuts out the foundations for morality and allows us to live how we want to live.  It leads to Social Darwinism, Eugenics, and other movements that deny the value of human life.  But Darwinism has significant credibility weaknesses:

• Lack of intermediate fossils
• Cambrian Explosion
• No one has successfully created a new species
• Presence of both altruism and homosexuality

Each of these illustrates the weakness of Darwinism.

Intelligent Design is a scientific alternative based on the idea that living organisms are irreducibly complex and thus could not have evolved over time.  Intelligent Design's conclusions fall in line with the biblical worldview.

Summary #3 - Evolution leaves humanity without purpose.  Camus states, "In the face of the meaninglessness of the universe, the only serious philosophical question is suicide."  Further, it requires far more faith to be an atheist since the evidence for a creator is overwhelming.  In contrast, biblical worldview tells us that we need to find our purpose and fulfill it, giving our lives value and meaning.  The biblical worldview also protects and promotes life in a way naturalism does not.

Prayer Direction - In light of the Psalms you just read, spend time in worship, praising and thanking God for creation in general and his creation of humanity (and you!) in particular.  Thanks him for your senses and the ability to enjoy and appreciate the world, and for your mind that helps you understand it.  Thank him for the meaning and purpose that our lives have because we were created in his image.


Putting It Into Practice

• Watch the media for reports on origins.  What worldview do you see underlying the reporting?
• If possible, ask teachers in your area what they are teaching about origins, both of the physical universe and of humans.  Then, ask students what they know about origins.  Are the answers the same?  If they are different, why do you think that is the case?