Counsels on Secular Worldview

Counsel #5 — Evidence Or Assumptions?

Picture: Counsel #5 — Evidence Or Assumptions? CSe 15.1

If science provides evidence, we should accept it, right? This question is more complex than it seems. Some physiological or biochemical features are believed to be conserved across various animal groups, despite their other differences. These features are considered “conserved” because evolution supposedly preserved them. Some people cite this as evidence supporting the theory of evolution. So what do we do with this “evidence”? Are we anti-science if we question it? First, we must differentiate between evidence and assumptions. An assumption is an idea believed to be true without supporting evidence. In our discussion of conserved features, the evidence is simply that certain physiological or biochemical traits exist in these animal groups. But why do they share these features? Is it because evolution conserved (or kept) them, or because the Creator knew they would need them? The notion that evolution “conserved” these features is strictly an assumption, not proven evidence.^[12] CSe 15.2

“You asked, ‘Who is this ignorant person saying these foolish things?’ I talked about things I did not understand. I talked about things too amazing for me to know.” Job 42:3 ERV CSe 15.3

“Skeptics refuse to believe in God because they cannot comprehend the infinite power by which He reveals Himself. But God is to be acknowledged as much from what He does not reveal of Himself, as from that which is open to our limited comprehension.” Ellen White in The Ministry of Healing, p. 431 CSe 15.4

Reflect: Are assumptions inherent in all scientific theories? If so, how can you as a Christian minimize their impact on your thinking and consider all the evidence? CSe 15.5