Is Natural Selection an Idol?

Now, this disagreement is not over the age of the earth, the global Flood, a literal Adam, or biblical authority. Rather, it’s a disagreement over change within a kind and how species form.

When it comes to answering these scientific questions (starting, of course, with the framework God has given us in Genesis), creationists are free to disagree—we study God’s creation to be able to better understand how God created, and as we study, this may result in some disagreement. That’s totally fine. But this particular creationist took his disagreement a step further, claiming that natural selection is an idol.

We study God’s creation to be able to better understand how God created.

As a quick perusal of our website shows, Answers in Genesis acknowledges the role natural selection plays in speciation (change within a kind). So what is my response to this idolatry claim? Well, our social media team produced a video where I explain what natural selection is—and what it is not:

No, natural selection is not an idol. That doesn’t accurately reflect what natural selection is and is not, and it’s hard to believe someone is accusing us at AiG, who see natural selection as a process, of committing idolatry. That’s a serious accusation.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9–10, emphasis added)

Now, some people erroneously believe (because evolutionists use natural selection as part of their attempt to justify believing in molecules-to-man evolution) that those who accept natural selection are accepting evolution. But that’s not true. Not everything evolutionists believe is wrong. Natural selection is just a process describing what happens to animals with various combinations of traits in different environments in this fallen world. Natural selection is not molecules-to-man evolution.

You can learn more about natural selection in the article referenced in the video: Natural Selection, Yes; Evolution, No.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.