By Andrea Pigneri
If you went into a cave and found some books written two thousand years ago, would you read them as if they were scientific fact? Hardly.
There was no scientific method with which to test the very little “science and technology” of the day. In biblical times, people mostly relied on myths to explain illness, earthly phenomena, and other occurrences in life that seemed unexplainable.
So why do people believe in the Bible to be real scientific evidence, when it was written so long ago? The Bible does have some great value in it. It provides a plethora of historical information about how people lived their lives, as well as the political happenings during that time period.
Also, it is a great explanation of the origin of Christianity, as well as a guideline for how to participate in that religion. However, the Bible is not a reliable source of scientific explanation.
To put it simply, the Bible provides absolutely zero scientific fact. Science continually improves and builds upon itself, as every year produces new discoveries and challenges old beliefs.
During Biblical times, cancer and other illnesses were a huge mystery that no one understood. The vast majority of society believed that if one was born with a disability or became ill, it was payment for a person’s or their ancestor’s actions.
Through numerous scientific experiments, humanity now has the common knowledge that disease and disability are the result of genetic malfunctions, viruses and microorganisms in the environment, and poor nutrition and lifestyles.
Much like the biblical concept of sin causing disease, the creation story was also an attempt to explain a natural phenomenon.
In a period when scientific knowledge was limited, the creation story provided the best possible explanation of how the Earth was created and life began. However, today’s scientific knowledge provides a much more logical and verifiable explanation of Earth’s origin.
This concept, known as evolution, has been highly researched and confirmed in many scientific journals, articles, and even fossil records.
The only source creationists have is one book written two thousand years ago. Even in this book, there are only a few flimsy pages containing the story of how Earth began. There are no creation experiments, no creation journals, or even a scientific theory explaining creationism.
The only evidence for creationists is a story. Many disheartened creationists will claim that the carbon dating of fossils is inaccurate and cannot prove their ages. Carbon dating is solid fact. If it works in a court of law in the great United States, we count this as viable evidence. Evidence is anything that shows what is true and what is not.
Although the Bible is a great historical reference and the foundation of one of the world’s most prominent religions, not one page of it should be used for science in any way, shape, form, or connection whatsoever.
Creationism is only “proven” in just a few pages in an extremely outdated book, and is mythical.
So the next time you are bored in class and pondering the meaning of life, be sure to remember the proven answer to its origin – evolution.
Andrea Pigneri is a sophomore in the master’s of business administration program. E-mail her at opinion@louisvillecardinal.com.
