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Creation 18(2):41–43, March 1996

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Evolution? It doesn't add up!
Interview with Professor of Information Science Dr Werner Gitt

by Robert Doolan

If you ask Dr Werner Gitt for his favourite evidence against evolution, he will have an instant reply.

Dr Gitt specializes in information technology. He has looked in great detail in recent years at the phenomenon of information. He notes that information is a feature of all living things, and that information never arises without an intelligent source.

'If you can say how information comes into being, then you have the key to answer the question about the origin of life', Dr Gitt says.

His work has shown that laws of nature, unlike mere theories, have the highest scientific standing because there are no exceptions in them. And these laws show that it is impossible for information to develop of its own accord.

'Just as a perpetual motion device can be proved impossible by using the theorem of the conservation of energy,' Dr Gitt says, 'so the models for the development of information provided by the doctrine of evolution can be refuted with the help of the laws of nature concerning information. Thus the most important link in evolution's construct of thought is destroyed.'

Dr Gitt believes that the laws about information are also the best evidence for creation, as all living things have a 'code' containing information to reproduce life. Non-living things in nature have no such code, therefore information to produce life is not available to them.

'There can be no code and no information without an intelligent source of this information', he says. 'As the theory of evolution has no ultimate aim, it does not explain the purposeful details which we observe in living systems.'

He says this is also the reason why the Bible's explanation is so appealing.

'According to Romans 1:19-21, through our observation and consideration of the works of creation, we inevitably come to the conclusion that an intelligent designer must be behind it all. The more we research the works of creation from a scientific standpoint, and emphasize its many wonderful aspects, the more unbelievable the doctrine of evolution becomes.'

This theme also features in some of Dr Gitt's publications. Information: The Third Fundamental Quantity, and Artificial Intelligence — Possibilities and Limits, take a creationist approach. They show that information and intelligence cannot develop on their own, but always need an intelligent creator.

Dr Gitt became a Christian in 1972. 'I had already finished my first degree and my Ph.D. when an evangelistic outreach took place in Brunswick. About 2,000 people gathered in the city concert hall every evening. The message was Christ-centred, biblically founded, and clearly aimed at leading people to a personal decision for Jesus Christ. I was converted on one of these evenings.'

His interest in creation science came shortly after his conversion. He began to study the Bible thoroughly, and came to the conclusion that the whole Bible is God's Word and thus everything it says must be true. This includes the passages relating to science.

'I realized that if the Bible is completely true, then the teachings of evolution had to be wrong. I wanted to understand this from a scientific point of view, so I read all the books I could find which would help me.'

Dr Gitt has since written several books on creation science and has presented many lectures on the subject.

He has written 10 books in total. One has sold 700,000 copies in 12 languages, and another has sold 450,000 copies in nine languages.

'I know from many letters I have received that books containing scientific facts about creation combined with an evangelistic objective are popular with readers, and are often given as presents', Dr Gitt says.

His book Did God Use Evolution?, which refutes the idea that God used evolution as His method of creation, is now in its fourth edition and has been translated into four languages.

'A large number of people have been able to free themselves from a belief in theistic evolution as a result of this book', he says.

Why was it necessary to write such a book against theistic evolution?

'In the past few decades a number of authors have tried hard to harmonize the doctrine of evolution with the Bible. These books were read by intellectuals in particular. Many were led astray by these ideas. So I felt it was necessary to reappraise the thoughts behind theistic evolution using sound biblical and scientific arguments. I am very pleased this book has helped so many.'

And what does Dr Gitt believe to be the best argument against theistic evolution?

'In my opinion the phenomenon of death shows most clearly that the doctrine of evolution cannot be harmonized with biblical teaching.

'A number of evolution theoreticians have maintained that death is an indispensable prerequisite for the process of evolution. However, the Bible teaches that this world and every living thing stems directly from God's process of creation. Love and mercy are God's nature. In creation He remained true to Himself and did not act according to foreign principles as well. It is therefore unthinkable that He could have used evolution's strategy of suffering, cruelty, and death in His creation of humanity.'

Dr Gitt emphasizes that the Bible points out that death entered the world through sin (Romans 5:12). Death is the enemy of life (1 Corinthians 15:26), and so is not a physically life-giving mechanism.

'Theistic evolution recognizes Adam neither as the first man created by God nor as a historical occurrence. Thus biblical statements are wrongly represented.'

He says that the sinner Adam and the Saviour, Jesus Christ, are referred to in the Bible with the same claim to reality (Romans 5:16-18). 'The Bible unambiguously refutes the doctrine of theistic evolution', he says.

During 1995, Dr Gitt spent six weeks in South Africa and Namibia, lecturing at almost all the universities in these countries, and at numerous churches. He found many more Christian professors in these countries than back in Germany.

'The Christian tradition of the two [African] countries makes it easy to talk about creation there. I sometimes met readers of Creation Ex Nihilo magazine.' He says he was thrilled that after some of his church talks there were people who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr Gitt says that in Germany evolution is the only explanation of origins allowed to be taught in State schools and universities. But independently sponsored schools are also allowed to exist.

'A number of Evangelical Confession Schools have been founded in Germany in the past few years', he says. 'These schools profess belief in the truth of the Bible as a whole, and creation is taught in them.' Their number is increasing, and many are using Dr Gitt's books with great effectiveness.

He believes that creation must be the starting point for science, to avoid incorrect conclusions.

'It is often presumed that man is, for the time being, at the end of a long evolutionary chain. If this is our starting point then many so-called scientific results will be wrong.'

He sees this as especially serious in the sciences where humanity plays a decisive role, such as in biology, medicine, educational theory, psychology, philosophy, and theology. But other sciences — astronomy, for instance — are also misled by evolutionary belief, he says.

'The stars demonstrate the glory and greatness of the Creator (Psalm 19), but instead of seeing this, an astronomy influenced by the doctrine of evolution is on the search for new "big bang" models.

'If this world was really created, of which I am convinced, then any other idea about its origin must be incorrect.'

Dr Gitt is pleased there are now creationist organizations in many countries. He says the circulation of good creationist books and magazines, in addition to lectures, helps people in their faith.

'I find the most important aspect to be that those who have no connection with the faith are shown, in view of all the scientific facts, that they can believe the whole of the Bible.

'And this then makes the way easier to believing in Jesus Christ.'