Yet another comparison to Nazism and the Taliban

From Greg Mills, Canada, who gave permission for his full name to be published.

His letter is printed first in its entirety. His letter is printed again, with point-by-point responses (in dark red) by Dr Don Batten, interspersed as per normal e-mail fashion.

I can't understand how an organization like yours professes it's distaste for evolutionist hardliners (and others who, by their own choice, believe in the theory of Evolution)yet this same organization can still maintain a very, very narrow minded point of view in which only You are right and the rest of the world (and you'd be surprised in all your arrogance to note that not the whole world is Christian) "must" be wrong because they disagree with your narrow, unflexable beliefs. I personally believe in a combination of both Evolution and Creation. I, and many many others are quite comfortable with evolution and creation when they are combined. You are irresponsibly alienating a huge portion of the world's population by vainly and egotistically proclaiming that you are right simply because You are You.

All I am trying to point out is that to call evolution "the lie" and to state that we are all being "indoctrined" with "propaganda" becomes tiresome quickly. From an outside point of you, it is your authors who sound "indoctrined" into a brainwashed state of mine. The only other organizations which do that become unpopular. Simlar narrow beliefs could include Nazism, or perhaps Al Quieda and the Taliban.

I try to maintain an open view, and many science websites and scientists themselves remain open and accepting of theology, could not the theologists remain and open accepting of the scientists? I apologize for the length of this letter but I feel this opinion, which is often repressed on your website, must be proclaimed.

Dear Greg,

Please see my response, interspersed email fashion, below.

I can't understand how an organization like yours professes it's distaste for evolutionist hardliners (and others who, by their own choice, believe in the theory of Evolution) yet this same organization can still maintain a very, very narrow minded point of view in which only You are right and the rest of the world (and you'd be surprised in all your arrogance to note that not the whole world is Christian) "must" be wrong because they disagree with your narrow, unflexable beliefs.

I’m sorry that anyone would see our position as arrogant. There is no place for arrogance in defending and promoting our beliefs. However, I wonder if you are confusing clear-thinking conviction with arrogance. Today it is fashionable to hang loose and not believe anything much at all. This has become almost a virtue to some. Then when someone actually knows what they believe and why, it is misunderstood as arrogance.

A truly born-again Christian should be humble, not arrogant. I am a Christian, not because I am clever, intelligent, righteous, good, etc., (none of the above!) but because God, in His mercy, reached out to me. The Bible is clear that I deserved only His condemnation, but He rescued (saved) me. The letter of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians expresses this in Ephesians 2:8. So I glory in what Christ has done for me, not in myself.

Our confidence is not rooted in ourselves, but in God and His ability to communicate with us through the Bible. If I did not know God, I would have no basis for being confident about anything. That’s probably why so many people today don’t know what they believe or why—they don’t know God, so they have no basis for knowing. This especially applies to the evolutionist who thinks that he/she is a cosmic accident—how can a chance concurrence of atoms ‘know’ anything? See what the great English Christian thinker, C.S. Lewis, said on materialism and knowing the truth.

Because many have no basis for even believing there is such a thing as ‘truth’ to be found, they see someone who claims to have the truth as being presumptuous, full of pride, ‘arrogant’, or self-righteous. Now let’s suppose truth does exist and the diligent seeker may discover it. If the seeker discovers the truth, where is the room for pride? It is not as if the seeker created the truth, he/she merely found it.

If I do find the truth and ignorance of the truth in others will result in their harm, would I not have a responsibility to do everything in my power to convince them of the truth? The Bible, as the Word of God, says that God one day will judge all those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour. If I have found that is true, surely I must tell others, no matter what ‘religion’ they may be.

That does not mean that I am disrespectful of their beliefs—remember that I had some of those same false beliefs before God rescued me from the darkness. They were held sincerely, although they were still wrong. I may sincerely believe that I can fly by jumping off a tall building, but that will not stop the Law of Gravity from crashing me into the ground. Likewise, I can sincerely believe that I am a good person and so I will be OK at the Judgment, but that will not prevent the Law of God from bringing judgment upon me, with awful consequences.

Are we ‘narrow’? Yes, I guess in a sense we are. Guilty as charged. However, Jesus said that there are two ways we can travel through life: the broad way, or the narrow way. He said that only the narrow way leads to eternal life. I think I will gladly take the narrow way. See The Narrow Road. However, since when has a majority vote determined what is true?

The narrow way is only narrow in the sense that we limit ourselves to what God has told us—we don’t concoct our own religion; such would be idolatry / blasphemy, an insult to God. But within that ‘narrow’ way there is incredible freedom. Jesus said that he came to set us free, not put us into bondage. And every true Christian would vouch for that!

I personally believe in a combination of both Evolution and Creation. I, and many many others are quite comfortable with evolution and creation when they are combined. You are irresponsibly alienating a huge portion of the world's population by vainly and egotistically proclaiming that you are right simply because You are You.

Of course you are free to believe whatever you like, but it may have grave consequences, which we warn people about through our ministry. You may believe in Evolution and Creation, but what sort of creator did your creating? An evolutionary creator is not the holy, righteous God as revealed through His Word, the Bible. See Is it Possible to be a Christian and an Evolutionist?

All I am trying to point out is that to call evolution "the lie" and to state that we are all being "indoctrined" with "propaganda" becomes tiresome quickly. From an outside point of you, it is your authors who sound "indoctrined" into a brainwashed state of mine.

If evolution deceives people into thinking there is no Creator to whom they are accountable, then it is a lie and needs to be called such. Maybe we sound ‘indoctrinated’ to you because you are ‘indoctrinated’ in a different way of thinking? It’s not really a question of whether you are indoctrinated or not (everyone is in effect), but do you have the correct indoctrination? Everyone is 100% biased one way or another. An atheist is 100% biased against any suggestion of a Creator; an agnostic is 100% biased against knowing anything about God; a deist is 100% biased against any notion that God has spoken to humanity; a Christian is 100% biased towards believing that God has spoken to us through the Bible.

The only other organizations which do that become unpopular. Simlar narrow beliefs could include Nazism, or perhaps Al Quieda and the Taliban.

You are being quite disingenuous here. The freedom you enjoy in one of the world’s great democracies (Canada) came from the Christian faith of earlier generations. Do you think you would have the freedoms you have if Nazis or the Taliban founded Canada? History shows that societies that have turned their backs on Biblical faith in God have slipped into social disintegration. This is happening across the western world today, including Canada, and the evolutionary mind-set is part of that decay.

I try to maintain an open view,

We should be open to what God tells us. If being ‘open’ means denying God’s right to rule over us, including our thinking, then that is the ‘broad way’ that leads to destruction.

and many science websites and scientists themselves remain open and accepting of theology,

Some of these evolutionary scientists may be ‘open and accepting of theology’ but are they open to accepting of their need of forgiveness and God’s right to reign over their lives? Theology is the ‘study of God’. You can study ideas about God ‘until the cows come home’, but it does not necessarily draw you to the truth that you must embrace if you are to escape the judgment to come.

could not the theologists remain and open accepting of the scientists? I apologize for the length of this letter but I feel this opinion, which is often repressed on your website, must be proclaimed.

We are open and accepting of anyone, but that does not mean we necessarily agree with everything they say. I would say, without fear of contradiction, that we are far more cognisant of evolutionary views than evolutionists are regarding our views. So who is being ‘open’? We are continually frustrated with the misrepresentation of our views by reporters in the mass media, as well as by evolutionist scientists. See, for example, our response to the PBS Evolution series for examples of misrepresentation of creationist views.

I pray that you will seriously consider your eternal destiny. Do you have confidence in Jesus Christ to save you? If not, then you need to get right with God. Then you may start to see the basis for our confidence.

Sincerely,

Dr Don Batten