Introduction: Man’s Authority or God’s Authority . . . Two Religions
If God and His Word are not the authority, then by default, who is?
Man is. When people reject God and His Word as the ultimate authority,
then man is attempting to elevate his or her thoughts (collectively or individually)
to a position of authority over God and His Word.
So often, people claim that “Christians are religious and the enlightened
unbelievers who reject God are not religious.” Don’t be deceived by such a statement, for these nonbelievers are indeed religious—very religious, whether they realize it or not. They have bought into the religion of humanism.
Humanism is the religion that elevates man to be greater than God. Humanism,
in a broad sense, encompasses any thought or worldview that rejects God
and the 66 books of His Word in part or in whole; hence all non-biblical religions
have humanistic roots. There are also those who mix aspects of humanism
with the Bible. Many of these religions (e.g., Mormons, Islam, Judaism, etc.)
openly borrow from the Bible, but they also have mixed human elements into their religion, taking some of man’s ideas to supersede many parts of
the Bible, perhaps in subtle ways.1
There are many forms of humanism, but secular humanism has become
one of the most popular today. Variant forms of secular humanism include
atheism, agnosticism, non-theism, Darwinism, and the like. Each shares a belief
in an evolutionary worldview with man as the centered authority over God.
Humanism organizations can also receive a tax-exempt status (the same
as a Christian church in the United States and the United Kingdom), and they
even have religious documents like the Humanist Manifesto. Surprisingly, this
religion has free rein in state schools, museums, and media under the guise of
neutrality, seeking to fool people into thinking it is not a “religion.”2
Humanism and “Good”
Christians are often confronted with the claim that a humanistic worldview
will help society become “better.”3 Even the first Humanist Manifesto, of which
belief in evolution is a subset, declared, “The goal of humanism is a free and
universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently co-operate for the
common good.”
But can such a statement be true? For starters, what do the authors mean
by “good”? They have no legitimate foundation for such a concept, since one
person’s “good” can be another’s “evil.” To have some objective standard (not
a relative standard), they must borrow from the absolute and true teachings of
God in the Bible.
Beyond that, does evolutionary humanism really teach a future of prosperity
and a common good? Since death is the “hero” in an evolutionary framework,
then it makes one wonder. What has been the result of evolutionary
thinking in the past century (20th century)? Perhaps this could be a test of what
is to come.
Let’s first look at the death estimates due to aggressive conflicts stemming
from leaders with evolutionary worldviews, beginning in the 1900s, to see the
hints of what this “next level” looks like:
| Who/What? | Specific event and estimated dead | Total Estimates |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Hitler Germany/Hitler and the Nazis | WWI: 8,500,000a WWII: 70 millionb [Holocaust: 17,000,000]c0 |
95,000,0000 |
| Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin | Bolshevik revolution and Russian Civil War: 15,000,000d0 |
15,000,0000 |
| Joseph Stalin | 20,000,000e0 | 20,000,0000 |
| Mao Zedong | 14,000,000–20,000,000f0 | Median estimate: 17,000,0000 |
| Korean War | 2,500,000?g0 | ~2,500,0000 |
| Vietnam War (1959–1975) | 4,000,000–5,000,000 Vietnamese, 1,500,000–2,000,000 Lao and Cambodiansh0 | Medians of each and excludes French, Australia, and U.S. losses: 6,250,0000 |
| Pol Pot (Saloth Sar) | 750,000–1,700,000i0 | Median estimate: 1,225,0000 |
| Abortion to childrenj | China estimates since 1971–2006: 300,000,000k USSR estimates from 1954–1991:280,000,000l US estimates 1928–2007: 26,000,000m France estimates 1936–2006: 5,749,731n United Kingdom estimates 1958–2006: 6,090,738o Germany estimates 1968–2007: 3,699,624,p etc.0 |
621,500,000 and this excludes many other countries0 |
| Grand estimate | 0 | ~778,000,0000 |
Charles Darwin’s view of molecules-to-man evolution was catapulted into societies around the world in the mid-to-late 1800s. Evolutionary teachings influenced Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, and many others. Let’s take a closer look at some of these people and events and examine the evolutionary influence and repercussions.
World War I and II, Hitler, Nazis, and the Holocaust
Most historians would point to the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
on June 18, 1914, as the event that triggered World War I (WWI). But
tensions were already high considering the state of Europe at the time. Darwinian
sentiment was brewing in Germany. Darwin once said:
At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries,
the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace
the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous
apes . . . will no doubt be exterminated. The break between
man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between
man in a more civilized state, as we may hope, even than the
Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as now between
the negro or Australian [Aborigine] and the gorilla.4
Darwin viewed the “Caucasian” (white-skinned Europeans) as the dominant
“race” in his evolutionary worldview. To many evolutionists at the time,
mankind had evolved from ape-like creatures that had more hair, dark skin,
dark eyes, etc. Therefore, more “evolved” meant less body hair, blond hair, blue
eyes, etc. Later, in Hitler’s era, Nazi Germany practiced Lebensborn, which was
a controversial program, the details of which have not been entirely brought to
light. Many claim it was a breeding program that tried to evolve the “master
race” further — more on this below.
But the German sentiment prior to WWI was very much bent on conquering
for the purpose of expanding their territory and their “race.” An encyclopedia
entry from 1936 states:
In discussions of the background of the war much has been said of
Pan-Germanism, which was the spirit of national consciousness carried
to the extreme limit. The Pan-Germans, who included not only militarists,
but historians, scientists, educators and statesmen, conceived the
German people, no matter where they located, as permanently retaining
their nationality. The most ambitious of this group believed that it was
their mission of Germans to extend their kultur (culture) over the world,
and to accomplish this by conquest if necessary. In this connection the
theory was advanced that the German was a superior being, destined to
dominate other peoples, most of whom were thought of as decadent.5
Germany had been buying into Darwin’s model of evolution and saw themselves
as the superior “race,” destined to dominate the world, and their actions
were the consequence of their worldview. This view set the stage for Hitler and
the Nazi party and paved the road to WWII.
Hitler and the Nazis
World War II dwarfed World War I in the total number of people who died.
Racist evolutionary attitudes exploded in Germany against people groups such
as Jews, Poles, and many others. Darwin’s teaching on evolution and humanism
heavily influenced Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
Hitler even tried to force the Protestant church in Germany to change fundamental tenants because of his newfound faith.6 In 1936, while Hitler was in power, an encyclopedia entry on Hitler stated:
. . . a Hitler attempt to modify the Protestant faith failed.7
His actions clearly show that he did not hold to the basic fundamentals
taught in the 66 books of the Bible. Though some of his writings suggest he did
believe in some form of God early on (due to his upbringing within Catholicism),
his religious views moved toward atheistic humanism with his acceptance
of evolution. Many atheists today try to disavow him, but actions speak louder
than words.
The Alpha History site (dedicated to much to the history of Nazi Germany
by providing documents, transcribed speeches, and so on) says,
Contrary to popular opinion, Hitler himself was not an atheist.
. . . Hitler drifted away from the church after leaving home, and his
religious views in adulthood are in dispute.8
So this history site is not sure what his beliefs were, but they seem to be certain that he was not an atheist! If they are not sure what beliefs he held, how can they be certain he was not an atheist?9 The fact is that many people who walk away from church become atheists (i.e., they were never believers in the first place as 1 John 2:19 indicates). And Hitler’s actions were diametrically opposed to Christianity. . . but not atheism, where there is no God who sets what is right and wrong.10
Regardless, this refutes notions that Hitler was a Christian as some have
falsely claimed. Hitler’s disbelief started early. He said,
The present system of teaching in schools permits the following
absurdity: at 10 a.m. the pupils attend a lesson in the catechism, at
which the creation of the world is presented to them in accordance
with the teachings of the Bible; and at 11 a.m. they attend a lesson in
natural science, at which they are taught the theory of evolution. Yet
the two doctrines are in complete contradiction. As a child, I suffered
from this contradiction, and ran my head against a wall . . . Is there a
single religion that can exist without a dogma? No, for in that case it
would belong to the order of science . . . But there have been human beings, in the baboon category, for at least three hundred thousand
years. There is less distance between the man-ape and the ordinary
modern man than there is between the ordinary modern man and a
man like Schopenhauer. . . . It is impossible to suppose nowadays that
organic life exists only on our planet.11
Consider this quote in his unpublished second book:
The types of creatures on the earth are countless, and on an individual
level their self-preservation instinct as well as the longing for
procreation is always unlimited; however, the space in which this entire
life process plays itself out is limited. It is the surface area of a precisely
measured sphere on which billions and billions of individual beings
struggle for life and succession. In the limitation of this living space
lies the compulsion for the struggle for survival, and the struggle for
survival, in turn contains the precondition for evolution.12
Hitler continues:
The history of the world in the ages when humans did not yet exist
was initially a representation of geological occurrences. The clash
of natural forces with each other, the formation of a habitable surface
on this planet, the separation of water and land, the formation of the
mountains, plains, and the seas. That [was] is the history of the world
during this time. Later, with the emergence of organic life, human interest
focuses on the appearance and disappearance of its thousandfold
forms. Man himself finally becomes visible very late, and from that
point on he begins to understand the term “world history” as referring
to the history of his own development — in other words, the
representation of his own evolution. This development is characterized
by the never-ending battle of humans against animals and also against
humans themselves.13
Hitler fully believed Darwin as well as Darwin’s precursors — such as
Charles Lyell’s geological ages and millions of years of history. In his statements here, there is no reference to God. Instead, he unreservedly flew the banner of naturalism and evolution and only mentioned God in a rare instance to win Christians to his side, just as agnostic Charles Darwin did in his book On the Origin of Species.14
One part of the Nazi party political platform’s 25 points in 1920 says,
We demand freedom of religion for all religious denominations
within the state so long as they do not endanger its existence or oppose
the moral senses of the Germanic race. The Party as such advocates the
standpoint of a positive Christianity without binding itself confessionally
to any one denomination.15
Clearly this “positive Christianity” was an appeal to some of Christianity’s
morality, but not the faith itself. Many atheists today still appeal to a “positive Christian” approach, wanting the morality of Christianity (in many respects), but not Christianity.
Christianity was under heavy attack by Hitler and the Nazis as documented
from original sources prior to the end of WWII by Bruce Walker in The Swastika
against the Cross.16 The book clearly reveals the anti-Christian sentiment by
Hitler and the Nazis and their persecution of Christianity and their attempt to
make Christianity change and be subject to the Nazi state and beliefs.
In 1939–1941, the Bible was rewritten for the German people at Hitler’s
command, eliminating all references to Jews, and made Christ out to be pro-
Aryan! The Ten Commandments were replaced with these twelve:17
- Honor your Fuhrer and master.
- Keep the blood pure and your honor holy.
- Honor God and believe in him wholeheartedly.
- Seek out the peace of God.
- Avoid all hypocrisy.
- Holy is your health and life.
- Holy is your well-being and honor.
- Holy is your truth and fidelity.
- Honor your father and mother — your children are your aid and
your example. - Maintain and multiply the heritage of your forefathers.
- Be ready to help and forgive.
- Joyously serve the people with work and sacrifice.
Hitler had replaced Christ in Nazi thought; and children were even taught
to pray to Hitler instead of God!18 Hitler and the Nazis were not Christian, but
instead were humanistic in their outlook, and any semblance of Christianity
was cultic. The Nazis determined that their philosophy was the best way to
bring about the common good of all humanity.
Interestingly, it was Christians alone in Germany who were unconquered
by the Nazis, and they suffered heavily for it. Walker summarizes in his book:
You would expect to find Christians and Nazis mortal enemies.
This is, of course, exactly what happened historically. Christians, alone,
proved unconquerable by the Nazis. It can be said that Christians did
not succeed in stopping Hitler, but it cannot be said that they did
not try, often at great loss and nearly always as true martyrs (people
who could have chosen to live, but who chose to die for the sake of
goodness.)19
Hitler and the Nazis’ evolutionary views certainly helped lead Germany
into WWII because they viewed the “Caucasian” as more evolved (and, more
specifically, the Aryan peoples of the Caucasians), which to them justified their
adoption of the idea that lesser “races” should be murdered in the struggle for
survival. Among the first to be targeted were Jews, then Poles, Slavs, and then
many others — including Christians, regardless of their heritage.
Trostsky, Lenin
Trotsky and Lenin were both notorious leaders of the USSR — and specifically
the Russian revolution. Lenin, taking power in 1917, became a ruthless
leader and selected Trotsky as his heir. Lenin and Trotsky held to Marxism,
which was built, in part, on Darwinism and evolution applied to a social
scheme.
Karl Marx regarded Darwin’s book as an “epoch-making book.” With
regards to Darwin’s research on natural origins, Marx claimed, “The latter
method is the only materialistic and, therefore, the only scientific one.”20
Few realize or admit that Marxism, the primary idea underlying communism,
is built on Darwinism and materialism (i.e., no God). In 1883, Freidrich
Engels, Marx’s longtime friend and collaborator, stated at Marx’s funeral service,
that “just as Darwin discovered the law of evolution in organic nature, so
Marx discovered the law of evolution in human history.”21 Both Darwin and
Marx built their ideologies on naturalism and materialism (tenants of evolutionary
humanism). Trotsky once said of Darwin,
Darwin stood for me like a mighty doorkeeper at the entrance to
the temple of the universe. I was intoxicated with his minute, precise,
conscientious and at the same time powerful, thought. I was the more
astonished when I read . . . that he had preserved his belief in God. I
absolutely declined to understand how a theory of the origin of species
by way of natural selection and sexual selection and a belief in God
could find room in one and the same head.22
Trotsky’s high regard for evolution and Darwin were the foundation of his
belief system. Like many, Trotsky probably did not realize that the precious few
instances of the name “God” did not appear in the first edition of Origin of Species.
These references were added later, and many suspect that this was done to
influence church members to adopt Darwinism. Regardless, Trotsky may not
have read much of Darwin’s second book, Descent of Man, in which Darwin
claims that man invented God: the same high mental faculties which first led man to believe in
unseen spiritual agencies, then in fetishism, polytheism, and ultimately
in monotheism, would infallibly lead him, as long as his reasoning
powers remained poorly developed, to various strange superstitions
and customs.23
Vladimir Lenin picked up on Darwinism and Marxism and ruled very
harshly as an evolutionist. His variant of Marxism has become known as Leninism.
Regardless, the evolutionist roots of Marx, Trotsky, and Lenin were the
foundation that communism has stood on — and continues to stand on.
Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot, to Name a Few
Perhaps the most ruthless communist leaders were Joseph Stalin, Mao
Zedong, and Pol Pot. Each of these were social Darwinists, ruling three different
countries — the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia, respectively. Their
reigns of terror demonstrated the end result of reducing the value of human life
to that of mere animals, a Darwinistic teaching.24 Though I could expand on
each of these, you should be getting the point by now. So let’s move to another
key, but deadly, point in evolutionary thought.
Abortion — the War on Babies
Haeckel’s faked embryos: A detailed analysis of this
subject will be done in chapter 26.
The war on children has been one of the quietest, and yet bloodiest, in
the past hundred years. In an evolutionary mindset, the unborn have been
treated as though they are going through an “animal phase” and can simply be
discarded.
Early evolutionist Ernst Haeckel first popularized the concept that babies in the womb are actually undergoing animal developmental stages, such as a fish stage and so on. This idea has come to be known as ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. Haeckel even faked drawings of various animals’ embryos and had them drawn next to human embryos looking virtually identical.
These drawings have been shown to be completely false.25 Haeckel himself partially confessed as much.26 However, this discredited idea has been used repeatedly for a hundred years! Textbooks today still use this concept (though not Haeckel’s drawings), and museums around the world still teach it.
Through this deception, many women have been convinced that the babies
they are carrying in their wombs are simply going through an animal phase and
can be aborted. Author and general editor of this volume, Ken Ham, states:
In fact, some abortion clinics in America have taken women aside
to explain to them that what is being aborted is just an embryo in the
fish stage of evolution, and that the embryo must not be thought of as
human. These women are being fed outright lies.27
Evolutionary views have decreased the value of human life. Throughout
the world, the casualties of the war on children is staggering. Though deaths of
children and the unborn did exist prior to the “evolution revolution,” they have
increased exponentially after the promotion of Darwinian teachings.
Conclusion
Is evolution the cause of wars and deaths? Absolutely not — both existed
long before Darwin was born. Sin is the ultimate cause.28 But an evolutionary
worldview has done nothing but add fuel to the fire.
In spite of the wars and atrocities caused by those who subscribed to an
evolutionary worldview in recent times, there is still hope. We can end the
seemingly endless atrocities against the unborn and those deemed less worthy
of living, including the old and impaired.
In Egypt, Israelite boys were slaughtered by being thrown into the Nile at the
command of Pharaoh (Exodus 1:20). And yet, by the providence of God, Moses
survived and led the Israelites to safety, and the Lord later judged the Egyptians.
In Judea, under the Roman Empire, subordinate King Herod the Great
commanded the slaughter of all the boys under the age of two in and around
Bethlehem. And yet, by the providence of God, Jesus, the Son of God, survived
and later laid down His life to bring salvation to mankind as the Prince of Peace. Herod’s name, however, went down in history as an evil tyrant and murderer.
In this day and age, governments readily promote and fund the killing of
children, both boys and girls, and sometimes command it, through abortion.
By providence, however . . . you survived. While we can’t change the past, we
can learn from it. If we are to stop this continuing bloodshed, we must get back
to the Bible and realize the bankrupt religion of evolutionary humanism has led
only to death — by the millions. We need to point those who think humanity
is the answer to the Savior who took the sins of humanity on Himself to offer
them salvation.
SourceThis article originally appeared on answersingenesis.org
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