Chicken or the Egg?
Written by Jerry Coleman
Edited by Gianna Furnari & Lote Līva Leimane
*this is an opinion piece
Human existence is probably the biggest debate when discussing religion. People can argue about religion and what to believe in, but when the topic gets a little tense, I feel the next appropriate question to ask is, “Okay, how was the world created?” When that question is asked, you can tell the conversation is getting serious.
When I think of some of the things I learned growing up and how science says things were created, I have to ask myself: How is that possible? How do they even come to that conclusion?
We, as humans, evolved from monkeys, but there are still monkeys around, and no one has seen a monkey evolve into a human since. That doesn’t make sense to me. But that’s not how evolution works. Do I know science? I don’t. I just know what I was told in school. The Big Bang Theory isn’t something I am experienced in, but I will ask: how does something explode and create a perfect living planet for life, and somehow humans and animals land on this planet? Other planets aren’t inhabitable, and some are possibly inhabitable unless they aren’t giving us all the information (which wouldn’t be a surprise). But for some reason, Earth is? Earth was made for monkeys to live on and grow into humans. This bang created animals, trees, water, and berries, but didn’t create humans. I just find it hard that a bang created this single, perfect planet. Do I need to do more research? Probably so. I don’t take anything away from these ideas. They just make me think. Evolution is probably my biggest battle because I do believe in evolution. I just can’t put together that the Big Bang created the universe and all the animals. If I could mix them, then I would say the Big Bang created the universe, God created the animals, and then we evolved from monkeys. I believe evolution started with monkeys who were smarter than other monkeys and decided to do better things, and the cycle continued until monkeys evolved into humans. That is an evolution that I could believe in. I mean, as humans, we grow and evolve in all things, from love to war.
The Bible tells us of a God who created the heavens and earth. Now, when we look at man and the cities that we live in and the buildings we occupy, he creates amazing things. So, is it hard to believe that someone who is all-mighty didn’t create the universe? To me, that isn’t hard to believe. I believe Adam and Eve were the first people he created. It was more like a test or experiment. He wanted to see how his creation would evolve and how they would listen. They started well, and then they failed. From there, God just went with it. He then created more humans in hopes they wouldn’t turn out like Adam and Eve, and they would listen and follow him. I mean, if we all came from Adam and Eve, then we are all family, but then the science of DNA and incest comes into play there. I was in many different churches growing up. I have seen miracles happen right in front of my eyes. I once witnessed a teenager who had one leg shorter than the other, and during church, they prayed for him, and his leg grew to be even with his other leg. I can’t say that it is science. I can only say that that is a higher power.
I believe the Bible is a way to live. It is the events that happen in life and how to deal with them while still staying humble. I believe it is about turning the other cheek and letting Karma or God deal with them. How often have you said that’s what they get or deserve? The Bible is also a list of events and stories where people witnessed miracles happen that they couldn’t explain. Should I put what I witnessed in the Bible? The Book of Jerry perhaps.
Religion as a whole is very subjective. I respect all religions and what they believe. One thing I do know is that when someone is faced with a challenging situation or is backed into a corner and they see death coming their way, they all ask God for help. So, in the end, we all believe. Because no one is praying to science when death is calling.