Who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory? Seriously. They can be a lot of fun and are often very creative and intriguing. Upon hearing one, your response might be, “Hmmm, that makes a lot of sense. I wonder if it’s true.” You may even think twice about what you have been perceiving as reality. There’s something within our (fallen) nature that makes us drawn to be on “the inside” of a secret and to possess special knowledge and insight that very few others know.
Another aspect is that all those who don’t go along with the particular theory, well, they are the ones who are helping perpetuate “the great lie” that all others have bought into. It’s just all so intriguing. A few famous conspiracy examples are the belief that we never really landed on the moon, the Earth is really flat, not spherical, and Elvis is still alive!
One of the biggest problems with conspiracy theories is that a lot of truth within them gets instantly discarded because of being a part of the conspiracy in general. I have felt for a long time if you ever want to get away with doing something nefarious, just broadcast it loudly within the context of a half-crazy conspiracy theory. The general public and those in authority will not take any of it seriously, including the portions that are actually true!
Earlier this year, Snopes (Feb 4, 2021) republished an article from The Conversation in which they labeled belief in creation as a conspiracy theory! I’ve known for most of my life that many people don’t believe in biblical creation, but I’ve never heard anyone call it a conspiracy. The title of the article was, “Why Creationism Bears All the Hallmarks of a Conspiracy Theory.”
Most conspiracy theories are associated with disreputable people, gravely lacking character, secretly huddling together in a dark room, scheming to develop a narrative to deceive the masses and shame all who are skeptical of the new story. They truly are conspiring and not with good intent.
While I certainly believe this happens, I also think that many involved in pushing false narratives are doing so very sincerely, even though their ideas are completely wrong. They themselves have been deceived and are being used as tools in perpetuating the deception. The deception could be in the form of one authoritative, agenda-driven group overpowering and manipulating another subordinate group, but more significantly, it could be the fallen spiritual realm adversely influencing vulnerable human beings.
This brings us to the creation vs. evolution controversy. I do not see a belief in creation or evolution as a conspiracy along the lines of dark rooms and evil cohorts. I don’t believe for one second that there are significant numbers of people who, while knowing Darwinian, molecules-to-man evolution is scientifically false, purposely and consistently work to propagate that belief. I don’t see this as a human conspiracy. I see this as ultimately being a spiritual battle. Those who hold to molecules-to-man evolution have been spiritually blinded and are unable to see the evidence for creation all around them. It’s not wrong for Christians to share specific lines of evidence supporting the biblical creation narrative, but we must keep in mind this is ultimately a spiritual matter. Until the skeptic is willing to humble themself and consider the truth of Scripture, the facts of the creation vs. evolution debate may fall off them like water off a duck’s back.
Consider Romans 1:18-22:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest [f]in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.
The skeptic suppresses the truth. What does it mean to suppress? In the Greek, it means to “hold down.” That means, naturally, on its own, the truth would rise up and be obvious. The skeptic has to go out of their way to ensure that doesn’t happen. What is driving this? This passage tells us. It says they suppress the truth “in unrighteousness.” That means because of their unrighteousness. In short, they don’t want to see the truth because it’s too convicting. This passage also says, “their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” That means they do not think clearly and are incapable of seeing the truth on their own.
The article reproduced by Snopes made numerous misleading and false claims, and I could write an entire series of commentaries in response. My intention, however, is to focus on the spiritual side of things, as opposed to listing every erroneous claim along with a detailed refutation.
If you have availed yourself of the vast array of resources offered by our ministry, you will be quite aware that the scientific case for biblical creation is far superior to that of Darwinian evolution. So, why aren’t we teaching biblical creation in our public-school systems? There must be something deeper going on than just reviewing the facts of the matter.
Consider the following quote from Richard Lewontin (American evolutionary biologist/geneticist):
“Our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural. We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes… no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”
That is an interesting admission that some will do whatever it takes to make sure God is not an option.
Consider just one more quote from Leonard Susskind (Physicist/Atheist):
“Two stories are possible. The first is creationist: God made man with some purpose that involved man’s ability to appreciate and worship God. Let’s forget that story. The whole point of science is to avoid such stories.”
Many other such quotes could be given, but this gives you a pretty good feel for the mindset that underlies much of science education today. For more information along these lines, see my article entitled, “What is the purpose of science?”
Wrapping this all up, no, creation is not a conspiracy theory. On the contrary, it is straight from the inerrant, Divinely inspired Word of God and backed up by a myriad of scientific evidence.
