Evolution and Pop Culture – The Evolution of Evolution | David Rives

If you pay attention while you’re watching TV shows and movies you might be surprised by the amount of evolutionary content the writers and producers work into the finished product. Everything from kids’ movies about the Ice Age, to Flintstones cartoons, to sci-fi movies have subtle (or not-so-subtle) messages of evolution or millions of years.

This is especially common within the science fiction genre of films. Many of them feature back stories that dip into the far distant past or alien civilizations that have evolved elsewhere in the universe. Indeed, this genre started to become popular with the widespread acceptance of evolutionary ideas and one of the “fathers of sci-fi” was ardently anti-Christian and a committed evolutionist.

Actually, the whole idea of alien civilizations or finding extraterrestrial life comes from an evolutionary worldview. If life evolved here on earth, then it simply must have evolved somewhere else in the universe because we can’t be special. There must be other life somewhere! And yet, in the real world, this other life that’s supposedly out there remains elusive.

But from a biblical perspective, God created earth to be inhabited so it isn’t likely we’ll find intelligent life on distant planets. Also, Adam’s sin effected the entire universe and yet Jesus came to earth as God and man to save descendants of Adam. So, if there are other intelligent beings, they aren’t descendants of Adam and yet they are suffering from the Curse but can’t be saved. This is a major theological problem. Starting from God’s Word we don’t expect to find alien life. Also, I don’t think this standpoint precludes the idea of the claimed “alien encounters and abductions” because I do believe that the spiritual realm is very real. But these “beings” don’t originate from distant galaxies.

It seems movies and TV shows have been a great way of promoting evolutionary ideas. This is just another way evolution has become increasingly popular with the public. But when we study God’s Word, we find that it provides the true history of the universe. Let’s spend just 10 fewer minutes each day on television, and unwind with a good Book. You know the one I mean.

I’m David Rives. Truly…the heavens declare the glory of God.