The Appropriateness of Creationism

Main Point: God purposefully created the universe. That view may be unpopular, but it’s still true, and there are good reasons to believe it.

Discussion Starter: Bill Nye (The Science Guy) on Creationism
NOTE: This video is probably on the high school level; it uses some scientific jargon that may be above the understanding of many middle school students. If there’s any doubt, just define a few terms for your group so they understand what they’re watching, for instance, evolution, creationism, worldview, universe, etc.

While he may be somewhat unknown to today’s kids, Bill Nye was a staple of most youth workers’ upbringing. He was the guy on kids’ TV channels that did cool science experiments during the commercial breaks, and even went on to have his own show. He did a great job of putting scientific material in easy-to-understand vocabulary.

Like many scientists, Nye is an Evolutionist, meaning he believes that the universe was not God’s creation, but rather, the result of billions of years of evolution. In his thinking, there is no room for God. This video clearly shows what he thinks about people who believe that God created the heavens and the earth. Take a look.

The Online Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHbYJfwFgOU&feature=player_embedded

OPTIONAL: By the way, if your group needs some background on who Bill Nye The Science Guy is, then check out these YouTube clips:

(The Planets) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdAqq-wEQV0&feature=related
(Gravity) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZi8TXtRRYg
(Evolution Part One) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svHQ4BQY__o

Transitional Statement:
You might want to hate on Bill Nye The Science Guy after watching that video, but don’t. Do I believe he’s correct? No. But do I believe he’s trying his best to understand our world? Yes. Ironically, he’s just as confused as he thinks we are! He believes life as we know it on earth is the result of billions of years’ worth of evolutionary chance. According to his worldview, we could just have easily ended up as flying plankton or duckbill kangaroos! The truth is, God purposefully created the universe. That view may be unpopular, but it’s still true, and there are good reasons to believe it. Let’s talk about that now.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: As we get started, let’s all take a second to share our names and the coolest thing you’ve ever learned in science class.


2. ASK A FEW: Let’s be honest: how do you think life happened? Was it the plan of God or the chance of Mother Nature?


3. ASK A FEW: In the video, Mr. Nye says that when a certain percentage of the population doesn’t believe in something, it holds everyone back. Can you think of a time in history when a small group of people didn’t go along with the crowd because they knew the majority was wrong? (Leaders – How about the citizens of Germany who knew that murdering Jews was wrong? How about those in America who knew slavery was wrong? Just because a small group of people don’t go along with the crowd doesn’t mean they’re wrong; in fact, they may be the ONLY ones who are right!)


4. ASK A FEW: Mr. Nye says that he often gets people who say they don’t believe in Evolution, and he counters with, “Why not?” Can you think of any reasons for not believing in Evolution?


5. ASK A FEW: He makes it sound as though a person cannot believe in Creationism and also be a scientist. Do you think that’s the case? Why or why not?


6. ASK A FEW: At the end of the video, he encourages parents who may be Creationists to raise their kids as Evolutionists, and gives several reasons why he thinks they should. Do you think it’s a good idea for parents to raise their kids one way while believing something else entirely? Why?


7. ASK A FEW: He also says that in a couple centuries, the idea of Creationism won’t even exist? Do you think he’s right or wrong? Why?


8. ASK A FEW: The last thing he says is, “There’s no evidence for it [Creationism].” Do you agree or disagree?

Read the following passage:

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 (NIV)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning– the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning– the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning– the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights– the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning– the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning– the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground– everything that has the breath of life in it– I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning– the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.



9. ASK A FEW: These are the Bible’s opening words. It plainly says that “God created” but it offers no evidence, no explanation of how, nor any defense the claim. Why do you think that is? (Leaders – Perhaps it’s as simple as this: When people see the Creation, they know there is a Creator. When they see a car, they know there is a manufacturer. They don’t look at a Lexus and believe an explosion happened in a junk yard.)


10. ASK A FEW: Is there a portion of this that’s more difficult for you to believe than another? If so, what?


11. ASK A FEW: In what ways does this account of Creation seem logical/plausible? In what ways does it defy our logic? (Leaders – Since there was only darkness in the beginning, the first thing God did was create light. That makes sense. But of course, “light” was created on Day 1, before the sun was created, on Day 4. That may be a bit confusing to us. Also, God told the humans to reproduce after He created them, but that wasn’t a problem because He made them as “male and female.” Also, God placed the humans in charge of all living things, because they were superior to all other living things. In short, God’s ways do not have to be understandable by us to be true. Do we really think we can understand the depths of His knowledge and wisdom? Job learned this firsthand. God is infinitely above us and He has His reasons for doing things His way.)


12. ASK A FEW: What did God think of His work at the end of Day 1? Day 2? Day 3? Day 4? Day 5? Day 6? Why did He say VERY good at the end of Day 6? (Leaders – This is kind of a trick question that will give you the opportunity to have an “aha moment” with your group. God said “very good” at the end of Day 6 – the day He created man – because it wasn’t until this day that He created something in His image!)


13. ASK A FEW: How is the world different today than it was when God created it thousands of years ago? What might those changes lead someone to believe about God, His creation, and life in general? (Leaders – When God created the world and us, everything was perfect and at peace. That’s hardly the case now. So when people look at the world they live in today, there may be some difficulty believing a perfect God created a perfect world, but it’s true!)


14. ASK A FEW: Bill Nye believes that Evolution is the understanding to the origin of the world and life. But, are there problems with this view, too? (Leaders – Yes. Here are just a couple. First, if humans evolved from apes, then why are there still apes? After all, the idea behind natural selection is that only the strong survive. Well, we have both primates and humans. It seems like both of them survived. Second, there is no evidence in the fossil record for evolution, an obvious fact that even Darwin noted in his famous book On the Origin of Species. In other words, there aren’t any remains that show/prove evolution.)


15. ASK A FEW: How should we respond to those who believe in Evolution and not Creation?


16. AROUND THE CIRCLE: How will our discussion impact the way you share your faith?

Finally, there are plenty of other scientists and thinkers that disagree with folks like Bill Nye.

I want you to walk away from our time together knowing that God created everything you see, including you and me. That’s huge! I don’t want anyone to rob you of that truth.

How cool of a story would it be if God led Bill Nye to Himself? Instead of being called Bill Nye, the Science Guy, he would be called Bill Nye, God’s Guy.

Close in Prayer

Written by David R Smith