How does believing in evolution connect to being a racist? This is the problem with getting so much information into 40 minutes – I didn’t do a great job of explaining that one. So let me try better here.
Racism is wrong, this is something written into our Bill of Rights, but even more has a basis in the fact that we are all made in the image of God and all have self-worth. If you truly “believe” in evolution – that that process is what made us be able to be what we are – totally through natural selection – then you believe that it is a “good” to be superior: survival of the fittest. You can oppress other races, because that is just natural selection. Or take eugenics – we should neuter those who are bad at tests and only allow the best genes in our species to have kids – that would continue to evolve our species. I can steal or kill, as long as I can get away with it – because it is survival of the fittest.
These are the rules you see at work in the animal kingdom – you can steal if it will help your survival. You can kill; you can hurt any species that you are stronger than. This is evolution. And yet…as humans we know that this is not the way we are supposed to live. This is not just cultural rules, since the rules are alive in almost all cultures, and continue across time. These morals – and our longing for purpose, our hunger for meaning, and our ability to understand beauty and give love – show that we are more than just a product of evolution. A dog can see the sunset, but won’t stand in awe of it, or want to draw a picture or tell others about it. These things point to something bigger.
Even more, we have a longing to make the world better. To not just raise our kids (that is in nature), but to actually help others and work for justice. These things point to a Voice that is whispering to us, and calling us to live differently.
NONE of these things make sense if you truly “believe” in evolution (without God). I think that people say they believe in natural selection, but live as if they believe in a Creator. Of course, I think it is possible to believe in evolution and God – creative evolution, intelligent design, etc. I also think that there is something clearly distinct about humans – shown both in science and in the Bible.
I hope this helps!
Glad for the clarification. As I was listening today and read this now the word that pops to mind is sentience. In a broad sense what inherently distinguishes humans from animals is our consciousness about our external and internal worlds (our sentience). This allows us the ability to perceive fairness and suffering; right and wrong. And it allows us to know that life is way bigger than the scope of our individual existences. Therefore we can believe and know that God does exist. We must just choose to do so.
However, other species of life do not have sentience. So survival of the fittest is definitely seen commonly in the animal kingdom and does change our earth’s genetic makeup and heterogeneity. Likewise, natural phenomenon also commonly shape our earth’s generic milieu. Both of these contribute to what we term evolution. But I firmly believe that all of these things are guided by God’s hand. Plants and animals have no choice. They are not sentient.
However, we are made in God’s image and blessed with free will. With these gifts we were made masters of all other living things. And as we strive to be Christlike and love others as ourselves, racism naturally is wrong. So that’s how I put it all together.