“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” Genesis 2:3.
When I first heard this, I didn’t know my times tables, nor how to type on a keyboard. When I was about seven, I knew that I believed in a greater power – something that is so fantastic it doesn’t have to be a human being. I knew I believed in something without knowing anything about the science behind it.
My experience with religion has always been bipolar. When I pray for good health for my family, I believe God has something to do with it. But when I had to have surgery on my leg because of a condition I was born with, I couldn’t understand why God would inflict that upon me.
After 16 years of my aunt, who is very devoted to God, reiterating Bible verses and teaching me to turn to God in times of hardship and struggle, I’ve learned that He is a shoulder to cry on. My family never made me feel that I had to have a close relationship with God. I chose to. I chose to believe someone was always fighting for me, comforting me and always pro-Marti.
Death has been my biggest fear for my entire life. The thought of being dead makes my heart sink to my stomach. ‘What is it like to have your heart not beat and your brain not function? What is it like to not be able to hear someone speak or feel someone’s touch?’ These thoughts were wrapped around my brain until about seventh grade when I finally decided to believe in heaven. However, through semesters of science courses, I’ve learned that evolution is a Theory that cannot be overlooked.
Evolution versus creation is a topic that’s been discussed at family dinners throughout my life, and I could never decide which side to back-up until recently, because I believed and do believe in both phenomenons. As I’ve matured, science has consumed more and more of my brain. The law that creatures came from the sea and evolved into man is a concept my mind is infatuated with.
This fascination has guilted me ever since the first time my seventh grade science teacher put up a slideshow with “Unit 6: Evolution” typed in royal blue on the SMARTBoard. As my teacher began to discuss how we are physically similar to monkeys, I immediately started to educate myself more about the study of man and less about Adam and Eve. No, I don’t go to church every Sunday and I never have. And no, I don’t pray before every meal. However, He is who I’ve turned to whenever I’ve struggled.
I don’t feel drawn more to one theory than the other. It’s comforting to me to know that technically, both are equally factual to me. The only difference to me is evolution is taught in school and creation is taught at church. Having the opportunity to gain knowledge of both has made me feel more well-rounded about religion and science, and also made me more accepting of and interested in other religions.
Until this year, I thought a person believed in either creation or evolution, but not both. However, I have come to my own conclusion that I believe in both theories, I wove them together. I ask myself the question, ‘if this came from that, then where did that come from?’ and I always reach the same answer: God.