Although there has been a desire to explain the universe apart from God for centuries (e.g., Ancient Greeks, Romans), Secularism as we know it came into existence during the Enlightenment (late 17th through 18th centuries). As scientists like Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Bacon, and several others began to discover the natural laws that govern the universe, many people began to gravitate toward the belief that the world could operate apart from God. Deism, the belief that God created the world but no longer manages it, began to gain greater acceptance. However, when Charles Darwin introduced his theory of evolution, those who wished to rule God out entirely were given the answer they sought. By stating a theory of origins devoid of God’s involvement, Darwin introduced a belief that denied any need for God in the creation of life. Consequently, if we didn’t need God in order to exist in the first place, was there any reason we needed Him at all? Although other theories of evolution had been previously offered, Darwin’s gained increasing popularity among the scientific community. As the 1800’s came to a close and a new century began, Secularism continued to gain acceptance in academia, science, political theory, and a number of other disciplines.
While many may not consider Secularism to be a religion, it nonetheless holds a number of basic beliefs. Fundamentally, Secularism denies the existence of God and seeks to provide an explanation for life apart from His sovereign rule. As a result, it strives to explain reality only by the use of science and natural laws. The belief that God doesn’t exist produces a number of additional consequences as well. Without God, there is no standard of morality, no purpose or meaning to existence, and no afterlife. Secularism holds that we only exist for the here and now, with no hope for an eternal future. Therefore, any form of “salvation” is simply what one makes of life. If there is no life after death, then the best thing one could do is to live their life to the point of maximum enjoyment. Apart from any purpose or solid moral foundation, all of life becomes relative.
Needless to say, Secularism and Biblical Christianity are entirely at odds. Secularism places its foundation solely on scientific reasoning, while Biblical Christianity is grounded on God’s Word. Many would claim that because Secularism is supposedly able to explain reality by only natural means, Christianity’s acceptance of the Bible makes it entirely irrelevant. However, they neglect to understand that true Biblical Christianity doesn’t discount scientific reasoning or natural laws. In fact, those things would be unable to exist apart from a sovereign creator God. If there was no omnipotent Creator over the universe, how could order be brought to chaos? What about the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that the amount of disorder within a system can’t decrease, but can only increase? Biblical Christianity doesn’t discount scientific reasoning. Rather, it makes it possible! Additionally, claims of moral relativism are completely illogical, as they contradict themselves. If I say that all truth is a matter of opinion, is my statement true? Secularism attempts to explain reality apart from God, but, upon serious consideration and honest analysis, it is entirely unable to provide a reasonable explanation.
If you’d like to explore the evidence for the reliability of the Bible, check out the “Apologetics” tab in the category menu to the left. There’s also a series of posts addressing evolution in this section as well.
