Do you remember the tale of the emperor’s new clothes? Remember how the emperor went along with the ludicrous idea that he was wearing clothes when he was actually naked? In the story, he seems to have ditched common sense along with his apparel. A young child is the only one to tell it like it really is—“Look, he isn’t wearing any clothes!”
It makes me think of the children I meet through ICR events, church, friends, or family. The children are often quick to point out the silliness of impractical thinking. They’re not worried about what others might think, and they don’t put a lot of stock in what someone else may say—even when those people have initials after their name. When a teacher tells children that humans came from ape-like animals, they usually wrinkle their noses and wait for the punch line of the joke. They laugh. They point out the ridiculousness of the suggestion when they are first introduced to evolution.
But somewhere along the way, these children grow up and begin to think like adults. Why do so many adults ditch obvious, commonsense ideas in favor of fairy tales? These days, a majority of them accept the idea that we evolved from an ape-like ancestor—that we came from something other than humans. They lose their common sense and, with a straight face, embrace nonsense.
I’m so glad we have scientists like Dr. Jeffrey Tomkins to provide research data so adults can confidently acknowledge truth. In “Human-Chimp DNA Comparison,” he points out the naked fallacies of evolutionary thinking. He reminds us that “all evolutionists have a presupposition that we all share a common ancestor…that all life is connected through evolution.” He not only provides evidence that reveals the fallacies of evolution, but he offers common sense in its place.
How do experts accept as fact that rock layers like those in Palo Duro Canyon were deposited over millions of years? Evidence doesn’t support the evolutionary presupposition. Geologist Dr. Tim Clarey says, “The lack of any visible erosion is strong evidence that there were not millions of years….We see a pattern—much like we see in Grand Canyon—that is best explained by continuous activity” (“Palo Duro Canyon Rocks Showcase Genesis Flood”). He says, “Secular scientists claim these are deposits from rivers, but a receding mega-flood explanation better fits the broad extent of the Ogallala” and that the formation “would have required high-energy conditions over a huge area.” Dr. Clarey combines his geological expertise with a good dose of common sense.
Nuclear physicist Dr. Vernon Cupps also demonstrates how the biblical model more accurately explains “observed radiohalos and their frequency of occurrence in the earth’s rock layers” than the evolutionary model (“Radiohalos: Nature’s Tiny Mysteries”). Common sense leads us to look at the evidence before immediately accepting evolution’s presuppositions.
We mustn’t let a fear of people keep us from acknowledging the truth. 
So, how do we get back to common sense and that childlike innocence that tells it like it is? Just like the child in “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” we mustn’t let a fear of people keep us from acknowledging the truth. Psalm 8:2 tells us that “out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants [God has] ordained strength.” Let’s not allow the popularity of evolutionary thought to cause us to ignore facts that even a child can recognize. If we’re willing to follow the evidence where it leads, we’ll see the naked truth for ourselves.
* Jayme Durant is Director of Communications at the Institute for Creation Research.
