Modern Science and Vain Philosophy: An Ancient Deception in Our Midst | The Institute for Creation Research

Modern Science and Vain Philosophy: An Ancient Deception in Our Midst

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)

The account of Adam and Eve’s temptation and subsequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden is familiar to many. It contains hidden truths that are just as true today as they were when the world was new. One of these truths concerns how Satan deals in the world. Satan consistently tempts his victims through both outright lies and subtle deception. If we are to remain firm in our faith, then we should learn how to resist his tactics by rooting ourselves in the inspired Word of God.

Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus shows us the proper way of resisting the devil’s temptations. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the devil did not test Him by obvious manifestations of sin but by subtly applying half-truths from the Bible.1 The devil tried to get Jesus to doubt the Father’s declaration concerning Himself,2 misquoted Psalm 91:11-12 to test God’s love, and even tempted Jesus with the desires of the flesh. But at every turn Jesus remained steadfast, answering Satan with Scripture.

Jesus’ example can be applied to the deceptions of modern science that try to undermine the authority of God’s Word. Some would say that the con game played on Adam and Eve couldn’t happen in today’s world—we put everything through the ruthless filter of naturalism,3 and so we are much too sophisticated and knowledgeable to fall for such a deception.

However, naturalism has turned much of modern science into a dizzy array of conjecture, wishful thinking, assumptions, and will-driven consensus far removed from the constraints of true science, which rests on observation and reproducible experimentation. Yet this “science” has replaced God’s Word as the absolute authority.

Suppose we listen to a conversation between a naturalist who believes in concepts like deep time (millions and billions of years) and a naïve professing Christian who goes to church and does many good deeds but is not rooted in the authority of God’s Word.

Naturalist: “Did God really say that He created the heavens and the earth in six days? That’s preposterous because science has demonstrated through radioactive dating, core drilling, tree-ring studies, and biological evidence that the earth must be at least 3.4 billion years old.”

Christian: “But God said plainly that He created from nothingness the heavens and the earth in six distinct steps…six actual days.”

Naturalist: “The six days could be six very long time periods. Only ignorant people believe the myths and fairy tales in the Bible, especially Genesis. Very long time periods agree better with modern science.”

Christian: “Maybe you’re right.”

From the beginning, Satan has been man’s adversary. He operates in the realm of outright lies and half-truths so that he may deceive us.4 Beware of those who peddle various philosophies and vain deceits after the traditions of men, people who set science before and over the Word of God.5

All of this reduces to faith, something all people possess—even skeptics and atheists. The real question is: What are you going to put your faith in, the word of man or the Word of God?

References

  1. Matthew 4:1-11.
  2. Matthew 3:17.
  3. Naturalism is a philosophy that denies any event or object has a supernatural origin or significance. Specifically, it states that scientific laws adequately account for all phenomena.
  4. 1 Peter 5:8.
  5. Colossians 2:8.

* Dr. Cupps is Research Associate at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his Ph.D. in nuclear physics at Indiana University-Bloomington.

Cite this article: Vernon R. Cupps, Ph.D. 2016. Modern Science and Vain Philosophy: An Ancient Deception in Our Midst. Acts & Facts. 45 (9).

The Latest
NEWS
''73-Million-Year-Old'' Alaskan Salmon
Fish evolution remains an enigma. Evolutionists can only say fish first “appeared” over a half-billion years ago.1 Creationists...

NEWS
God's Memorial Day
“And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of...

NEWS
How Did Earth Get Its Water?
Earth’s oceans contain 321 million cubic miles (1.335 billion cubic kilometers) of water. The moon causes ebb and flow of tides twice in a 24-hour...

NEWS
The Origin of Eukaryotes
Eukaryotes are multicellular organisms that contain diverse differentiated cell types. Within almost every cell there are subcellular compartments called...

CREATION PODCAST
Water vs. Wind: The Controversial Coconino | The Creation Podcast:...
Welcome to the sixth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Fossil Fish Finally Filmed
The bizarre lobe-finned coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) “that flourished some 350 million years ago”1 continues to be a thorn...

NEWS
The Mosasaur: A Giant Sea Dragon
Mosasaurs (order Squamata) were massive marine lizards that were common in the pre-Flood oceans. Therefore, it is not surprising that their fossils...

DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Summer 2025
...

NEWS
Was Life Detected on a Distant Planet?
There was celebration, albeit briefly, for the discovery of potential life on a planet called K2-18b, which is 124 lightyears away from Earth. The...

NEWS
Ichthyosaur Graveyard Explained by the Flood
Ichthyosaurs are marine reptiles that occur globally in the same rock layers as dinosaurs. Specimens with babies support the idea that they gave live...