Lots of articles lately in the JTNews about Creationism vs. Evolution. Let?s face it. If the Darwinian Theory of Evolution is correct, then the Jewish religion is nonsense and we should pack up our prayer books, our Torahs, and our tikkun olam-ing and close the show.

The core beliefs of Judaism are

1. God exists

2. God created Man in His own image

3. Therefore Man is accountable to God for his actions (and perhaps vice-versa)

As we say in the yizkor service, ?What is Man, O Lord, what is Man? What is Man that Thou art mindful of him? Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels, and crowned him with honor and glory.?

All Judaism, from the most Orthodox to the most liberal, flows from these beliefs. And these beliefs, the vaporings of Rabbi Kook notwithstanding, are absolutely incompatible with a ?science? that posits that all living creatures are the result of a mindless infinite series of random genetic mutations and subsequent survival struggles with the guiding hand of God nowhere to be seen. Either Man was created by God or he wasn?t. There is no in-between.

But not to worry. The Theory of Evolution is obviously wrong. Not all living creatures are the result of mindless evolution. Man himself has been creating new species and altering the characteristics of existing ones for thousands of years; in the garden, in the breeding shed and now in the bio-engineering laboratory. And what Man can do God certainly can do.

So here?s the deal. As a Creationist I claim the origin of life, the division of life into male and female, and human beings. And maybe dogs, horses, hummingbirds and cherry trees because of their beauty and utility to Man. To the Evolutionists I concede all the other species, especially dinosaurs and Darwin?s famous 45,000 species of beetle. Take them, they?re yours.

And may God let Judaism survive for yet another generation, bringing light to a darkening world.

Jeffrey Weiser

Redmond