Tree of evolution

At the Institute for Creation Research Museum in Santee, California, visitors begin their tour by viewing a plaque displaying the “tree of evolutionism,” which, it is said, “bears only corrupt fruits.” The “evil tree” of evolution is a stock metaphor among proponents of the literal truth of the biblical story of creation. In different versions, it presents evolutionary theory is leading to abortion, suicide, homosexuality, the drug culture, hard rock, alcohol, “dirty books,” sex education alcoholism, crime, government regulations, inflation, racism, Nizism, communism, terrorism, socialism, moral relativism, secularism, feminism, and humanism, among other phenomena regarded as evil. The roots of the evil tree grow in the soil of “unbelief,” which nourishes the tree of “sin”. The base of its trunk represents “no God” -- that is atheism.

The evil tree vividly displays two important ideas. First, the fundamental religious objections to the theory of evolution is not scientific but moral. Evolutionary theory must be opposed because it leads to rampant immorality, on both the personal and political scales. Second, the basic cause of this immorality is atheism. Evolutionary theory bears corrupt fruit because it is rooted in denial of existence of God.

More forms of theism today are reconciled to the truth of evolutionary theory. But the idea of the evil tree still accurately depicts a core objection of atheism. Few people of religious faith object to atheism because they think of evidence for the existence of God is compelling to any rational inquirer. Most of the faithful haven’t considered the evidence for the existence of God in a spirit of rational inquiry -- that is, with openness to the possibility that the evidence goes against their faith. Rather, I believe that people object to atheism because they think that without God, morality is impossible. In the famous words (mis)attributed to Dostoyevsky, “If God is dead, then everything is permitted.” Or, in the less famous words of Senator Joe Liberman, we must not suppose “that morality can be maintained without religion.” ~ Page 215/216