On Feb. 4, a debate over evolution and creationism was held between Bill Nye and Ken Ham. I thought the debate went really well, and there were many valid points made on both sides. Both men were very knowledgeable in their topic area — Nye in the area of science and factual information and Ham in the area of faith and how science backs it. However, I believe Nye had the upper hand as far as the debate went.

During the entire debate, Ham’s main point was that creationism is the only way, while Nye wanted scientific facts and used scientific facts and observation to disprove a lot of what Ham brought to the table. I believe in creation by intelligent design; as a practicing Christian, that is my personal view. I also believe the following:

The world was created in six days, but not six 24-hour days, as mentioned earlier in the debate. It’s like Nye said, views are being based on biblical scrolls written centuries ago, translated into English and formatted into the Old Testament of the Bible. Some things are taken literally that really shouldn’t be. I believe the Earth was created in six early geological days. Our concept of time and a Creator’s concept of time are extremely different in my opinion. If you think about it, the Earth’s rotation and the time around our sun was moving nowhere near the speed it does now when they were formed. We can see this through observation of other planets and the early formation thereof.

The Earth is much older than 6,000 years; I believe it to be 4.54 billion years old. The field of geological science has expanded greatly over the last several centuries with the formation of radiometric and carbon dating. Observance of geological phenomena and the relation of similar phenomena also provide evidence to the age and functionality of Earth. As Ham kept incessantly repeating, “We weren’t there;” therefore, neither side knows specifically when the Earth was formed.

Most species today have come from simple, less complex organisms. There is a vast amount of scientific evidence to back this, such as fossil records and observance of DNA sequences amongst similar species. I really believe that anyone who denies that species have evolved and adapted to their surroundings or even changes in climate, are somewhat ignorant and close-minded. What most people don’t understand is that evolution doesn’t provide an origin to life. Its main purpose is to explain how unicellular organisms evolved after they were formed.

The concepts of creationism and evolution can coincide. The Nye/Ham debate was a great continuation of that discussion, which will likely continue through our lifetimes and those of generations to come. I would encourage everyone, no matter what political or religious convictions, to watch the debate, continue to engage in the conversation and keep the debate going.