For many years, this golden rule has been a golden thorn in the sides of evolutionists. After all, how can natural selection explain humans cooperating with one another. As Gretchen Vogel observed: At first glance, cooperation seems to be an evolutionary anomaly (2004, 303:1128). Anomaly indeed! Humans routinely go out of their way to help or provide assistance for total strangers. But in keeping with their motto of not allowing a Divine foot in the door, evolutionists finally have conjured up an explanation for the origin of The Golden Rule.
For example, an article titled The Evolution of the Golden Rule appeared in the February 20, 2004 issue of Science. The article began by noting: Human and other primates have a keen sense of fairness and a tendency to cooperate even when it does them no discernable good (303:1128). Vogel continued by noting: In the 1960s the late evolutionary biologist William Hamilton developed a theory of kin selection that showed how helping relatives can increase the chances that ones own genes will be passed on through them (p. 1128). Later, Ms.Vogel speculated: A sensitivity to fairness may have emerged early in the primate linage (p. 1131).
Thus, with one broad stroke, evolutionists have painted The Golden Rule neatly into their evolutionary tree of life. Their idea is that the only reason people perform acts of kindness is because they feel that such acts will help them in some way in the future. Mathematicians Martin Nowak and Karl Sigmund developed a theory called indirect reciprocity. It suggests that people are willing to help someone who wont pay them backas long as other people witness the charitable act.
So now we find ourselves analyzing theories about why humans act nice. Obviously, these individuals did not read the entire text of Jesus message in the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter six begins with Jesus warning: Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before mena concept that hardly fits well with the evolutionists latest theory.
Vogel, Gretchen (2004), The Evolution of the Golden Rule, Science, 303:1128-1131, February 20.
Copyright © 2004 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.
For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:
Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558
http://www.apologeticspress.org