Cambrian Explosion: Why Christians Need to Know

Why should Christians be concerned or care about a bunch of fossils? What is the significance of the Cambrian Explosion? What is it? Why should Christians need to know about it?

Why is the Cambrian Layer Called an Explosion?

The reason that scientists, archaeologists and paleontologists call the Cambrian Explosion an “explosion” is because most of the present species that exist today or have ever existed are found in what is known as the Cambrian layer or explosion. This “explosion” of fossils comes in an extremely shallow layer of the earth that seems to match the creation account of Genesis, where all plant and animal life were created within a short period of time. Since all life was created by God so suddenly, it would make sense that the fossils would be found so close together in earthen layers.

The Cambrian Explosion is a sudden appearance of all life as we know it. There are exceedingly few that come before this and those that follow the Cambrian show no differences than their ancestral cousins or predecessors that follow. It is like an explosion of life that appears almost instantaneously on earth. What is amazing about the Cambrian layer is what is not there before it and after it. In other words, you will find almost no predecessors or ancestors of the Cambrian creatures; that is, absolutely nothing above or below this layer. This roaring silence of evidence is what was a problematic area for Darwin, who believed that in the years to come, there would be hundreds of transitional fossils that would validate his theory. With hundreds of thousands of digs, there are still gigantic gaps in the transitional fossils that would allegedly show the transitions of species into totally different species.

What Does the Cambrian Explosion Prove?

As we have already read, we do not see new and emerging species that are transitioning from previous ones. There is not one single set of transitional fossils that reveal one species evolving into another one. What we do find aren’t just invertebrates but soft worms and those with hard parts. And what comes after the Cambrian layer? The very same thing…basically fossilized remains that have virtually no differences. Remarkably, during this supposed 50 million year time period, these fossils remain absolutely stable with no signs of mutations and no fossilized remains showing mutations. This might be part of the reason that the theory of evolution is losing more and more support from scientists, paleontologists, and archaeologists. For an alleged “Tree of Life” where the chicken and the T- rex reside on the same branch, the lack of fossilized evidence is phenomenal.

It isn’t surprising that the theory is falling out of favor because in this Cambrian layer, almost every one of the major groups of phyla, fauna, and animals appear suddenly, and these in this layer are basically no different today than they were then. Many of these are now extinct and among those that are extinct, we do not find any of their ancestors prior to the Cambrian. We just see them all appear at once. Many that became extinct could well have died out during the Antediluvian Flood some time ago.

Why No New Species?

Why should Christians be concerned or care about a bunch of fossils?

One observation that I had when looking at evolution’s “Tree of Life,” a hypothetical drawing where all species are said to have developed and evolved, was where the apes and mankind were occupying the same branch. Since humans are suppose to have evolved from monkeys or apes, why are they still around today? Shouldn’t they have evolved out of existence? Why don’t we see the intermediate fossil remains from the transition of apes to mankind? I believe that the so-called “missing links” are missing because they simply don’t exist. I would ask why we even search for these missing links when the entire chain is gone. Don’t we need a chain of evolving, transitional fossils to have a place to put these “links” into?

The Horseshoe Crab that is supposed to have been around for millions and millions of years is absolutely the same as it was in the earliest fossilized layers. It has not changed at all in these “millions” of years. Why not? Is evolution only specialized in some species and not others, and if so, why!? There are dozens and dozens of fish that lived in ancient times and yet are still around today…and completely unchanged! Why have the Hagfish, Frilled Shark, Arowana, Lancefish, Sturgeons, Sawfish, Alligator Gar, and Coelacanth remained completely unchanged since they have been around since the time of and even before the age of the dinosaurs? Again, does evolution work only for some species and not for others? If this is so, then why is evolution selective? Should not evolution make them different and more efficient? If evolution is at work, why have so many species become extinct and yet others remained unchanged?

And what about the evolution of plants? Plants are said to have evolved too. The oldest known plant is the Gingko Biloba, dated to around 270 million years ago, yet it is exactly the same then as it is today. The list of plants that have been around for, some say, millions and millions of years, are still the very same today as they were then! The giant redwoods, many of the cactus family,mushrooms, and so on. You can not find any transitional evidence in fossils of plants evolving from one plant into another, newer plant, just as you can’t among mammal or animal species.

The Cause of the Explosion

If we are to believe the Bible, then we must believe that all of life, plant and animal, came into existence immediately. If they evolved, then why does God say that He created them male and female (Genesis 1:27)? Jesus reiterated the idea of man and woman being a creation of God when He said, “Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4). And since they had names, Adam and Eve, we know that they were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). He didn’t create amoebas after the amoeba kind, or the single-celled organism after the single-celled organism kind. As Malachi wrote, “Has not [the LORD] made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring” (Malachi 2:15). The creation of mankind was not a molecules-to-monkey-to-man evolution but a created being that was made in the likeness and image of God. I can not believe in a theory that after 130 years or so has still remained a theory. I refuse to believe I am a monkey’s uncle. Was it the late Dr. D. James Kennedy who once said something like this: “Am I my brother’s keeper or my keeper’s brother?”

Take a look at these related articles:

What do Christians believe about dinosaurs?

Can creationism and evolution co-exist?

How do Christians explain evolution?