What’s the point of giving gifts? An anthropologist explains this ancient part of being human (The Conversation, 12 Dec 2023). An evolutionary anthropologist (trigger warning: speculation ahead) gets coal in his stocking for this deconstruction of charity.
You don’t give out of love, respect, or charity, says Chip Colwell at UC Denver. Evolution has taught you that you give because you are selfish: you expect something in return. ‘You’ don’t even enter the equation. Your selfish genes are manipulating you. It seems counterintuitive to explain gift-giving by evolution, but his “ancient habit” only makes “evolutionary sense” when you put on Darwin glasses and see all human behavior as the result of genetic influences in the unobservable past that were selected somehow without witnesses. But did Colwell ever consider that “evolutionary sense” is a sophoxymoronic phrase?
Jesus taught, “Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people” (Luke 6:35).
Jesus taught, “Love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people” (Luke 6:35).
That is so opposite the evolutionary mindset!
Evolutionists, please read the teachings of Jesus this Christmas.
He said, don’t be like your ancestors, whose every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Instead, be like your Maker, who exercised sacrificial love to rebellious creatures by coming to earth to rescue us from our sin (Romans 5:6-11)." CEH
