A member of an alien species transfigured on Star Trek: The Next Generation

An impossible lie disguised as entertainment is still an impossible lie. This one is from the father of lies.

Honest atheists will tell you there is no purpose or meaning to life, no hope of an after life and all your thoughts, feelings and desires are merely the result of the electro-chemical reactions in your brain and thus are ultimately meaningless. As one such honest atheist put it:

But make no mistake: all our dreams, loves, opinions, and desires are figments of our primordial imagination¹

Or as Cornell University atheist William Provine famously stated:

Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear — and these are basically Darwin’s views. There are no gods, no purposes, and no goal-directed forces of any kind. There is no life after death. When I die, I am absolutely certain that I am going to be dead. That’s the end of me. There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning in life, and no free will for humans, either.²

Yet in spite of their profession that everything is meaningless (including they  themselves) and that there is no hope of an afterlife;  yet still you see their glimmers of hope poking out from behind their denials like Kilroy's head poking over the fence.

Knowing that the atheistic worldview can not support any sort of future meaning, hope or purpose does not stop some of them from trying to inject these into atheistic life and thought through any number of means. One such means is entertainment. Case in point - an episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation, titled "Transfigurations" which posits that man may be able to evolve into a higher spiritual state. Here's how the guest character explains it:

"Captain, my species is on the verge of a wonderful evolutionary change. A transmutation beyond our physical being. I am the first of my kind to approach this metamorphosis.  They tried to convince us that it was a sickness we'd never survive.  They destroyed anyone who exhibited the signs of the transfiguration."³

Thus the decidedly atheistic Star Trek series displays a curiously messianic figure who has been exhibiting messianic attributes (like healing) just before he is seen completing another messianic miracle: the transfiguration.

For those not familiar with the biblical account from which this is clearly drawn, here is the salient portion:

17:1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Matthew 17.1-3
 

One is left to ponder - what is an atheistic series like Star Trek: the Next Generation doing displaying an episode with Christian themes? The answer lies in the explanation given - "a wonderful evolutionary change." There it is - the atheistic hope. So once again, it is the theory of evolution that comes to the rescue. Just as it has rescued atheists from having absolutely no explanation for the origin of life, now they are hoping it will provide them with hope for a spiritual future for mankind; a hope that professor Provine has explained and clearly stated that atheists have no business expecting or hoping for.

And while it may seem curious for an atheistic series like Star Trek  to focus on such overtly Christian themes, once you hear the explanation, it's supposed to all make sense. But there's still a problem - a problem that becomes obvious - once you understand the recurring lie of the enemy. Before going there, a word on the historical account.

The Biblical account of the transfiguration is a revelation to the faithful of the natural state of Jesus - a glimpse of the glorified state he had before taking on flesh to walk with his created beings as the incarnate Son of God. The Biblical account makes sense - it is internally consistent within the Christian world view as a revelation from an almighty God of Christ in his glorified state. It's a revelation to encourage his people - who we're told will be like Jesus (1 Jn 3.2).  And now the problem of using such imagery in any atheistic context should be readily apparent. But there's a deeper problem. Before we get there, let me give you another example of false atheistic hope.

J.J. Abrams, Director, Star Trek Into Darkness states:

"The idea of genetic mutation for example - extrapolate that and you've got Godzilla or the fly.  The idea of space travel- what does it mean to be isolated for such a long time - inspired Rod Serling to write the pilot for the twilight zone. Those are quantifiable examples of science inspiring entertainment that inspired me."⁴

In addition to seeing the power of entertainment, did you catch the problem? It's a common one: another false atheistic hope. Why? He is talking about two different types of science, and while both may be inspiring, one is impossible.  Space Travel is a reality, made possible by the careful planning and design of hundreds if not thousands of highly intelligent rocket scientists.  Thus space travel is clearly and obviously made possible only through intelligent design.  Yet he groups the results of  genetic mutation - an undirected, undesigned process - and one of the main mechanisms in neo-darwinism theory⁵  - with the results of the highly directed, carefully planned process of designing a ship for space travel.

That is a faulty, invalid grouping leading to faulty reasoning.  Such random mutations do not create such highly designed creatures (if they existed) such as  Godzilla and the half human half fly monstrosity of the fly. If you doubt the comparison is fallacious, ask yourself, where exactly is Godzilla? The earth has (by evolutionary theory) been around 4.5 billion years. Why haven't we seen him (or his bones) yet? Because random mutations can not create Godzilla (or any living thing for that matter) - that's why.

Which gets us back to the transfiguration in Star Trek. See the error now?  What would it take to transform a normal human being into a highly developed, glowing, powerful (able to heal) being that doesn't need a body? It's not, as suggested in the show, evolution.  Like a sophisticated space ship that is carefully designed, a super sophisticated being - spiritual or physical - requires a super intelligent creator.  
 

The undirected, un-designed, purposeless process of random mutation (and natural selection) known as evolution  could never produce such a highly designed, complex being. Such a change would require very detailed and complex additional information. Yet as scientists have demonstrated time and again - the net change of mutations is a loss of information; mutations have never been observed to add information - they remove information.⁶ Yet Star Trek wants you to believe that "evolutionary" processes are sufficient to allow a change to a "transfigured" state.

Where did this dream, this hope - of man becoming "like God" - through a process apart from God come from? It is not new with Star Trek or even evolutionary theory. No, this is one of those "doctrines of demons" that the apostle Paul warned about in 1 Tim 4.1. It was first seen in the garden of Eden when Satan, speaking through the serpent told the first woman Eve:

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.
5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3.4-5
 

So when you hear atheists and evolutionists talking about man "evolving" into a higher state, going so far as to be "like God" that's not new; that's one of the oldest lies in the book. 

So let's summarize the errors:

• Atheists have no basis for believing in purpose or meaning in life; nor do they have any basis for hope in the future, or life after death
• Undirected, un-designed purposeless processes can not create purposeful, clearly designed objects like Godzilla, or a human body (especially one with messianic, supernatural powers)
• While man yearns to be like God as Star Trek demonstrates; evolution will not get man there, that is simply an impossibility - though evolutionists (and the evil one) would have you believe otherwise
• The thought that man can be "like God" apart from God's plan is not new, it's a very old lie from Satan himself that we've been warned about (1 Tim 4.1)

"You shall be like God" (apart from the salvation that comes through Christ) - a doctrine of demons you're now equipped to recognize for what it is the next time you encounter it.
 

Duane Caldwell | posted 8/27/2014

1 J. Warner Wallace, The Inevitable Consequence of An Atheistic Worldview
http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/the-inevitable-consequence-of-an-atheistic-worldview/

2 William Provine quoted from:
An atheist explains the real consequences of adopting an atheistic worldview
http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/an-atheist-explains-the-real-consequences-of-adopting-an-atheistic-worldview

3  Star Trek, the Next Generation, episode Transfigurations

4 Star Trek: Secrets of the Universe, History Channel 2013

5 It's called "Neo-Darwism" because Darwin didn't know about mutations; it was added later after the discovery of genetics in an attempt to add the needed variation apparent in the world's species.

6. For mutations don't add information - see
Do Beneficial Mutations Exist? - Dr Georgia Purdom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXtzL8K2jP0