Does It Matter What You Believe?

DO YOU think that life has a purpose? If evolution were true, then the statement quoted in the journal Scientific American would be valid: “Our modern understanding of evolution implies . . . that ultimate meaning in life is nonexistent.”

Consider the implications of those words. If ultimate meaning in life were nonexistent, then you would have no purpose in life other than to try to do some measure of good and, perhaps, pass on your genetic traits to the next generation. At death, you would cease to exist forever. Your brain, with its ability to think, reason, and meditate on the meaning of life, would simply be an accident of nature.

That is not all. Many who believe in evolution assert either that God does not exist or that he will not intervene in human affairs. In either case, our future would rest in the hands of political, academic, and religious leaders. Judging from their past record, the chaos, conflict, and corruption that blight human society would continue. If, indeed, evolution were true, there would seem to be ample reason to live by the fatalistic motto: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die.”​—1 Corinthians 15:32.

Make no mistake about it. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept the aforementioned statements. Nor do the Witnesses accept the premise upon which those statements are based​—evolution. On the contrary, the Witnesses believe that the Bible is true. (John 17:17) Hence, they believe what it says about how we got here: “With you [God] is the source of life.” (Psalm 36:9) Those words have profound implications.

Life does have meaning. Our Creator has a loving purpose that extends to all who choose to live in accord with his will. (Ecclesiastes 12:13) That purpose includes the promise of life in a world free of chaos, conflict, and corruption​—and even free of death. (Isaiah 2:4; 25:6-8) Millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses the world over can testify that learning about God and doing his will give meaning to life as nothing else can!​—John 17:3.

What you believe certainly matters, for it can have a bearing not only on your present happiness but also on your future life. The choice is yours. Will you believe a theory that has failed to explain away the increasing evidence for design in the natural world? Or will you accept what the Bible says, namely that the earth and life on it are the product of a marvelous Designer​—Jehovah, the God who “created all things”?​—Revelation 4:11.