Isaac Asimov, President of the American Humanist Association, science fiction writer, ardent evolutionist, and active anti-creationist, died recently.

He once had said that the human brain was "the most complex and orderly aggregation of matter in the universe" (Smithsonian Journal, June 1970, p. 10). But in no way did he ever attribute this complexity to anything other than chance processes.

And what did he believe about life? "I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it. I've been an atheist for years and years, but somehow I felt it was intellectually unrespectable to say one was an atheist, because it assumed knowledge that one didn't have. Somehow, it was better to say one was a humanist or an agnostic. I finally decided that I'm a creature of emotion as well as of reason. Emotionally, I am an atheist. I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time" (Free Inquiry,Spring 1982, p. 9).

According to Asimov, death over millions of years finally resulted in man and his complex brain being formed. You see, evolution was his religion—his system of belief about the meaning of life, and his origin and destiny.

Of course, those who accept evolution believe that death has been an integral part of this process from the beginning. Not only that, but in this ongoing struggle for survival and this onward-and-upward progression, death is the final end. Ultimately, all individuals die. For Isaac Asimov, death would be the end of his existence. His trust in evolution was ultimately a trust in the religion of death.

However, the Christian message is that death is an intrusion into this universe because of sin. The Bible teaches that death was God's judgment on His creation because of sin. The Bible also teaches that the Creator who judged the world with death came down to earth as a man to suffer death, and conquer it. Thus, all the descendants of the first man, Adam, who acknowledge their sin and repent and accept the sacrificial atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator, can have eternal life with their Creator, who is now also their Savior.

The Bible also teaches that those who do not repent of their sin and accept what was accomplished on the cross of Calvary suffer a second death. When their body dies, physically, that is not the end of their existence. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Many Christians don't like to talk about this today, but the Bible is clear, and this should be a warning to all who live on this earth. That is why we here at ICR feel such urgency to take the Creation message out to the world—the message that there is a Creator, who has also become our Savior.

When we go "back to Genesis," we read how the first two people were given a choice between the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We could call the second tree the Tree of Death, because Adam and Eve were warned that they would die if they ate the fruit of this tree. We all know the result: They chose the Tree of Death. God then denied them access to the Tree of Life.

However, Jesus Christ came to Earth as a man, to die on a tree, to conquer death in His resurrection, so that we again can gain access to the Tree of Life. in Revelation 22:14, we are told that in the new heavens and new earth, those who are genuine Christians will be given access to the Tree of Life once again.

As I thought about Isaac Asimov's death and contemplated the meaning of death, the thought came to me that there is a choice before people today similar to that given Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

There is a choice today between the Tree of Death and the Tree of Life. In biology, we are taught that man is a product of the evolutionary tree. The picture of evolution in our textbooks is referred to as a tree with the various branches depicting the directions of the evolutionary process. This tree teaches that death over millions of years brought man into existence—that death is really what life is all about. It teaches us that man is just another animal in this struggle for survival, so he has no real set of rules to govern him except his own instincts and desires.

Hitler thus used evolution to justify death to millions of those he deemed unfit to survive. Abortionists often use evolution to justify death to millions of unborn babies. Communists have used evolution to justify death to millions.

Jesus Christ offers us the Tree of Life—the cross of Calvary that allows us to gain access to the Tree of Life. Sadly, many today, like Isaac Asimov, are choosing the Tree of Death.

One of our supporters recently wrote us about Isaac Asimov. The four following paragraphs are taken from a letter written by a missionary to us here at ICR: "I was greatly saddened to hear of the death this week of Dr. Isaac Asimov. Though in my youth I thoroughly enjoyed his mastery of the craft of writing science fiction novels, I later became acquainted with Dr Asimov's writing in serious science and even in commentaries on the Bible. As a Christian and creationist, I am upset that such skill in thinking and writing, and especially his ability to put the complex into simple and understandable terms, was being misused, and this to the hurt of many thousands of his readers.

In reading over Luke 16:19-31 today, Isaac Asimov again came to mind. As far as I know, he never made a profession of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. As far as I know, he is now experiencing the judgment described by the Lord Jesus in this most serious passage.

As a missionary, I have spoken and written many times about the missionary heart of the rich man in Luke 16:27,28. If Dr. Asimov is indeed in the same eternal state as the rich man, then he certainly has had a 180-degree change in his former beliefs about creation and the Creator. Like the rich man, Asimov's heart's desire now would be that those who still have time to change direction should be given opportunity to do so before it is forever too late.

I'm sure that many of Dr. Asimov's former evolutionist colleagues will be making memorial donations to various evolutionist causes which he espoused. I thought it only fitting and proper that I make a donation in his memory to ICR to help you carry out his current desires as described above. . . ."

Isaac Asimov read creationist books. He read the Bible. He had ample opportunity to kneel before his Creator and Savior. He refused. In fact, he sent out a strong promotional letter urging support of the American Humanist Association, shortly before he died. However, there are still millions who have not heard as Isaac Asimov did—and we want to reach them with this vital message of creation and salvation before it is too late. Please continue to pray and support this vital ministry.