Objection #3: Evolution Explains Life, So God Isn’t Needed
Charles Darwin didn’t want to murder God, as he once put it. But he did. –Time Magazine–
What is Evolution?
Lee Strobel mentions what he understands through his teacher’s teaching. His teacher explained that life originated millions of years ago when chemicals randomly reacted with each other in a warm ocean on the primordial earth. Then through a process of survival of the fittest and natural selection, life forms gained in complexity. Eventually, human beings emerged from the same family tree as apes.
Do you know what this sentence means?
Just like how the title for today said, “evolution explains life”, so God is dead, and Darwin’s theory of evolution had killed him.
So, do you agree with this argument?
Evolution is not just a explanation on its own, but there’s a micro-evolution and macro-evolution.
What is Micro-Evolution?
It involves gradual changes within a species. (For example, over several generations of dogs)
What is Macro-Evolution?
It involves gradual change from one species to another. (For example, from fish to amphibian to reptile)
Stanley Miller’s Experiment
What was Stanley Miller’s experiment and how did it worked out?
From the textbook, page 134. He created the atmosphere of the primitive earth in which he recreated the atmosphere of the primitive earth in a lab and shot electricity through it to stimulate the effects of lightning.
Forming a Cell
What does it take to assemble a cell?
The cell is made up of DNA, and not just one “DNA” but many “DNA(s)”. In every cell, how is a DNA formed? It is where there’s a combination of amino acids with other acids.
Therefore, an amino acid forms bonds to create protein. One simple fact is that without proteins we will all die. For example, muscles and everything else in our body is made up of protein.
Do you know where did all these DNA and amino acids are from?
Definitely they are from God.
Let’s turn to Genesis 1:26-28
To conclude on the creation of God, let’s look at Genesis 1:31
6 Different Theories
There might be different theories that talks about evolution, but most of them are not sustainable.
1. Random Chance
Random chance seems to be based on probability. The probability of linking together just one hundred amino acids to create one protein molecule by chance would be the same as a blindfolded man finding one marked grain of sand somewhere in the vastness of the Sahara Desert.
Even some people who aren’t educated in this field still believe life emerged by chance, scientists simply don’t believe it anymore.
2. Chemical Affinity
The scientist thinks that the emergence of life actually might have been “biochemically predestined” because of these chemical bonding preferences.
So, researchers studied the Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure to determine whether certain amino acids preferentially positioned themselves next to a particular neighbor.
The researcher uses a computer program to analyze it. However, the results demonstrated conclusively that the sequencing had nothing to do with chemical preferences.
3. Self-Ordering Tendencies
For example, energy can create patterns of simple order. For instance, you could see ripples on the sand at a beach and know they where created by the action of waves. But if you saw the words, “John loves Mary” in the sand, you know that energy alone didn’t create that.
4. Seeding From Space
Philip Johnson said that he saw another possibility, “maybe another planet would have an atmosphere of ammonia, methane, and hydrogen, which would be more conducive to producing the building blocks of life.”
But reports showed that side reactions would effectively prevent any prebiotic molecules in the meteorite from ever spontaneously forming life molecules.
5. Vents In The Ocean
Jack Corliss suggested that these vents might have provided an environment where the beginning of life might have been nurtured.
But Bradley says that the vents might provide an unusual energy source that could prompt some chemicals to become reactive but this theory does nothing to solve the problem of how to put together the building blocks of life in the right sequence and with the right connections.
6. Life From Clay
Cairns-Smith suggested that life somehow arose on clays whose crystalline structure had enough complexity to somehow encourage prebiotic chemicals to assemble together.
On the other hand Bradley mentions. But how would the clay be able to impart the information needed to sequence the chemicals together in the right way? The best that crystalline clay can do is providing very low-grade sequencing information, and it’s going to be repetitive. A crystal is nothing more than redundant information which is far short of the specified complexity that living matters need.
Conclusion
In closing, page 156
“Only a rookie who knows nothing about science would say science take away from faith. If you really study science, it brings you closer to God.”
It is because you will be able to see the wonders of God’s creation.
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