A frequent
roadblock to faith is the perceived disagreement between the Christian and
scientific communities about the origins of our universe. Contrary to this
commonly held idea, there is a surprising amount of agreement between the
Biblical perspective and the findings of modern science. This chapter is
devoted to understanding the points at which both the Bible and modern science agree
in their understanding of the origins of the human race and the universe around
us.
Scientific
Research and the Creation Perspective
The Anthropic
Principle
One of the
exciting aspects of living in our time is the growing scientific evidence for
the “human friendly” design of our universe and world. This is called the Anthropic
principle. This word “Anthropic” derives from the Greek word anthropos,
which means “human being.” Consider the following scientific facts:
- If the
gravitational force of the universe were changed by 1 part in 1040 (a 10 followed by forty zeroes) the sun would not exist, and the moon
would not be able to stay in orbit around the earth. If the gravitational
force were increased even slightly, the result would be our sun (and all
other stars) would burn much differently than they do. Our own sun could
not support life on earth.[79]
- The
placement of Jupiter in its orbital position has caused many to postulate
Jupiter’s orbit is the result of design, not chance. If Jupiter were not
in the current orbit it is now in, the earth would be continually
bombarded by material from space. Jupiter’s gravitational field acts as a
magnet or vacuum cleaner – attracting objects that would otherwise impact
the earth.[80]
- The
orbital distance between the Earth and the Sun is another astonishing
example of design in the universe around us. If the Earth were slightly
closer to the sun, all of the water on earth would boil away. If the
Earth were slightly farther away, all of the water on earth would freeze.[81]
- Consider
the abundant availability of water. Water is the only known substance in
which its solid phase – ice – is less dense than its liquid phase. As a
result, ice floats on the top of oceans and lakes, instead of on the
bottom.[82]
If ice sank instead of floated on water, the majority of the earth’s water
supply would remain frozen at the bottom of the world’s oceans and lakes.
Without water, humanity could not survive.
The Bible says, “When
I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the
stars you have set in place – what are mortals that you should think of us,
mere humans that you should care for us? For you made us only a little lower
than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:3-5)
The Fossil
Record and the Creation of Life
People suppose
the idea of the evolution of species by gradual change is supported by the fossil
record. One of the surprising facts of the fossil record is how it undermines
this perspective. Harvard paleontologist (and proponent of evolutionary
theory), Stephen Jay Gould has elaborated on the failure of the fossil record
to support evolutionary theory. “The extreme rarity of transitional forms
in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology. The
evolutionary trees that adorn our textbooks have data only at the tips and
nodes of their branches; the rest is inference, however reasonable, not the
evidence of fossils.”[83]
In other words, Gould admits the theory of evolution is not supported by the
fossil record.
Again Stephen Jay
Gould states, “The history of most fossil species includes two features
particularly inconsistent with gradualism:
1. Stasis. Most species exhibit no directional change during
their tenure on earth. They appear in the fossil record looking pretty much
the same as when they disappear; morphological change is usually limited and
directionless.
2. Sudden appearance. In any local area, a species does not
arise gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors; it appears all
at once and ‘fully formed.’”[84]
The fossil record
reveals life appeared on earth – out of “nowhere” – without any evidence of the
transitional forms required by evolutionary theory. This is in accord with the
Biblical record. The sudden appearance of fully formed and functional life
within a compatible ecosystem strongly points to the creative work of an
intelligent power.[85] Genesis 1:21, 24-25 states: “So God created the great creatures of
the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according
to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that
it was good…And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to
their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals,
each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals
according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the
creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God that
saw it was good.”
The
Irreducible Complexity of Life
The Bible’s
proclamation of God’s creation of the world is further supported by the field
of biochemistry. In his 1996 book, Darwin’s Black Box – the Biochemical
Challenge to Evolution, biochemist Michael J. Behe argues that biological
systems are irreducibly complex. Behe gives the example of a mousetrap. What
is the purpose of a mousetrap? The purpose of a mousetrap is to catch mice.
In order for a mousetrap to work, it requires a certain number of functioning
parts. If any parts are missing, or do not function, the mousetrap will not
work.
Behe’s work shows
how much of life – from “simple” cells to the human body – is irreducibly
complex. Behe points to aspects of DNA reduplication, electron transport,
telomere synthesis, photosynthesis, transcription regulation and the human
eye. Behe states, “No one at Harvard University, no one at the National Institutes
of Health, no member of the National Academy of Sciences, no Nobel prize winner
– no one at all can give a detailed account of how the cilium, or vision, or
blood clotting, or any complex biochemical process might have developed in a
Darwinian fashion. But we are here. Plants and animals are here. The complex
systems are here. All these things got here somehow, if not in a Darwinian
fashion, then how?”[86]
All of life
demonstrates irreducible complexity. Therefore, Behe concludes, evolution is
shown to be an invalid theory for determining the origins of life. “For you
created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise
you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I
know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14)
Information
Theory and DNA
There is also the
challenge of information theory and DNA. Information theory is the “…application
of mathematical principles to the problems of transmitting and storing
information.”[87]
In information theory a structure or message is said to have high or low
information content – determined by the minimum number of instructions needed
to tell you how to understand it.
Charles Colson
and Nancy Pearcey explain: “…A random sequence of letters has low information
content because it requires only two instructions: (1) select a letter of the
English alphabet and write it down, and (2) do it again (select another letter
and write it down). By the same token, a regular, repetitive patter of letters
has low information content as well. Using your computer to create Christmas
wrapping paper requires only a few instructions: (1) type in “M-e-r-r-y
C-h-r-is-t-m-a-s,” and (2) do it again. By contrast, if you want your computer
to print out the poem “The Night before Christmas,” you must specify every
letter, one by one. Because the process of writing down the poem requires a
large number of instructions, it is said to have high information content.”[88] High information content requires
deliberate, intelligent input.
DNA has extremely
high information content. One cell of the human body contains three to four
times the information content of the full thirty volumes of the Encyclopedia
Britannica.[89]
Imagine your reaction if someone told you a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica or a copy of the Complete Works of Shakespeare in your library came
about by random chance! To put it simply, DNA’s information content is much
too high to be the result of random chance – it must be the work of an
intelligent designer.
Comparing
Genesis’ Account of the Creation with Current Science
It is amazing how
many of the claims of modern science line up with the account of creation God
reveals in the book of Genesis. There is a high degree of corroboration
between Genesis’ account of the creation of the universe and current scientific
understanding of the origins of the universe.
Did the
Universe Have a Beginning?
Take for instance
the claim of Genesis that the Universe had a beginning. This idea did not
become a valid opinion in physics until the work of Albert Einstein in the
early 20th Century.[90]
Until this time it was believed the universe had always existed in the same
state we see it now. Yet some three thousand, five hundred years before modern
science’s discovery, Genesis 1:1 states: “In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth.”
The Initial
Moments after the Big Bang
Another
astonishing fact is the Genesis description states the occurrence of Light –
completely apart from the sun and the stars – was a part of the initial moment
of creation. Physicists have noted if you had been present at the instant of
the big bang event, one characteristic you would have noticed was light in the
darkness. Genesis 1:3 states: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’
and there was light…”
Water in Outer Space?
Genesis calls for the
presence of water in the early stages of the universe’s formation and implies
its continued existence today throughout the cosmos. We know water is part of
our ecosystem on earth, but skeptics often scoff at Genesis’ account of water
above the skies of the earth – i.e. outer space. Genesis 1:6-8 says, “And
God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from
water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from
the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky...”
This account of Genesis is
now shown to be more accurate than previously believed. Researchers with the European
Space Agency’s Infrared Space Observatory (ESAISO) have discovered one of
the natural working processes of stars is the production of water. ESAISO’s researchers have also found there are large quantities of water to be found
throughout the interstellar space in our galaxy – indeed, water was found to be
the third most common molecule in the regions of the Milky Way galaxy studied.[91]
Again, Genesis is shown to be astonishingly accurate in regard to its reporting
of cosmological phenomena.
Life First
Appeared in the Oceans
The Book of Genesis and modern scientific understanding calls for the first appearance
of life in the oceans. Genesis 1:20-21 states: “And God said, ‘Let
the water teem with living creatures…So God created the great creatures of the
sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to
their kinds…’ ”
The Fossil
Record and the Creation of Life
As acknowledged
above, the fossil records and the Bible agree in regard to the idea of life
appearing on the earth, fully formed and with great complexity. In accordance
with the account of Genesis, modern paleontologists have concluded all life –
from cellular life to fully developed animals and humans – appeared on earth
without any evidence for the evolution of such species over a long period.
All of Human
Life Descended from Two Ancestors
Genesis also
states all human life descends from two ancestors – Adam and Eve. Today, molecular
biologists claim to have discovered one of the two members of this couple –
namely, Eve. Using mitochondrial DNA, molecular biologists have traced the descendants
of all humans to a common female ancestor.[92] Genesis 3:20 testifies, “Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become
the mother of all the living.”
The Human Race
Originally Spoke One Language
Would you believe
the human race originally spoke one language? The Book of Genesis says
we did. Many modern linguists believe this was the case, citing numerous
similarities among languages and communication habits of people across the
world.[93] Genesis 11:1 states: “Now the whole world had one language and a
common speech.”
A Common
Picture of the Origins of the Universe
In closing this chapter, we
return to the conversation between the Bible and science. It is often assumed
there is hostility between the Biblical and scientific views of the origins of
the universe. We now realize there is an amazing amount of compatibility
between the Biblical record and modern scientific findings. While there may
remain points of disagreement between scientific theory and the Bible, these
points should not be overemphasized in one’s quest for appreciating the truth
of the Christian message.
