According to the Bible, none of this took millions of years and none of it formed haphazardly out of some mythical primordial soup. God created the earth and all that lives upon it in all of its amazing variety by speaking it into existence or, as in the case of man, forming Adam from the ground and breathing life into him.Some people do not believe what I have just written. "Where," they demand "is the proof?"
Stephen C. Meyer dishes out hundreds of pages of proof in his comprehensive recounting of years of research and discovery in the well documented book, Signature In The Cell: DNA And The Evidence For Intelligent Design.
Well, sort of.
You see, the proof that Stephen C. Meyer has so carefully documented is NOT that God created everything, but that living creatures exhibit clear evidence of having been very, very carefully designed. Such design is amazingly intricate, and appears to have many of the elements that are engineered into advanced computer systems (including data encryption and dual-purpose use of information).
Mr. Meyers is well qualified to write on this subject, having spend approximately twenty-five years wondering about or investigating the origin of life.
Meyer is a one-time oil exploration geophysicist who graduated with degrees in physics and geography. By chance, Mr. Meyer overheard a discussion between some of the scientists who were about to participate in a conference on how life originated on earth. They openly discussed how "they did not have an adequate theory of what they called "chemical evolution"". In other words, they had no idea of how life began, and yet they were quite certain there was hope in some undiscovered combination of primordial soup and energy. This chance encounter changed the course of Mr. Meyer's career, led to his Ph.D in the Philosophy of Science, and launched his own quest of discovery.
His book recounts key discoveries leading up to the documentation of the DNA double-helix, and then goes into remarkable detail about what science knows about the inner workings of what some would call the simple cell.
Simple it is not. The simplest of living cells is filled with what can only be described as information storage and retrieval systems, protective walls, waste management, energy distribution schemes, and numerous micro-machines to ensure that everything works as it should. The cell even includes processes for error detection and correction as all of this work takes place.
The book is also filled with amazing facts and figures to help you understand that there is almost zero chance that the oft-repeated cause of life (that is, "time and chance") is correct. Take for example the calculation that a 'simple' amino acid (not life, but a building block necessary for life) could become assembled into a working form by random interaction in a primordial soup that consisted of all the necessary parts. The odds are calculated to be 10 to the 164th power.
This is an enormous number. To understand just how enormous this number is, the number of particles (that is, protons, plus neutrons, plus electrons) in the observable universe is a mere 10 to the 80th power.
Do you begin to see the difficulty? And this calculation was for the accidental formation of one of the most simple building blocks required for life.
The book is also filled with clarifications on what is traditionally taught in public schools. For example, he reveals that there is actually zero evidence for the primordial soup that is included as so many textbook lessons and the basic requirement for even a chance for early chemicals to gel together.
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| A Simplified Diagram of DNA Replication |
To me, as a trained computer scientist, the most fascinating part of the book was found near the end and in the epilogue. Most of you might get your fill with all the history, the look at the inner workings of the cell, the in-depth discussions of DNA splicing and dicing, how RNA requires DNA which requires RNA to produce amino acids, which require RNA and DNA, etc. However, for me, the face that so much of what scientists are now discovering involves data storage, system management, data encoding, encryption, decryption, and data sharing was simply amazing.
In his chapter of summation on the theory of Intelligent Design, Meyer four overwhelming evidences that have no rival in the traditional world of Darwinian evolution or materialism (the world view that claims, essentially, that life arose spontaneously from non-life).
In addition, Dr. Meyer leans upon his many years of investigation and debate to document and refute the most common arguments against his theory. Rebuttals are thoughtfully (or scientifically) offered against arguments such as: this is not science; that future research might surpass ID as a better explanation; that ID is simply a position that is argued by people who do not understand 'real science'; Hume's famous argument against ID; and the often repeated challenge by atheists and agnostics of, "then who created the Creator?"
Clearly a book packed with this much information cannot be thoroughly covered in a short review, so I will summarize by saying that you really should read this book, especially if you have family or friends who dare to discuss how the "simple" cell could have spontaneously created itself.
Finally, however, we must remember that the power of salvation is not in a well researched and documented book that demonstrates that the best known theory for life on earth is an Intelligent Designer, it is the gospel. Books such as this may help break through some resistance, get an atheist or agnostic to rethink their suppositions, and even reinforce what we read in the Bible. However, without the recognition of our sin before a Holy God, a repentant heart and a faith in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, even this fine book is just a stack of paper that will wither and fall apart.
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