8-The Origin of Species
The Fingerprints of God
Pastor Mike Cooke
Genesis 1:21, 24-25
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with
which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds,
and every winged bird according to its kind . . . And God said, “Let the land
produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures
that move along the ground, and the 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 saw that it was good.
1.
Is the Bible narrative sufficient to explain the diversity of
species?
A.
Young Earth Creation—The Bible account is entirely literal;
Creation of the Universe and the animal species took place in
less than 10,000 years.
B.
Old Earth Creation—The Bible account is accurate but narrative;
Creation of the Universe followed natural processes; life and
animals species came about through the miraculous intervention
of God.
C.
Theistic Evolution—The Bible account is entirely figurative;
creation of the Universe and the animal species followed natural
processes and Darwinian evolution—all designed by and guided
by the Creator God.
D.
Naturalistic Evolution—The Bible is a myth, there is no God, and
everything in the Universe must be explained by natural
processes without supernatural intervention.
2.
Is Darwin’s hypothesis sufficient to explain the complexity of
life?
A.
The Fossil Record—Darwin was concerned over the lack of fossil
evidence. The animal phyla that appear in the strata of the
Cambrian explosion (540 mill) seemed to be fully formed, and
Precambrian strata have a significant lack of transitional species.
Many of the phyla appear in the wrong chronological order, and
it is impossible to tell if one descended from another.
B.
Embryo Similarity—Darwin considered the similarity of embryos
in different species a strong argument for common descent, and
a picture of what we all came from. It is a circular argument,
and starts with the assumption that we evolved from fish. The
fact is that in the earliest stages embryos look different, and
only appear similar in later stages.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
Vestigial Organs—Darwin saw organs that once had a purpose
but are now useless, such as the appendix, as an argument
against Creation. It has since been found that the appendix has
actual functions, as well as other such parts.
Similarities in Animal DNA—Since the mapping of the human
genome and others, the similarities between human and chimp
DNA, and others, has been used as an argument for common
ancestry. Like the embryo argument, this ignores the similarity
being due to a common Creator, or similarity in biological
functions.
Junk DNA—It has also been argued that a high percentage of
DNA is left over from the evolutionary process represented by
dead genes. In recent years, it has been found that virtually all
of DNA is transcribed by RNA, and more and more regulatory
functions are being found for those considered unnecessary.
Biogeography—Darwin argued that the absence of certain
species where migration was impossible proved that they have
to come from a common geography. Many anomalies such as
flightless birds and freshwater crabs argue against this notion.
Natural Selection—Darwinists argue that mutations such as spots
on moths and finch beaks which adapted due to the environment
proved that natural selection occurred. These tend to be minor
changes within a species, however, and have reverted over time.
New Species—In order for Darwinism to work, one species must
evolve into another, capable of breeding and producing offspring
that breed. Apart from a few experiments with hybridizing
plants, and production of closely related sister species, this is not
observed in nature.
Bacterial Adaptation—Scientists observe bacteria evolving over
time, becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics.
Microevolution is not proof of more complex evolution as these
strains predate human chemistry. According to Faze Ranale,
evolution has only been observed in species with a population of
1 quadrillion, generation time of 3 months, and a body size of
less than 2 cm.