Questioning Evolution; Exulting in Creation

The periodical cicada phenomenon is almost finished for 2024. It has inspired many conversations among our neighbors and friends. These insects are one of the most extraordinary animals inhabiting our planet.

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2024/05/cicada-mania.html

Several decades ago our family purchased a set of Audubon Field Guides. These books call attention to phenotypes of many thousands of animals and plants. Field guides increase our ability to visualize physical design features and to study their behaviors. 

North American Insects and Spiders highlights arthropods, the most highly populated of 35 animal phyla. Insects and Spiders compose a majority of arthropods—animals with jointed appendages, segmented body, and an exoskeleton. The vast majority of millions of different animal species on Earth, about 75%, are insects. Recently I picked up this volume and could barely put it down. Its beautiful photographs and detailed descriptions of the unique behavior of hundreds of insect species, kept my attention for several hours. The field guide describes less than 1% of all insects known. 

It is difficult to study the literature of science without encountering the term evolution. With respect to the subject of periodical cicadas, some commentators have speculated that their incredible ability to remain underground for exactly 13 years or 17 years was somehow an evolutionary adaptation. Bio-scientists cannot explain the mechanism of their time keeping ability. Famous geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900-1975) uttered a famous statement: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Our blog disagrees with this position. The concept of creation is diametrically opposed to evolution. 

Evolution is a theory introduced by Charles Darwin in 1859 in his epic volume On the Origin of Species.The tenets of the naturalistic theory of evolution have become ingrained in the minds of most professional bio-scientists. Currently the belief in evolution as a God-guided process has become part of the belief system of many Christians. It is termed theistic evolution. It proposes all life, including human life, originated with a single cell billions of years ago. That single cell was LUCA—the last universal common ancestor, the foundation of a “bottom up” tree of life.

As we read manuals such as Audubon Field Guides, we are unable to accept that the incredible array of insects and other living things are all products of evolution. Rather, we believe they are products of divine creation activity by the God of the Bible.

Stephen C. Meyer, advocate for Intelligent Design (ID) and director of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture in Seattle, has made a powerful case in several recent publications casting doubt about the theory of evolution in the scientific community. In Darwin’s Doubt Meyer writes, “The technical literature in biology is now replete with world class biologists routinely expressing doubts about various aspects of Neo-Darwinist theory, and especially about its central tenet, namely, the alleged creative power of the natural selection and mutation mechanism.” In the book’s last chapter, Meyer goes a step farther in questioning how evolution can generate novel species.  Meyer continues, “The mechanism of mutation and natural selection does not have the creative power attributed to it and, thus, cannot explain all ‘appearances’ of design in life. The Neo-Darwinian mechanism does not explain, for example, either the new genetic or epigenetic information necessary to produce new animal body plans.”

Darwin’s Doubt is an important volume dealing with the weakness of evolutionary theory. It follows his important previous book Signature in the Cell concerning  Intelligent Design and the origin of life. His most recent book, Return of the God Hypothesis more explicitly presents scientific evidence for the existence of a personal God and divine Creator of All Things. 

Our world is populated with millions of beautifully designed, functional living species. Cosmic and geological wonders abound for our inspection. The evidence of divine creation surrounds us wherever we look. We may access many creation passages in Genesis, Job, Psalms, and Isaiah. We rejoice in the wonders of creation.