Secular biology class confirms design
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Although secular science classes are typically taught with materialistic assumptions built into the curriculum, the actual ‘hard science’ strongly supports creation. There are many examples, but here are two that I came across.
In a recent biology class I was taught that cells (the most basic unit of life) arise only from pre-existing cells (called the Law of Biogenesis).1 My professor openly stated that scientists do not know how the first cell evolved, though they are constantly searching for an answer to this “problem”. From a creationist perspective, however, the fact that the most basic unit of life arises only from already existing life makes perfect sense. The Bible tells us that God created life; it did not arise by natural processes. How the first cells arose is thus a problem only when biology is approached with materialistic, evolutionary assumptions.
Programmed cell death, called apoptosis, presents an equally puzzling problem for the evolutionist. Of its many important roles, apoptosis eliminates cells that are damaged lest they continue to divide and become cancerous.2 Apoptosis instructs the cell to commit suicide; thus preventing cancer. It is also a part of normal development in our mother’s womb, such as in the formation of our fingers and toes.3 Like any human invention, a mechanism that behaves with such specificity indicates design.
What’s more, apoptosis functions in so-called “primitive” life forms just as it does in humans; so they call it “evolutionarily conserved”.4 This simply means that two organisms far apart in the supposed evolutionary tree share very similar sequences of DNA.5 The remarkable similarity here seems to better support design by a common Creator.
Indeed, there is no plausible evolutionary theory to explain how apoptosis arose. Again, from a creation perspective apoptosis makes sense, being designed by an intelligent creator to serve a specific purpose. Just as with the origin of the cell, the problems arise when materialism dictates the research.
Conclusion
Evidence of design surrounds us. Undisputed facts about the natural world presented in secular science classes clearly point to a Designer. Despite the materialistic assumptions that pervade science today, evidence of God’s handiwork cannot be easily hidden.
References
- Mazzarello, P., A unifying concept: the history of cell theory, Nature Cell Biology 1(1):E13–E15, 1999; nature.com/ncb/journal/v1/n1/full/ncb0599_E13.html. Return to text.
- Bell, P., Apoptosis: cell “death” reveals creation, Journal of Creation 16(1):90–102; 2002; creation.com/apoptosis; Bergman, J., Origin of apoptosis: selfish genes or intelligent design? Creation Research Society Quarterly 44(3):204–212, 2008. Return to text.
- Sarfati, J., Ostrich eggs break dino-to-bird theory; creation.com/dino_digits. Return to text.
- David, C. et al., Hydra and the evolution of apoptosis, Integrative and Comparative Biology 45(4):631–638, 2005; icb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/4/631. See also: Bell, ref 2. Return to text.
- Lamb, A., Corals and sponges and ur-complexity, 27 October 2007; creation.com/ur.Return to text.
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