If we found a wristwatch in the middle of a field, we would not assume that it just “appeared” out of nowhere or that it had always existed. Based on the watch’s design, we would assume it had a designer. When we see a painting we know there is a painter. When we see a building we know there is a builder. We know a painting is the best evidence for a painter, and a building is the best evidence for a builder. The best evidence for a Creator is in what He has created. (Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:20)
(Painter = Painting, Building = Builder, Creation = Creator)
This section will explore answers to the following questions...
• What’s the “best evidence” for a Designer (Creator)?
• Why are some people “blind” to design?
• Are “Similar Features” evidence for a Common Designer or a Common Ancestor?
• What is Homology?
• Where can I find more information on Design?
• What is the “best evidence” for a Designer (Creator)?
If you were asked, “Who the best evidence - creationists or evolutionists?” - what would you say? The answer is neither. We all live in the same universe and look at the same evidence. Creationists look at a piece of evidence (for example a fossil) and come up with one set of conclusions about it - while evolutionists look at the same evidence (fossil) and come up with a very different set of conclusions.
So, why are the conclusions different? Because the starting beliefs of the people interpreting the evidence are different. Many people think that “evidence”, all by itself, determines or shapes a belief system. The evidence is not really the basis for belief; rather it’s the belief system that determines how the evidence is understood. Are evidences important? Yes. However we need to be sure we have the correct system of beliefs in place that will allow us to make correct interpretations of the evidence.
Conclusion. It’s not about the evidence. It’s about a person’s foundation/worldview. Instead of presenting evidence after evidence, maybe we should be ask them questions, and ask them what evidence they base their beliefs on. Then look at the evidence provided and respond to it from a Creationist viewpoint.
(Source: http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/overheads/pages/oh20021108_144.asp)
(Source: http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/overheads/pages/oh20021108_144.asp)
• Video - Don’t Suppress the Truth (1:01)
(Source: http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/0X_PhTOM-wk?rel=0)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X_PhTOM-wk)
Creation Minute
• Why are some people “blind” to design?
Some people are willfully blind - others are blind because they have been forced to wear bad “glasses.”
Some people are willfully blind - others are blind because they have been forced to wear bad “glasses.”
If someone will let us, we should try and help them examine the problems with those “bad glasses” and encourage them to trade up to a better “prescription” - one that helps them see the “Creator” behind His Creation. (Refute evolution)
Others have been so indoctrinated that they will refuse to take off their “bad Worldview glasses” to “see” design. Perhaps all we can do is warn them of the consequences of their choice to “stay blind.”
Warning. They will meet the Creator they don’t believe in one day - we all do. It will be a great day for some, not so good for others. That’s why it’s called the “Day of Judgment.” All of us have broken the Creator’s Laws (think 10 Commandments). All of us are due justice. Receiving justice from the Creator doesn’t include going to Heaven. (But everyone does go somewhere.) Thankfully the Creator has made “a way of forgiveness” for anyone who wants to be forgiven. All we have to do is accept forgiveness like a gift. If we refuse the gift we will receive the wage.
Here is that message from the Creator Himself… “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NKJV, bold italics added)
Explanation. Wages are something we earn (like working at a job we expect to get paid). Sin is breaking God’s law (like the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20). Which all of us have done (Romans 3:23). The death spoken of includes separation from God in the next life (in a place called hell). A gift is something we don’t work for but must personally receive. Eternal life includes restored fellowship with God now and spending eternity with Him in a place called Heaven. Jesus is the one who paid our “fine” for breaking God’s laws - death (with His death on the cross - Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 9:12). Lord refers to surrendering to Jesus as the “boss” of our life. To repeat - if we refuse the gift we will receive the wage.
• Having the Vision to See Design
(Source: https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=2100&topic=249)
Apologetics Press, Kyle Butt, M.A.
• Design Demands A Designer
(Source: https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=877&topic=249)
Apologetics Press, Kyle Butt, M.A.
Illustration - Design Demands A Designer
Isaac Newton & Atheist Friend. Sir Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician and scientist who had an atheistic friend who did not believe in God. Sir Isaac devised a plan to try to convince his friend that God did exist and had created the Universe. Sir Isaac had an accomplished artisan fashion for him a small-scale model of our solar system, which was to be put in a room in Newton’s home when completed. The assignment was finished and installed on a large table. The workman had done a very commendable job, simulating not only the various sizes of the planets and their relative proximities, but also so constructing the model that everything rotated and orbited when a crank was turned. It was an interesting, even fascinating work, as you can imagine, particularly to anyone schooled in the sciences. Newton’s atheist-scientist friend came by for a visit. Seeing the model, he was naturally intrigued, and proceeded to examine it with undisguised admiration for the high quality of the workmanship. “My, what an exquisite thing this is!” he exclaimed. “Who made it?” Paying little attention to him, Sir Isaac answered, “Nobody.” Stopping his inspection, the visitor turned and said, “Evidently you did not understand my question. I asked who made this.” Newton, enjoying himself immensely no doubt, replied in a still more serious tone, “Nobody. What you see just happened to assume the form it now has.” “You must think I am a fool!” the visitor retorted heatedly, “Of course somebody made it, and he is a genius, and I would like to know who he is!”
Newton then spoke to his friend in a polite yet firm way: “This thing is but a puny imitation of a much grander system whose laws you know, and I am not able to convince you that this mere toy is without a designer or maker; yet you profess to believe that the great original from which the design is taken has come into being without either designer or maker! Now tell me by what sort of reasoning do you reach such an incongruous conclusion?”
Sources
1. Isaac Newton, (1643 – 1727)
Isaac Newton was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, credited with many scientific and mathematical contributions and is considered by many to be the father of modern science. Along with being an ardent believer in the Bible and Genesis, he was a physicist, a mathematician, an astronomer, a philosopher, and an alchemist.
Creation Wiki - Isaac Newton, Isaac Newton, Creation Wiki, (Source: http://www.creationwiki.org/Isaac_Newton)
2. Apologetics Press, Kyle Butt, M.A.
(Source: https://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=877&topic=249)
3. Quoted from the book: The Truth: God or evolution? Marshall and Sandra Hall, (Paperback)
(Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000B5JKGE/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=)
• Are “Similar Features” that we see in Nature evidence for a Common Designer or a Common Ancestor?
Common Designer? Yes.
Common Ancestor? No.
Similarities in design do not mean descent from one common ancestor but demonstrate one common Design. Does similarity mean we come from the same ancestry? No. Evolution holds that all organisms have descended from one common ancestor. Intelligent Design holds that all living things come from one common source, and are created by one Designer who set out an ultimate design for the universe…and all that is in it. In the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, in the opening sentence of that book where we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) [1]
“I’m related to George Washington,” an acquaintance announced after searching his genealogical record. He also believes he is closely related to chimpanzees. Though he doesn’t really look like either, all three do share a lot of similar features. Similar looks and features can be very deceiving. A true relationship is actually a fact-based connection. A line of connected birth certificates is factual evidence that can be verified. Just comparing similar features - or even DNA - to determine related ancestry is always an inference with a probability of being right ranging from high to zero.
However, evolutionists have effectively sold the idea that when people see similarities, they actually “see” remnants of common ancestry. Persuading an evolutionist, who feels deep down inside that all life is somehow connected, to replace his inference-based account of similarities with a design-based explanation is challenging.
The good news is the Bible’s assurance that God’s designs in nature are “clearly seen” (Romans 1:20), which means that His creative witness has real power to cause blinded minds (2 Corinthians 4:4) to see truth. [2]
[1] Common Designer vs. Common Ancestor, Creation Studies International
(Source: http://www.creationstudies.org/operationsalt/common-designer-not-ancestor.html)
[2] Similar Features Show Design, Not Universal Common Descent
(Source: http://www.icr.org/article/similar-features-show-design-not-descent)
Institute for Creation Research, Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D.
(Source: http://www.creationstudies.org/operationsalt/common-designer-not-ancestor.html)
[2] Similar Features Show Design, Not Universal Common Descent
(Source: http://www.icr.org/article/similar-features-show-design-not-descent)
Institute for Creation Research, Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D.
• What is Homology?
Homology is a shared design concept that is generally assumed by evolutionists to be the result of a shared ancestry and therefore providing support for the Darwinian theory of common descent. Evolutionists assert that if multiple organisms evolved from the same ancestor, they would possess structural similarities. In The Origin of Species, Darwin referred to the similar bones in the same relative positions in the hand of a man and several other mammals as specifically what the theory of common descent would expect. Homologies may include structural (morphological) components, such as the forelimbs, which illustrate a similarity of construction overall, but are yet unique in other ways, providing varied functions. Similarities during embryo development or in molecular structures are also considered to be derived from a common ancestor and therefore homologous. Cellular homologies include the existence of common organelles in eukaryotes, and nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) as the universal genetic code. Homology (similarities) is used as one of the main proofs for macro-evolution and the common descent of all life on Earth. The concept of homology is commonly taught as a matter of fact in public schools.
Homology is a shared design concept that is generally assumed by evolutionists to be the result of a shared ancestry and therefore providing support for the Darwinian theory of common descent. Evolutionists assert that if multiple organisms evolved from the same ancestor, they would possess structural similarities. In The Origin of Species, Darwin referred to the similar bones in the same relative positions in the hand of a man and several other mammals as specifically what the theory of common descent would expect. Homologies may include structural (morphological) components, such as the forelimbs, which illustrate a similarity of construction overall, but are yet unique in other ways, providing varied functions. Similarities during embryo development or in molecular structures are also considered to be derived from a common ancestor and therefore homologous. Cellular homologies include the existence of common organelles in eukaryotes, and nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) as the universal genetic code. Homology (similarities) is used as one of the main proofs for macro-evolution and the common descent of all life on Earth. The concept of homology is commonly taught as a matter of fact in public schools.
In contrast, creationists view most “homologous” structures as a reflection that the same Creator designed them. It is held that a brilliant and well functioning design would be applied to multiple organisms, much in the same way as human designers apply concepts.
Our starting point (or worldview) will determine whether we see evidence for a Common Creator (Creation) or a Common Ancestor (Evolution)
(Source: Creation Wiki, Homology, http://creationwiki.org/Homology)
• Video - Darwinism’s Homology Problem (4:06)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRAU9eeX9Dg)
Icons of Evolution, Curriculum Modules
• Similar Features Show Design - Not Common Descent
(Source: http://www.icr.org/article/similar-features-show-design-not-descent)
Institute for Creation Research, Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D.
• Does Homology Provide Evidence of Evolutionary Naturalism?
(Source: https://answersingenesis.org/theory-of-evolution/evidence/does-homology-provide-evidence-of-evolutionary-naturalism)
Answers in Genesis, Dr. Jerry Bergman
• Comparative Similarities - Homology
(Source: https://answersingenesis.org/biology/comparative-similarities-homology)
Answers in Genesis, Dr. Gary Parker
• Where can I find more information on Design? (Intelligent Design, I.D.)
• Video - How Do We Detect Design in Nature? (1:45)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TFsnQo5LE4)
One-Minute Apologist, Dr. Dembski
• Video - Intelligent Design, Creation (2:05)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrbvcewXToU)
One-Minute Apologist, Dr. William Dembski
• Video - Peer Reviewed I.D. Paper (14:59)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX7T8zOoYUg)
Dr. Micheal Behe
Download I.D. Paper here
(Source: http://www.lehigh.edu/~inbios/pdf/Behe/QRB_paper.pdf)
• Video - Who Designed The Designer (5:27)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nEqa-Ccd50)
(Rebuttal of Richard Dawkins by Dr. John Lennox and Dr. William Lane Craig)
• Video - Refuting The “Bad Design” Myth (7:45)
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIzdieauxZg)
(Dr. William Lane Craig)
• Video - Intelligent Design Collection (5:30)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGAFTBBWEgI)
Illustra Media
• The Intelligent Design DVD Set
(Source: http://www.christianbook.com/the-intelligent-design-collection-3/pd/971090?event=ESRCN)
CBD Stock No: WW971090
Christian Book Distributors (CBD)
140 Summit St., Peabody, MA 01960, 800-247-4784
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRAU9eeX9Dg)
Icons of Evolution, Curriculum Modules
• Similar Features Show Design - Not Common Descent
(Source: http://www.icr.org/article/similar-features-show-design-not-descent)
Institute for Creation Research, Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D.
• Does Homology Provide Evidence of Evolutionary Naturalism?
(Source: https://answersingenesis.org/theory-of-evolution/evidence/does-homology-provide-evidence-of-evolutionary-naturalism)
Answers in Genesis, Dr. Jerry Bergman
• Comparative Similarities - Homology
(Source: https://answersingenesis.org/biology/comparative-similarities-homology)
Answers in Genesis, Dr. Gary Parker
• Where can I find more information on Design? (Intelligent Design, I.D.)
• Video - How Do We Detect Design in Nature? (1:45)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TFsnQo5LE4)
One-Minute Apologist, Dr. Dembski
• Video - Intelligent Design, Creation (2:05)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrbvcewXToU)
One-Minute Apologist, Dr. William Dembski
• Video - Peer Reviewed I.D. Paper (14:59)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX7T8zOoYUg)
Dr. Micheal Behe
Download I.D. Paper here
(Source: http://www.lehigh.edu/~inbios/pdf/Behe/QRB_paper.pdf)
• Video - Who Designed The Designer (5:27)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nEqa-Ccd50)
(Rebuttal of Richard Dawkins by Dr. John Lennox and Dr. William Lane Craig)
• Video - Refuting The “Bad Design” Myth (7:45)
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIzdieauxZg)
(Dr. William Lane Craig)
• Video - Intelligent Design Collection (5:30)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGAFTBBWEgI)
Illustra Media
• The Intelligent Design DVD Set
(Source: http://www.christianbook.com/the-intelligent-design-collection-3/pd/971090?event=ESRCN)
CBD Stock No: WW971090
Christian Book Distributors (CBD)
140 Summit St., Peabody, MA 01960, 800-247-4784