Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Where to Begin

It seems to me that if God created the universe, then there should be evidence that the universe was created by an intelligent builder, rather than by random events. In the same way that an archeologist can separate a true arrowhead from a uniquely shaped rock by detailed inspection of the tool marks, we should be able to find God's "tool marks" left on the creation.

My quest begins by trying to understand how we can truly differentiate between that which has occurred through physical processes, unguided by any intelligent force and those things that are the result of directed, intelligent effort.

Christians often cite the appearance of two similar cars and point out that the similarities are due to the creator using the same parts to accomplish the same purpose. And that this is as good an explanation as evolution for the similarities we find in the fossil record. But, if you buried the car for several thousand years and then dug up the remaining rusted hulk, would there be enough left to discern that the structure was the result of a design and not a random collection of iron oxide? Does the very fact that we live inside the system make it impossible for us to actually evaluate it?

Thoughts?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That is a very interesting point! However, don't we have some strange things in the fossil record which scientists find hard to explain, like the Cambrian Expolosion? The fossils that pre-date the Cambrian era are of very simple body structure. Then all of a sudden the Cambrian fossils are filled with complex body structures. What about astronomy? As we look out to where we can't yet live, aren't scientists baffled at how perfectly placed the Earth is for life to exist on it? Any closer to the Sun and it would be too hot. Any farther away and it would be too cold. What about the percentages of hydrogen to oxygen and so forth that we find in our air? Isn't it all too perfectly put together to have been an accident?