DGE?, Author at DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

January 6, 2025January 5, 2025

Science Has Identified Only Ten Percent of Species

Science Has Identified Only Ten Percent of Living Species

Romans 1:20 tells us that we can know God exists by the evidence we see in the things He has made. That includes the universe and all it contains, most of which we will never see. The evidence most visible to us consists of the plants and animals we encounter in our daily lives. But even in that area, our experience is limited. Those who study living things say that science has identified only ten percent of species.

Evidence that science has much to learn comes from the fact that researchers discovered hundreds of new species in 2024. Scientists connected to the California Academy of Sciences described 138 new species, including fish. Those working with the Natural History Museum of London cataloged 190 new species last year. Other scientists working with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, UK, described 149 new species of plants and 23 species of fungi, including a toadstool with teeth.

The creatures discovered and described in 2024 include a vegetarian piranha in Brazil and a moth species in Madagascar that gets its nourishment by drinking the tears of sleeping birds. Four new snake species and four previously unknown rat species became known last year. Botanists working in Indonesia identified five new species of orchids.

How many more animal, plant, and fungus species will scientists identify this year? We don’t know, but since science has identified only ten percent of species, the job is far from complete. Knowing that we have seen only a small portion of God’s creation in space and even on Earth, the evidence for God in the things He has made is massive.

Reference: cnn.com

January 3, 2025January 5, 2025

Heart Cockle Fiber Optics

God has equipped all living things with some method of survival. Research on the heart cockle, a small clam that lives in shallow waters in the Indian and Pacific oceans, has shown that it uses fiber optics to get sunlight through its shell to supply the food it needs.

Heart cockles get their food from algae living within their shells in a symbiotic relationship, benefiting both parties. The algae get sunlight through a crystalline form of calcium carbonate called aragonite arranged in tiny tubes that function like fiber-optic cables. These tubes allow visible light to pass through the cockle’s shell while blocking infrared and ultraviolet light. The algae use the light to produce sugars and other nutrients that benefit the clam while the clam protects the algae within its shell.

According to Science News, the aragonite can channel light without the reflective coatings that telecommunications fiber optics require. While filtering out harmful ultraviolet light, the fiber optic-like structures are “finely tuned to balance the shell’s mechanical strength with its ability to efficiently transmit light.” The “finely tuned” heart cockle shell design had to have a designer, and trying to explain it by chance alone requires a vivid imagination. This is one more evidence that God has designed a vast number of ways for life to survive.

— John N. Clayton © 2025
Reference: Science News December 14 & 28, 2024, page 10

January 2, 2025December 31, 2024

The Fear of Snakes

Everything in existence had a reason to be created, even snakes. There are over 3600 species of snakes, and roughly 725 of them are venomous. However, only about 200 species can harm or fatally injure a human with just one bite. The fear of snakes is common. Snakes vary in size, with the smallest being the Barbados thread snake, which grows to a maximum of roughly 4 inches. The largest found so far is a reticulated python, 23 feet long and weighing over 215 pounds.

So, why are people afraid of snakes? Movie watchers may remember the scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” when Indiana Jones looked over ruins and saw the floor was covered with snakes. He muttered, “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes!” The fear of snakes predates Indiana Jones. Many Bible passages involve snakes. When Moses threw his stick on the ground in Exodus 4:1-3, it became a snake, and Moses ran from it.

Why do snakes exist, and what lessons do they have for us? First, on a scientific level, snakes are incredibly well-designed to eat warm-blooded pests. They smell by using their forked tongues to collect airborne scent particles. They deposit those particles on special organs called vomeronasal or Jacobson’s organs on the roof of their mouths. In addition, snakes have nerves on their underside, which are very sensitive to vibration. These features enable snakes to go into a burrow and remove a rodent that would otherwise be a pest to humans. Snakes are rarely aggressive. They bite when someone invades the snake’s territory or deliberately antagonizes it.

In Mark 16:17-18 Jesus speaks about snakes as He describes His followers: “…they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Some denominations have handled snakes as a part of their worship service. This display of bravado is not what Jesus was talking about. At the time Jesus spoke, there were no scriptures to allow a person to whether or not a messenger was from God. Jesus said his messengers would be fluent in many languages and able to handle snakes, drink poison, and heal the sick 100% of the time. None of the current “snake handlers” can do all of those things. We learn from 1 Corinthians 13:8 that those things are unnecessary after God’s perfect word became available.

In Genesis 3:1-4, was Eve dealing with a talking snake? Was the curse on the snake in verses 14-15 to crawl for future generations? Looking at all these verses, it seems that the message is spiritual and involves offspring. You can see that in the highly symbolic contrast between crushing the head and striking the heel. The theological debate on these questions has gone on for thousands of years.

Despite the fear of snakes, the bottom line is that snakes serve humans in marvelous ways. They should be respected rather than feared. Genesis reminds us of Satan’s power and the importance of living as God has told us to.

December 31, 2024December 30, 2024

There Is No Time Machine

As we end another year, we look back and think about things we should have done differently. Hindsight is always better than foresight. There is probably no person alive who doesn’t wish they could change something from their past. Perhaps we made a bad investment or missed a good investment of either time or money. We may have spoken words to someone that we wish we could take back. Perhaps we failed to do something to encourage a person facing difficult times. We may have missed a golden opportunity to share Jesus Christ with someone. Whatever past regrets we have, we can’t do it over. There is no time machine.

Even if we could go back in time, we still might not get it right. Also, changing things in the past could have dramatic and potentially disastrous effects on the future. Seriously, we should be glad that there is no time machine. That also means we can’t see the future. What will the next year bring? Whether good or bad, we are probably better off not knowing. God is the only one outside of time who can see the future because it’s all present to Him. Being unlimited by time, God knows our past and sees our future.

Since there is no time machine and time for us moves in only one direction, we can choose to change the future. We can determine how to do things differently in the new year. Sure, we will continue to make mistakes, but that’s part of being human. The great thing is that the One who knows our past can forgive our mistakes because He entered time and did what we could not do. He took our sins on Himself so that we can look to the future with a clean slate.

Don’t beat yourself up over your past. In Christ, starting today, you have a new beginning. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalms 103:12). There is no time machine, and we don’t need one.

December 30, 2024December 29, 2024

The Religion of Scientism

We get a lot of mail from skeptics and atheists who state that “religion is the opiate of the masses” and that they have no religion. Karl Marx made this statement, but it is not accurate. Britannica defines religion as “a human being’s relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of special reverence.” That applies to the religion of scientism, which says that science is the only source of knowledge.

Many people hold to a human system of belief. Scientist Stephen Hawking made science fit the definition of scientism. Hawking wrote that “scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery.” As a science teacher and a person trained in the physical sciences, I understand that science has taught us many wonderful things, but it does not have all the answers.

You can learn many wonderful things outside of what science can measure or discover. Why did the universe come into being? What is the meaning of human existence? What happens after we die? What is the basis for morality? Why is there something instead of nothing? How did gravity come into existence? These are all questions science can’t answer. John C. Lennox, in his book God and Stephen Hawking, points out that what is going on in our academic world today is not science versus religion, but rather it is theism versus atheism. Many have adopted the religion of scientism.

The dictionary defines science as knowledge. Wikipedia defines scientism as “the belief that science and the scientific method are the best or only way to render truth about the world and reality.” We can be amazed by what science can do, but science cannot answer many essential questions.

Science has given us many ways to kill one another. War has affected us all, and science offers no answer as to how to stop it. In contrast, the teachings of Jesus Christ tell us how to stop war. Read Matthew 5-7 and ask yourself what the world would be like if everyone accepted and applied those teachings. Now, consider what the world will be like if we continue to allow greed, selfishness, and political ambition to control all of humanity.

Those who reject God and Christ’s teachings will embrace some other human belief system. Will we allow atheism and the religion of scientism to govern our future, or will we accept the message of Jesus Christ?

December 27, 2024December 23, 2024

Wildlife in Winter and Conifers

Wildlife in Winter survive because of conifer forests

Winter presents new challenges for all of us, but God has made unique provisions for wildlife in winter. One of the most interesting is the conifers and what they provide for birds.

Winter does not threaten northern birds because all the food and shelter they need is available in four conifers. Berries last through the winter on winterberry holly, Virginia creeper, and trumpet honeysuckle. Cedars have cones and attract insects like carpenter ants that birds eat. Cedar waxwings, golden-crowned kinglets, and pileated woodpeckers thrive on Cedars. Spruce trees have seeds that feed evening grosbeaks, fox sparrows, and juncos. Fir trees provide for nuthatches, chickadees, and spotted owls. Birds can open the cones of white pines to eat the seeds, with nutcrackers and crossbill finches being the most adept.

Conifers exist virtually everywhere on planet Earth, which means bird habitats are available everywhere. The survival of wildlife in winter is possible for birds, other animals, and the plants they depend on. While tropical areas might seem ideal for birds, winter offers freedom from most parasites and provides a host of food and shelter sources. Conifers grow at high elevations and high latitudes where other plants could not exist.

There is amazing diversity everywhere we look on our planet, providing a great testimony to the wisdom and design God has put into His creation. Genesis 8:22 indicates that summer and winter are built into the creation, and Psalms 74:17 tells us God is the creator of summer and winter. As we look outside here in Michigan, we see many birds thriving despite the snow and ice. The survival of wildlife in winter is based on the protection they have from the cold and the food that is readily available to birds in the conifers.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: Audubon magazine for winter, 2024 page 50. Also of interest is audubon.org/plantsforbirds.

December 26, 2024December 23, 2024

The Value of a Dinosaur Fossil

What is the value of a dinosaur fossil? In 2024, the current record price for a fossilized dinosaur skeleton is $44,600,000 paid for a Stegosaurus fossil nicknamed Apex. The fossil, found in Colorado in 2022, is 27 feet long and 11 ½ feet tall. Kenneth C. Griffin, who bought the Stegosaurus fossil, is loaning it to the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, which expects millions of visitors to come and see it. The previous record for a dinosaur fossil was $31,800,000 paid in 2020 for a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil named Stan, which is going to be displayed in Abu Dhabi. A T-rex fossil named Sue, on display in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, sold in 1997 for a mere $8.3 million.

What is the value of a dinosaur fossil that can command such enormous prices? Griffin says, “Apex offers a unique window into our planet’s distant past. The joy and awe every child feels coloring a Stegosaurus with their crayons will now be brought to life for the millions of people who have the opportunity to see this epic dinosaur in person.”

Are there religious or biblical connections to finding a dinosaur fossil? For some religious denominations, the answer may be negative. It is difficult to imagine how humans could exist with an animal of this size. As people look at this colossal dinosaur fossil they may be unable to accept the idea that humans and dinosaurs were contemporaries, and they would be right.

The Genesis account contains no Hebrew word that could be translated as “dinosaur” or “Stegosaurus. “Some people refer to “Behemoth” in Job chapter 40. The word “behemah” is used 51 times in the Bible, including Genesis 1:24-25 and refers to cattle. Stegosaurus was not a cow! “Remes” is also used in these verses referring to creeping creatures (also in Genesis 9:3) and is used 16 times in the biblical record. The “creation week” clearly refers to animals that the people of Moses’ time were familiar with, and that would not have included dinosaurs. The term “leviathan” (Job 41:1 and Psalms 104:26) refers to a great water creature, but Stegosaurus was not a water creature.

Dinosaurs were creatures God used to prepare the Earth for humans. Imagine the volume of plant material that Stegosaurus would have eaten every day. You can understand how they were instrumental in pruning the plants and spreading their seeds to provide the coal and mineral deposits humans would need. Like everything God does, the scale of what He did after Genesis 1:2 and before the Genesis creation week was massive. So, what is the value of a dinosaur fossil? We can join in the awe of seeing God’s plan as we look at dinosaur fossils like Apex, Stan, and Sue without feeling any doubt in our minds about the message of Genesis.

December 24, 2024December 23, 2024

The Christmas Season Again

We are once again at the Christmas season, which reminds us of the birth of Christ. This season also reminds us of the value of friends and family. More than at any time in recent memory, there is excitement about what to expect in the new year as polls show that the majority of Americans have a positive view of the future. At the same time, political differences are creating division between friends and family members.

The links below will lead you to previous Christmas posts where we dealt with misconceptions about Christmas, the connection between Christmas and creation, and the importance of Christmas as a time to renew relationships with family and friends. We pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas season, renewing your love for Christ and for others.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS AND CREATION
THE VALUE OF CHRISTMAS

December 23, 2024December 22, 2024

IVF and “Snowflake Babies”

When humans decide to “play God,” all kinds of problems develop. A modern example is “In Vitro Fertilization,” or IVF. In this reproductive strategy, a woman’s eggs are put into a petri dish, and sperm is added to the dish, where all of the eggs are allowed to divide and grow. After five or six days, each fertilized egg has grown to a blastocyst of 100 to 200 cells. The blastocyst is transferred into a uterus, where it may or may not develop into a pregnancy.

The IVF process produces a group of dozens of embryos and raises a series of issues. What do you do with these viable embryos? They can be flushed down a toilet or donated to medical research. They can also be stored in canisters of liquid nitrogen at minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit for future use years or decades later, at up to $1000 per year.

An adoption agency called “Nightlight Christian Adoptions” has one solution. They take these frozen embryos, called “snowflake babies,” and make them available to women who want to have a baby. That includes single mothers as well as couples who cannot conceive. Part of the motivation for this process is the belief that human life begins at conception. In 2022, a “snowflake baby” showed the Supreme Court in the Dobbs case that life begins at fertilization, leading the court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Your author can understand the frustration that goes with wanting to have a child and being unable to conceive. My wife desperately wanted to be a mother. The political landscape of when to call an embryo human is also a factor, and religious groups have entered this discussion, with both the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention opposing IVF.

What happens when a baby produced by IVF is born with a genetic disability? Who is responsible, and what happens to such a child? When a single woman becomes a mother, will the child have the needed support? Society has revised the biblical concept of a family to include any combination of adults or a single person.

God’s plan works. A family can deal with congenital disabilities, as your author has learned from experience. We adopted three wonderful children, but one was born blind and mentally challenged, with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and schizophrenia. We reported our story in a booklet titled “Timothy, My Son and Teacher.” Tim had a good life, and we were blessed to be allowed to raise three children. Alternatives can be technologically possible, but collateral damage from playing God can bring extra pain to parenthood as well.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “How ‘Snowflake Babies’ Could Change IVF Politics” in Politico magazine for October 6, 2024.

December 20, 2024December 17, 2024

Doctrine of the Rapture

A denominational teaching that has brought significant doubt about the integrity of Christianity is the doctrine of the rapture. There are several versions of this human teaching, and with every war in Europe or the Middle East, some people claim it’s the start of the tribulation, and the rapture is coming soon. The general idea is that Jesus Christ will come again to gather a chosen few during the tribulation and then return to establish a utopian physical kingdom in Jerusalem after a war destroying all other physical political systems.

In my lifetime, I have seen a variety of rapture teachings. Some extremes have involved preachers like David Koresh and Marshall Herff Applewhite. In 1997, Applewhite told his followers that God was sending Comet Hale Bopp, and their souls would ascend to a spaceship. More rational denominational preachers have used the doctrine of the rapture to support political activity.

Rapture teaching embraces the idea that after Jesus returns and establishes a physical kingdom in Jerusalem, there will be a time of bliss for a thousand years in which many more will be saved. Some versions say that will happen secretly with those who are part of that denomination. Another version is the claim that those who have died before the second coming will be raised and given a second chance.

The word “rapture” is not found in the Bible. The second coming of Christ is not a political event, will not be centered on a physical reign in Jerusalem, and will not be secretive in any way. Revelation 1:7 says, “… every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all peoples on earth will mourn because of Him.” Second Peter 3:10-12 tells us that the physical cosmos will be dissolved. Matthew 25:31-32 tells us that everyone will be judged. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that all of us are destined to die once and then to face judgment. Regardless of what version you may be exposed to, understand that the Bible does not support the doctrine of the rapture.