Evidence for God in Life Design Archives

August 19, 2025September 12, 2025

Only a Mind Can Create a Mind

Did the universe originate with matter or with a Mind? If matter was the starting point for all things, then we are simply matter. In that case, how can we have a mind? Are our minds just collections of cells formed from molecules that consist of atoms, which are made up of subatomic particles? Could unguided matter create our minds? Do we merely imagine that we have minds?

It seems more reasonable that a Mind was the starting point for all things. In that case, the Mind initiated the matter that formed the entire cosmos, all living things, and us. That Mind gave us minds, because only a Mind can create a mind.

The human mind has two parts working together. The physical part is what we call the brain. Materialists try to tell us that the brain is all there is. The brain handles material processes, including sensory and motor functions. It also influences emotions and memory. The other part, the soul, is not made of material substance. The soul performs abstract reasoning, makes moral choices, and exhibits free will. It is what makes us different from all other animals.

This non-material part of our mind works in conjunction with the physical brain. The brain controls our physical movements but deciding what to do is primarily under the influence of the soul. Reasoning and decision-making are activities of the soul, but damage to the brain can severely affect our ability to reason and make moral choices.

The physical and spiritual aspects of our minds must work together to make us fully functioning humans. For that reason, a person who experiences brain damage from stroke, brain cancer, severe brain injury, Alzheimer’s, or other causes struggles with abstract reasoning and decision-making. Dementia also results in loss of memory, sensory awareness, and motor skills, and it affects our emotions. However, physical factors such as fatigue and illness can also impact those things.

It’s essential to understand that despite physical impairments, whether temporary or permanent, we remain the same person with the same soul. For those suffering from dementia, regardless of its cause, loved ones need to realize that the soul, the spiritual part of that person, is still present. Malfunction of the brain makes the person seem very different, but the person’s soul is still present. We are all made in the image of God, who is a spirit (John 4:24), not physical. We are spirits functioning within a physical body. In this life, a damaged brain can limit the functioning of a person’s soul. However, we can thank God that the soul is freed from the brain at the moment of death, and those who have accepted the salvation Jesus offers will spend a blissful eternity with Him.

For more on the reality of the human soul, watch this video.

August 18, 2025August 17, 2025

The Story of Clementine Breen and Gender Transition

The issue of gender transition for children is one of the great tragedies in today’s world. Not only is this a biblical issue with Genesis 2:15-24 making it clear that God’s design was a product of His wisdom and purpose, but it is a scientific issue with transgender children having a shortened life full of drugs and medical procedures. The story of Clementine Breen is an example.

A young lady named Clementine Breen is suing the medical establishment for inflicting irreversible damage upon her. She was just 12 years old when counselors and doctors told her she was really a boy. Clementine was sexually abused as a child, leaving her terrified of growing into womanhood. This led to “weird behavioral issues.”

Instead of receiving help with the damage of her past, Clementine was rushed into “transition” drugs and the removal of her healthy breasts. Medical providers scared Clementine’s parents into believing she was “high risk” for suicide. They asked her parents a cliché question we have heard many times, “Would you rather have a dead daughter or a living son?”

Doctors gave Clementine puberty blockers when she was 12 years old, testosterone at 13, and a double mastectomy at 14. During this time, her mental health worsened, and she struggled with bouts of psychosis and even attempted suicide. At age 17, Clementine was encouraged by her providers to have a hysterectomy, but she refused. In 2024, Clementine stopped taking testosterone and found a counselor who helped her understand how her past had led her to become a trans person. She is now a college student and says, “I am a woman.”

Some children have found a temporary peace with their gender change, but ultimately, the negative results of the drugs and surgeries become obvious. There is a massive need for the story of Clementine Breen to be known by families, counselors, and doctors, who must understand that gender change procedures are not a positive way to meet the needs of troubled children. Humans should not be playing God with children’s lives when the results are catastrophic.

Reference: Alliance Defending Freedom newsletter for August 2025.

August 12, 2025August 11, 2025

Honey Is a Wonderful Gift

Honey is a wonderful gift from God, who created the agents that produce this amazing substance for our benefit. It has been a food source for people throughout history, but it is more than just food. Honey offers many health benefits, serving as an antidepressant, anticonvulsant, and anti-anxiety remedy. It has also been shown to improve memory disorders, heal wounds, and reduce allergy symptoms.

Honey is mentioned 61 times in the Bible. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery, He described the land as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). John the Baptist lived on locusts and honey (Matthew 3:4 & Mark 1:6). When Solomon wanted to describe the beauty he saw in his lover, he said, “Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue…” (Song of Solomon 4:11).

The agents God created to produce this wonderful substance are bees. It takes twelve bees their entire lifetime to make a teaspoon of honey, visiting 50 to 100 flowers daily flights to gather nectar. This incredible substance and the tiny insect that produces it are no accident of nature; they were created by God’s design. The psalmist wrote that if God’s people would listen to His words, “with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (Psalms 81:16).

Reference: Guideposts magazine article by beekeeper Jeannie Blackmer, August 8, 2025

August 11, 2025August 10, 2025

Non-Native Species and the Natural Balance

People often disturb the delicate balance of the natural world by transporting plants, animals, or insects from one region to another, either accidentally or intentionally. When non-native species have no predators to keep them in check, or they outcompete local species for food or space, the natural balance is disrupted. The consequences are often negative.

The list of known cases of destruction caused by non-native species is extensive. Researchers say that introducing outsiders has led to 60% of local bird, mammal, and reptile extinctions. Over the past decade, Florida has spent an estimated six million dollars to control Burmese pythons. These large snakes were brought into the U.S. and sold as pets. When they grew too big to handle, people released them into the Florida Everglades. Without natural enemies in America, these snakes have been preying on local wildlife, including alligators, domestic dogs, cats, and even cattle.

A single Japanese knotweed plant brought into the U.S. can grow rapidly, has no natural predators here, and can crowd out other species, damaging buildings and drainage systems. This plant has appeared in 43 states, including Alaska. Even viruses and bacteria have been introduced from other parts of the world. COVID-19 is one example, but there are lesser-known cases too. For instance, the West Nile virus came into the U.S. from Uganda.

The number of invasive non-native species is huge. It includes Asian carp, parachuting Joro spiders, kudzu, giant hornets, sea lampreys, zebra mussels, South African red weevils, red swamp crayfish, and starlings, among others.

The U.S. government spends over three billion dollars annually on managing invasive species, and more than $150 billion yearly on agricultural damages. Globally, the bill reaches $423 billion. All of this stems from humans acting as poor stewards of the natural resources God has given us.

Reference: The American Legion Magazine for August 2025, pages 20 -26.

August 7, 2025August 6, 2025

Itching and Scratching Design

Summer brings insect bites and chemical irritation from certain plants. Insect bites or touching poison ivy or another irritating plant activate a series of itching and scratching. Why do we scratch? Why does it feel good? And why does scratching sometimes make the problem worse?

When we scratch, we cause an increase in blood flow to the area, which temporarily eases the itching. Scratching causes a mild soreness that distracts us from the itch. It also activates the brain’s reward system—the same system involved in addiction. The brain releases the happiness hormone serotonin, which increases the desire to scratch even more. This can lead to skin damage and inflammation, turning a minor itch into a bigger problem.

Scientists are exploring the complex system of itching and scratching. Although itching is closely related to pain, researchers have discovered cells in the spinal cord that transmit itch signals separately from pain signals. Both pain and itching have beneficial and harmful effects.

The complexity of our bodies shows evidence of design, not accident. Itching and scratching are designed to cause us to react to external attacks on our bodies, removing the effect of irritants and producing new epidermal cells. This is another demonstration of the truth of Psalms 139:14: “I will praise you, God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful…”

References: Discover magazine for May/June 2025, pages 20 & 21, and the National Institutes of Health.

July 31, 2025July 30, 2025

Cowbird Mystery Solved

Cowbirds are quite unique among birds. A female cowbird lays her eggs in another bird’s nest. The parent birds there raise the cowbird chicks as their own, even if they are smaller than the cowbird. The cowbird mystery is how the bird, raised among a different species, finds a mate.

Recent studies have offered an answer. About a month after hatching, the young cowbird leaves the foster parent’s territory. It then encounters adult cowbirds and instinctively follows them. The foster parent does not help with this process, but their behavior allows cowbirds to reproduce.

The scientific term for the cowbird’s behavior is “brood parasitism.” Although the cowbird mystery may seem like an unusual way to reproduce, it helps maintain balance in the bird world. God’s creation has many mysteries we don’t yet understand, but as we learn more, we see the wisdom behind it. This reminds us of Romans 1:20, which states that we can know there is a God through the things He has made.

Reference: The Week for July 25, 2025, page 21.

July 24, 2025July 24, 2025

Bryan Was Right About Macroevolution

Bryan was right. Even after a century, his arguments remain unrefuted. A play that fictionalized the famous Scopes trial was first performed in 1955, and film versions were released in 1960 and 1999. Both films were well-produced with talented actors but showed a clear bias toward evolution and against William Jennings Bryan. The character representing atheist Clarence Darrow as the defense attorney was portrayed as an intelligent, kind, and caring man. Conversely, the William Jennings Bryan character was depicted as a fool, which he was not. Yesterday, we examined Bryan’s arguments against evolution based on the origin of life and genetics/morphology. Today, we look at chemistry and species.

In Bryan’s era, advocates of evolution suggested that the chemistry of life could naturally generate complex code. The complexity of living cells was not yet understood. Bryan wrote a closing argument that he was unable to present at the Scopes trial. This document, published after his death, included these words:

“Chemistry is an insurmountable obstacle in the path of evolution. It is one of the greatest of the sciences; it separates atoms, isolates them, and surrounds them, so to speak. If there were a progressive force or an eternal urge in nature, chemistry would discover it. But it is not there. All of the ninety-two original elements are separate and distinct; they combine in fixed and permanent proportions. Water is H2O, as it has been from the beginning. It was here before life appeared and has never changed; neither can it be shown that anything else has materially changed.”

Bryan was right to say that chemistry cannot explain the evolution of life. Today, no scientist can demonstrate that chemistry alone accounts for the origin of new features in living things or the complexity of life.

Bryan’s fourth argument was the lack of the emergence of new species. He pointed out that animals pass on their body plans and features to future generations. According to historian and author Rick Townsend, Bryan “suggested that no evidence had been presented to validate the claim of new species arising naturally.” As Bryan stated, “…many evolutionists adhere to Darwin’s conclusions while discarding his explanations.”

Both the biblical record and the record of paleontology show that the appearance of new, unique species stopped after humans came on the scene. Furthermore, the fossil record suggests that the number of species has decreased rather than increased since the first humans appeared on Earth. After creating humans, God rested from creation until this day.

We observe microevolution within species, but not macroevolutionary changes. The scientific community cannot demonstrate how microevolution can lead to macroevolution because changes within species hit a barrier that cannot be crossed. Random mutations and natural selection are unable to produce entirely new and unique creatures.

In a 2016 meeting of the prestigious Royal Academy of London, the conference leader and evolutionary biologist Gert Muller wrote, “The real issue is that genetic evolution alone has been found insufficient for an adequate causal explanation of all forms of phenotypic complexity…” That’s a fancy way of saying that 100 years after the Scopes trial, evidence for Darwin’s “evolutionary synthesis” is still lacking. In other words, Bryan was right.

Reference: “Still Unrefuted: William Jennings Bryan’s Key Arguments Against Darwinian Theory” by Rick Townsend in the summer 2025 issue of Salvo magazine, Pages 28-32. 28-32.

July 23, 2025July 22, 2025

Bryan’s Arguments Against Darwin

Yesterday, July 21, 2025, marked the 100^th anniversary of the end of the famous Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee. Over the past few days, the media have commemorated it, and we have written about it HERE and HERE. The play “Inherit the Wind,” loosely based on the Scopes trial, was adapted into a movie twice, with the names changed to protect the innocent, or guilty. The real name was William Jennings Bryan, and although Bryan’s arguments against Darwin were not presented in the play or movies, they have still not been answered in the 100 years since Scopes.

William Jennings Bryan was a renowned orator of his day and a devout Christian who was not convinced of the truth of naturalistic macroevolution. One of his arguments against it involved the origin of life. Evolution does not explain creation. Evolution requires creation, and Darwin merely suggested that life got started in a “warm little pond” without explaining how that might have happened. Bryan said this:

“Those who reject the idea of creation are divided into two schools, some believing that the first germ of life came from another planet, and others holding that it was the result of spontaneous generation. Each school answers the arguments advanced by the other, and as they cannot agree with each other, I am not compelled to agree with either.”

After 100 years of research, scientists are no closer to solving the mystery of the origin of life than they were in Bryan’s day.

Another area that Bryan challenged was genetics (the passing of traits through generations) and morphology (the shape and structure of living things). Bryan expressed his doubts with a watermelon illustration:

“I was eating a piece of watermelon some months ago and was struck with its beauty…One [seed], put into the ground, when warmed by the sun and moistened by the rain, takes off its coat and goes to work; it gathers from somewhere two hundred thousand times its own weight, and forcing this raw material through a tiny stem, constructs a watermelon. It ornaments the outside with a covering of green; inside the green it puts a layer of white, and within the white a core of red, and all through the red it scatters seeds, each one capable of continuing the work of reproduction. Where does that little seed get its tremendous power? Where does it find its coloring matter? How does it collect its flavouring extract? How does it build a watermelon? Until you can explain a watermelon, do not be too sure that you can set limits to the power of the Almighty and say just what He would do or how He would do it. I cannot explain the watermelon, but I eat it and enjoy it.”

Today, we know that DNA carries the code for proteins and regulates cell functions, but science still does not understand the body plan of living things. What was once called “junk DNA” (non-coding) appears to be involved in morphology, but its mechanism of action remains unknown. Consider the similarities between the DNA of humans and fruit flies, and notice the vast differences in their body plans.

William Jennings Bryan’s arguments against Darwin have still not been answered by science. The origin of life and the secrets of genetics and morphology are still unexplained. Tomorrow, we will look at two more of Bryan’s arguments against Darwin.

Reference: “Still Unrefuted: William Jennings Bryan’s Key Arguments Against Darwinian Theory” by Rick Townsend in the summer 2025 issue of Salvo magazine, Pages 28-32.

July 21, 2025July 20, 2025

Trial of the Century?

In July 1925, what is known as the “Scopes Monkey Trial” was held in Dayton, Tennessee. Now, 100 years later, the battle over evolution continues. USA TODAY ran a 12-page special edition on July 13, 2025, giving an excellent historical exposé and claiming that what was at stake was “modern science versus religion.” The article also addresses current issues, including the representation of LGBTQ+ books in schools today. The paper claims that the so-called “trial of the century” was America’s first major culture war battle.

In an era when American education is undergoing massive change, there are many questions: Do schools have the right to ban certain books? Who should write the curriculum? Can the Bible be displayed in public schools? Should school prayer be allowed? Are vouchers the answer for school choice? Should schools be involved in sex education? Should the 10 commandments be displayed? Should schools have chaplains? These issues are being battled in courts, school board meetings, PTA presentations, and churches.

Many churches have established their own schools, and private schools are increasingly replacing public schools in various locations. One side effect is that money and teachers are being pulled away from the public schools. How do you teach a lab course when you have no funds to purchase equipment for students to use?

The sad part of all of this is that most of the conflict is unnecessary. The “Does God Exist?” ministry is based on the simple fact that science and faith are friends, not enemies. Modern science may disagree with some denominational teachings, but it does not contradict the Bible. If you read the Bible carefully, you will see that it consistently deals with evidence. Science is knowledge, and if God is the source of knowledge, the two MUST BE SYMBIOTIC – mutually supportive of each other.

The Scopes “trial of the century” centered on the topic of evolution. It is foolish to think that change does not occur in living things. How many different breeds of dogs, cats, chickens, cattle, and corn exist today? How did they come into being? The answer is “evolution,” but this was guided evolution. This is not to be confused with naturalism, which holds that blind chance can explain all that we observe in the natural world. Evolution is simply unfolding change, and it is undeniable, as evidenced by adaptive changes within species.

We urge our readers to go to our website doesgodexist.org or watch our video series on doesgodexist.tv for more information. Enroll in our correspondence course or read our free books. None of this requires any money – it is all free. It is essential to understand why you believe what you believe and be able to support it with evidence. We are here to help as you wade through the “trial of the century” media presentations.

July 16, 2025July 15, 2025

Darwinian Toxic Masculinity

In recent years, many people have decried “toxic masculinity.” The term started trending on Google searches in 2015. Many social science authors have written about it, defining it in different ways. WebMd.com describes it as “an attitude or set of social guidelines stereotypically associated with manliness that often have a negative impact on men, women, and society.” The topic is not new, and even Charles Darwin addressed it. You might call it Darwinian toxic masculinity.

Are men pigs? In a bestselling book titled The Moral Animal, Robert Wright wrote, “Human males are by nature oppressive, possessive, flesh-obsessed pigs.” In Men and Marriage, George Gilder stated, “Men are, by nature, violent, sexually predatory, and irresponsible.” Where does this hostile view of men come from? We suggest Charles Darwin has something to do with it.

Darwin believed that males are superior to females. He argued that men can achieve a “higher eminence” than women in any field of effort. His conclusion was that “the average of mental power in man must be above that of woman.” He believed this was true because of natural selection. Male animals must do many things to win their females and even more to keep them. Therefore, natural selection favors the dominant and combative male. He concluded that their struggles and challenges “increase their mental powers.” Since he saw humans as merely evolved animals, Darwinian toxic masculinity was a consequence of evolution and natural selection.

Darwin also claimed that dark-skinned people were less evolved than those with light skin, and women were less evolved than men because men had to “struggle in order to maintain themselves and their families.” With all the criticism of men’s behavior, perhaps we should call it Darwinian toxic masculinity. Contrasting Darwin’s mistaken ideas, Jesus Christ is the perfect example of true masculinity. He showed love and forgiveness as He made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Men today need to learn from Him.

References: Wikipedia, WebMd.com, and The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes by Nancy R. Pearcey (available on Amazon)