Evidence for God in Physical Design Archives

November 12, 2024November 11, 2024

Trashing God’s Creation

The Bible tells us that God created our planet to be a beautiful place and gave humans the responsibility to take care of it. However, we see today that humans are trashing God’s creation.

Several times in my life, I have had the privilege of being in an area where no human activity had ever been present. From the underwater gardens in the Galapagos Islands to isolated regions of Alaska, the beauty of the natural world has astounded me. In Australia, I was allowed to be in places where the nearest human city was hundreds of miles away, and the beauty was breathtaking. Canoeing in Canada’s Quetico wilderness was another place where I saw incredible beauty. Numerous trips to the bottom of the Grand Canyon allowed me to see an unspoiled natural environment.

Finding unspoiled places today has become increasingly difficult. Human greed, selfishness, and materialism have led to trashing much of our planet. Many people have sensed this loss, including those who may not see it as God’s creation but cannot deny the destruction of the natural world. One organization is the Ocean Conservancy, which is involved in global cleanup. One of their programs is the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), which uses volunteers to pick up trash worldwide.

In 2023, ICC volunteers collected 1,947,483 cigarette butts, 1,358,870 plastic beverage bottles, 853,086 plastic bottle caps, 762,803 food wrappers, 563,390 plastic grocery bags, and a variety of trash, adding up to 14.3 million items. The issue of trashing God’s creation has gotten more attention since scientists discovered that microplastics contaminate all oceans and even show up in the human bloodstream. Medical research shows that these tiny plastic particles combine with chemicals to produce cancer, birth defects, brain damage, infertility, and various other health issues.

We see skeptics blaming God for these illnesses and problems when the root of much of the pain and suffering is humans trashing God’s creation. Christians cannot assume that this problem is unrelated to their faith. We need to be leaders in caring for God’s creation just as we must lead in helping our world understand Christ’s wisdom as He tells us how to live and how to treat each other.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: The Ocean Conservancy in their Splash newsletter for Winter 2024

November 11, 2024November 7, 2024

Saturn Launched a Comet

Among the many evidences for design in our solar system are the outer gas-giant planets that protect Earth from comets. We have seen Jupiter draw in a comet, break it into multiple pieces, and then swallow it. If Jupiter had not stopped that comet in the outer reaches of our solar system, it could have been catastrophic to our planet. Astronomers have recently learned that Saturn launched a comet out of the solar system.

In June 2014, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) discovered a comet they call A117uUD. Looking through previous images of the comet, they were able to “wind back” the history of its solar orbit. They found that in 2022, it came close enough to our second-largest planet (the one with the famous rings) that Saturn’s gravity grabbed it and flung it away from us. Now, it’s traveling out of the solar system at 6,710 miles per hour (10,800 km/hr).

A117uUD is the second comet astronomers have seen a gas-giant planet launch into deep space. In 1980, Jupiter sent comet C/1980 E1 (Boswell) on a path out of the solar system. What would happen if a comet invaded our solar system and the outer planets, with their massive gravity, were not there to send it on a detour? How long would our planet survive? What if Jupiter and Saturn were not available to swallow, destroy, or re-route a destructive comet?

When Saturn launched a comet into the wild black yonder, it caused no danger to Earth’s inhabitants. We can be thankful that the solar system is well-designed for us to survive. Does design indicate an accident or a Designer?

Reference: space.com

November 4, 2024November 3, 2024

When Neutron Stars Collide

The periodic table has 94 elements that occur naturally and 24 others that exist only in particle accelerators, nuclear reactors, and atomic explosions. The natural elements include one group known as “rapid neutron capture process” or r-process elements. Most of those elements are created when neutron stars collide, giving off gamma rays.

In the periodic table above, you can see the r-process elements in lavender. Without those elements, life would be very different, if not impossible. Two of the r-process metals are thorium and uranium. Earth’s strong magnetic field that protects us from deadly solar and cosmic radiation exists because of radioactive thorium and uranium inside our planet. Those elements are also the reason for plate tectonics, which transformed the planet from a water world (Genesis 1:2) into a world with oceans and continents (Job 38:8-11).

Other valuable metals in the r-process group include silver, gold, platinum, palladium, and osmium. Those metals are essential for electronic components and catalysts that make our high technology possible. They are also involved in medical treatments, including chemotherapy.

The precisely fine-tuned properties of neutrinos and the weak nuclear force make the rapid nuclear capture process possible. When neutron stars collide, we are also blessed by the fact that they are far away from our planet, so the gamma rays pose no risk to our survival. The closest detected collision was in a galaxy 130 million light-years from Earth. We see evidence of God’s creative wisdom in all of these things and many more.

Reference: salvomag.com

October 16, 2024October 14, 2024

Rivers and Streams Neglected

We take for granted many of the things God has created that our lives depend on. The classic example is neglected rivers and streams. Many rivers have become dumping grounds not only for human waste but for agricultural waste and chemical disposal. Scientific studies have shown us how destructive this is.

One-third of the American population depends on rivers and streams for drinking water. Seventy-five percent of commercial fisheries depend on rivers that run into the oceans or the Great Lakes. These include shrimp, clams, oysters, salmon, walleye, catfish, lake trout, cisco, grunions, and a host of rough fish used for cat food and fertilizer. Rivers and creeks, if adequately cared for, store billions of gallons of water annually. Much of the flooding in America is caused by the neglect of rivers and streams or the misuse of them by straightening, paving the stream bed, or narrowing the stream channel.

The Bible has many references to streams and rivers. The Psalmist pictured rivers as places of retreat and recovery (Psalms 1:3 and 65:9). Rivers and streams were involved in various biblical historical events. The book of Revelation uses rivers to portray the message of God concerning the future. (See Revelation 8:10, 9:14, 16:4, 16:12, and especially 22:1 & 2.) In Acts 16:13-15 we see people gathering at the riverside to worship.

The home of this ministry is located on the edge of the St Joseph River in Michigan. I moved to this area in 1959 to teach science in South Bend. In one course, the students took water samples and studied what the river was like in the past and what it might be like in the future. My students found used toilet paper, dead animals, bottles of chemicals, and rotten food. When a Notre Dame professor joined us, he pointed out that the city cemetery drained into the river. An oxbow lake that was part of the river was the city swimming hole. The professor suggested that the fluids from the cemetery in the water meant,” You are swimming in grandpa’s juices.”

The home where I live in retirement is on the river downstream from all of that. Five cities empty the overflow from their sewage treatment plants into the river. Like most rivers in America, the one I live by carries bacteria, chemicals, waste, and sewage. Rather than identify the human role and clean it up, our culture wants to blame God for the diseases that afflict innocent people.

God gave us rivers and streams as places of beauty and solitude, reflecting God’s creative wisdom. We see muskrats, peregrine falcons, beavers, turtles, deer, eagles, herons, swans, and a host of shoreline birds along the river. They all speak of God’s wisdom and planning and His desire for us to live as He called us to live. Romans 6 gives a great call for all of us. Please read it.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: american rivers.org

October 14, 2024October 13, 2024

Low-Cost Ways to Improve Your Health

Who doesn’t want better health? What if you could achieve better physical and mental health without spending money? At a time when people are facing depression and anxiety about inflation, wars, and even elections, here are some suggestions for easy, low-cost ways to improve your health.

The first suggestion is to move your body. Studies have shown that physical activity can sometimes do more to reduce mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and stress than medications can. Medications also have their side effects. Sitting in a chair for many hours each day can lead to various health problems, but even a small amount of exercise can make us feel better. Physical activity strengthens your bones and muscles, including your heart, while brightening your outlook on life. Gardening or housework can be rewarding. Bicycle riding or walking can allow you to see things you won’t see while sitting at home.

The next suggestion for easy, low-cost ways to improve your health is to go outdoors. Seeing the beauty of God’s creation can be very soothing. Walking in the woods, away from traffic and noise, is stress-relieving. Oceans, lakes, and rivers bring a soothing calm and relief from everyday pressures. Our daily postings on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) show design and beauty in God’s creation. Watching animals and birds in the wild can inspire you with their various activities. Bird songs and the sounds of nature can be soothing. The beauty of plants and trees, especially in the fall and spring, reminds us that God created beauty for us to enjoy. Studies have shown that exposure to nature can improve cognitive function, blood pressure, and sleep.

While considering easy, low-cost ways to improve your health, we must recognize the value of connecting with others. God designed us to be together and support each other, and living in isolation can lead to mental depression and anxiety. First and foremost, families are important, but family members are often far away or estranged. It is also essential to have friends outside of family members. In a church congregation, you can find friends who will give you love and support. Clubs and community groups can provide fellowship with others, but there is nothing as close as sharing life and faith in the fellowship of a solid biblical church.

We encourage you to try these suggestions and see what positive changes they can make in your life and health.

September 23, 2024September 22, 2024

Creation and Evolution Are Not the Same

Creation and evolution are two different things. Evolution does not attempt to answer creation. Evolution assumes creation. Evolution assumes that time, space, and matter/energy have been created. It assumes that matter/energy has formed galaxies, stars, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, etc. It assumes that in the Milky Way galaxy, a G-2 star came into existence with a planet that had water and all the parameters needed for life. Evolution then assumes a set of chemical reactions occurred that produced the precursors of life and that life itself came into existence. Once all of this has been assumed, evolution attempts to explain how that life may have changed into what we see on Earth today.

Both atheists and denominational writers confuse creation and evolution. The problem is that many religious people believe that God created all living things precisely as they are today, even though we can see evolution happening in our lifetime. Meanwhile, many atheists assume that if you believe in creation, you are a follower of several highly publicized denominational programs involving creation museums and carnival-like entertainment venues.

Many churches take busloads of young people to those creationist venues, assuming it will build their faith. For a large percentage of the young people, the reverse is happening. We get letters, emails, and phone calls from teenagers who are struggling with their faith and leaving the church of their parents because they see the bad science and poor Bible understanding associated with the creationist materials. This confusion becomes even more destructive when the church they attend takes a dispensational approach to the return of Jesus involving conflict, war, politics, and a restoration of David’s throne on Earth.

Creation and evolution must not be confused. Genesis 1:1 uses the Hebrew word “bara” to describe creation. Bara refers to something that only God can do. Genesis begins with: “Reshith Elohim bara shamayim erets.” The Hebrew words simply mean that God created time, space, and matter/energy. Quantum mechanics has verified that time itself is a created thing. Colossians 1:16 and John 1:3 show why “Elohim” is plural in the Hebrew of Genesis 1. This is actual creation. You can argue about current evolutionary theories, but that is not creation. Our ministry work involves the creation, but we do not espouse the “creationist” position or support the denominational teachings associated with it.

September 19, 2024September 17, 2024

The Importance and Design of the Oceans

Those of us living in a landlocked place may not think about the importance and design of the oceans. They cover 70% of Earth’s surface, and life could not exist without them. The more we learn about the oceans, the more we appreciate their role no matter where we live.

How much the oceans have changed and altered life on our planet became more apparent with a study published by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science on August 26, 2024. Scientists in South America and Africa discovered that dinosaur tracks on both sides of the Atlantic matched in age, shape, and geological context. The tracks are on the elbow of northeastern Brazil in South America and Cameroon in Africa. This verifies that at the time of the dinosaurs, the two continents were joined together in a supercontinent called Gondwana, which had broken away from a more massive landmass called Pangea.

Reconstructing the history of the continents reveals the importance and design of the oceans in the past and still today. Water is essential for life to exist. However, most of us may not understand that over 50% of the oxygen we inhale is produced in the oceans. Preparing an environment in which humans can live and breathe is not easy. Oceans have been a tool God has used to prepare the Earth for humans.

When we read the biblical account of the preparation of the planet for life, we note that Genesis 1:2 indicates that God’s spirit was active in the waters. In Genesis 1:6-10, we see more information about the importance and design of the oceans in forming Earth’s ecosystem to support human life. The first chapter of Genesis tells us that God established water in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere and gathered the waters in one place and the land in another (verse 9). The first ten verses of Genesis 1 deal with the forming and shaping of the land, with water being a major focus.

Just as the oceans have been essential to preparing Earth for humans, we humans must take care of them. We must manage the design God built into them for our own well-being, no matter where we live.

August 12, 2024August 11, 2024

Tornadoes Are Not the Wrath of God

Some people try to tell us that tornadoes are God’s retaliation against humans for not obeying Him. Atheists and skeptics often say that disasters disprove the existence of a loving and all-powerful God. Now, we are seeing some preachers and religious periodicals saying that God is spiteful and taking it out on humans. This is not only a denial of scientific fact, but it contradicts the nature of God as revealed in the Bible. Catastrophes such as tornadoes are not the wrath of God.

The science behind tornadoes is well understood. They are a natural response to Earth’s changes and human abuse of what God has given us. A tornado happens when hot air becomes trapped under a layer of cold air. Hot air rises, and the Coriolis Effect of the Earth’s spin causes the rising column of air to spin as well.

How can hot air get under cold air? There are several causes, but the main one is the Sun heating Earth’s surface. Dark surfaces can get very hot. Several years ago in Oklahoma, I saw a weatherperson fry an egg on the hood of her car on a scorching day. Hundreds of square miles of blacktoped parking lots and plowed-up land guarantee rising air masses. Older native Americans who lived in Tornado Alley told me that they had never seen a tornado as a child, and their native language had no word for it, although they did have a word for dust devils.

The Bible clarifies that Jesus does not bring destruction, and tornadoes are not the wrath of God. Peter tells us God “..is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 ). Repentance is simply thinking differently. It does not always mean we must confess some great sin–although that could be the case. “Repent and be baptized” in Acts 2:38 means thinking differently, and Peter spoke those words to a large crowd. Romans 8:28 says, “In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him.” James 1:13 tells us that God tempts no one with evil.

If God zapped us every time we made a mistake, the planet would have no humans in a matter of minutes. Tornadoes are not the wrath of God. They are mainly a product of human abuse and carelessness. Building flimsy structures in areas prone to tornadoes is asking for trouble. Not managing the use of what God has given us has caused catastrophic damage and loss of life. Let us work on using the things God gave us more intelligently as we understand that God is a God of love (1 John 4:16) and forgiveness (John 3:16).

July 31, 2024July 30, 2024

Volcanoes Are a Design Feature of Earth

Planet Earth has roughly 1350 volcanoes and is far and away the most geologically active planet in the solar system. The only astronomical body that is even close to Earth is Io, a moon of Jupiter with more than 400 volcanoes. Io’s volcanoes result from gravitational flexing because it is tidal-locked with Jupiter while being pulled by the gravity of Jupiter’s other moons. Earth, however, has volcanoes because of the movement of tectonic plates. These plates move very slowly and are related to the convection motions of materials from the core of the Earth to its surface. Volcanoes are a design feature of Earth.

The benefits of volcanoes are immense. They bring precious metals to the Earth’s surface from deep within, constantly create land masses in the ocean depths that are now teeming with life, and recycle materials to the Earth’s surface, enriching soils where plants thrive and providing food for animal life. The Hawaiian Islands stand as a classic example of land masses produced by volcanoes, showcasing the positive impact of these geological features on our planet.

The recent eruption of Villarrica in Chile reminds us that volcanoes can be very destructive. In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted, producing 20 feet of ash. What skeptics miss is that people built these cities on lava plateaus, and there were constant warnings that an eruption would occur. Mount St Helens in the United States is an American example of how volcanoes function, and even today, there are warnings of eruptions in various places around the world.

The situation with volcanoes is akin to that of earthquakes. It’s a scientific fact that certain zones on Earth are prone to both volcanoes and earthquakes. Despite this, humans continue to build large structures and settle in areas at risk. Volcanoes, while offering many benefits, can also cause significant damage and even loss of life. We must recognize that volcanoes are a design feature of Earth as we exercise wisdom in choosing where we live and how we prepare for their potential activity.

Reference: apod.nasa.gov for 7/17/24