creation Archives - DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

December 16, 2024December 15, 2024

Flamingo Complexity

The complexity of living things gives evidence of design rather than accidental chance. Flamingos that live in southern Florida, the Galapagos Islands, and throughout the Caribbean provide an example of that complexity. You have probably seen photographs of these five-foot-tall pink birds wading in shallow waters and using their long necks to find food. The pink color comes from pigments in their foods, such as brine shrimp and algae. The color is absorbed by body fat and deposited in the flamingo’s feathers. Flamingo complexity involves more than color.

Flamingos move their heads through the water because their tongues pump water into their bills, where comblike structures strain out their food. This activity helps purify the water and provides nutrition for the flamingos. Their legs are an engineering marvel. What looks like a backward knee is actually an ankle joint that can be locked. You would think that a bird with no talons and no sharp beak would be easy prey for various animals that live in coastal areas. The reality is that flamingos can rest and even sleep with their ankle locked while standing on one leg in the water far from shore, out of the reach of predators.

Flamingo complexity also involves their efficient reproductive system, with monogamous pairs producing one egg a year. They build a mound away from the shore and take turns incubating the egg by sitting on the nest mound. During incubation, the flamingo will frequently stand, stretch its wings, preen itself, and carefully lift and turn the egg with its bill. The incubation period is between 27 and 31 days.

The more we learn about the unique design of various birds, the more we have to doubt that this is the product of blind opportunistic chance. In Job 39:13-30, God challenges Job to explain the unique characteristics of birds, including the ostrich, stork, hawk, and eagle. If flamingos lived in Job’s area, they surely would be included as an example of God’s wisdom and design.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
References: National Geographic for December 2024, pages 86-87, and Wikipedia.

December 12, 2024December 11, 2024

Sentient Beings and Purpose

A columnist featured in papers across the country is an animal doctor named Dr. Michael Fox. Dr. Fox believes that humans are not the only sentient beings, echoing the writings of those who deny that humans have any special properties or any right to use animals. This opposes the biblical view of humans and what God intended humans to do and eat. In Genesis 9:3, we read, “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”

The dictionary tells us that “sentient” comes from the Latin word meaning “feeling,” and it describes things that are alive, able to feel and perceive and show awareness or responsiveness. Having senses makes something sentient, or able to smell, communicate, touch, see, or hear. Dr. Fox and others cling to the idea that everything fits that definition, even applying it to nonliving objects: “atoms and stars … with their consciousness evolving with increasing complexity and individuation.”

Where do claims like Dr. Fox’s lead? First, it denies humans’ needs to enable them to survive. What do you eat if everything is equivalent and equal to human beings? Even if this concept is applied only to animals, you have an impossible situation. The world population of humans requires the consumption of proteins and minerals that we can’t obtain from a diet of only plants.

The most crucial aspect of understanding humans as unique sentient beings is that it gives purpose to life. Sentient beings can perceive, show awareness, and respond. Animals like dogs have senses designed for survival, including seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, and communicating. They do not have an awareness of self or a way of understanding that their existence has a purpose. They have no concept of a life beyond their present existence.

All humans need to take care of the world in which we live. That means caring for animals and plants in such a way that they thrive. Christians have a special reason for doing this because our Creator has challenged us to “take care of the garden (the planet)” (Genesis 2:15). We find this concept throughout the teachings of Jesus. Over and over, Jesus called us to love one another. The Greek word used for love is “agape,” meaning “to consider of enormous value.” We CAN love our enemy (Matthew 5:43-45) if we understand that our enemy is a unique being created in the image of God. Our enemies, like ourselves, are sentient beings with a purpose for existing.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “The Universal Quality of Sentience” by Dr. Michael Fox, November 25, 2024

December 10, 2024December 9, 2024

Eye Design is Marvelously Complex

Eye design is marvelously complex. Human vision, with its rods and cones, is just one method of seeing, but other life forms have methods allowing them to see wavelengths we can’t see. Insects have compound eye structures consisting of individual units called ommatidia. Under the lens of each ommatidium, a transparent structure called a rhabdom stores photosensitive pigments known as opsins. Various types of opsins can detect different colors. The more kinds of opsins an insect has in its rhabdom, the more colors it can see.

Each insect has a different set of opsins depending on what it needs. Bees, for example, have a large combination of opsins, allowing them to see many colors of flowers. Some butterflies have opsins that enable them to see a particular plant. For example, monarchs can see milkweed plants, which their caterpillars need for nourishment. Dragonflies have a set of opsins that enable them to see ultraviolet light that human eyes can’t see. Dragonflies eat other insects, including some that are underwater, and ultraviolet vision allows them to see their prey.

The fossil record shows that insects used this method of color vision before the color vision method used by humans. Eye design is marvelously complex and highly designed to allow life to function in a world that needs balance and control. The more we see of the creation of living things, the more evidence we see for intelligence and design in the world around us.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: Smithsonian Magazine for December 2024, page 88.

December 5, 2024December 4, 2024

God Has Used Animals to Teach Humans

Rattlesnakes are among the world’s most misunderstood animals. Bible skeptics refer to Genesis 3:1, saying that they don’t want to believe in a God who would create something as evil and useless as snakes. The passage reads, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.” Although He does not create talking snakes, God has used animals to teach humans.

The Bible has many stories of animals conveying a message to humans. Numbers 22:28-33 records a talking donkey redirecting Balaam. In 2 Kings 2:23-24, a group of teenage thugs who mocked the prophet Elisha were attacked by bears. In Jonah 1:17, we read that “the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah” to set him in a different direction. No matter what you make of those stories, animals that do terrible things to humans are not functioning normally. They are designed for a purpose, not to do horrible things to humans.

So, what possible value is there to rattlesnakes? They are designed to maintain environmental balance by controlling rodents of all kinds. A rattlesnake has a scent-detecting vomeronasal organ in the roof of its mouth, allowing it to smell a mouse or a shrew. In addition, a heat-detecting organ in the pits between its eyes and nostrils enables it to “see” a rodent in total darkness underground. This equipment is designed to eliminate small rodents, not humans.

The total number of people in the United States who die from venomous snake and lizard bites is five, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dog attacks kill many times more people than snake bites. Rattlesnakes have a warning built into their design that they use when threatened. I have personally been in situations where I have seen a rattlesnake within easy striking range of a human being that simply stayed in a striking position and never moved. Snakes do not want interactions with humans and are most abundant in environments humans do not frequent.

One interesting modern value to rattlesnakes is that medical researchers have found hundreds of proteins and enzymes in their venom that block or neutralize pain pathways, offering an alternative to highly addictive opiates. The venom also can dissolve blood clots and lower blood pressure. Snakes are victimized and denigrated, but they are not evil, and they are designed for a purpose. God has used animals to teach humans.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: National Geographic for December 2024, pages 60-81.

December 3, 2024December 2, 2024

The Animal Understanding of Death

What do animals understand about death? That question has become such an area of interest that it has a name—comparative thanatology. Dr. Susana Monso has written a number of books and articles on the animal understanding of death, with special attention to opossums and chimpanzees. In her books, Monso provides information about the physiological changes in the opossum when it “plays dead.”

In a Time magazine article, Dr. Monso gave accounts of animals dealing with death. She told of a newborn albino chimp that other chimps were afraid of. When the dominant male killed the baby chimp, the behavior of the chimpanzee troop changed dramatically to a display of curiosity. Other cases cited are an orca who carried her dead baby over 1000 miles for 17 days and a gorilla who was weaned but attempted to suckle from its dead mother’s breast.

Dr. Monso argues that the animal understanding of death differs from human understanding. She says our human bias affects our view of comparative thanatology, but she believes animals understand death in their own way. Are the chimp, orca, and gorilla displaying grief, or are we interpreting them in light of what humans would feel and do? Do carnivores have empathy for the herbivores they eat? Those questions reflect what Dr. Monso calls an intellectual anthropocentrism bias.

That bias is reflected in some humans who refuse to eat meat because they feel empathy for the animal that died. To suggest that you won’t eat anything requiring death means you won’t eat anything. If you eat a plant or the seed of the plant, something has to die. Death is part of the design of life, and life would be impossible if nothing died. Either everything would die of starvation, and Earth would become devoid of life, or animal populations would overfill the planet.

The biblical understanding is that the Creator of life gave humans a special place in the creation. In Genesis 9:1-3, God tells Noah that all animal life would have the fear of humans and that humans would be responsible for managing all of life. Verse 3 also equates animal life with plant life. “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you just like the green plant – I have given you all things.”

God gave only humans the ability to comprehend life after death. Animals’ understanding of the death of one of their kind is rooted in survival. We see this in the biblical discussion of this subject and the evidence available to all of us.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “Animals Understand Death Too” in Time magazine for October 28, 2024

December 2, 2024December 1, 2024

Grounded Running in Birds

Have you ever chased after a bird? Trying to catch a gull or a robin is an exercise in futility because birds can run at very high speeds. In our part of the world, we have a bird called the Killdeer, which lays its eggs on the ground in the open. As a teenager, I would chase the adult birds, thinking I could catch one, but I did not realize they were running on the ground to lead me away from their nest. I never thought about why I could never catch one because I would run out of breath before the bird would. Researchers have studied what they call “grounded running” in birds.

When humans are in a hurry, they use what is called “aerial running,” in which we pick up our feet. In grounded running, birds always keep one foot on the ground. Keeping a foot on the ground consumes less energy than human aerial running. Dr. Armita R. Manafzadeh of Yale University says that even though grounded running may look funny, “It’s actually a pretty smart thing to do when you have the anatomy of a bird.” According to Dr. Manafzadeh, “If we try to interpret the diversity of animal locomotion through a human-centric lens, we’re going to miss out on lots of really cool and equally viable ways of moving around the world.”

It is only through modern technology that we have been able to study the ground running of birds. What appears to be a silly-looking strategy is a beautifully designed system that meets the bird’s needs. The more we learn about the design and wisdom displayed in the creation, the more we see the wisdom and creativity of God.

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?” (Job 12:7-10 NKJV)

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: Scientific American magazine for December 2024, page 12.

November 27, 2024November 19, 2024

A System Benefiting Birds, Ants, and Trees

Birds have an interesting method for keeping ants out of their nests and away from their eggs and chicks. Many ant species will eat everything in their path, and often, ants infect trees where birds build their nests. From a design standpoint, how can you build a system benefiting birds, ants, and trees?

Scientists have discovered that in tropical and subtropical areas, birds use fungal organs known as rhizomorphs to build their nests. Rhizomorphs are cord-like filaments that fungi use to capture nutrients, and they grow web-like in the canopy of tropical forests. These filaments repel ants to keep them out of the birds’ nests. Researchers have found that over 176 bird species use fungal rhizomorphs in their nests. Two bird species in Costa Rica build their nests almost entirely using rhizomorphs of horse hair fungus (Marasmius).

Researchers in Costa Rica found a symbiotic relationship between thorn acacia trees and ants. The ants collect nectar from the acacia, repel any invaders, and even trim back encroaching plants. The thorns of the acacia protect the ants from predation, and the rhizomorphs protect the birds. This complex system benefiting birds, ants, and trees is very difficult to explain by any chance process. The concept of God building a system that protects all three participants is simply an argument for His existence.

— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: “Fungus-laced bird nests repel ants” in Science News for November 2, 2024, and Animal Behaviour October 2024.

November 26, 2024November 19, 2024

Macro-World Micro-World

We live in a macro-world in which we see and touch large things. Most of us don’t recognize there is a micro-world made up of very small things. Without the small things, the large things could not exist. The most obvious example of the need for small things is the food that animals need to survive.

Food chains start with the very small. Carnivorous insects that don’t eat plants provide the starting point for food chains. As technological tools become available, scientists discover more and more small animals, even some that are vertebrates. One example is the discovery of tiny Brachycephalus pulex frogs, also known as Brazilian flea toads, because they can jump 30 times their body length. They are only 7 millimeters (.3 inches) long, and unlike other frogs, they don’t go through a tadpole stage. Their eggs hatch directly into tiny frogs.

Scientists have found tiny animals in desert environments providing a basis for life in what would appear to be a sterile environment. Tardigrades, known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are another example of very small creatures that are important agents for life in the macro-world.

Many plants and animals that allow life to exist are not perceived through our senses. Everywhere we examine the macro- or micro-world, we find a design created by God. Romans 1:20 tells us, “..the things of God which the eye is unable to see ever since the world was made are clearly perceived through the things that are made.” The things we can’t see include the spiritual things of God and the small things in the material world as well.

November 25, 2024November 20, 2024

Fine-Tuning the Universe

I recently attempted to bake some pumpkin bread. It was a disaster because I failed to use the proper proportion of one ingredient. When baking any pastry, having all the right ingredients in the right proportions is essential. Equally important is having the correct oven temperature for the right amount of time. Every factor must be just right. This is a simple illustration of fine-tuning the recipe. Far more complicated than baking any pastry is fine-tuning the universe.

Scientists have realized that the universe requires fine-tuning to make the existence of complex life possible. The number of factors that must be fine-tuned is vast, but five significant ones are these:

Gravitational Force Constant – This is the force that pulls us toward Earth. More than that, it holds the planet together and makes it round. It also holds the Moon in orbit around the Earth and the planets in orbit around the Sun. It holds together the Milky Way and all other galaxies. This force has to be strong enough to form stars and planets, but if it were too strong, stars would quickly burn up, and no planets would form.

Electromagnetic Force Constant – This force holds atoms together. It must be just right for chemical bonds to form, creating molecules that everything is made of, including our bodies.

Strong Nuclear Force Constant – This force holds together the protons and neutrons in the nuclei of atoms. It must be just right to form stable atoms.

Weak Nuclear Force Constant – This force regulates radioactive decay and must be precisely correct to form stars such as our Sun.

Cosmological Constant – This force controls the universe’s expansion speed, balancing the attractive force of gravity with the repulsive force causing space to expand. It must be extremely precise to prevent the universe from flying apart or collapsing on itself.

A properly “baked” universe requires that all of these constants and many more parameters be just right. The chance of all of them coming together by accident is beyond impossible. Fine-tuning the universe requires intelligent planning far beyond that of any human baker, and it could not have happened by accident. It is evidence of an intelligent creator God.

November 22, 2024November 18, 2024

Humuhumunukunukuapua’a

Hawaii’s state fish is the humuhumunukunukuapua’a. The scientific name is Rhinecanthus rectangulus, but people call them humuhumu for short. This is a species of triggerfish, and the design complexity of these fish defies any chance formation.

The name Humuhumunukunukuapua’a means “a triggerfish with a pig’s snout.” These fish eat lobsters, sea urchins, and snails. They can blow water jets from their mouths to find these foods under sand. The triggerfish name comes from having a “trigger” that locks their dorsal fin in the up position to prevent a predator from extracting them when they hide in a small crevice.

A four-bar linkage mechanism links the humuhumu’s skeleton to its jaws. That gives it a powerful mechanical bite needed to capture its hard-shelled prey. Engineers study the humuhumu to see how humans can assemble and use such structures. This bone-cartilage mechanical linkage defies any step-by-step evolutionary assembly process, and there is no evolutionary precursor to triggerfish.
Like all the examples of design in the natural world, the humuhumunukunukuapua’a strongly supports the biblical statement that we can know there is a God through the things He has made (Romans 1:20).

— John N. Clayton © 2024
References: Waikiki Aquarium, YouTube Deep Marine Scenes, Wikipedia, and “Evolution of Levers and Linkages in the Feeding Mechanisms of Fishes” in Integrative and Comparative Biology.