Does God Exist Archives

October 10, 2023October 9, 2023

The Church is People, Not Buildings

When Christ walked among humans teaching God’s message, He did not call for building physical structures of brick and mortar but for changing lives. In John 4:21-24 Jesus said to the Samaritan woman: “A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem … a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.” The point is that the Church is people, not structures.

Despite the clear teaching of Jesus, humans continue to waste massive amounts of money on structures while poverty and starvation afflict most people on this planet. I am a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and I was reminded of this fact by the Autumn 2023 issue of Notre Dame Magazine. It contained a fact sheet showing the cost of the golden dome at Notre Dame and the Virgin Mary statue atop it. The dome was built in 1883, and the statue was placed there in 1880. The total surface area of the dome and statue is 7,300 square feet, and it is gilded with 23.75-carat gold leaf.

The hollow cast iron statue weighs roughly 4,400 pounds. The gold leaf that covers the statue and dome weighs only 15 pounds. Because of weathering and wear and tear, the gold has to be replaced periodically. The most recent regilding in 2023 was the twelfth time. The price of gold in October of 2023 is $1848.47 per ounce, which is $29,575.52 per pound. That means the gold cost $443, 632.80 not counting labor, cleaning, lighting, etc. The advertising value of the gold dome for the university has to be weighed by the school’s administration. I know that the football team and the gold dome are great publicity for the school, and we do not intend to criticize what they do to promote their institution.

The point is that Christians should realize that the Church is people, not buildings. Expensive structures are not what Christianity is about. In Matthew 25:21-46, when Jesus pictured God’s judgment, it is not the buildings, crosses, or educational institutions that indicate who is saved and who is lost. The point is how we have used what God has given us to benefit the lives of others. Those skeptics who condemn Christianity as extravagant in wasting money should look at what Jesus taught, not the wastefulness of misguided human efforts.

October 9, 2023October 8, 2023

Misunderstandings About Weather and Climate

The cause and control of the weather has been one of the great human misunderstandings throughout the ages and even today. In ancient times, pagan societies invented gods to explain weather phenomena. They had gods and goddesses of rain, hail, lightning, wind, snow, and even rainbows. As human knowledge increased, we have come to understand these things are design features of the Earth. However, we still have misunderstandings about weather and climate. The current climate change debate makes that obvious.

The Bible doesn’t embrace the pagan misunderstandings of weather and related phenomena. Essential to our weather is the water cycle beautifully described in Ecclesiastes 1:7, “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; the place from which the rivers come they return again.” You will also find this in Job 36:27-28. The ancients viewed lightning as weapons of the gods, but the Bible repeatedly references the fact that lightning is a natural occurrence. (See Jeremiah 10:13 and 51:16.) Recently, a local weather person said that lightning never hits the same place twice, but between 2015 and 2020, lightning struck the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago 250 times.

Tornadoes are a significant issue for those who want to blame God for destructive weather. However, few understand that tornadoes are pretty much an American phenomenon that seems related to how we have used the land. Every year, roughly 1,200 tornadoes are reported in the U.S. That is 75% of all tornado reports in the world. I have talked with indigenous people in America, and they tell me that their ancestors never saw a tornado and had no word for it. (They did have a word for dust devils.) Between our plowing and blacktopping the land, we may have provided a catalyst for these terrible storms.

Now, we are seeing global changes in climate and weather. Scientific evidence indicates that the way we use what God has given us is at least a contributor to these changes. Misunderstandings about weather and climate cause some to believe that destructive weather is a vindictive act of an angry God. The truth is that we have caused a very high percentage of our misery from dust storms to recent fires and flooding. We must listen to and obey God’s admonition to “Take care of the garden” (Genesis 2:15).

Reference: Reader’s Digest for September 2023, pages 26-28.

October 6, 2023October 2, 2023

Otzi Had Dark Skin

“Otzi” was the name given to a frozen mummy found on the border between Austria and Italy in 1991. The mummy, also known as “the iceman,” was in such good condition that researchers could complete a DNA analysis of his genome in 2012. Recently, more advanced studies of that DNA show that the earlier sample was contaminated by modern DNA, and Otzi had dark skin.

The Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, compiled a new genome for Otzi. Johannes Krause, writing for the Institute in the August 16, 2023, issue of “Cell Genomics,” reported that there is no connection between Otzi and modern residents of Austria or Italy. The revised genome shows that Otzi had dark skin and was related to Neolithic farmers.

Modern genomes of ancient humans show that dark skin has been the norm for humans until relatively recently in human history. Light skin tones only appeared in the genomes 3 to 4,000 years ago, showing once again the foolishness of racism. The ancient humans described in the Old Testament were undoubtedly dark-skinned.

You cannot use the Bible to justify racial prejudice. The statement that God “has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell upon the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26) is absolutely true. The name “Eve” in the Hebrew of Genesis means “life-giving,” and she would have had dark skin. Genetic studies have shown that all humans have a common DNA fragment indicating a common origin. Those who have viewed Otzi as proof that ancient humans were Caucasians have no scientific support for that claim and now have to admit that Otzi had dark skin.

There is too much scientific support for the biblical account of early humans to write it off as a fantasy or a myth. Science and the Christian faith are symbiotic – they support each other. Let us put racial prejudice to rest and embrace the claim of Galatians 3:28 that we “are all one.”

Reference: Science News September 23, 2023, page 5.

October 5, 2023October 2, 2023

Marijuana is a Hyperaccumulator

One of the tragedies of modern drug use is that scientific research has not had time to study the long-term effects of drugs on the human body. Recent studies have shown that marijuana plants are highly effective at absorbing contaminants without harm to the plants. Marijuana is a hyperaccumulator of pesticides, petroleum solvents, crude oil, and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. Because of that, growing hemp has successfully removed heavy metals from soils around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and pesticides from contaminated farms in Italy.

Because marijuana is easy to grow and absorbs lead and cadmium from the soils, those elements show up in the blood and urine of cannabis users. Cadmium and lead stay in the body for a long time and are linked to kidney and lung cancer. There is no safe level of lead, which affects the brain. Studies of cannabis users have shown a 22% higher presence of cadmium and a 27% higher level of lead in their blood than non-users.

Poorly researched recreational drugs are contributing to the increase in cancer in America today. With the relaxing rules on drug sales and use, this problem will get worse. Skeptics point out the increasing rate of diseases like cancer as if that disproves God or that God is to blame.

We should not blame God for the tragedies we bring on ourselves. Every plant in the creation has some use that benefits the ecosystem or humans directly or indirectly. Marijuana is a hyperaccumulator of harmful chemicals and can be used for that purpose. However, problems occur when we misuse what God has given us.

Reference: CNN “Marijuana and the Brain”

October 4, 2023October 2, 2023

This Fish Sees With Its Skin

The many unique characteristics we see in animals enabling them to survive give evidence of God’s design and planning. Romans 1:20 says, “We can know there is a God through the things He has made.” Our daily posts here and on Facebook, as well as our Dandy Designs book series, show hundreds of examples. A new example is the hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) living in the Atlantic Ocean reefs from the Carolinas to Brazil. You can almost say this fish sees with its skin.

Like many animals, the hogfish’s primary method of survival is camouflage. They hide by changing colors and altering skin patterns. Many animals, such as chameleons, squid, and cuttlefish, have chromatophores, which are pigment-bearing cells that can change color to match the environment. Hogfish also use chromatophores in their skin to change colors, but they have a layer of opsin, a light-sensing protein, under the chromatophore layer.

The hogfish moves through different kinds of background material as the reef has quite varied colors and textures with corals, sponges, and sediment. The fish can change its color to match the environment, but it can’t turn its head to see what color it is. The opsin layer acts as a primitive eye looking at the chromatophores to see that the color matches the surroundings. In that way, this fish sees with its skin.

The design of fish survival in a reef involves a wide variety of techniques. Some can swim rapidly, some can bury themselves in the bottom sediment, and others have immunity to stinging organisms. There are fish who can fly (glide), some can swim in schools, and some, like the Hogfish, can camouflage themselves. Together, they make the reef a place full of life and beauty. Perhaps that beauty will encourage humans to preserve the reefs of the world as places of great aesthetic worth.

Reference: Scientific American referenced in The Week for September 8/15, 2013.

October 3, 2023October 2, 2023

Children Seeking Gender Reassignment

One of the most serious problems facing parents, schools, and churches is what to do with children seeking gender reassignment. This has become a political football, a money-making enterprise, a lawyer’s paradise, and a parent’s nightmare. Teachers deal with kids who are wearing several names and pronouns depending on what their day-to-day feelings dictate.

Those who promote gender reassignment confront unwilling parents with questions such as, “Do you want a dead daughter or a live son?” Studies show that the number of teenage girls with gender dysphoria has risen by 5,000% in seven years. This has become a massive money-maker for various groups, from Planned Parenthood to doctors and hospitals.

A British book by Hannah Barnes titled Time to Think provides a wealth of data on this issue in Europe, and it’s getting some attention in the United States. Here are some interesting facts from Barnes’ book:

*A large number of children seeking gender reassignment had other psychological issues. In one study, 97.5% had one or more disturbing issues, including having been in foster care, endured parental divorce or death, been abused, or endured personal trauma. Seventy percent had five or more difficulties of this kind. Twenty-five percent had histories of self-harm.

*Information given to children about sex change has been generally inaccurate. Kids have been told that puberty blockers would not affect bones, muscles, and brains or that effects were completely reversible. None of those assertions are true.

*Studies done since 2011 on the effects of puberty blockers in England showed no improvement in patients’ mental state. Sweden, Norway, and Finland have severely curtailed the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, saying that the risks outweigh the benefits.

There is a strong name-calling campaign against anyone who questions sex change. “Transphobic” has joined “homophobic” in the vocabulary of promoters of sex-change medications and surgical procedures. We are facing an uphill battle because greed and money are involved. The disintegration of God’s plan for the family and the selfishness and greed of adults have resulted in the use of children to satisfy adult issues. Working on children’s psychological problems is far better than throwing drugs and surgery at the needs of disturbed kids.

Reference: Time to Think by Hanna Barnes

October 2, 2023October 1, 2023

The Webb Telescope Tells Us About Creation

One of the most amazing technological advances of the past ten years has been the production and deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope. The magnitude of this advance is so enormous that National Geographic published a special issue in October 2023 titled “Space.” Tom Abel is a computational cosmologist who leads the National Geographic writers through what the Webb telescope has enabled scientists to understand about the creation process. Abel describes what the Webb telescope tells us about the creation of the elements necessary for life to exist. Here is his description from page 94:

“..the supernovae of stars up to hundreds of times the mass of the sun, transformed the universe. New elements were generated – oxygen to make water, silicon to build planets, phosphorus to power cells – and scattered throughout the expanse. The first stars also broke apart the atoms of the surrounding hydrogen gas, burning away the cosmic haze and making things transparent – a key time known as reionization. As the fog lifted, pockets of stars merged, swirling into bigger and bigger assemblages, including the seed of our own Milky Way.”

No scientist can explain the creation of space and time or the mass/energy that allowed these transformations to occur. However, what we are seeing is that, like Genesis 1, the Webb telescope tells us about creation. Understanding how God molded and shaped what He had already created is exciting and encouraging. Proverbs chapter 8 personifies Wisdom, saying, “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth (verses 22-23).” Wisdom then goes on to describe some of the things the Lord made.

Science is a great friend of faith, and as technology advances, our understanding of God’s work becomes more glorious and amazing. Psalms 19:1 finds David glorifying God by stating that the firmament (cosmos) shows His handiwork. Learning more about God’s power, and wisdom, strengthens our faith. Understanding more about God’s creation, causes us to glorify Him. It renews our conviction about our purpose for existing and helps us to realize how blessed we are to be created in the image of God.

Reference: National Geographic October 2023

September 28, 2023September 27, 2023

Birds Use Spikes to Protect Their Nests

One of the exciting examples of design in the living world is the nesting behavior of birds. We have previously reported on data about birds that nest in peculiar places to protect their eggs and their behavior to thwart predators. We have all seen birds building nests in cliffs or under roof structures, but predatory birds like eagles and hawks can still land on the nests and eat the eggs or baby birds. Scientists have discovered that some birds use spikes to protect their nests from even bird predators.

Researchers in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Scotland found nests in which birds have used long spikes to make it difficult for predators to get to their eggs or chicks. One crow’s nest in Antwerp, Belgium, had 1500 long, sharp spikes. They would make reaching the nest’s occupants extremely difficult for any hawk or eagle. It would also deter other predators, such as cats.

The nests of carrion crows and Eurasian magpies have been found with spike defenses. These birds have used whatever sharp objects they can find in urban areas to build their fortress, including plastic pieces, nails, screws, and knitting needles.

Birds use spikes to protect their nests because God has built into the DNA of various bird species the ability to do unique things to survive. The more we learn about the natural world, the more we should be amazed at the intelligence and design behind all kinds of life on Earth. “We can know there is a God through the things He has made (Romans 1:20).

Reference: Science News September 9, 2023, page 4.

September 27, 2023September 26, 2023

Protection from Incoming Space Objects

One of the exciting features of our planet and solar system is how they are built for life. The cosmos contains a lot of material left over from the creation process, and we have learned that volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts can eject material into outer space. Fragments that appear to be cast off from Mars have been found on Earth. The need for protection from incoming space objects like asteroids or comets is becoming more evident as scientists discover the enormous amount of damage done by the few collisions Earth has sustained.

Most people have heard of the asteroid collision scientists believe caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. However, evidence exists of earlier collisions that shaped and molded our planet. The recent experiment to alter the path of an asteroid by slamming a spacecraft into it shows the concern many have that an asteroid could crash into Earth and wipe out all human life.

During the last week in August of 2023, NASA’s Juno spacecraft confirmed an amateur astronomer’s report of seeing an object slamming into the surface of Jupiter. This is the third recorded sizable object impact on Jupiter, creating a fireball visible from Earth. In 1994, astronomers observed fragments of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet hitting Jupiter, and in September 2021, astronomers observed another collision.

Jupiter is strategically located and so massive that its gravity draws in asteroids, comets, and other materials that would cause a major disaster if they struck the Earth. Some objects don’t actually hit Jupiter, but they come close enough that Jupiter’s gravitational field slings them out of the inner solar system. Journalist Passant Rabie wrote on Yahoo News, “The solar system’s gas giant certainly knows how to keep peace in its cosmic neighborhood.”

We suggest that when God designed and created the solar system, He gave Earth protection from incoming space objects, which has kept humans safe for our entire history. Between Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, it is almost impossible for a large object from outside the solar system to hit our planet.

The number of things that had to be “right” for our planet to support life is enormous. The more we discover, the less likely it is that pure accidental chance can explain them. A better explanation is, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalms 19:1).

September 26, 2023September 25, 2023

Preparing for Winter – How Do They Know?

Preparing for Winter – How Do Living Things Know?

The ability of plants and animals to achieve maximum survival success in changing seasons is quite interesting. Here in Michigan, our winters can arrive suddenly and forcefully. It may be 75 degrees one day and below freezing the next. It was quite warm in early September, but many trees were already preparing for winter. The leaves of our sumac trees became brilliant red and started falling off the branches. As we approach the end of September, some species of maple trees are changing colors and dropping their leaves.

Several species of birds have left Michigan, heading south for the winter. We live on a river where we see a massive increase in fish activity. There is also a significant increase in the activity of insects, with some butterflies, such as monarchs, heading south in groups. The number of cocoons in our bushes and in our house has accelerated, and some species of bees and wasps have become more aggressive.

The big question is how living things seem to know it’s time to start preparing for winter, even when there is no significant temperature change. There have also been no clues from other weather factors like humidity, rainfall, wind velocity, and direction. The scientific evidence shows that living things pick up on less obvious signals that say, “Winter is coming, and you need to prepare.”

Some living things sense the length of daylight, telling them to prepare for winter. Another factor is the angle of the Sun’s rays, which controls what kind of light reaches Earth’s surface. The Sun’s light contains a variety of wavelengths. The higher energy wavelengths are refracted and scattered more than the longer, lower energy forms. The sky is blue because blue light has higher energy than the rest of the visible spectrum and thus is scattered and refracted more. The next highest energy wavelength is green. Plants are green because they reflect that color, protecting them from the next highest energy of light that reaches Earth’s surface.

As the Sun gets lower in the sky, wavelengths we can’t even see, such as ultraviolet, are refracted and scattered away from the surface. Living things detect that change and start preparation for winter. Explaining how this system of life came into existence is a real challenge for those who deny God’s creation of our planet and the life on it. It’s a joy to see the things God has made testifying about His intelligence and design as they start preparing for winter (Romans 1:20).