WONDERFULLY MADE
There are essentially two primary theories about how we all came to be. Many people subscribe to the Theory of Evolution which, briefly put, indicates that we all just by chance arrived here with no guidance whatsoever. The other is the Theory of Creation which indicates that we all are here by the guidance of an intelligence i.e. God. Now one cannot prove the Theory of Evolution, although there is some evidence for it, nor can one disprove the existence of God, for Whom, there is also considerable evidence. The acceptance of one theory or the other requires faith on the part of the individual.
So where does your faith lead you? If one sees something that is man-made and has a design to it, the automatic assumption is that there had to be a designer behind it. Why is the thinking different when we consider natural structures and beings, which have a much more complex design than anything, to date, made by man?
Human beings are considered to be the epitome of evolution and we are undoubtedly complex and advanced beings. Take for example just the eye; that complex camera which adjusts automatically to changes in light, distance, and environment. It then transmits the image to hundreds of thousands of pigmented cells where a complex system of chemical reactions then changes what we see into electrical impulses. These impulses travel over 200 miles per hour to the brain where they are again changed back into the images we initially viewed. All this happens within milliseconds and repeats thousand of times each second; and that’s only one example*.
There are other instances in nature that are just as amazing or perhaps even more so. For instance, trees have been shown to produce chemicals to ward off attacks by insects after similar trees in the area have been invaded. When a tree has been injured, often similar nearby trees will generate roots to help nourish the injured one, likewise, if a tree is cut, others nearby react; the woods are not as inert as we used to think**.
We have numerous examples in the animal kingdom. For example, eagles have eyesight that enable them to see a small animal about 2 miles away. Consider also that a black bear can detect food up to 20 miles away and an elephant is able to detect water up to the same distance. You try doing that***.
Further, as far as stamina is concerned, most humans have problems running marathons of 20 to 39 miles. The farthest a man has been reported to have run is 350 miles. Dean Karnazes accomplished this amazing feat in 2005 when he ran across Northern California without stopping to eat or sleep. However, the blackpoll warbler, a migratory songbird, which weighs less than a loonie, flies 2000-2500 km each year without stopping on its way south to the Caribbean. The bar-tailed godwits, another migratory bird, has been traced travelling between the Northern Hemisphere and Australia, a 12000 km journey, non-stop without eating or sleeping****.
The animal kingdom outshines us in many ways even though overall we probably come out on top. But the point is, could all of these, and so many more, come about just as a result of random chance? It really becomes a matter of faith. Are you really here because of a succession of random accidents and mutations which resulted in a sea of protoplasm and minerals coming together eventually to be what we see today? Or, is our present existence the result of careful planning by a concerned and thoughtful Deity? The Bible states in Psalm 139:14 that “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works…” Marvellous indeed.
So where is your faith? Is it with those who say we arrived here from nothing by random chance or with those who feel that we are the product of an intelligent and careful designer? Neither can be definitely proven; it’s a matter of faith. But the fact that we and all of nature seems to be “wonderfully made” is a fact that seems to point only in one direction, and that, in turn, is something everyone should carefully think about.
*From ‘What Darwin Didn’t Know’ Chapter 7 by Geoffrey Simmons, M.D.
** From ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben
***From internet sites ‘How far can..’
****From Canadian Wildlife Spring 2021
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