Mike Riddle, answersingenesis
One has only to contemplate the magnitude of this task to concede that the spontaneous generation of a living organism is impossible. Yet we are here—as a result, I believe, of spontaneous generation.1
—George Wald, Nobel Laureate
In today’s culture, molecules-to-man evolution is being taught as a fact, even though it is known to “go against the odds.” But few realize the odds they are up against! And they are immense!
The Bible teaches that God is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1; Colossians 1:16; John 1:1–3; Revelation 4:11). While these passages rule out any possibility of Darwinian evolution, they do allow for variation within a created kind. But there is much opposition to what the Bible teaches. People holding to evolution would argue that random chance events, natural selection, and billions of years are sufficient to account for the universe and all life forms.
Do You Believe in “Magic”?
Most people recognize “magic” as an illusionary feat or trickery by sleight of hand. But how far are you willing to go to believe something can happen by “dumb luck” or chance? For example, if I were to roll a die and have it come up six three times in a row, would you consider that lucky? How about if I rolled six ten times in a row? Now you might suspect that I am using some trickery or that the die is weighted.
How far are we willing to go to accept something as a chance occurrence or before we recognize that it was just an illusion? We can test this by measuring our credulity factor. Credulity is the willingness to believe something on little evidence.
Measuring Our Credulity Factor against Evolution
Evolutionists state that life originated by natural processes about 3.8 billion years ago. Is there any evidence for this happening? Freeman Dyson, theoretical physicist, mathematician, and member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences states:
Concerning the origin of life itself, the watershed between chemistry and biology, the transition between lifeless chemical activity and organized biological metabolism, there is no direct evidence at all. The crucial transition from disorder to order left behind no observable traces.2
Since the origin of life has never been observed, this is a major hurdle! We are left with the question, “Is the origin of life by naturalistic processes possible?” This can, in part, be tested by examining two areas:
- The success of scientists in creating life or the components of a living cell.
- The probability that such an event could occur.
The Structural Unit of Living Organisms—The Cell
Cells are made up of thousands of components. One of these components is protein. Proteins are large molecules made up of a chain of amino acids. In order to get a protein useful for life, the correct amino acids must be linked together in the right order. How easy is this and does it happen naturally? It turns out that this is not an easy process. There are large hurdles that evolutionary processes must overcome in order to build a biological protein.
Protein molecules contain very specific arrangements of amino acids. Even one missing or incorrect amino acid can lead to problems with the protein’s function.
Making Mathematics Painless
Before applying mathematics and probability to the origin of life, we need to consider seven parameters that will affect the formation of a single protein.
First, there are over 300 different types of amino acids. However, only 20 different amino acids are used in life. This means that in order to have life, the selection process for building proteins must be very discriminating.
Second, each type of amino acid molecule comes in two shapes commonly referred to as left-handed and right-handed forms. Only left-handed amino acids are used in biological proteins; however, the natural tendency is for left- and right-handed amino acid molecules to bond indiscriminately.
Third, the various left-handed amino acids must bond in the correct order or the protein will not function properly.3
Fourth, if there was a pond of chemicals (“primordial soup”), it would have been diluted with many of the wrong types of amino acids and other chemicals available for bonding, making the proper amino acids no longer usable. This means there would have been fewer of the required amino acids used to build a biological protein.
Fifth, amino acids require an energy source for bonding.4 Raw energy from the sun needs to be captured and converted into usable energy. Where did the energy converter come from? It would require energy to build this biological machine. However, before this energy converter can capture raw energy, it needs an energy source to build it—a catch-22 situation.5
Sixth, proteins without the protection of the cell membrane would disintegrate in water (hydrolysis), disintegrate in an atmosphere containing oxygen, and disintegrate due to the ultraviolet rays of the sun if there was no oxygen present to form the protective ozone layer.6
Read More:
https://answersingenesis.org/evidence-against-evolution/probability/does-evolution-have-a-chance
Thank you for this delightful treatise on micro-biology which aptly explains how nature only has the processes that sustain life but not the ones that create it. It required a real Intelligence we call God to create life.
It’s only the haughty proud ones who refuse to acknowledge their Creator. Only the humble can accept His Existence, as well as the service He has rendered to Man in the Person of Jesus Christ.
In the macro world, the evidence for an Intelligent Creator exists as well. This earth is located in an ideally temperate Goldilocks zone which is neither too hot nor too cold which can sustain life. It is blessed with oceans of water which came from- where? It – just happens – to have an atmosphere favorable to life.
There are too many “coincidences” which make life on Earth possible to just call it “chance”. It looks very much like design.
Man’s own intelligence should enable him to see that but many prefer to deny the evidence and glorify themselves instead of their Creator and His dazzling works.