A special episode about Questions for Intelligent Design. - Pastor Tim Puckett
This post is a continued conversation revolving around this past Sunday's message. If you missed it, you can revisit that message here.
AUDIO
TRANSCRIPT
Here are some questions that a non-scientist has a right to ask of anyone who believes we are here by accident.
Students, you’re going to have teachers who teach evolution as fact—not because they’re experts in the field but because they’re just regurgitating what they were taught by their professors in college who were just regurgitating what they learned from some Darwinist somewhere.
ALWAYS BE respectful, but ALWAYS BE courageous enough not to let them teach bad science without a challenge and not to undermine the faith of naïve people around you who are swallowing it hook, line, and sinker.
Now you’re a Christian, so you be respectful.
Don’t get into an argument with them.
But here are some questions that you can respectfully ask to put them on the spot lovingly.
Question #1 - Does the Theory of Evolution Explain the Origin of Life?
Now they will usually admit evolution has not yet explained the origin of life or matter.
There are only two (2) answers to that question apart from God.
One is to say, “Well, life came down here from outer space,” which really helps.
The other is to say, “Life came accidentally from non-matter. We’re not sure. There was a chemical reaction…there was a lightning storm…or something.”
And you can ask them: “Are you suggesting that we believe that matter came from nothing…life came from non-life…and complexity came from simplicity? Isn’t it easier to believe that there was a force behind that?”
Question #2 - Why are there Respected Scientists who Believe in Creation and don’t Believe in Evolution?
In fact…there is an Intelligent Design Movement today where astrophysicists, chemists, and biologists who look at the complexity of life conclude there has to be a designer.
Not all of them are Christians—many of them are Deists—but they just recognize evolution can’t be.
A great book to read is Michael Behe’s…“Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution?”
The biochemist author contends that discoveries in the complexity of the cell disprove Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
Question #3 – Where is the Fossil Evidence of Transitional Forms?
If organic evolution means that lower forms of life graduated to higher forms, shouldn’t we have all kinds of fossil evidence to verify that?
And shouldn’t there be hundreds of skeletons of missing links between fish and mammals or between cows and horses?
Listen to Charles Darwin on the matter.
“The number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed on the earth, [must] be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory.”
Question #4 - Why are there No Living Transitional Forms Now?
If evolution had occurred for millions of years, why aren’t there living transitional forms walking around?
Wouldn’t you think that there would still be a number of half-dogs, half-cats, half-horses, half-cows, half-humans, half-chimpanzees?
HUMOR:
Well, maybe that’s not a good question because this summer I watched a little bit of WWE pro-wrestling on TV in the past.
Maybe there are some transitional forms.
Question # 5 - Explain the Principle of Irreducible Complexity and How it Relates to Evolution.
Irreducible complexity just means that many living creatures are so complex that it’s impossible for them to evolve in gradual steps.
Francis Shafer used this analogy. He said:
“Suppose a fish evolves lungs. What happens then? Does it move up to the next evolutionary stage? Of course not. It drowns!”
Now, how many drowned fish can pass along their genes to the next generation so they know they’re supposed to have lungs?
The fish is irreducibly complex.
The Eye is irreducibly complex.