(The following response by the author was rendered concerning the ongoing debate involving the origins of life that currently festers in the Alexandria Town Talk's Opinion's Page.)
To create a pan of biscuits, I’ve got to mix the ingredients, add a bit
of tender loving care, and pop them into the oven to apply a little
heat. Properly done, biscuits can’t be hurried; neither can they be
left unattended too long in the oven. Inevitably, there will be
leftovers. Left on the counter for an extended period of time, those
biscuits will begin to evolve into a moldy brick, unpleasantly odorous
and inedible. In fact, those biscuits, if abandoned altogether, will
take on a metaphorical life of their own. Even the ingredients in my
cabinet and refrigerator that I mixed to make the biscuits will evolve
significantly over time. However, one thing is certain: no matter how
much time passes, without a creator, there will be no pan of biscuits.
The argument currently meandering through the pages of the Town Talk’s
Opinion’s Page misses the point when it comes to the creation/evolution
debate. The concept of adaptations, slight molecular changes, and
evolution of organisms over time is a very interesting topic but the
pertinent question is this: Was the complicated, intricate world we
witness with our eyes—and the eyes with which we see it—designed by a
creator or did it emerge from a state of nothingness by complete and
utter happenstance. The question before us concerns origins: of our
universe, of our planet, of matter, of our species, of life itself.
There is no question that DNA evolves. Anytime parents conceive a child
a slightly different version of our species is created. Certainly, live
organisms will adapt to their environments. Some adaptations could be
significant over time. Many Bible scholars accept the idea that a
corruption of DNA was introduced into our world with the fall of man in
the Garden of Eden. What Darwin suggests is more than this. Since the
idea of a creator seems foolish to some, the only option available to
explain the origins of life is evolution. Either Darwin or Moses is
right. There can be no compromise when it comes to origins.
Science has never proven, neither can it, that chance caused our world
to appear. Religion has never proven, neither can it, that a creator
caused our world to appear. The evidence is available from which all
can draw conclusions based upon opinion and faith. Yes, faith! Tomorrow
morning, when it’s time to sit down to breakfast, in which will you
place your faith: a lucky kitchen that just happens to get it right, or
a caring loving designer who can prepare you a hot pan of biscuits.
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