Resources - Essays
Science and the Bible Part 3: Science and the Origin of Life
By Chuck Edwards
One of the most basic questions we ask is: "How did "life" come about?" Through the ages people have pondered that question. If you walk into the average high school biology class today, you will probably hear an answer to that age-old question which goes something like this:
"...life arose on Earth from inanimate [nonliving] matter..." [1]
The idea that life can come from non-living matter is a basic tenant of the theory of evolution. Let's put on our science "thinking caps" and evaluate that idea. Is it a scientific idea or is it a religious statement? Read on to find out.
Science and the Law of Biogenesis
There was a time when people thought that life could generate itself "spontaneously" from the earth. For example, people believed that worms just "popped" out of the mud. But through careful observations, scientists refuted that idea. It was demonstrated through experimentation as far back as 1668 by Italian physician Francesco Redi. Redi showed that maggots do not generate spontaneously on meat, but instead come from flies.
Later, in 1860, one year after Darwin published his book on evolution, The Origin of Species, French chemist Louis Pasteur did a series of experiments. Pasteur proved that microorganisms appear from air-born sources and not "spontaneously." This laid to rest the controversy over spontaneous generation. The Law of Biogenesis was confirmed.
The Law of Biogenesis states that life only comes from pre-existing life. In other words, "You don't get something living from something dead." This is one of the most fundamental laws of biology. It has never been refuted. All of our experience confirms this law to be true. Worms come from other worms, not from "dead" mud. Babies come from living parents. Mold on bread comes from pre-existing mold spores in the air.
Since the law of biogenesis is confirmed, then why do evolutionists insist that life originated from non-living matter? Isn't that a contradiction? YES, it is! It contradicts everything we know to be true about living plants and animals! Then why do some scientists continue to believe in evolution when its very foundation goes against this well-known law of science?
Evolution's "Stories"
In order to get around the contradiction with the law of biogenesis, evolutionary scientists rely on a story-line that assumes "things were different back then." High school Biology textbooks describe the scenario of the "early" earth having a pond filled with a rich assortment of various molecules. It is suggested that life could have developed from this "primordial soup".
Verification for this idea is sought in "origin of life" experiments. Yet these laboratory models have not produced anything close to a living cell. In fact, there are a number of major problems with these experiments!
To begin with, scientists start with pure ingredients in order to get the results they want. In a natural setting like the early earth, there would be all sorts of chemical reactions and no way to purify the materials. No pure ingredients on the "early" earth means there is no way to start down the road to "life".
Next, scientists filter out certain wave lengths of light. In a natural setting light from the sun would destroy amino acids (the building blocks of life). The sun's deadly rays would kill any attempts at developing "life".
Then, scientists design a "trap" in their apparatus. This "trap" removes the amino acids that are being formed in their experiment to protect them from disintegration. Where on the early earth would a "trap" separate out the right amino acid compounds to keep them from breaking down into the original chemicals? There is none. The only "trap" is found in the apparatus of the laboratory! But if there is no earthly "trap" for evolving compounds then there is no way for living cells to evolve.
There are eight other major roadblocks that would keep any so-called evolving molecule from becoming a living, reproducing cell.
What does this mean about that statement in your biology textbook? If it is not a scientific fact, what is it? It is a philosophical assumption. The assumption is that nature is all there is - a religious philosophy called NATURALISM. And if nature is all there is, then life must have come from some purely natural process. The problem is, there is no natural process known to scientists that can produce "life".
Science Confirms a Creator
Science confirms the Law of Biogenesis: "life only comes from pre-existing life." This is exactly what the Bible has said all along: - "In the beginning was the Word... the Word was God...In him was life..." (John 1:1-4, NIV)
The Bible states that the living God is the source of life on earth. This is in perfect agreement with the Law of Biogenesis. Therefore, the most scientific statement you can make about the origin of life is "In the beginning, God...".
Notes
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