1. Brian Greene, The Elegant Universe (New York: Vintage, 2000), 81-82. 2. George Smoot and Keay Davidson, Wrinkles in Time (New York: Avon, 1993), 36. 3. Greene, 81-82. 4. Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (New York: Bantam, 1990), 38-51. 5. Greene, 83. 6. Hawking, 39. 7. Smoot, 80-83. 8. Ibid., 187. 9. Ibid., […]
Did the Universe Have a Beginning?
BACK TO THE BEGINNING Scientific discoveries revive the ancient belief in a beginning to the universe. If we could rewind the history of the universe, what would we discover about its origin and development? Did it really have a beginning, or was it always there? The influential ancient philosopher Aristotle stated, “It is impossible that […]
Is a Designer Revealed in Creation?
IMAGINE THE DESIGNER The universe not only implies the existence of a designer but suggests something about what he might be like. In the movie Contact, Jodi Foster portrays Ellie Arroway, a beautiful young scientist obsessed with finding intelligent life on other planets. One day, as Ellie monitors radio transmissions from space, a coded message […]
Why is Only Earth Suitable for Life?
WHAT ARE THE ODDS? In his movie Signs, M. Night Shyamalan presents us with a priest (played by Mel Gibson) who has lost his faith. Through the death of his wife, the priest has come to the conclusion that life is random. He has decided that he will no long pretend to see God in […]
Is the Universe a Product of Design or Chance?
OPTIONS FOR ORIGINS The choices in accounting for our universe boil down to three: Chance, multiple universes, or design. Scientists are looking at the extreme rarity of life in our universe and asking, “why are we so lucky?” At some point you’ve got to step back from the facts and ask the question “So what […]
Was Darwin Right About the Eye?
THE PROBLEM WITH HALF AN EYE Looking down at Greenland from 32,000 feet on my trip from Rome to Seattle, I heard a strange noise in the aircraft that sent my blood pressure soaring into hyperspace. Suddenly I began to wonder what would happen if one tiny part on the enormous Boeing 747 failed. Engines, […]
Does DNA Point to a Designer?
THE LANGUAGE OF OUR CELLS Was the language of DNA programmed by a designer–or by chance? Consider for a moment the cathedral-like structure of a snowflake under a microscope. Look at the beauty. Look at the complexity. Look at the originality of each individual flake. Surely this is evidence for a grand designer in the […]
Where are Darwin’s Predicted Fossils?
THE CASE OF THE MISSING LINKS The discovery of DNA has revolutionized the world of forensic evidence. Cold case files have been reopened. Criminals who thought they had beaten the system have been belatedly prosecuted by a swab of saliva or body fluids forgotten about for decades. And in some instances, the new evidence has […]
Are Humans the Result of Evolution?
THE HUMAN ENIGMA Scientific evidence indicates human beings are a unique species that is far superior to any species existing today or in the past. In the movie, Planet of the Apes, Astronaut Leo Davidson is on a routine reconnaissance space mission in the year 2029, when suddenly his pod cruiser is thrust through a […]
Accident or Intelligent Design?
Science and the Origin of Life The debate over human origins has intensified, hitting the mainstream media like a tsunami. The debate is really about God, and whether or not our origins are explainable without him. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins are attempting to prove that science and belief in God are incompatible. Their premise […]
