By Mark Ellis —
At the macroscopic level, the heavens declare the glory of God, the psalmist declares. But at the microscopic level, the same glorious handiworks of a Creator are displayed in wondrous ways.
“The molecular machines that are working inside each of our bodies at this moment scream of a designer,” Brian Johnson, one of the founders of South Dakota Apologetics, told writer and apologist Sean McDowell recently.
Those intricate, highly complex machines inside the cell are something Darwin could not see when he developed his evolutionary theories.
“If more Christians understood the beautiful structure of how the different processes within our bodies function I know it would not only strengthen their faith but would give them a much greater sense of just how amazing God’s creation really is,” he noted.
Sadly, many students are not exposed to the evidence for Intelligent Design since most pubic schools only teach Darwinian evolution.
Johnson has always been interested in possible scientific evidences for God and as he started to look into the biological confirmations he was “awestruck at how obvious it was to make a design inference based on the inner workings of the cell.”
He believes the discovery of the DNA molecule produced an exceptionally strong case for Intelligent Design. DNA carries genetic instructions for the growth, development, functioning and reproduction of all living organisms.
“The first argument for Intelligent Design is based on the information we find in the cell. The arrangements of the four nucleotides, ACTG, contain specified information and convey meaning for the production and arrangements of proteins,” Johnson noted.
Johnson also pointed to the process of DNA error correction or DNA repair as a prime example of God’s handiwork. “This process is mind-boggling and is currently at work in your body as you read this,” he said.
“Your body is creating new DNA at this moment in a process known as DNA Replication. During this process the DNA double helix is split in two, kind of like a zipper on a coat. As you unzip your coat you then have two sides of that zipper.
“Now pretend that the ‘teeth’ of the zipper on one side of the coat are each represented by a nucleotide letter of either a, c, t, or g. During the replication process a brand new set of ‘teeth’ are joined to the existing set of ‘teeth’ much the same way as when you zip the coat up and the two set of ‘teeth’ are joined together to seal the coat.”
But what if there is a mistake in the process? In a world built on random chance, how could a mindless process “know” how to repair itself?
“If during this process an incorrect nucleotide is put down an error correcting process catches the error, stops the process, plucks out the wrong nucleotide, inserts the correct nucleotide, and then allows the replication process to continue.”
“Describing this process as mind-blowing is actually an understatement!” he exclaimed.
In addition to DNA error correction, scientists have also discovered “proofreading” processes that make sure the information that passes through it is as accurate as possible — operating with the exacting and rigorous demands of a biblical scribe.
“The complexity of these processes is simply inconceivable,” Johnson noted.
Since the coding of information implies intelligence behind that coding, the mere existence of the DNA molecule points to God, and His mind-blowing processes at work processing, storing, and replicating the genetic code fundamental to all life.
