Origins: Natural or Supernatural?

Don’t you just love origin stories? Here are some that have recently been in the news.

Scientists Find Origin-of-Life Molecule in Space for First Time

It seems that a molecule common to Earth, and usually associated with life, has been detected in the depths of space. The Astrophysical Journal has reported that carbonic acid is relatively abundant in space, and evolutionary scientists suspect it is part of the key to the appearance of life on Earth. It lends support to the belief that these “Origin-of-Life” chemicals may have arrived on Earth from space.

James Webb telescope finds carbon at the dawn of the universe, challenging our understanding of when life could have ...

This article is from Live Science. They report that the discovery of carbon very early in the formation of the universe comes as a complete surprise, and it challenges current theories about how the very first stars may have operated. This leads evolutionary scientists to speculate that life may have evolved much earlier in the universe than previously thought.

Evolution’s 180-Million-Year-Old Secret: Scientists Discover Potential Origin of the First “Warm-Blooded” Dinosaurs

SciTechDaily is reporting that a new study led by the University of Vigo in Spain suggests that the ability of animals to internally regulate body temperature may have evolved among certain dinosaurs in the early Jurassic period – around 180-million years ago. This speculation is based upon an evaluation of the spread of dinosaurs across different climates on Earth throughout the Mesozoic Era. In doing this research, they looked at 1,000 fossils, climate models, the geography of the period, and the evolutionary trees dinosaurs.

So, to sum up the three headlines, scientists have recently found origin-of-life molecules (inert chemicals that exist in living things) in space, and what they speculate to be the origin of warm-bloodedness in dinosaurs. What a thrill to be on the cutting edge of evolutionary science in our modern era. Except that none of these researchers use science to form their theories.

Of course, there is some science in their research. Science is a methodology that involves observation and experimentation on things that exist as a part of the natural universe. So as the space telescopes observe what is happening in space and record the data, and as scientists observe various fossils and record what they find, they are using science. However, when they begin throwing out theories without their data backing them up, they move into philosophy and out of science.

Of course, making and testing theories is certainly a part of the scientific method. But the problem here is that these scientists are making theories and NOT testing them. In fact, they can’t test them. Testing theories using the scientific method involves observation and experimentation – which is not what they are doing.

So, what exactly is going on? They are playing “philosophize.” The conclusions these scientists are proposing are not based on science, they are based on naturalistic evolutionary theory. They don’t begin their process with data, they start with naturalistic philosophy. They first lay down their underlying philosophical belief – that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists. From that, they take the data they have accumulated and speculate on how it fits into their philosophy. Their conclusion is that the existence of life had to have come about by natural means, and from there had to have naturally evolved to the variety of life forms that exist today. For them, there is no other possibility. The only problem is, there is no science to demonstrate that their speculations are even possible, much less true.

The key word here is “speculation.” That’s all they have. They dismiss out of hand any other possibility – and they do it not based on science, but on their naturalistic philosophy.

So what does this make naturalistic philosophy? It makes it a religious point of view. You see, these naturalistic “scientists” are not really scientists at all. They are religious zealots. They believe their naturalistic philosophy by faith, and create their theories based on that philosophy.

At the same time, they present themselves as scientists. They organize the data they collect, they write and publish articles in “scientific journals,” and teach in prestigious universities. But what they get known for is not the observations and experimentation they participate in, but the conclusions they draw based on naturalistic philosophy.

The fact is, it is impossible to know with scientific certainty the things these scientists are proposing. They simply cannot be known using the scientific method. They assume a natural origin, even when the evidence doesn’t support it.

Science doesn’t require the natural origin of life. Science is descriptive of what is observable. Science only requires that we describe the natural processes we see in the natural universe. Speculation about origins is outside of science, and scientists who speculate about origins are not doing it on the basis of science, but based on their personal religious beliefs.

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Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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