There Must Be Something More

87 | Which Is More Scientific?

"Now, I have to warn you," Meredith started, chuckling. "This is going to be really scientific and factual. So if you're not into this kind of stuff, I would like to ask you to hang on."

"The Earth," Meredith said. She switched to another slide and a 3-D illustration of the planet floated in a 3-D illustration of the universe. She paced back and forth in front of everyone. For a moment I didn't see the bubbly country girl that took care of farm animals in her backyard--I saw a real preacher of righteousness.

She continued, "Its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about fifty miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. Earth is the only known planet equipped with anatmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life."

"The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider thetemperature swings we encounter, roughly negative thirty degrees to positive one hundred and twenty degrees. Ifthe Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closerand we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position tothe sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfectdistance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly sixty-seven thousand miles per hour. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of theEarth to be properly warmed and cooled every day."

She clicked on the remote and another slide showed.

This time, it was an actual video of the Niagara Falls. I have never seen anything like it. I've always dreamed of going to Canada and seeing it for myself. But actually studying about it as part of God's creation was already giving me satisfaction.

Meredith smiled wide. "Water. Colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. It's the most important thing our body needs, but no one even knows where it really comes from! But the answer to that is very simple--God spoke it into existence."

Many snickered to that. I shook my head.

"You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:

"It has wide margin between its boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environmentof fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.

"Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that various chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.

"Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.

"Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringinglife-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.

"Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.

"Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designedwhich removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporationtakes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind todisperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supplythat sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water."

"Whoa," someone from the overly quiet audience said and everyone started to look around self-consciously.

Meredith turned to my direction, and I gave her a thumbs-up.

"Now, next is the most underrated, but also the most complex functional structure that has ever existed," Meredith said. She flicked to the next slide and a human brain diagram appeared in front of the wide white wall before us.

"The human brain simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in allthe colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor,the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holdsand processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of theongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement ofthe muscles in your hands.

"The human brain processes more than a million messages a second. Yourbrain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relativelyunimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operateeffectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs.There is an intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, todream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people."

Meredith chuckled in what looked like utter disbelief. "Think about it. If we were just some cosmic accident millions of years ago, how is it that we feel these unscientific emotions? We carry philosophical ideas without even knowing it."

Everyone was silent. Principal Powell was no longer glaring, but he did look very much uncomfortable. I pondered upon what might happen to us if this continued.

But it had to continue.

"Moving on," Meredith said. She moved to another slide and it showed a wide human eye anatomy. "The eye. The eye can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automaticfocusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages--simultaneously. Evolution focuses onmutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain theinitial source of the eye or the brain--the start of living organisms from nonliving matter."

"Now, can you tell me which is more scientific? Darwinian evolution or the theist's worldview?" She asked.

"Shut up!" One of the girls from the audience remarked. "That's all a bunch of nonsense!"

Meredith turned away and gave me the mic next. It was my turn. I looked at Trey and Meredith and they gave me a thumbs-up. 

"Hi, Charlie!" The same girl who remarked waved her arms to and fro at me. 

I drew a breath. The guys from the baseball team all looked kind of awkward about seeing me. They all knew why I was kicked out of the team.

I looked around the crowd for a moment while Lily and Aubrey were still taking care of some technical issues with the PowerPoint presentation. I recognized a lot of people. I saw Amanda and Calum, they stood together now. I saw the girls from the cheer-leading team, all I had partied with in the past.

And I was overcome with a supernatural emotion that motivated me to stretch out the edges of my mouth and smile.

These people, like I did before, needed Jesus. And now I had the most amazing opportunity to lead them to their one vital need.

I breathed a prayer. 

Lily and Aubrey gave me the thumbs-up.

Principal Powell stood up with a scowl.

I turned to my PowerPoint slide and started the lecture.

Disclaimer: This info was taken from an article called "Is There A God?" By Marilyn Adamson