Is There an Intellingent Designer Out There?

 

Is there an Intelligent Designer called God?

Before we answer this, let me ask you these questions.

Why do we need to have hands, fingers, legs, and toes? Then we also need eyes, ears, head, brain, lungs, heart, mouth, stomach, intestines, anus, liver, kidneys among other organs.  What are the purposes for them? 

Let me help you to answer these questions, let’s have a very brief run through the purpose and the functions of some of the parts of the body in a very brief and simple way without having to go through a 3-year degree course in anatomy and physiology like I did.  

Our bodies are complex systems designed to interact with the environment, process sensory information, perform various tasks, and sustain life. Here's a breakdown of why we need different body parts and organs:

Hands and Fingers

• Purpose: Manipulation and interaction with the environment.
• Functions: Grasping, holding, touching, and performing fine motor skills. Fingers enhance dexterity and precision.

Legs and Toes

• Purpose: Movement and balance.
• Functions: Legs provide locomotion, allowing us to walk, run, jump, and stand. Toes help maintain balance and support body weight.

Eyes

• Purpose: Vision.
• Functions: Eyes detect light and convert it into electrochemical signals sent to the brain, enabling us to see.

Ears

• Purpose: Hearing and balance.
• Functions: Ears detect sound waves and convert them into nerve impulses. The inner ear also helps maintain balance.

Head

• Purpose: Houses major sensory organs and the brain.
• Functions: The head contains the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, facilitating sensory input and cognitive functions.

Brain

• Purpose: Control centre of the body.
• Functions: The brain processes sensory information, regulates bodily functions, controls movement, and enables thought, memory, and emotions.

Lungs

• Purpose: Respiration.
• Functions: Lungs facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and the air.

Heart

• Purpose: Circulation.
• Functions: The heart pumps blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues and removing waste products.

Mouth

• Purpose: Ingestion and communication.
• Functions: The mouth takes in food and starts the digestion process. It is also essential for speech and communication.

Stomach

• Purpose: Digestion.
• Functions: The stomach breaks down food using acids and enzymes, preparing it for further digestion and absorption in the intestines.

Intestines

• Purpose: Digestion and absorption.
• Functions: The intestines continue the digestion process, absorb nutrients, and eliminate waste.

Anus

• Purpose: Excretion.
• Functions: The anus expels waste products from the body.

Liver

• Purpose: Metabolism and detoxification.
• Functions: The liver processes nutrients, detoxifies harmful substances, produces bile, and helps regulate metabolism.

Kidneys

• Purpose: Filtration and regulation.
• Functions: Kidneys filter blood, remove waste products, balance fluids and electrolytes, and regulate blood pressure.

Each of these body parts and organs plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis, allowing us to live, interact with our environment, and perform necessary functions for survival and well-being.

The structure and function of human body parts and organs are the result of millions of years of evolution. This process of evolution is driven by natural selection, genetic variation, and other mechanisms. Here's a brief overview of how evolution shapes living organisms:

However, the purpose I write this article is to ask the most interesting question, who designed all these organs and systems for them to have a purpose and a function for our body to become alive? How could dead and innate molecules like carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen start to move on their own to become alive. How could these molecules know how to arrange themselves automatically in the right places so that they can have a purpose and a function such as not just one hand, but two hands, and fingers too so that they can hold things such as food for us to eat and survive? I don't think dead molecules are so intelligent unless there must be a designer behind all these.

For instance, rocks, stones, mud, and clay cannot move by themselves, let alone get together on their own to start building an obvious structure such as a building or a road unless there is a living builder behind the scenes to collect these materials intelligently to construct and build.

 Who then started the origin of life, and subsequently a chain of life through biological evolution. There obviously must be a higher living being behind. I don't think non-living atoms and molecules can suddenly become alive, living and so intelligent on their own. Obviously, there must be a designer, a maker behind all of them.

However, biologists explain their existence through evolution and natural selection.  This means, traits that enhance an organism's ability to survive and reproduce tend to be passed on to subsequent generations. Over long periods, advantageous traits become more common within a population. Scientists claim during the process of evolution, there are mutations, genetic recombination, and other processes that introduce variations in traits. Some variations may provide survival advantages under specific environmental conditions causing these genetic variations.  

The mechanism of evolution causes mutations which are random changes in DNA that can lead to new traits. While many mutations are neutral or harmful, some can be beneficial. There is also gene flow where movement of genes between populations through migration can introduce new genetic material. Random changes in allele frequencies in a population, called genetic drift, especially in small populations, can lead to significant evolutionary changes over time. Environmental factors, such as predators, climate, and availability of resources, create selection pressures that favour certain traits over others.

Examples of evolution in action are our eyes that were evolved through a series of small changes from simple light-sensitive cells to complex organs capable of detailed vision. The lungs evolved to allow terrestrial animals to extract oxygen from the air, an adaptation that supported the transition from aquatic to land habitats. The brain was evolved to process complex information, enabling advanced behaviours, social interactions, and problem-solving abilities.

Human evolution caused these organs to adapt to changes - anatomical adaptations. Human ancestors adapted to various environments, leading to traits like bipedalism (walking on two legs), opposable thumbs (for manipulating objects), and complex brain structures (for advanced cognitive functions). There is also survival and reproduction that helped early humans survive harsh conditions, find food, avoid predators, and reproduce successfully to be passed on and refined over generations.

I think most scientists believe there is no individual or entity "designed" human body parts and organs. Instead, they are the result of a long process of evolutionary change. Evolutionary theory, supported by extensive scientific evidence from fields such as genetics, palaeontology, and comparative anatomy, explains how life on Earth, including human life, has developed, and diversified over time.

However, it is not necessary that I need to accept these theories forwarded by my scientific counterparts.  I think differently. To me, our existence touches on one of the most profound and debated topics in science, philosophy, and theology, namely, the origin of life and whether there is a higher intelligence or designer behind it. Let’s have a look at this topic from a scientific perspective, while also acknowledging the philosophical and theological views:

Scientific Perspective on the Origin of Life are:

Abiogenesis - This is the scientific theory that life arose naturally from non-living matter on early Earth through chemical processes. Although not yet fully understood, several hypotheses and experiments provide insights:

Miller-Urey Experiment - In the 1950s, scientists Stanley Miller and Harold Urey conducted an experiment simulating early Earth conditions, demonstrating that organic molecules like amino acids could form from simple inorganic compounds.

RNA World Hypothesis - This proposes that self-replicating RNA molecules were precursors to current life. RNA can both store genetic information and catalyse chemical reactions, making it a likely candidate for the first life forms.

Hydrothermal Vents and Alkaline Hydrothermal Systems - Some scientists believe life may have originated near hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, where heat and mineral-rich environments could have provided the necessary conditions for chemical reactions.

Then we are back to square one. I like to ask again, how did these simple biomolecules become alive to later evolve into such vast biodiversity? In the eyes of evolutionary biologists, complexity from simplicity briefly explained here is caused by:

Self-organization where under certain conditions, molecules can self-organize into complex structures. For instance, lipid molecules can form vesicles, providing a basic form of cellular structure.

Natural Selection at the molecular level where simple molecules that could replicate themselves would have an advantage, leading to increasing complexity through natural selection.

But I like to look at this mystery from the philosophical and theological perspectives bringing in an Intelligent Designer. This is the belief that life is too complex to have arisen without the intervention of an intelligent designer. Proponents argue that certain features of the universe and living things are best explained by an intelligent cause. Some people reconcile scientific findings with their belief in God by suggesting that God used evolutionary processes to create life. This view accepts the scientific explanations for the mechanisms of evolution while positing that God set these processes in motion. We call this theistic evolution. Then there is deism. This philosophical position holds that a higher power created the universe but does not intervene in its operations. Deists believe that natural laws govern the universe's development.

Reflection from a scientific standpoint, is that, while the exact details of how non-living molecules transitioned to living organisms are still being researched, substantial evidence supports the idea that life could have arisen from natural processes. Experiments and observations have shown that under the right conditions, simple molecules can indeed form more complex structures.

However, the question to others, scientists, and non-scientists, whether there is an Intelligent Designer behind the origin of life is ultimately philosophical and theological. Science seeks to understand the mechanisms and processes that govern the natural world, but it does not necessarily address the metaphysical question of why these processes exist or what might have set them in motion.

Many people like me find that their belief in a higher power or intelligent designer provides a satisfying explanation for the origin and complexity of life. Others rely on scientific explanations and the idea that natural processes can lead to complexity and life.

I think the origin of life is a deeply complex and multifaceted topic. Scientific research continues to explore how life might have arisen from non-living matter, while philosophical and theological perspectives offer different insights into the possible existence of a designer or higher power behind these processes.

However, as for me I strongly hold on to an Intelligent Designer as my Creator to enable my searching soul to write this essay.