For my entire life I have been told how the human race has evolved from primitive protozoans. This idea is the theory of Darwinian Evolution. It is so commonly accepted……and taught as fact….. that we rarely take a critical look at it. Today, I want to challenge you to do just that. First, some definitions:
Genotype: the DNA that dictates the construction of your individual body and all of its functions. This is the human genome.
Phenotype: the collection of traits manifested by the expression of your genotype. This is you.
Darwinian Evolution: a theory describing the accumulation of traits as a result of random mutations in our DNA which produce traits that spread through the population and displace less adaptive traits.
Some of this is true. Random mutations do occur. They are passed on to subsequent generations. These mutations result in new traits. They result in modifications to both the genotype and phenotype of subsequent generations.
Some of this is partially true. And that is where I want to go today. Particularly, I want to explore the spread of new traits through a population.
Imagine two women. Both are struck by cosmic radiation which causes a mutation in the DNA of an egg cell.
The first mother gives birth to a baby who lacks a critical enzyme. The baby cannot metabolize food. This baby dies in a few days. The mutation and its subsequent change to the baby’s genotype and phenotype are quickly eliminated from the population. Darwinian evolution has worked. It has improved the population by eliminating a “bad” change to the human genome. This true……. this is Darwin’s theory at work.
The second mother gives birth to a baby who can see and hear through walls. This is a highly adaptive trait that gives the child and later the adult a profound competitive advantage. The mutation has produced an earthshaking improvement to the genotype and phenotype of the baby. And it will be passed to the next generation…….and so on. So far, so good…..for Darwin.
The problem is the spread of this trait through a world population of 8 billion souls. How many generations will it take for every human on the planet to be able to see and hear through walls? Perhaps tens of thousands of generations. How long will it take for the trait to reach an isolated tribe of cannibals in Africa? And this process has to happen over and over. Each change to the phenotype must be additive. Each and every new trait must work its way through the entire planet before the next trait begins its journey. And there are hundreds of billions of atoms in the genome resulting in millions of traits. Each of those traits must spread though the entire human race.
The propagation of such a highly adaptive trait throughout the entire world population has never been documented in human history……not once. And, even if it had, there just hasn’t been enough time to repeat that process millions of times.
And yet we accept Darwin. We teach Darwin to our Children. And worse, we laugh at those who look for a different explanation.
Darwinian evolution, as an explanation for the elimination of maladaptive changes to the human genome is demonstrably true. It happens every day.
Darwinian evolution, as an explanation for the conversion of pond scum to Angelina Jolie is statistically impossible. It has never been demonstrated in a human population in the history of man.
Darwinian evolution is a one way street. You need to begin looking for a better explanation for Angelina Jolie…….try intelligent design.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis, 1:1, ESV
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Genesis, 1:26,ESV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John, talking about Jesus and creation. John, 1:1-3, ESV