Flashback to
memories of your early courses in biology. One term--mitosis--may come to mind.
Perhaps you even recall diagrams or animations of chromosome pairs organizing
themselves along an imaginary plane equidistant from the cell’s poles, followed
by impressive parting and separation of the chromosome pairs. Two identical
pairs of chromosomes are produced from one.
Mitosis occurs in
stages termed prophase, metaphase, and anaphase. Real time anaphase proves to
be the shortest but most impressive event. In only a few minutes the paired
chromosomes are seen to separate and move toward opposite ends of the cell.
Soon there are two new duplicate cells, each with a nucleus. All phases of
mitosis are completed in just one hour. The new cells begin production of
proteins and organelles. Growth of cells predominates over cell duplication.
Wondrous events of
prenatal development during human gestation all depend on successful mitosis
events. Campbell and Reese in their AP textbook Biology state, “As a human develops from a zygote to a sexually
mature adult, mitosis generates all the somatic cells of the body. Both
chromosome sets in the zygote and all the genes they carry are passed on with
precision to our somatic cells.” (Somatic cells include virtually every biological
cell forming the body of an organism.)
The single-celled
diploid fertilized egg, the zygote, becomes
a fully formed human being in only nine months. During that time the process of
mitosis generates all cells of the newly formed, functional human being. The newborn
baby, complete with an integrated organ system, is a tribute to the Creator’s planning
and Intelligent Design.
Naturalistic
evolutionists and theistic evolutionists alike denigrate Intelligent Design. The
creation of a human being from the union of two gametes, one sperm and one egg,
forming a one-celled zygote, is an example of Intelligent Design--the Creator’s
design! When details of human reproduction are described many think the
handiwork of God is apparent whether the term ID is used or not. Rejection of
the term might relate to rejection of the concept that the Creator initiates
supernatural events on occasion. Do we understand how God accomplishes such
supernatural events? No, we do not. This is not an excuse, however, to reject
the intelligent workings of the Deity either to initiate life forms or to
design a method of reproduction.
Intelligent Design
has come under fire. Both ID and creationism have been attacked as unscientific.
In the past few decades the tendency to diminish ID and creationism is to curry
favor with the community of naturalistic and theistic evolutionary scientists
who pledge allegiance to the mystique of science. Even theistic evolutionists
implore their young followers in the church community to “get on board with
science.”
Lest we are
misunderstood, we stress our enthusiastic respect for the discoveries and
benefits of science. Never should science distort our understanding of the
miraculous workings of the Deity in the world we observe. With a correct interpretation
of both Scripture and the discoveries of science, we posit there is no
disagreement.
