Earth--Exceptional or One-of-a-Kind?

“One-of-a-kind” connotes a person or thing that is not like any other person or thing. “Exceptional” is not nearly so exclusive. Virtually all athletes on major league baseball, football, basketball, and hockey rosters are exceptional. Numbers of players range from 420 professional basketball competitors, to 620 hockey, 750 baseball, and nearly 1700 football roster players. These are exceptional athletes. Except for literary hyberbole, no athlete may truly be categorized one-of-a-kind.

In one sense, every planet, of the billions circling sextillions of stars spread throughout our galaxy, may be considered one-of-a-kind. That sense tells us that no single set of physical conditions could possibly be exactly like the conditions on any other planet. Taken more broadly, we might say that every human is also one-of-a-kind, allowing for minor as well as major differences. In view of our most recent posts concerning statements by secularists that humanity is alone in the universe, we elaborate further on Earth’s one-of-a-kind status.

The history of creation of our universe is the stage setter for all the wondrous life-generating events to follow. The complex events of the Big Bang, sometimes derided as chaotic and violent, were set in place by the Creator as the forerunner of physical conditions which permitted the first primitive earth life about four billion years ago. Ten billion years had elapsed before Earth was ready to receive the “gift of life.” 

The temporal timeframe experience of humans cannot be compared with timeframes of the Creator of all things. The GotQuestions.org website says, “In a sense, the marking of time is irrelevant to God because he transcends it…He is above and outside the sphere of time…The time that passes on Earth is of no consequence from God’s timeless perspective.”

We return to consideration of how our one-of-a-kind Earth came to be. There are many exceptional planets. In terms of life, human life in particular, there is, by definition, apparently only a single one-of-a-kind planet. This fact is not proven beyond all reasonable doubt, but there is preponderance of evidence—a legal term. In order to make a claim “beyond reasonable doubt” we would need plentiful knowledge about conditions on most, or all of the billions of planets revolving around sextillions of stars in our known universe.

The virtually infinitely hot and dense singularity from which our universe sprang may be considered the early birth of matter which now comprises our physical, one-of-a-kind world. At the initial moment of the hot Big Bang event, the universe briefly consisted of a “quark soup.” The soup became consolidated into particles with which we are more familiar—hydrogen and helium atoms with protons, neutrons, and electrons. Eventually, further consolidations resulted in nucleosynthesis—formation of more complex elements such as carbon.

Of hundreds of fine tuning parameters known to be necessary for either simple or human life to exist, many of them involve the element carbon and/or the compound water. The element carbon is one of the elements formed by stellar nucleosynthesis. Earth’s life is uniquely dependent on the presence of carbon in just the right amounts, neither too much or too little. Earth is a water world. The same may be said of water. Scientists have written voluminously on both subjects.

“Cosmologists are in essential agreement concerning the universe’s sequence of events since the Big Bang which is acknowledged to be the beginning of time. When I taught the Big Bang event to my astronomy students, I announced it as “God’s initial creation event”—the beginning of the time, space, matter, and energy dimensions of our universe. Much later than this “initial creation event,” the element carbon was produced in the formation of stars by what is known as the triple alpha process. When supernatural creation events such as the Cambrian Explosion and the creation of modern humans occurred, carbon was already present on earth, ready to be incorporated into the bodies of earth’s living creatures.”

The previous paragraph is a reprint of a portion of our post from March 19, 2012. Here is a link to that complete post relating to the wondrous carbon cycle:

http://jasscience.blogspot.com/2012/03/carbon-sequence.html

Hand in hand with the carbon cycle is the water cycle. “Transition of liquid water to vapor and from vapor back to liquid enables water to travel long distances from ocean and other water bodies to cropland locations. Atmospheric circulation quickly transports the water vapor from place to place. Some water infiltrates the soil, becomes groundwater, and eventually returns to streams and larger water bodies for use in irrigation or even re-evaporation back into the atmosphere. Superimposed on this process are many sub-cycles, some of which may be demonstrated in the laboratory…..” Carbon is cycled and recycled through plants, animals, earth, water bodies, and atmosphere, in various states to sustain Earth life and transport earth materials in life-sustaining ways. Here is a link to our original post on the water cycle. Several posts on the water cycle and various other life-giving cycles follow: (Click on “Newer Posts”)

http://jasscience.blogspot.com/2012/01/jobs-water-cycle-tutorial.html

It is doubtful that any of the recently discovered 3774 planets (as of July 31, 2018) come remotely close to “one-of-a-kind” status with respect to life. Conditions on those planets are foreign to life of any kind, lacking hundreds of fine tuning characteristics involving nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and hundreds of other elements and compounds necessary for human life. 

          

  

Dismissing ET

SETI, an organization committed to searching for life beyond the confines of our Earth and its Solar System, now researches many other wonderful features of our cosmos. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is now a subsidiary topic of focus and has retreated into the background of their scientific research. The focus of SETI scientists is now geoscience, astrobiology, astronomy, geology, astrophysics, planetary science, and related topics. Only a few of the scholars at the SETI organization still center their studies on “Life beyond the confines of Earth and it Solar System.” However, the topic of intelligent life in outer space is still of interest to many. Does life beyond Planet Earth actually exist, many people wonder? 

In 1960 the modern scientific quest for widespread life in the cosmos continued. In 1961 astronomer Frank Drake organized a scholar team, including Carl Sagan of Cornell University, which met at a facility in Green Bank WV in order to discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life. His reliance on the “Drake equation,” proposed at the conference, was often quoted. Without outlining the seven factors of the “Drake equation,” we affirm that accepting its implication strengthens belief that intelligent life even in our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is a common occurrence.

In 1950, brilliant nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi, sometimes called the “architect of the atomic age,” asked a group of his scientist colleagues, “Where is everybody?” His friends realized he was referring to extraterrestrial life. Even at the slow pace of interstellar travel, hopeful speculation supports the possibility that some of the many billions of planets circling sextillions of stars in our home Milky Way Galaxy together with billions of other galaxies in the universe may possess intelligent life forms and may have developed the technology for interstellar communication or travel. Fermi realized the absence of any communications from “out there” convinced him, according to his reckoning, that it is highly unlikely that ETs exist. His statements predated Frank Drake’s equation. Many theorists, including the late science popularizer Carl Sagan, have nourished belief in ET to this day, including some writers at the SETI Institute in Mountain View CA and other media. One example is NY Times writer Adam Frank who wrote in June 2016, “Yes, There Have Been Aliens.” He still assigns confident credibility to the Drake equation. SETI scholar Seth Shostak waxed exuberant when the TRAPPIST-1 array of seven generally earth-sized planets was discovered around a star only 39 light years away in February 2017.  

The Future of Humanity Institute (FHI) at Oxford University on June 6, 2018 published research by Anders Sandberg, Eric Dexter, and Toby Ord at Oxford University positing that humans in our Solar System are alone in our universe. In their opening abstract they affirm, in response to fascinating and optimistic speculations about life elsewhere in our cosmos,  “… we find a substantial ex ante probability of there being no other intelligent life in our observable universe, and thus that there should be little surprise when we fail to detect any signs of it.” Their well documented and detailed research was reported in many media. Its thesis was discouraging to believers in extraterrestrial life. At the same time, creationists may take courage that God is the author of a single life-plentiful location. Our belief in the uniqueness of created life on Earth is supported by our knowledge of the incredible functional and esthetic qualities of our planet’s life and the physical systems supporting it. Earths is proving to be unique in the cosmos.

We link our posts of March 17 and March 19, 2017 describing the TRAPPIST-1 discovery and repeat some of our observations from them:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2017/03/3537-exoplanets-and-counting.html

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2017/03/exoplanet-science-fiction.html

There are abundant reasons for dismissing the likelihood that any other planetary site in our universe could harbor life, even if it were blessed, for example, with the presence of water and a reasonably friendly temperature. As we discover more and more stunning requirements for life possessed by Earth together with the absence of that array of requirements on even the most promising planetary systems, we realize anew the truth of Psalm 104:24 (The Message Translation): “What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.”

               

Really Alone?

The question of whether humanity shares characteristics of life with other human or human-like creatures in our enormous universe has long piqued interest from coffee-table conversationalists to professional astro-biologists. The question fascinates some young people whose extrospective abilities are stimulated when they first study the subject of astronomy.

Scripture does not address this topic. As a young person I recall my father quoting John 10:16 (KJV): Jesus said, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold…” Many diverse interpretations relevant to this passage exist, but when I first heard it I thought it may have referred to life on other planets. Writing on the Concordia Seminary website, professor of theology Dr. Charles Arand states, “First, if life exists elsewhere it means that God created it. What is non-negotiable for the Christian faith, and indeed the cornerstone for it, is that God created everything that exists out of nothing.”

Dr. Arand continues, “One thing that we do know about God’s work here on Earth is that God loves life! Lots of life. And lots of different kinds of life. We see this already in Genesis 1 where the movement of creation is toward the filling of all the spaces on Earth (air, water, land) with teeming life.”

Astro-biologists have proposed that finding simple life on another planet such as Mars during our space probes would indicate the past natural transport of earth materials to a nearby planet owing to debris blasted into space by a past meteorite or asteroid strike—a distinct possibility. Such a discovery would not necessarily indicate that life forms were originally created on other planets.

Many parameters related to existence of life elsewhere in our vast cosmos come to mind. If diversity of life is found to exist throughout the cosmos on some of the billions of planets circling billions of other stars, the question may occur among naturalistic scientists whether the paradigm of origin and development of life by evolutionary processes applies not only to Planet Earth but also is a common feature of physical systems throughout the cosmos. If scientists believe this to be true, their belief that life on Planet Earth is the product of a natural evolutionary process may be reinforced.

On the other hand, if Earth life appears to be a one-time cosmic occurrence, humans could more easily credit its distinctiveness to a supernatural Cause—God, the Creator of all things. At this point we must search for reasons to believe in a supernatural Creator as cosmic Author of a unique planet with unique humanity created in God’s own image.

Dr. Arand further writes, “What does this mean for possible life elsewhere? I don’t know. God has not revealed that to us.” We side with Dr. Arand—we don’t know, but we are impacted by recent research which tilts us toward belief that we are really alone in the Milky Way and in the cosmos. The reality of this belief has powerful theological implications.

            

Alone in the Universe

Once again, we recall childhood thoughts about our cosmos. This time, we need to advance our early childhood ideas of the Sumerian cosmic dome to our contemporary concept of the cosmos. Science teachers now use models of globes even in early grades to establish the concept of Planet Earth as a sphere. Students now envision the Earth surrounded by space. The Sun and other planets of the Solar System are also spheres surrounded by empty space. We now model the planets moving around the Sun—the essence of a heliocentric (sun-centered) planetary system.

When young children look out at the stars they observe beautiful points of light most of which “twinkle” due to atmospheric effects. (We only hope our children are blessed with neighborhood dark skies.) A few bright “stars” do not twinkle. Rather, they shine brightly with a steady light—the signature of a planet similar to our Earth. Planets Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and sometimes Mars are outstanding examples.

Thoughtful parents and children may pose the possibility of the existence of people on other planets of our Solar System. For particularly astute children, especially when they become Middle Schoolers or High Schoolers, it may occur to them that other stars—really other “suns” in space may also possess planets similar to ours. Do those planets have life like ours, or similar to ours?

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is a star system with 100 to 400 billion stars. Some reliable astronomers speculate that our galaxy may possess 100 billion planets. One or more planets frequently accompany stars. The idea that a significant number of Milky Way planets have physical conditions similar to Earth is fascinating, optimistic, and imaginative. If we carefully analyze the possibility that any of our galactic neighbors could possess conditions even remotely resembling the unique and beautiful complexity of our Solar System family, especially the conditions manifest on Planet Earth, we may not be so optimistic and imaginative. The foregoing points do not include mention of existence of the plethora of Earth life—millions of prokaryotes (single-celled organisms such as bacteria and archaea) and eukaryotes (multi-celled organisms such as plants and animals)—or how these life forms originated.

A majority of scientists believe the term “evolution” and its theorized processes not only explains how general physical conditions on Earth changed and developed, but more significantly, how life itself originated and developed. We agree that the term “evolution” may be appropriate for long-term development of the universe since the origin of time, space, matter and energy in the beginning when “God created the heavens and the Earth.” But intoning the term “evolution” does not explain the origin of life or the sudden appearances of multiple novel animal and plant phyla at the onset of the Cambrian Explosion and in the millions of years subsequent to the Cambrian period.

Many media resources have been devoted to promoting the hypothesized evolution of life forms on planets surrounding stars in 100 or 200 billion (or more) other galaxies sprinkled around our vast universe. It is estimated there are sextillions of stars inhabiting these galaxies. It is conceivable that there may be sextillions of planets far distant from our own Milky Way! The likelihood of human or human-like life is not increased, however, by stating larger and larger estimates of planets in our universe.

Even secular scientists have acknowledged the highly unlikely origin of life by natural evolutionary processes. Curiously, these scientists are not creationists. For example, Sir Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) felt that life arrived on Earth from outside of our Solar System by panspermia. He also believed in the Steady-state theory—that there was no beginning to the universe and that things would always continue as they are now. His observations on the unlikelihood of a naturalistic origin for life excite some proponents of intelligent design who assume he was something other than an atheist. We quote two of Hoyle’s most interesting proposals: “A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature.” He went on to compare “the chance of obtaining even a single functioning protein by a chance combination of amino acids to a solar system full of blind men solving a Rubik’s Cube simultaneously.”

As a teacher of astronomy, I disappointed many students by expressing doubt that Earth life could arise here or on any other of sextillions of planets by pure chance without the input of a “superintellect.” When asked if I believed in God, I responded, “I certainly do.”

In the past few weeks there has been an uptick in commentary about whether or not humanity is Alone in the Universe. The Future of Humanity Institute (FHI) published some of their recent research in June. Their findings that humans are alone has depressed many folks who thought we should have discovered, or will discover, many cosmic neighbors. In the future, we deal with this relevant issue and its theological implications. 

     

    

                        

  

   

Coordinating Celestial Observations

To introduce astronomy studies to my former students, I regaled them with an account of my early childhood musings about the the Earth and the sky. Some confessed similar youthful personal misconceptions about the cosmos.

As a young child I gazed out and envisioned a solid dome of sky arching down to Earth and meeting the solid ground “out there” at some distant point on the horizon. I wondered what would it be like to be “out there.” I don’t recall wondering about the juncture as I looked across Lake Ontario or the ocean. Neither do I recollect noticing that stars on the solid sky dome were positioned on the night sky in a consistent arrangement from night to night and that certain bodies such as the sun and moon were superimposed on the star field and always slid across the dome from east to west. I was far too young for such a detailed analysis. My understanding of the Earth/sky relationship was quite preliminary. Immediate observation predominated.

The prehistoric Sumerians also had concept of a solid dome stretching across the sky—part of a three tiered (sometimes seven-tiered) concept of the heavens. Earth was perceived to be a flat disc under the dome. There was no concept of Earth as a sphere suspended in space. The tiered, domed concept was embellished with many imaginative beliefs as was their complex polytheism. One wonders about their everyday experiences in a physical world not unlike our own.

Against the background of our knowledge of ancient prehistoric mysticism, polytheism, and superstition, a strange irony springs forth with respect to how we currently plot celestial coordinates. With what system do we communicate information concerning positions of heavenly bodies in our vast heavens? The irony is this: The heavens surrounding Planet Earth do not really consist of a solid dome surrounding the Earth, but we use this faulty worldview scheme for teaching celestial coordinates in modern classrooms—a map of the heavens used to precisely describe the location of countless thousands of heavenly bodies. Alan MacRobert of Sky and Telescope magazine wrote in the 7/20/06 issue that, “In astronomy, appearances and reality are more different than in any other area of human experience.” In humorous, simpler terms, seeing is not always believing when we look at the sky: The sky looks like it is a solid dome over our head, but it really isn’t.

It slowly dawned on early astronomers that our Earth seems not to be encircled by a “dome,” but rather, a complete celestial sphere. What a startling revelation that was! They noticed that part of the sky dome was always setting in the west; another part was always rising in the east. Therefore, at any time, half of the celestial sphere must be below the horizon. We do not live on a flat Earth surrounded by a dome; rather, we live on a spherical Earth.  

What happened on that dome has been historically subject to much interpretation and misinterpretation. Later believers thought the “dome” which encircled our planet carried with it certain objects such as stars, the Moon, and the Sun. As a result, we experience direct light from the Sun and the reflected light from the Moon, but there was still room for misunderstanding of reality. 

So what is the “dome” conceived by early Mesopotamian astronomers? It was the backdrop for wonderful manifestations of visual observations. What were they? They were images of the Sun, Moon, and various planets which crept across the sky. Our children and grandchildren still observe the Sun as it treks across the sky and sets in the west. They also observe the Moon in its relentless travels. Less careful observers may notice the trek of the stars. We acknowledge that people from every age have been challenged to identify profoundly non-obvious causes in relation to powerfully impactful obvious effects. 

The scientist Ptolemy who died in 168 A.D. established the Ptolemaic cosmological system. We live on a spherical planet, said Ptolemy, but the planet did not move. Various objects moved around us. We were part of a geocentric (Earth-centered) system. The celestial sphere was host to complex movements of the Sun, Moon, and stars emplaced in many spherical layers. The idea of a solid dome was gone.

Copernicus (1473-1543) supplied clarity. Aristarchus (310-230 B.C) had pre-stated Copernicus’ ideas by many hundreds of years. Copernicus, however, acquired modern credit for his heliocentric cosmology. Already established by Ptolemy was the idea of a spherical Earth in space with the Earth at the center of the universe. Now Copernicus amazed church leaders by claiming the Sun was at the center of the known universe with the planets revolving around it, placing Earth in a subordinate position. Some leaders were thrilled at the new knowledge while others felt this was anti-biblical. Over one hundred years later, Galileo was ostracized for endorsing Copernican cosmology. He was not officially vindicated by the Catholic Church until 1992.

This brief account of the evolution of cosmology does little justice to the intense struggles of scientists and church authorities to arrive at truth based on a blend of accurate modern science and divinely inspired Biblical orthodoxy. 

Recently our pastor began a series on the Psalms. Could there be a more propitious launch of a sermon series than Psalm 8? It begins, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalm 8:1) This Psalm places the glory of God above the heavens but God also reserves a measure of glory for man created in His own image: “You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:5)   

    

      

   

     

Summer Solstice Splendor

Recall your personal response to the “first day of summer” when you were a school student. Children greet this day with happiness and fervor. By this date in June some midwestern school children have been on summer vacation for several weeks. Other schools, primarily in the mostly non-agricultural east, have school calendars extending until mid or late June. Eastern snowstorms wreaked havoc this school year making closing dates even later than usual.

One day appears on printed annual calendars every year. It is called the summer solstice or the first day of summer. This special astronomical event is unaffected by our efforts to postpone scheduled activities to conform with the vagaries of daily weather. Among many special days on our annual calendars, the summer solstice has special appeal for science minded folk—in particular the astronomy minded.

Most people realize the date on or close to June 21 is the longest day of the year—longest in terms of daylight. But it is the longest day of the year only for people in the Northern Hemisphere. At the Equator, 12-hour days and nights persist all year long. The longest Northern Hemisphere day is longer than the second or third longest day by only a few seconds. Sunrise and sunset times change very little for several days. After a few weeks we may take note of the slowly diminishing day length.

The Summer Solstice is the date on which the sun seems to “stand still.” We know that our Sun, when viewed each day at noon, appears to creep higher and higher in the sky between December and March. The sun appears to ascend from south to north on the ecliptic, the apparent annual path of the sun. Between March and June, the sun continues to ascend northward in the sky, beyond the celestial equator, an imaginary line formed in the sky by extension of Earth’s equator. The sun ascends to its farthest northward position on June 21. On that date the Sun appears to stand, or stop moving farther north. Technically, the sun “stands still” only momentarily, and the sun’s apparent movement slowly begins to resume its slow southward journey. Daylight begins to shorten.

We may derive literal meanings from the Latin. Sol means “sun.” Stice means to “make stand” or “to stop.” Literally, solstice means “the sun stands still,” but only briefly when its northernmost or southernmost position has been reached. During December, “winter solstice” is also noted on our printed calendars when the sun reaches its southernmost distance from the celestial equator, a permanent reference point in the sky based on the plane of Earth’s Equator. For Southern hemisphere residents, the sun stands still for a brief time on December 21 this year. It will be their summer solstice!

Viewed from any spot on Earth, the Sun seems to advance northward in the sky, then southward, a total range of 47º during the calendar year. If Earth’s axis were tilted 0º instead of 23.4º, the Sun would appear at the same noontime elevation above the horizon daily. The lengths of day and night would be virtually identical all year long, assuming the Earth’s orbit was perfectly circular. There would be no seasons on our planet. Last year we included a discussion of seasons. For your reference, we link…

http://jasscience.blogspot.com/search?q=seasons

The Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs on December 21 in 2018. Three months later the Vernal Equinox occurs on March 20, 2019, while the Autumnal Equinox will occur on September 22, 2018. On Equinoxes, day and night lengths are exactly the same all over the world. Astronomy enthusiasts become enthralled with the majestic subtleties of our grand Solar System. From a theological perspective, we propose that these majestic subtleties provide countless divine benefits to humanity as well as an opportunity to stretch our understanding of how the cosmos works.  

     

Regulations on Human Innovation

The CRISPR/Cas9 genetic editing phenomenon receives much press in our current climate. Our government regulators solicit public commentary on lively issues of the day. Well they should, particularly when bioscientists develop novel processes which could impact human life negatively. In particular, when genetic experts deliberately alter in some way the human genetic heritage by modifying or changing DNA structure or function, we should take notice. 

In review, we cite the recent movement toward GMOs—genetically modified organisms. The pioneering discoveries appeared during the last quarter of the 20th century. The first genetically modified organisms resulted from inserting genetic material from one organism into an organism of a different species. Antibiotic resistance was one of the first problems solved by genetic modification. Since then modified organisms have provided pharmaceutical benefits, more desirable and productive fruits and vegetables, and insect and herbicide resistant crops.

More recently, CRISPR/Cas9 technology has opened the door to genetic editing. An organism’s own DNA is modified by deleting, inserting, or transferring a subject’s own DNA to correct inherent deficiencies or diseases or enhance desirable physical traits. This process is the result of hundreds of research procedures far beyond the comprehension of most laypersons. In a general way the public may understand that processes of great import are being developed at our personal genetic level. This phenomenon is at once powerfully desirable, yet potentially frightening. The CRISPR/Cas9 biotechnology does not face the regulatory restrictions that GMOs face. No harmful effects from consumption of genetically modified foods have been discovered. Both technologies have been made possible owing to revelations of detailed DNA atomic structure since 1950.

There is a commonality across the genetics of living things. For example, biologists tell us that the annelid genomes (segmented worms such as common earthworms are examples) are more similar to humans than to genomes of arthropods and insects. The Creator of All Things has designed different body plans for each of the 33 animal phyla and 14 plant phyla. In reference to physical traits, animal phyla are similar to each other, but also different from each other in significant ways. The genomes of diverse phyla are also similar to each other and also different in significant ways. Bioscientists are fond of “connecting the dots” of genetic similarity among phyla in order to establish their hypotheses of common ancestry and fortify their evolutionary proposals. Common physical traits and common genetic traits could also signal a Common Designer origin. Common Design appears to be a more rational explanation to those people not ideologically driven to embrace evolution. It makes sense that the Creator would use successful designs and successful genetic patterns repeatedly.

The complex majesty of the genomes of living things is worth studying at an advanced level of personal study. It is unsurprising that objections to GMOs and genetic editing have achieved prominence. The public needs assurance that the procedures are safe. Throughout human history man has weighed the positives and negatives of his grand schemes and discoveries. However, over-caution or under-caution is equally harmful to human progress.

Government regulations have proliferated in our day. Regulations concerning personal health and safety have produced a generous share of our attention. This is warranted, but we could be vulnerable to misunderstanding and abuse. There is a difficult balance point to be achieved between protecting the population from harm, but avoiding ideological fears which may prevent genuine healing and benefits to personal wellness.

Edward Jenner developed the remarkable life-saving process of immunization by vaccination in the late 18th century before the onset of modern governmental obsession with regulation. Milkmaids working with cows infected with cowpox acquired that mild disease, but subsequently avoided infection with the often fatal disease of smallpox raging in society at the time. They had acquired natural immunity. Inoculation with similar cowpox organic material provided protection from the much more devastating smallpox. The subsequently developed vaccination process protected the population from the horrors of many diseases. Smallpox killed an estimated 300-500 million people in the 20th century, but aggressive action eradicated the disease from the planet by 1977.

We cite one historical example of opposition to medical innovation. The Australian media outlet The Conversation published an article in 2017 by Ella Stewart-Peters and Catherine Kevin entitled “A Short History of Vaccine Objection, Vaccine Cults, and Conspiracy Theories.” They state, “…there’s a long history of opposition to childhood vaccination.” The article further relates,”By submitting to compulsory vaccination laws, a parent was allowing the government to insert itself into the individual home and take control of a child’s body, something traditionally protected by the parent.” This quote reminds us that some modern residents value medical privacy over efforts to acquire potential personal healing. There are no right or wrong answers to such complex issues. 

Complex questions surrounding personal genetic modification are intensely challenging. The battles over Jenner’s vaccination process and even suspicions leveled at early proponents of germ theory must be kept in mind in our day when so much benefit has already accrued. Incredible medical advances have enriched humanity. We return repeatedly to Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…” This passage immediately follows Genesis 1:27 where God speaks of man’s creation in the Image of God. It is our belief that humanity’s fruitfulness and increase in population in the past two centuries is God’s gift to Earth dwellers still operating under the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. The 2nd Law is the “operating system”of our cosmos. The “operator” is the God of Creation.

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2018/06/peril-paradise-or-divine-plan.html

We do not abide in a perfect world. Where imperfections are prevalent, we are gifted with the opportunity for discovery of remedies for the imperfections. We may judiciously celebrate recent strides in genetic modification.