GENETIC “SCARS” AND A NEW EVOLUTION OFFENSIVE

by Bill Nugent
Article #190

 
Evolutionists think they have a new wedge in their losing battle to buttress the crumbling Darwinian theory. There’s a lot at stake in this battle. Evolution is the origins myth of secular humanism. Evolution is the foundation of postmodernism’s denial of God and its promotion of the culture of death.  

Evolution apologists have latched on to evidence of genetic “scars” that affect the human DNA and ape DNA. Genetic scars are suppressed genes in the DNA that result in alleged design flaws in apes and humans.

Let me start by giving some brief background. One of the chief areas of evidence used to defend evolution has been comparative anatomy. Evolutionists claim that the fact that goats and giraffes have similar skeletal structure means that they have a common ancestor from which both allegedly evolved. Creationists have countered that similarity of anatomy means that goats and giraffes have the same designer, namely, God. Creationists also maintain that similarity of function necessitated similarity of design. For instance, the leg of a giraffe has similar function to the leg of a goat so it makes sense that God would design them similarly. Both evolutionists and creationists have ready answers to explain similar anatomy. Therefore comparative anatomy as a pool of evidence has resulted in a deadlock between evolutionists and creationists.

Evolutionists are now trying to break this deadlock with an appeal to genetic evidence. In recent years the human genome (DNA) has been mapped and chimpanzee DNA has been sampled and partially mapped. This has resulted in a new front being opened in the creation versus evolution battle. Evolutionists point to certain genetic anomalies which they call “scars” or “flaws” that are in the same places in human and chimp DNA. Creationists counter that such “flaws” are not flaws at all but are merely design features in the DNA that are similar.

The anatomy of chimps and humans are similar, hence one would expect similar DNA. Human DNA contains one billion nucleotide base pairs. Researchers estimate that chimp DNA is 96% similar to human DNA. Creationists maintain that such an estimate means that human and chimp DNA are 40 million base pairs differentand that is an unbridgeable gap that could not possibly be accounted for in the alleged ten million years since the alleged common ancestor. It is ludicrous to claim that 40 million point mutations in the DNA could randomly occur and spread evenly throughout the human gene pool in that time.

It has been estimated that human DNA is 50% similar to that of a banana tree. In other words change just half your genes and we can plant you in soil and pick bananas off of you! That’s 500 million base pairs difference, another unbridgeable gap.

An example of a flaw in the human and chimp DNA is that the genes to manufacture vitamin C are present but are suppressed or “turned off” so that vitamin C is not made by the body but must be obtained from the diet. Apes, humans and guinea pigs are the only known mammals that can’t make vitamin C. Evolutionists use this as evidence that a mutation occurred in the common ancestor of apes and humans that shut down the genes for vitamin C. Creationists again claim similarity of DNA means nothing more than the fact that apes and humans have the same designer. (The genetic “scar” causing guinea pigs to not produce vitamin C doesn’t fit neatly into the evolutionist argument.)

DNA has been compared to computer software. Think of a software designer who designs computer software programs for businesses such as banks, retail stores and delivery services. He uses the same basic software program for each business but simply shuts off or disables certain features that wouldn’t be used by particular businesses. For instance the information flow in a bank is quite different from the information flow in a delivery service. The fact that the designer disables certain links not used by the bank is evidence of the intelligence of the software designer. It is not evidence that the software programs came into existence by random processes! God has used the same basic DNA matrix for a wide variety of creatures. God simply shuts off or turns on particular genes for different creatures.

Evolutionists then use a theological argument in saying “Why would God design humans and apes in such a way that they can’t make vitamin C?” Creationists counter by saying “Why do you try to second guess a God that you don’t believe exists?” God could have designed humans to make vitamin C but He chose not to. God could have designed humans to survive without sleep. One-third of our lives are wasted sleeping. God could have designed humans with wings. Wouldn’t that be interesting and fun! God could have given us night vision or supersensitive hearing.

We have to get vitamin C from diet and that has complicated our lives and living conditions. That in turn has shaped the course of human history. God designed human beings with certain limitations so we would learn to depend on each other and relate to each other. God wanted us to depend upon Him and relate to Him. God is sovereign over human life and experience. He has chosen our limitations for His purposes.

God designed animals with limitations too. Imagine if all animals could fly! If all codfish eggs grew to adulthood then the entire Atlantic ocean would be packed solid with cod after just a few generations of codfish. The disabled genes in animals have a purpose in limiting animal diet and geographic range. Apes who could make vitamin C would have a much wider range and would crowd out other creatures.

It is ironic that evolutionists would point to any area of genetics to defend their theory. The field of genetics is an especially fertile area of evidence for creation. I have often stated in these articles that since the overwhelming majority of genetic mutations are harmful and since genetic mutations virtually never add information to the DNA then mutations can’t add the necessary information to the DNA to add new organs to animals to cause them to evolve. Therefore mutations can’t possibly be the mechanism for uphill evolutionary change. Evolution has no other remotely plausible mechanism. The deadlock is broken. Evolution fails as a theory. God is our creator.

 

(C) 2016 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.