Logic's End

by Keith Robinson

  His famous example is that of an old-fashioned mousetrap. In order to catch any mice at all, you must have all five pieces—the hammer, the platform, the spring, etc.—in the right position at the same time. If you were missing any one part, such as the spring, or if a part were positioned incorrectly, the mousetrap would be useless.

  The same holds true for biological machines. Take birds, for example. It has often been theorized that dinosaurs evolved into birds, yet birds must have a combination of complex structures to fly. For the sake of argument, I will mention just three: hollow bones, a digestive system built for flight, and feathers. (He complexity of the feather alone could fill an entire book or more—visit the Answers in Genesis web site for more information.)3 Now imagine a dinosaur born with hollow bones but no feathers. Would it be better able to survive? No. The hollow bones would actually make it more likely to die without offspring. Or what if, miraculously, the creature evolved wings with feathers and hollow bones, but its digestive system was not suited for flight. Again, it would not survive.

  Or for another example, look at the different systems in the body. How could the first single-celled creature survive without an immune system? How many generations did it take to evolve a reproductive system, much less a male/female reproductive system? Or how could a nervous system or the respiratory system evolve step-by-step? All of these systems are complex. It is impossible for them to evolve slowly.

  Now it might be believable that an ape might evolve into a human because they both have arms, legs, hearts, lungs, etc., just like modern cars have more efficient tires and engines than their predecessors. But even the first car ever built was irreducibly complex. Imagine if a car was missing even one of its major components, like wheels, a fuel source, a method of steering, or a source of power, it wouldn't function at all. Along the same lines, what good would a heart be with only one chamber or no valves or arteries?

  Modern science has now determined that one single cell of the human body is like a miniature factory more complex than a space shuttle. But when Darwin first formulated his theory, he thought the cell was simple, like a blob of protoplasm. From his perspective, the theory of evolution was, perhaps, believable, but with our current knowledge, it is not only unbelievable but impossible.

  Another way to understand irreducible complexity is to consider a stereo system. One may ask, "How do you play a Blu-ray Disc?" The response? "Simple. Just put the disc in the player and press play." But is it really that simple? At the most basic level, you need a player to read the stored information, an amplifier to boost the signal, a TV to display the picture, and a set of speakers to translate the electronic impulses into sound. Yet each one of these larger components is incredibly complex. The Blu-ray player has a laser, a motor to spin the disc, a power supply, and numerous amounts of wires and circuits all carefully placed in the precise location. And if even one of them is damaged, no sound or picture will be produced.

  If logic dictates that this complex device must have been designed, then why do we say that the human body, which is infinitely more complex, could have evolved randomly?

  "But if given enough time, it could happen," some will say. Well, when you understand the complexity of DNA and the cell and you combine that with a basic knowledge of probability, you realize that no matter how much time you have, a complex structure like a cell could never evolve by random processes.

  mathematical Probability

  Imagine you have a ten-sided die. Your chances of rolling the number one would be one out of ten. If you add a second ten-sided die, the chances of rolling a one and then a two in succession would be one out of one hundred. For each additional die you add, you multiply by ten. Therefore, to get a sequence of numbers from one to ten in a row, the chances would be one out of a billion. You will be rolling dice for a long time before you get even a simple sequence.

  Now imagine the probability of getting a specific sequence of information that would fill a five-hundred-page book. The probability is so small we can't even fathom it. Sir Fred Hoyle, a famous astronomer, once calculated that the chance of life arising by random processes was 1040,000. This would be comparable to lining up 1050 (which is ten followed by fifty zeros) blind people, giving each one a scrambled Rubik's Cube and finding that they all solve the cube at the same moment.4 Or to put it another way, imagine rolling an ordinary six-sided die and getting the same number five million times in a row!

  Dr. Emile Borel, who discovered the laws of probability, has said: "The occurrence of any event where the chances are beyond one in ten followed by fifty zeros is an event which we can state with certainty will never happen, no matter how much time is allotted and no matter how many conceivable opportunities could exist for the event to take place."5

  Furthermore, if we were created by unguided forces, then we, with our intelligence, should be able to duplicate the process, for randomness can easily be copied by intelligence.

  In the example given earlier, to get the numbers one through ten in the correct order would require one chance out of a billion, yet a five-year-old child could line up the same numbers very quickly. So why can't we, with all of our advanced technology, reproduce something that was supposedly formed randomly? It simply doesn't make any logical sense.

  And even if this were not sufficient to put the nail in the coffin of evolution, there is still the matter of mutations. As I mentioned previously, there is enough information in the DNA of a bacterium to fill one five-hundred-page book, and a human DNA would fill one thousand books of the same length. So even if a bacterium somehow arose by natural processes, how did humans accumulate 999 more books worth of information? Where did it all come from?

  Random mutations

  The most common answer given to the above question is: mutations. However, there has never been a single observed instance of a mutation adding genetic information to a living organism.6 Even the extremely rare, so-called "helpful" mutations, such as bacteria becoming resistant to pesticides, when studied closely, have been shown to be due to a loss of genetic information.

  Mutations are mistakes in gene sequences causing diseases or deformations, not new, complex structures. You may find a mutated chicken with an extra leg or a snake with two heads or a person who was born with an extra finger or toe. But this is nothing new. In each instance, the genetic information already existed within them to create a leg, a head, or a finger; it just got mixed up and put in the wrong spot. What we would never find, however, is a mutation that gives a dog gills or a pig wings. It just doesn't happen.

  Genes can be compared to a deck of playing cards. You can shuffle them and get millions of combinations, which accounts for all the various types of dogs we see in the world or the different sizes of beaks on Darwin's finches. But how long would you have to shuffle a deck of cards to create a new card? The answer, of course, is that you could never do it, even if you were given all of eternity, because the possibility is just not there. Instead, what you find is that the longer you shuffle, the more the cards get bent and damaged.

  So when it comes down to it, mutations cannot account for evolutionary changes, yet that is what the entire theory of evolution is based upon. Natural selection alone cannot do it, for it only preserves changes in gene combinations; it is not the source of new genes.

  As Rebecca said in the epilogue, we can firmly say that evolution is impossible not because of what we don't know but because of what we do know. The more we learn about biology and the unseen structures of life—DNA, cells, genes—the more we realize that creation is the only theory that makes logical sense.

  Theistic Evolution

  Before I conclude, I would like to very briefly address the issue of theistic evolution. Due to the sheer volume of propaganda produced by the proponents of evolution, many average citizens are caught with a dilemma: they believe evolution is true, but they also believe that God is real; therefore, they often try to fit the two together. Thus, we get theistic evolution, where God guided ev
olution to create all of life, including humans. This compromised position is held by many people of faith, and even by some of its greatest leaders. However, there are numerous theological problems with this stance, and a plethora of articles and books have been written about this issue.

  But I have found that the majority of people of faith who hold this position have simply not looked into the flaws in the evolutionary theory. They try to make it fit with creationism because they believe both to be true. However, as I have shown, evolution is not based on observable science; thus, to try to make it fit with the theory of special creation by God would be like trying to make the theory that the Earth is flat mixed with the scientific fact that the Earth is round! There is no reason to try to make a proven fact fit with a false theory.

  So where does this leave us? I have thus far shown that a creator must exist, but the question remains: who is He? For what purposes were we created? It is beyond the scope of these notes to deal with this issue, as it is even more complex than the issue of creation and evolution. However, the answer to this question is of more infinite importance.

  For me, after having done the research, I can confidently say that I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that the Bible is indeed the Word of God. Space does not permit me to present you with all of the arguments supporting my belief, but there are many books available that do.

  I strongly encourage you to research this question for yourself. Do not just believe something because someone told you it is true. Question the logic, scrutinize the arguments, and make a decision based upon research, study, and logic. Also, pray that God will reveal Himself to you. "Real gold fears no fire." If a belief is true, it will withstand scrutiny. A great place to start would be the Answers in Genesis or Institute for Creation Research web sites or the book, The Case for Christ, by former atheist, Lee Strobel. Good luck in your journey. May God guide your steps.

  * * *

  1.Joe White and Nicholas Comninellis, Darwin's Demise: Why Evolution Can't Take the Heat (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2002), 29.

  2.Michael Behe, Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1996).

  3.Jerry Bergman, "The Evolution of Feathers: A Major Problem for Darwinism," Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal, 17(1):33-41 (April 2003).

  4.Fred Hoyle, "Hoyle on Evolution," Nature, vol. 294 (November 12, 1981): 148.

  5.Emile Borel, Probabilities and Life (New York, NY: Dover Publications, 1962).

  6.L. Spetner, Not by Chance (Brooklyn, NY: The Judaica Press, Inc.) See review in Creation Ex Nihilo, 20(1):50-51 (December 1997/February 1998).

  Suggested Informational material

  Web sites

  www.apologeticsfiction.com—A website dedicated to promote fiction that supports the Christian faith, including works by Keith A. Robinson, Tim Chaffey and others.

  www.AnswersInGenesis.org—The official web site of Answers in Genesis, one of the largest creation ministries in the world.

  www.discovery.org—The official web site of the Discovery Institute, the "think tank" for the intelligent design movement.

  www.icr.org—The official web site of the Institute for Creation Research.

  www.creationscience.com—This web site contains the complete free online edition of In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood (7th edition) by Dr. Walt Brown.

  www.evolutionfacts.com—This web site contains the complete free online edition of Evolution Cruncher by Vance Ferrell. This paperback is based on the 1,326-page, three-volume Evolution Disproved series.

  www.christiananswers.net/creation—This web site has lots or great material, including the entire video, A Question of Origins, available to view for free online.

  http://www.leestrobel.com/—Lee Strobel was a former atheist and has now written several books investigating the Christian faith, including The Case for the Creator.

  Books

  Darwin's Demise: Why Evolution Can't Take the Heat by Joe White and Nicholas Comninellis

  Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael Behe

  Darwin on Trial by Phillip E.Johnson

  The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions about Intelligent Design by William A. Dembski

  Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach about Evolution Is Wrong by Jonathan Wells

  Evolution: A Theory in Crisis by Michael Denton

  The Answers Book by Don Batten, Ken Ham, Jonathan Sarfati, and Carl Wieland

  The Case for the Creator by Lee Strobel

  DVDs and Videos

  Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution, Vol. 1, 2, 3 with Dr. Jobe Martin—Exploration Films

  Unlocking the Mystery of Life—Illustra Media

  Icons of Evolution—Illustra Media

  The Priviledged Planet—Illustra Media

  The Case for the Creator—Illustra Media

  A Question of Origins—Eternal Productions (This entire video can be viewed online for free at www.christiananswers.net/creation.)

  For other products, visit the Answers in Genesis or Institute for Creation Research web sites mentioned above.

  About Keith A. Robinson

  Author of The Origins Trilogy &

  The Tartarus Chronicles

  Keith A. Robinson has dedicated his life to teaching others how to defend the Christian faith. Since the release of Logic's End, his first novel, he has been a featured speaker at Christian music festivals, homeschool conventions, apologetics seminars and churches, as well as appearing as a guest on numerous radio shows.

  Since completing his Origins Trilogy, Mr. Robinson has been working on The Tartarus Chronicles, a new series of action/adventure novels dealing with the topic of world religions and worldviews.

  When not writing or speaking, Mr. Robinson is the full-time public school orchestra director at the Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum, and he is a professional freelance violist and violinist in the Southeastern Wisconsin/Northeastern Illinois area. He currently resides in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with his wife, Stephanie, their five children, and a Rottweiler named Thor.

  The journey continues in

  Books 2 and 3 of the Origins Trilogy:

  Book 2: Pyramid of the Ancients

  Book 3: Escaping the Cataclysm

  Other books by Keith A. Robinson

  The Tartarus Chronicles

  Book 1: Elysium

  Book 2: Dehali

  Book 3: Bab al-Jihad

  Book 4: Labyrinth

  For more information,

  visit www.apologeticsfiction.com.