|
recoverer
|
Related to what Don (Berserk) just said, the below is from my book "Joining the Oneness - Beyond Nonduality." It is hard for me to believe that there isn't a guiding intelligence behind the creation of the universe we experience.
"If one considers the matter from a scientific vantage point, one will see that the universe was created in a very detailed manner rather than a haphazardly. Below are ten examples:
1. The planet Earth is the perfect size. Its gravity makes possible an atmosphere that has mostly nitrogen and hydrogen gases. If Earth was smaller such an atmosphere would be impossible. If Earth was larger it would contain free hydrogen. Earth has the right mixture of gasses to sustain its biological life forms.
2. Earth is the right distance from the sun. If Earth was closer to the sun it would burn up, if it was further away it would freeze. Neither condition would support biological life as we know it.
3. Earth’s moon is the perfect size and is located the perfect distance from Earth. The relationship between Earth’s gravity, the size of its moon and the distance between itself and its moon is just what is needed in order for ocean tides to be active enough so stagnation doesn’t result, and so continental shores aren’t overrun by tidal activity.
4. Earth rotates at just the right speed. If Earth rotated too quickly there would be too many hurricanes and tornadoes. If it rotated too slowly it would be too cold during the evening and too hot during the day for life as we know it to survive.
5. Atomic Electromagnetism is just right. When a subatomic particle such as an electron orbits an atom’s nucleus the amount of electromagnetism has to be just right. If it is too weak the electron won’t orbit the nucleus. If it is too strong the nuclei will hold onto the electron too tightly for it to be shared with adjoining nuclei. As a result molecules wouldn’t be formed.
6. Atoms have a nuclear force that is just right. Protons and neutrons are held by the nucleus of an atom by a strong nuclear force. If this force was too strong protons would cling to other protons and neutrons would cling to other neutrons. As a result hydrogen wouldn’t exist, and life sustaining molecules such as water wouldn’t exist. If the nuclear force was slightly weaker no protons and neutrons would stick together and only hydrogen would exist. As a result many things including biological life forms couldn’t be created. If nuclear force was 3/10th of 1% stronger or 2% weaker, life as we know it wouldn’t exist.
7. Protons and Neutrons have just the right mass. A neutron is 0.138% more massive than a proton. As a result, it takes more energy to make neutrons than protons. If neutrons were 1/10th of 1% less massive, so many neutrons would come into existence that they would collapse into neutron stars and black holes, and biological life forms couldn’t exist. If neutrons were 1/10th of 1% more massive, so few neutrons would be made that there wouldn’t be enough of them to make atoms such carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and these atoms are essential in order for biological life forms to be created.
8. Gravity dominates the physical universe even though it is extremely weaker than the other three forces of physics. If biological life forms are going to exist in this universe, then gravity must be 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times weaker than electromagnetism. Gravity must also be significantly weaker than the other forces of physics (strong interaction and weak interaction). Even though this is so, the universe has been set up so that gravity is dominant, otherwise planets, stars and galaxies couldn’t be created. The fact of how such stringent requirements have been met suggests that a guiding intelligence was needed when the ingredients of the universe were assembled.
9. The physical universe was constructed so it is electrically neutral. In order for the physical universe to operate in a functional way it must be electrically neutral. In order for this to be so, electrons must outnumber protons for the better of one part of 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. It is hard to imagine that such a need has been met purely by chance.
10. The mass of the universe is just right. If the physical universe was too massive, all atoms would be converted from hydrogen to elements heavier than iron. This being the case, elements such as oxygen, carbon and nitrogen wouldn’t exist and biological life forms couldn’t be created. If the universe’s mass was too small, fusion would work so inefficiently that only hydrogen and helium would be produced.
I figure there are more than ten scientific reasons for why it could reasonably be argued that a guiding intelligence took part in the creation of the physical universe and beyond, but I also figure that for the sake of this book, 10 reasons are enough. Some people might claim that the planet Earth and its relationship to its moon and the sun are just right simply because out of the many star systems that exist, some of them are bound to exist in a manner where life can be supported. Without getting into whether or not human scientists have accurately determined how many star systems have planets that support life, it sure seems to me that the fact of how the right combination of factors do exist supports the possibility that a guiding intelligence was involved. Plus, it isn’t just a matter of what goes on for this world, it is also a matter of what goes on with other parts of the physical universe (e.g.; as described with items 5-10 of the above list). Plus, if you consider what people have found while making contact with extraterrestrials through nonphysical means, there are a lot more planets with life forms in this galaxy (and beyond) than the pure chance method would allow for.
Another factor to consider is the incredibly complex manner in which biological life forms exist. I don’t believe Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection through preferable genetic mutations provides a complete and accurate explanation of how life forms were created. They exist in a manner that is so complex that there must’ve been a guiding intelligence that played a key role in their creation.
This being the case, this planet must’ve been created on purpose, because if it and the surrounding physical universe were created by accident, the divine powers-that-be would not have chosen to exacerbate the mistake by creating life forms that are conscious of such an accident. If no life form was aware of the physical universe, it wouldn’t present a problem, just as a tree that falls in a forest doesn’t create any ear damage when nobody is there to hear it fall.
Consider the human body. Our skeletal, muscular, neural, endocrine, digestive, excretory, respiratory, circulatory, urinary, reproductive, immune and integumentary systems have been designed so every part of each system is located precisely where it needs to be located in order for a highly functional body to exist. This sophistication isn’t limited to human beings. The squirrels in my neighborhood come to mind. I marvel at how athletic they are. They can leap from branch to branch with great precision. They can run across power lines. They can play with each other and make all kinds of acrobatic moves while on a completely vertical telephone pole.
Chances are that squirrels have abilities I don’t know about; abilities that are comparable to the web spinning ability of spiders, the dam building ability of beavers, the nest building ability of birds, the hive building ability of bees, and the colony building ability of ants. These abilities exist without a species having to attend an applicable trade school. Also consider animals that know how to migrate without having to go through some sort of land navigation curriculum. Some people will say it’s instinct, and leave it at that, but how does this instinct come to be?
Some people believe that Stanley Miller and Harold C. Urey came up with an explanation for how life was created on Earth when they conducted an experiment in 1953. Miller placed molecules within a closed system that were believed to be the kind of molecules that existed during Earth’s early atmosphere (methane, ammonia, hydrogen and water). He exposed them to a continuous electric current. This current was supposed to simulate lightening storms. Upon examining the results of the experiment Miller found that as much as 10-15% of the carbon was now in the form of organic compounds. Two percent formed some of the amino acids that proteins are built with (proteins are a key part of biological life).
It is significant to add that after being accepted by many biologists for a number of years, Stanley Miller’s theory lost favor. It did so for a number of reasons:
1. The wrong kind of atmosphere. Miller’s experiment lacked oxygen and nitrogen which are parts of our current environment. If oxygen was included in the experiment it would’ve destroyed any organic material in the experiment and would’ve had the same effect on the early period of Earth. Geological and palaeontological research has found that an oxygen-based atmosphere existed during the time period for which Miller hypothesized life was created. Ammonia would’ve decomposed into nitrogen and hydrogen within 30,000 years. Methane wouldn’t last more than 1% of the time required if life is going to be created. Also, during the relevant time period hydrogen would’ve escaped into space.
2. Earth’s conditions from the time period didn’t match the conditions of Miller’s experiment. Early Earth didn’t exist with ingredients similar to how they were compiled in Miller’s experiment. Also, lightening during the relevant time period would not have been strong enough to match the amount of energy Miller applied during his experiment.
3. Not enough amino acids were formed during Miller’s experiment to provide an explanation as to how a sufficient number would be created in a primitive Earth environment. In order to produce amino acids, Miller had to continuously circulate the reaction mixture and isolated products as they were formed. Such a natural process didn’t exist during the time period Miller hypothesized life was formed.
4. Amino acids weren’t formed in the correct manner during Miller’s experiment. There are left-handed (levo) and right handed (dextro) amino acids. Miller’s experiment created both. Biological life forms require only the left handed form. In fact, proteins can contain only a trace of the right handed form, otherwise negative results not conducive to the creation of life are obtained.
5. Protein building is a complicated process. If you have a cell containing just 124 proteins, the chances of these forming without direction is 1 in 10100,000,000 . This being the case, it is hard to see how the random conditions Miller spoke of could’ve lead to the creation of life forms that are incredibly more complicated than a cell with just 124 proteins.
I find it hard to believe that random groupings of amino acids, no matter how numerous, eventually, with the assistance of mutation based evolution, led to the creation of the numerous sophisticated life forms that can be found on this planet.
If you consider the complex activity of just one cell, you are likely to conclude that it is hard to believe that such sophistication could be the result of a random evolutionary process. The interactive feedback systems within a cell are far too complex. This intracellular sophistication doesn’t exist in isolation. Each cell of a biological life form is able to interact with other parts of the body in very particular and intricate ways.
Consider an athlete who tries to improve his (or her) oxygen uptake. One manner in which his body responds to exercise is by increasing the number of capillary beds that innervate the muscle fibers he exercises. When the oxygen level within one of his muscle fibers becomes low, a gene regulatory protein called hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) becomes activated. HIF-1 causes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to be released from the utilized muscle cells. Endothelial cells, the cells that make up capillary beds, are stimulated to release molecules referred to as proteases, and these proteases digest their way through the basal lamina of a capillary or venule that is located close to the muscle fiber that has increased HIF-1 levels. Endothelial cells are then attracted to where VEGF is located and reproduce in order to create a capillary extension. It is hard to imagine that such sophisticated interaction is the result of a random evolutionary process. This example is just one of many examples that can be provided. Plus, I haven’t provided all of the details of the above process.
If a morphological, physiological and/or biochemical attribute of a species is so important it couldn’t survive without it, it is hard to see how it would survive long enough for the necessary mutation to take place. Magnify this factor by how each species requires numerous traits in order to survive.
I don’t mean that genetic mutation never plays a role in how a species evolves, but not to an extent where the process of evolution could be as successful as it has been. I believe it is significant to factor in that only 0.1% of the mutations that take place are considered beneficial. This being the case, how could favorable mutations occur often enough? If anything, unfavorable mutations would have the tendency to negate the positive effects of favorable mutations."
|
Home
Pages: 
