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John Clayton
When I present scientific evidence that God designed the creation
and that it is not a product of chance, one response that frequently
comes from skeptics is that perhaps there is some other way that life
and the conditions to support it could exist. "Maybe there is life totally
different than our kind of life so that the odds diminish because there
are different ways and forms that life can take" is a common response.
In a statement like this one, we have to assume that a scientific
proposal is being made-not a religious one. If a person wishes to
argue for rock people or fire people, they can do so, but not on a
scientific base. Life is generally defined as having the characteristics
of moving, breathing, reproducing, and responding to outside stimuli.
Things like viruses and anaerobic bacteria are hard to fit into any
definition, but Fire people would be even more of a problem.
The reason that there is no other way is because of the chemical
restraints on all of life's processes. In order for an animal to breath,
for example, it is necessary that a gas be used that supports combustion.
Some gases burn like methane, hydrogen, propane, and the
like. Some gases smother like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,
helium, and the like. Only a very few gases support combustion.
When a piece of coal burns, the carbon combines with oxygen,
producing heat and light. The process is unique because energy is
given off in large amounts quickly, and we call it burning. The design
of the oxygen molecule enables it to do this with many materials--
many of them giving off heat and light. When we breathe, the same
thing happens, but not as rapidly. The heat given off maintains our
body temperature of 98.6'F, and the energy released powers our bodies.
Are there other gases which support combustion in the same way
that oxygen does? The answer is yes! Materials like chlorine,
fluorine, and bromine do exactly the same thing. It is difficult from
a chemical standpoint, however, to believe that these materials could
ever be involved in a living organism as an oxidizing agent. These
elements are among the most active in the periodic chart, and the
compounds they form are extremely heavy. Only oxygen has the
density, mass, electron configuration, and chemical activity to allow
life to exist.
There is no other way! The unique designs of oxygen and also of
carbon are the result of a beautifully engineered chemical system that
allow us to breathe and give us the capacity to move, reproduce, and
respond to outside stimuli. Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully
made (Psalm 139:42) and each breath we take testifies that the plan
designed to allow our survival works in an incredible way.
This article taken from: Does God Exist?, September/October 1995
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