Journey Through the Word Lesson 6

Is There a Gardener?

Psalm 19:1-5 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.  In them he has set a tent for the sun.

In this first of three studies, we will examine the evidence for design.  Is there evidence of design, and if so how did the design come to be.    The two divergent views that we will be comparing are listed below.

Darwinian Evolution/Darwinism: A specific area of evolutionary biology involving natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin.

 Intelligent Design: Scientific theory that nature and complex biological structures were intelligently designed and, as such, are not the result of chance. Proponents of intelligent design argue that there is empirical evidence that is subject to scientific investigation that complex biological systems and the information bearing properties of DNA could not have been created by natural selection.

1.      As you consider the world around you and how everything originated, there are only two possibilities:  The cosmos has always existed or the cosmos had a beginning.  Either one of these possibilities poses a serious problem for those who deny a creator.   Do you agree with this statement?  If the above statement is true, why would these possibilities pose a serious problem for those who deny a creator?

2.      Read Job 38:1-12.  God is speaking to Job.  According to this passage, who created the world?  Continue reading Job 39, according to this chapter, God not only created the world, he is also…?

3.      As you read Job 38 and 39, what is God’s role in creation, and in our world today?  How involved is He?

4.      Read Romans 1:18-20.  According to Paul how can people who have never read or heard the word of God, know that there is a God?

5.      Read Romans 1:21-25.  Instead of attributing glory and honor to God, what did those “claiming to be wise” do instead?

6.      Read Psalm 139:13-18.  David speaks of a divine design in our creation.  In verse 16, David indicates that God also has a plan and a purpose for us.  Do you believe that intelligent design and purpose in life are linked in some way?  How would one who believes in a Darwinist beginning understand purpose for life?

7.      Outside of Scripture we also observe that there is order, design.  In the DVD you listened to Paley’s argument.  It is essentially the argument that anyone who looks at a pocket watch understands that it was designed with intelligent purpose.  In the same way according to Paley, anyone who looks at creation also understands that it was designed with intelligent purpose.   Evaluate this argument, is it a convincing argument to you?

8.      Richard Dawkins refutes Paley’s argument.  He writes,

“Natural selection, the blind, unconscious, automatic process which Darwin discovered, and which we now know is the explanation for the existence and apparently purposeful form of all life, has no purpose in mind.  It has no mind and no mind’s eye.  It does not plan for the future.  It has no vision, no foresight, no sight at all.  If it can be said to play the role of watchmaker in nature, it is the blind watchmaker.” 

In this statement, what is Dawkins conceding to those who believe in intelligent design?  Who or what does Dawkins believe to be the watchmaker?  Evaluate the above argument, is it a convincing argument to you?

9.      Is the blood clotting video clip that was shown in the opening a convincing argument for intelligent design?  Why or why not?