Online book. How Life Began

How Life Began

©2002 by Thomas F. Heinze
Reproduced by permission

Introduction

Is there a God who created life? Most people used to think so, largely because the Bible says so, from the well known first chapter of Genesis, to this reference in the last book that says God "...created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein..." (Revelation 10:6). Now many are not so sure life was created. The schools and media have long taught that life could have simply come about by ever more complex chemicals building up. No Creator necessary! But how good is their evidence to back up this idea?

Hang on tight for the ride of your life. You will be amazed. I have been following this subject for most of my adult life and I want to share it with you. We are going to follow the evidence into key areas of the first life controversy, where you will see it stripped nude of the seductive interpretations that can paint black as if it were white. Important statements will be backed by quotes from authorities, usually atheists or evolutionists. When I point out an important statement that one of them has made, I am calling your attention to that statement, not implying that its author and I agree on everything.

First a necessary explanation:

• Creationists generally believe the Bible's explanation that God created a number of basic groups of animals and plants as described in the first part of Genesis. They believe that while God created each group with the possibility of a good deal of variation, they brought forth according to their own kind. (Cats bring forth cats, not dogs).

• Evolution can mean many things. Some use the word to refer to any change at all. Obviously the creation/evolution debate is not about that kind of a definition. Creationists agree that many changes take place, but disagree with the theory of evolution when it is used to mean that a gradual progression from molecules to man produced all living things by natural means, that is, without the involvement of an intelligent Creator.

• The question of how life began is different than that of why one kind of animal differs from another. However, many books that expound the theory of evolution also promote naturalistic theories of how life began. They make a rather smooth transition from atoms to Adam; from molecules to man. They suggest a hypothetical first cell which is a step before what we usually think of as evolution. If proved, it would be the step on which all the rest of life depends. It is also a step which can more easily be put to the test because it depends on scientific principles rather than on whether or not some animal happened to leave fossils. For these reasons, I thought it would be good to begin my series, Answers to My Evolutionist Friends with this book, How Life Began. Later, I hope to provide Answers to My Evolutionist Friends in other areas of the creation/evolution controversy.

Now, put on your detective hat, grab your magnifying glass, and let's follow the evidence about how life began, and see where it leads.

Chapter 1 Proteins and Time http://www.chick.com/reading/books/123/123_01.asp
Chapter 2 Could Cell Parts Get Together? http://www.chick.com/reading/books/123/123_02.asp
Chapter 3 The Cell's Information http://www.chick.com/reading/books/123/123_03.asp
Chapter 4 http://www.chick.com/reading/books/123/123_04.asp Pulling It All Together How Cells Work
Chapter 5 The Message http://www.chick.com/reading/books/123/123_05.asp

	Author	Topic: Online book. How Life Began (Read 792 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.