Examining the Theory of Abiogenesis
Examining the Theory of Abiogenesis
Where did we come from? Christians and creationists know we came from God the almighty designer about 6,000 years ago but what does science have to say? How did life get its start according to their worldview?
The textbooks say that approximately 4.5 billion years ago the Earth was basically a big flaming ball with a partially molten surface with volcanism and asteroid impacts rupturing the surface. Now, when the Earth got its first bit of water which in and of itself is a subject of debate among scientists but one of the most commonly held to theories is that 4 billion years ago when the Earth finally cooled down and was a barren rock, water rained on the Earth for hundreds of thousands or millions of years and was essentially a water world. (Evolutionists believe in a global flood, too, but their story is way off the mark…) Over time, when the rain stopped and the Earth began to dry up, life evolved in what’s known as the “primordial soup” which is a theory stating that the early Earth's atmosphere which was composed of gases like methane, ammonia, and water, was energized by lightning or ultraviolet radiation, creating a chemical reaction that formed organic molecules. These molecules, like amino acids, accumulated in the oceans, creating a "primordial soup" and out of this soup the first simple celled organisms arose. This theory is known as Abiogenesis and is science's best guess as to how life could have started on Earth. Now, as ridiculous as this all sounds there must be some sort of evidence to back up this claim right? Well, not really…
In 1953, a pair of scientists named Stanley Miller and Harold Urey conducted an experiment named the Miller-Urey experiment, which simulated the conditions of the early Earth to see if organic compounds could form from inorganic ones. It succeeded in creating amino acids by exposing a mixture of gases (methane, ammonia, hydrogen, and water) to electrical sparks, which simulated lightning. After about a week, the water in their apparatus turned a brownish-black color, and analysis showed it contained numerous organic compounds, including amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.
So, what did this experiment prove? That amino acids can form through natural processes? What about all of the other necessary components needed for a cell? As far as we understand it today, a basic cell has five key components (and numerous lesser components) which are amino acids, nucleotides, simple sugars like glucose for energy, lipids (fatty acids), and water. Extensive research is being conducted on this subject as cellular biologists have been attempting to crack the code for years but the more research is conducted on this subject, the more science is understanding just how much we don’t understand about cells.
So, how could all these things come together to form a single living cell in a natural, chaotic environment? In the experiment, all that the scientists were able to produce was a simple amino acid. In fact, even in recent years scientists have been attempting to make life arise from non-life through controlled experiments and after years and years of trying even with all of todays knowledge and equipment, scientists aren’t even getting close to creating a simple cell and don’t know how because the more they try, the more they discover about the true complexity of cells.
Now, science would absolutely have you believe that abiogenesis is provable and has been done but there's been absolutely zero proof to this claim. One of my favorite creationists and apologists is a man by the name of Dr. James Tour. Dr. Tour is a synthetic chemist and nanotechnologist who is actively challenging the false narratives on abiogenesis. One of my favorite quotes from him is “I build molecules for a living. I can't begin to tell you how difficult that job is. I stand in awe of God because of what he has done through his creation. My faith has been increased through my research. Only a rookie who knows nothing about science would say science takes away from faith. If you really study science, it will bring you closer to God” Dr. Tour actually made a challenge back in 2023 asking the top 10 Origin of Life researchers to solve just one of the key issues attributed with abiogenesis. After sixty days, none of the researchers were able to answer any of the issues attributed with OoL. I’ll post the link for the challenge if you want additional information on that!
The famous scientist Fred Hoyle is attributed to saying a very powerful statement on the theory saying “The likelihood of the formation of life from inanimate matter is 1 to a number with 40,000 noughts after it (1040,000).... It is big enough to bury Darwin and the whole theory of evolution. There was no primeval soup, neither on this planet nor any other, and if the beginnings of life were not random, they must therefore have been the product of purposeful intelligence.” Oh, and by the way, this guy was an atheist.
Now, with all of this being said, it seems convincing to me that there is no possible chance that we could have came from natural means and that we must have been created by an intelligent designer who holds the keys to life. Think about this, when you see a building you know somebody must have built that building. It wouldn’t be logical to assume all the bricks, mortar, paint, nails, and other materials happened to all come together and form the building. Same thing goes with a car, a computer, a painting, the cellphone in your hand, everything we see around us demands design and order. The human body is the most complex machine ever built by far with everything needing to work in perfect harmony to survive or else everything falls apart.
For example, there are 100 trillion chemical signals that are happening in your body through hormones, cytokines and neurotransmitters. 37 billion cells all communicating with each other to keep everything working correctly, DNA alone is nearly 3 billion letters in code and is six feet in length in just one of your 37 billion cells! I’m just scratching the surface here; our bodies are so amazingly complex with everything working in perfect unison which demands intentional design. There is no possible way that billions of years and random mutations could have made such a perfect machine it is absolutely out of the realm of possibility. Even the great Sir Isaac Newton once said, “In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.”
In conclusion, with all of the evidence listed it would be absurd to believe that life came from natural means but so many hold on to this false narrative even with there being zero scientific proof for the theory. The complexity of life is immense and it’s not something I think we’ll ever truly understand. Every designer holds their secrets…
https://www.britannica.com/science/Miller-Urey-experiment
https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/introearthscience/chapter/8-earth-history/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cl44v0506glo
https://www.icr.org/content/renowned-chemist-origin-life-put-or-shut (Dr. Tour’s challenge)





