To the editor:
In her letter of Dec. 8, Fran Johnson writes that it is "obvious" that life on Earth was intelligently designed, pointing to the beauty of a seashell as an example. While I also admire the beauty of the natural world, I can't help but think that if an intelligent designer really did create life, he or she should be brought up on charges before some cosmic engineering review board.
Look at how poorly human beings are designed! It's ridiculously inefficient, and sometimes dangerous, to use the same passageway for both eating and breathing, or elimination and reproduction. Furthermore, why do some essential organs (such as kidneys) exist in pairs (which is good design, featuring a backup), but other essential ones, such as the heart, do not. When a good engineer designs a critical system (say, the flight surface controls of a jet), he or she will provide two or three backup systems. Finally, given that Earth is two-thirds water, why can't humans breath underwater? A competent designer would have included gills!
May I ask the grand designer when the 2.0 version of human beings will be available?
Mike Silverman,
Lawrence
Comments
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b_asinbeer (anonymous) says…
I like it when humor is mixed with the truth. Thanks Mike Silverman. Brings a positive light into things.
classclown (Class Clown) says…
One thing that hasn't been addressed as far as I know is if life is the result of intelligent design, why are there such life forms as tapeworms and other parasitic creatures that harm other forms of life? Why are there life forms that cause disease? Doesn't sound all that intelligent to me.
BrianR (anonymous) says…
Personally, I've always wanted a prehensile tail to open doors and carry stuff when my hands are full.
yourworstnightmare (anonymous) says…
Great letter. It highlights the inconsistency of ID "thought".
On the one hand, they argue that things in nature look like they were designed (presumably as a human would understand them and design them).
When confronted with facts indicating the lack of de novo design that support an ad hoc evolutionary process (such as those mentioned in the letter), the IDers claim that "God works in mysterious ways".
classclown (Class Clown) says…
That reminds me of the movie End of Days. Where Gabriel Byrne as the character of Satan says about God... "Let me tell you something about Him. He is the biggest underachiever of all time. He just has a good publicist, that's all. Something good happens, It's His will. Something bad happens, He moves in mysterious ways."
Jamesaust (anonymous) says…
Let's hope the Intelligent Designer comes forward so a subpoena can be served. Designing an esophagus to carry food, liquid, and air along the same passageway is foreseeably poor design and is criminally negligent. Who is their right mind would approve such a deficient design? Let the families of those who have choked to death sue him until he's pennyless!!
prospector (anonymous) says…
The guy makes a good point.
Take a look at the operational design we have.
We are Pintos!
prospector (anonymous) says…
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
kuhusker (anonymous) says…
After its failure, the Space Shuttle's flaws were investigated and it was significantly redesigned.
Why haven't the flaws in the design of human beings (which are not new and have led to millions of deaths during the 'service lifetime' of humanity) been repaired by our designer?
Is he perhaps no longer around?
b_asinbeer (anonymous) says…
Very poor argument Arminius...better luck next time. You're the anti-wine....gets worse with age. ;o)
Ragingbear (anonymous) says…
Get this, this one always ticks off fundies.
Ok, God created everything.
Satan then was created by God.
Satan is Evil.
For Satan to be evil, it had to exist. How could he create something that could not exist? That is god's job.
So God created evil.
And Satan.
And turned him loose on the world.
So everything good comes from god.
And everything evil comes from Satan,
Then what happened to free will?
craigers (anonymous) says…
Yes God did create Satan and he was not meant to be evil but Satan was so beautiful that he felt that he was better and wiser than God, so God cursed him to spend eternity in hell. As for the whole body thing, we are not meant to live forever in these bodies. That is why God tells us that when Christ comes back we will have new bodies. The upgrade that you all desire is waiting for you in heaven. The question is will you get there to receive it. From the comments above it seems like a lot of people think they are better and wiser than God, so chances are they will not get their upgrade. Good luck with the subpoena, chances are when God comes back I don't think anybody will have the guts to try and sue Him. "Every knee will bow and every toungue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
Ragingbear (anonymous) says…
Craigers, half of the stuff you just said isn't even IN the bible. I should know, I had to study it, every day, 5 hours a day for 2 years.
First of all, Satan was not cursed to hell, but thrown down to this world. Second, nowhere does it say that we will have new bodies in the bible. It only says that sickness and death will be removed.
And that every knee shall bow, and every tounge confess thing, not in the bible. However, it IS in the Book of Mormon.
Ragingbear (anonymous) says…
Sure would give something to the Furries of the world as well.
craigers (anonymous) says…
What bible are you reading Ragingbear? Phillipians 2:10 for the every knee and every tounge. And in the old testament it says that Satan was casted down to the earth but when you look in the new testament he is cursed to spend eternity in the lake of fire which is in hell. Obviously the 5 hours a day for two years didn't help you. I Cor 15:35 begins to tell us about our heavenly bodies. Yes sickness and death will be removed and we will have power as well. In addition to that since you have studied the bible so thoroughly, then you realize that we are judged according to what we know and if you studied the bible so much then you will get judged more serverly than others that choose to not believe in Christ.
Ragingbear (anonymous) says…
I wouldn't be interested in heaven even if I was guaranteed a seat at the right hand of Elohim itself. Don't run around assuming everyone is a Christian, and those who aren't are automatically destroyed.
Besides, if only the stuck up, snobbish ones like you are going to heaven, then I would find that my own personal hell anyways.
HEY! Let's go and do a play about how alchoholism is bad for families! And then we can make puppets out of egg cartons.
wonderhorse (anonymous) says…
craigers
If your god is omniscient, how can there be a freedom of will? The god already knows what you are going to do, right? So you don't have freedom of will--it's already decided what you are going to do.
craigers (anonymous) says…
Don't confuse omniscient (all knowing) with foreknowledge. God knows what you are going to do but that doesn't change the fact that you still have to make those choices. If I knew that my kid would eat a cookie if I laid it on the counter and I wasn't around, that doesn't make me forcing him to eat it or violating his choice to do so. Foreknowledge and forcing my will on somebody is a completely different thing.
Ragingbear why do you assume that just because I will not sway and make the statement that everybody is fine and a loving God wouldn't let anybody go to hell is being stuck up and snobby? I guess I am stuck up if I state exactly what God says is the only way to heaven and stick to it. It is not an elitest organization that you have to work at getting into. The message of the bible is the free gift of grace which allows us to go to heaven if we accept and depend on Jesus for our salvation. I can offer free cars, money, health, and so forth but if nobody ever comes looking for me to get them then they don't get the free items. It is as simple as that. The gift of grace and heaven is free because of Jesus but if you never seek after the free gift then that is your loss not mine. If you have a problem with that then your disagreement is not with me but with God and the bible.
I don't assume everybody is Christian, but however Jesus said if you are not born again then you will not inherit the kingdom of God (heaven). So if you haven't been born again or saved (become a Christian) then hell will be a reality for you.
wonderhorse (anonymous) says…
So then there is no freedom of will. If god knows what I am going to do, I don't have freedom of will, I am merely following what is already known by the almighty.
kuhusker (anonymous) says…
And they tried fixing it again.
When the product of a design fails, the designer will actively attempt to fix things.
And yet here we are still are, with one heart and no gills, and a breathing system that often becomes clogged with food, killing us... just like the letter writer said.
craigers (anonymous) says…
Just because God knows what you are going to choose doesn't change the fact that He is letting you choose. If I know what you are going to do then I am not limiting your free will.
kuhusker (anonymous) says…
Huh?
wonderhorse (anonymous) says…
craigers
No, you are not limiting my free will, you are denying that I have one. If you already know what I am going to do, then how can I do anything differently?
craigers (anonymous) says…
Free will is the ability to choose what you want to do with your life and on every day to day decisions. Now me knowing what you are going to choose isn't impacting the point that you have a choice and are going to make one. God just knows what choices you are going to make, not making them for you.