A major evidence of divine creation is the presence of design and order that implies a designer. This is so with houses, watches, and cars. Why can we not see the same regarding our universe? The Bible states this fact as an evidence of God's existence (Psa. 19:1-2; 139:14; 1 Cor. 12:18; Heb. 3:4; Rom. 1:18-20; Isa. 40).
Numerous examples can be cited of design as seen in our world. Space does not allow us to detail more than a few in various categories. For more examples, several sources are of special interest. John Clayton published Dandy Designs (1984) and Dandy Designs: Volume 2 (1991) which are filled with examples of design in our world. In his book Genes, Genesis, and Evolution, John W. Klotz gives numerous examples of design in chapter 12, "Problems for the Evolutionist." Evolution and Christian Faith by Bolton Davidheiser has a section on "Teleology" which is also very helpful in this area of study. The examples given in this article are taken mainly from these sources.
Symbiotic Relationships: A symbiotic relationship is one in which two organisms mutually
benefit each other to the point where they are dependent upon one another for survival. Bees and
flowering plants are an example of a symbiotic relationship. The plant needs the bee to pollinate
other plants and allow reproduction to occur. The bee gets its nourishment from the plant, so both
organism profit from the relationship. The question that arises here is how such an arrangement
comes to be. The classical evolutionary explanation is that originally the organisms involved did
not need each other, but became dependent on one another over time. But how do we explain
relationships where the existence of the species are totally dependent on one another? The yucca
plant of our Southwestern deserts is pollinated only by the yucca moth. But the yucca moth larvea
are totally dependent upon the yucca moth pollen as their sole food source to reach maturity.
How did this develop over time when neither species could have existed without the other.
In the March, 1980, issue of Natural History Magazine details a symbiotic relationship between the narrow-mouthed toad (Gastrophryne olivecea) and the tarantula (Dugesiella hentzi). The toad lives in the same furrow as the tarantula and yet is not attacked or bothered by the tarantula in any way. The toad also does not eat the baby tarantulas when they are born even though they resemble very closely the ants which are the toad's primary food source. When a snake or some other predator tries to eat the toad he will scurry under the tarantula who wards off any and all enemies that might threaten the toad. We see the advantage to the toad of this arrangement, but the advantage to the tarantula is not immediately apparent. Study has, however, shown that the worst enemy the tarantula has is the fire ant, which not only will eat the eggs of the tarantula but will also eat the baby tarantula immediately after they hatch. The favorite food of the narrow-mouthed toad is the fire ant. By preserving the protecting the toad the tarantula assures the survival of her eggs and young. Trying to explain this relationship by chance, it seems to the author, requires much more faith than accepting God's design of this relationship.
Human Body: Consider the order of the human body. We still cannot match the human eye for vision even using the very latest technology and allowing for many times the space occupied by the eye. As we behold the order of the heart, lungs, brain, eyes, ears, muscles, bone structure, chemical processes or thousands of other systems, we must marvel at the order in each system down to the smallest detail. When we consider that all of those systems exist within each human being, it increases our sense of awe. As researchers delve more deeply into the human body, they are increasingly amazed at its complexity. The project aimed at mapping the human genes has presented a picture of the formerly unimagined order which exists within every cell of our body. Are they all the product of mere chance? What are the odds of that happening? When we consider the human body, we must echo the psalmist in saying to God, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well" (Psa. 139:14).
Single-Use Muscle: There is a muscle in the human heart which only functions once at birth, but is necessary for us to survive the change from life within the womb to life outside the womb. It causes the child coming from the womb to send blood to his own lungs for oxygenation rather than seeking such from the mother as is done throughout embryonic development. How did that evolve when it had to be there for any human to survive birth?
Our Skin: Have you ever considered what an incredible thing the human skin is? A farmer's hands can be like sandpaper, but his abdomen will be made of pliable white folds. Your legs have skin bonded tightly to a muscle layer. The skin on your elbow is like the neck of a cat -- able to be lifted loosely in folds. If one were to take a microscope and examine the skin of our scalp, lip, heel, stomach and finger, it would appear that different species were being examined. Your skin weighs only about nine pounds. There is no organ like it. It flexes, folds, crinkles around joints and regenerates itself if it is damaged. When we blush, the vessels which supply blood to the skin suddenly rush 50 times more blood than usual to the skin. (Imagine a water pump that could do this in a matter of seconds.) Our skin radiates our emotions, cools us, protects us, beautifies us, insulates us and serves as a receptor for all kinds of stimuli.
Genes & DNA: With the advances in understanding fundamentals about life from the human genome project, it is hard to believe that anyone could seriously believe that life developed by mere chance. The cells in the human body number into the trillions. In each cell has genes filled with DNA which is coded with information concerning every aspect of our physical being. It is estimated that a translation into English of the DNA codes found in one cell of the human body would fill a thousand volume encyclopedia set. A brief look at an article dealing with the complexity and order of this code suggests there must be a code-maker behind the process.
Rotation & Orbit of Earth: The rotation of the earth around the sun and the earth's rotation on its axis is exactly right to sustain life. If our planet rotated on its axis a little slower, temperatures in the day would be too hot and too cold during the nights to sustain life. If that rotation were faster, we would have equally grave problems. The speed of the earth's rotation on its axis is just right to maintain the proper temperature and aid in several factors necessary to sustain life. Then there is the orbit of the earth around the sun to consider. If we were just a little farther from the sun, the earth would be too cold to sustain life. If we were closer, it would be too hot. Besides these things, there is the exacting balance which exists in the gravitational pull and magnetic fields of the earth as a result of these factors. What are the odds of such exact balances being the result of a huge explosion?
Our Atmosphere: Our air is just the right density to burn up the 10,000 plus meteors that strike the Earth every year. It is also dense enough to scatter the cosmic rays and X-rays of the Sun so that we are protected from this dangerous radiation. It is just thin enough to allow light to penetrate to give plants the ability to grow, and to keep the proper gases near the surface of the Earth for all living things to use. It is also at this point that the composition chemically of the Earth's atmosphere comes into the picture. Our air has enough carbon dioxide to produce what is called "The Greenhouse Effect." This gas allows the rays of the Sun to reach the Earth, but does not allow the heat produced by these rays to be re-radiated back into space. This traps the heat just as the glass in your car does, making your car unbearable hot in the summer. We have just enough of this gas to keep us warm, but not so much to overheat us. To top off all this, God has placed a layer of a gas called ozone high in our atmosphere. This layer of gas is capable of absorbing ultraviolet exposure to the sun. Without it, we would be essentially cooked.
Water: Most liquids reach their greatest density at their freezing point. However, water reaches its greatest density at 4 C (or 39 F). At temperatures below that level and to its freezing point, water expands making ice float on top of water. What would happen if water reached its greatest density at freezing like most liquids? Bodies of water would freeze from the bottom up rather than having a layer of ice on top to insulate them. Life in lakes, streams and ponds would be virtually impossible in areas where temperatures stay below freezing for extended periods. To say that this characteristic of water is the product of mere chance is to make a conclusion which is heavily against the odds.
Arrangement of the Land: It is well known by virtually everyone that dark colored objects absorb heat better than light colored ones. Most of the land mass on the Earth is located in the northern hemisphere. This means that the southern hemisphere is mostly surfaced with water and ice--light colored materials. Why is this important? During the summer in the United States, the Earth is at its greatest distance from the Sun. During the summer in the southern hemisphere (which is our winter), the Earth is closest to the Sun. If most of the land mass with its dark color was located in the southern hemisphere, too much heat and light would be absorbed and that hemisphere would overheat. Because the southern hemisphere is mostly water, very little heat (percentage wise) is absorbed, and what is absorbed is contained in the water, thus enabling it to warm the colder places on the Earth in either hemisphere. Since the dark land surface in the northern hemisphere is pointed toward the Sun in our summer, maximum absorption occurs, thus compensating for our greater distance from the Sun. Indeed we see an amazing system, which provides so beautifully for the needs of life upon the Earth. This is just one of a myriad of design features we see in the Earth's construction and arrangement in space. Any one of these we might justifiably attribute to chance, but when we realize the interdependence of all these features we cannot in academic honesty attribute them to accident. They clearly show design by a wise designer.
Yet, some of our own brethren are arguing that our physical universe is the product of billions of years of uniformitarian change resulting from the "Big Bang." No, the "Big Bang" does not explain the order of our world. Billions of years following a "Big Bang" would only account for more randomness, not greater order.