Vestigial Arguments: remnants of evolution?

"It is often assumed by the anti-God brigade, though unvoiced, that the designer created everything as we see it today. Within the biblical model, degeneration is expected because of the Fall. The Fall subjected the Creation to bondage to decay (Romans 8:18–25), of which mutational degeneration is one example."

The coccyx (tailbone) has long been wrongly thought to be vestigial by evolutionists ‘Vestigial’ organs have been used as an argument against a designer for many years, and have been used as a major ‘proof’ of evolution. The ‘vestigial organs’ argument is merely a modified form of the ‘bad design’ argument. While it may sound scientific, it is in fact a theological argument. The argument essentially runs like this: God would not have originally created a degenerate form of biological structure X in creature A (as evidenced by more functional examples of structure A in other creatures), therefore evolution did it.

The vestigial structures argument has suffered repeated blows over the last few decades, with functions being found for most, if not all, of the over 180 organs listed as either vestigial or rudimentary by anatomist Robert Wiedersheim in 1893.1

In a recent article in New Scientist,2 Laura Spinney discusses the ‘vestigial organs’ notion, and claims that it is still a viable concept despite having taken such a battering at the hands of modern medical science. She notes that ‘these days many biologists are extremely wary of talking about vestigial organs at all’. Spinney reflects that this ‘may be because the subject has become a battlefield for creationists and the intelligent design lobby ….’ It was indeed a battlefield—a battlefield long won by biblical creationists, which is why we’re seeing the current attempted fightback by the likes of Spinney and New Scientist...(Excerpt)

I have been saved now for almost three years. I grew up loving science, animals, the environment, could name ‘all’ the dinosaurs, etc.

Having said all that, I still do, and as well, believe that God Created us all, our lives are a gift. Evolution, a Theory, widely touted as ‘settled’ (Where have we heard that before?), is getting thread bare and thin.

Small case point. I have snakes for pets. I have a large one, a Yellow Anaconda and near his tail (yes snakes have tails), he has spurs, which are attached to internal bones that could have been legs. Hmmm, sounds like a resounding case that would support evolution.

My wife and I talked about it some, but couldn’t really come to grips with it, it is physical evidence after all.

But a careful reading of Genesis!

1:13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Moses wrote this, inspired from God. If snakes always had no legs, then there is no reason for God to curse them onto their bellies. Yet He did and they are. Evolution did not take the legs, God did. Snakes in Moses time all had no legs (post-curse), and he probably knew nothing of DNA, evolution, adaptability, blah blah. Why would moses write that the serpent needed cursing to be legless and on his belly, unless it were revealed by God. It was a evry eye opening moment to read that and understand.

Thanks for that post :)! Yes, so many of the “malfunctions” of Creation so to speak, that the anti-Designers speak of are things GOD allows to exist to remind us of our fallen state, make us aware of the earth’s futility, and our own sinfulness. By realizing things are “not as they should be” God is hoping to direct us to our Savior, Christ. By rising from the dead, Christ proved His sovereignty over the powerful forces of decay and sin at work in our world.

I think of animals like black, plague-carrying rats—they sort of act as part of a trailer to hell. And beautiful, colorful creatures that happen to be venomous? They remind me of the deceptive nature of sin. “Beautiful on the outside, poison on the inside.” Like the fruit Adam and EVe ate.

I think today, one of the clearest evidence of God’s design is sexually transmitted diseases. If humans were truly meant to just “sleep around” why does HIV and HPV exist?

It’s incredible how proof of God and His work through CHrist is truly in the details of all that’s around us. :) As Paul reminds us in Romans 1!

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

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