How Did Life Originate? | The Institute for Creation Research

How Did Life Originate?

There are several big problems with the concept of evolution, including the origin of man from the apes, the origin of vertebrates from invertebrates, the origin of invertebrates from single-celled organisms with a nucleus, and the origin of those cells with a nucleus from those without a nucleus. But the single biggest problem facing evolution is the origin of even the simplest form of life from non-living chemicals. The gap between life and non-life is greater than the gap between a single cell and a human.

This conundrum has driven evolutionists to propose any number of scenarios, none of which are fully accepted. This has led some (including Nobel Prize winner Francis Crick) to abandon the idea that life could arise spontaneously by purely natural processes here on earth, and to propose that life arose somewhere else out in space and came here either on a meteorite or on a spaceship. An interesting article, "The Beginnings of Life on Earth," by Professor Christian de Duve (himself a Nobel Prize winner for studies on the complexity of the cell) reveals the desperate plight of the naturalist. Published in the September-October, 1995 issue of American Scientist, it provides a good summary of current theory and follows a dangerous new trend in biological thinking. Let us consider some of its points.

The author is a first rate scientist. He does not hide his presuppositions, nor does he camouflage discoveries troubling traditional evolutionary "just so" stories. "It is now generally agreed that if life arose spontaneously by natural processes—a necessary assumption if we wish to remain within the realm of science—it must have arisen fairly quickly, more in a matter of millennia or centuries, perhaps even less" (p. 428). Evolutionists have always relied on billions of years of chance events to produce life, but now he says it was perhaps less than "centuries"! He admits that each step in producing highly complex organisms is still "highly conjectural," but as a good naturalist he holds to the party line. "Any hint of teleology (i.e., intelligent design) must be avoided." "The biblical account of genesis," he writes, "is now being explained in terms of the physical and chemical conditions that prevailed on earth almost four billion years ago, when life is thought to have begun. Life . . . is a manifestation written into the fabric of the universe, a cosmic imperative" (p. 429).

Dr. de Duve recognizes that each step between chemicals and life is extremely unlikely, and that the components are interdependent. He likewise admits that even the simple RNA molecule is amazingly complex, far beyond human creativity. "Attempts at engineering—with considerably more foresight and technical support than the prebiotic world could have enjoyed—an RNA molecule capable of catalyzing RNA replication have failed so far" (p. 433), yet he insists it happened. How dare evolutionists call this science? This is simply story-telling in the name of science, wrongly extrapolating the operations of living systems to the origins of systems.

These many steps, "a string of improbable events," should convince him that such a scenario is unscientific and just plain wrong, but life is here and must be explained naturalistically, without a God. Thus, he concludes, "life is an obligatory manifestation of matter," and that "the universe is awash with life."

Those who do not bow to the god of scientific naturalism or New Age thinking are not driven to such foolishness. The only wonder is why other naturalists allow such brazen worship of nature to continue in the name of science. When will honest evolutionists rise up and admit that "the emperor has no clothes"?

* Dr. Morris is President of ICR.

Cite this article: Morris, J. 1996. How Did Life Originate? Acts & Facts. 25 (8).

The Latest
NEWS
Liberty and the Word of God
“And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts” (Psalm 119:45). July 4th is called Independence Day here in our country because on...

NEWS
July 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome...

NEWS
Valued Longtime ICR Employee Mary Smith Retires
Mary Morris Smith, an employee of the Institute for Creation Research for many years, has retired. The second daughter of ICR founder Dr. Henry M. Morris...

NEWS
Man of Science, Man of God: George Washington Carver
Who:  George Washington Carver What: Father of Modern Agriculture When: 1864 or 1865 – January 5, 1943 Where: Diamond Grove,...

ACTS & FACTS
The Scopes Monkey Trial: A Battle of Worldviews
Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee, and its statue of William Jennings Bryan Image credit: M. Mueller The Scopes Monkey...

ACTS & FACTS
Long Non-Coding RNAs: The Unsung Heroes of the Genome
Evolutionary theory holds that all living things came about through random, natural processes. So conventional scientists believe the genome has developed...

ACTS & FACTS
Yosemite National Park, Part 1: Tiny Clues of a Grand Picture
Yosemite National Park in California is a sure source of stunning scenery. It’s no wonder that American naturalist John Muir persuaded President...

ACTS & FACTS
From Inference to Theory: A Common Design Case Study
Without a doubt, humans, chimpanzees, and other organisms share similar features. An early explanation was that these features reflect similar designs...

ACTS & FACTS
Creation Kids: T. rex
by Michael Stamp and Susan Windsor* You're never too young to be a creation scientist and explore our Creator's world. Kids, discover...

ACTS & FACTS
Entering By The Door
Recently, I hosted a visiting pastor from a large church at ICR’s Discovery Center. As I guided him through our Dallas museum, one conversation...