Conclusion of Reasons to Believe

  After spending decades studying the universe and life in it, British scientist Sir Fred Hoyle commented: "Rather than accept the fantastically small probability of life having arisen through the blind forces of nature, it seemed better to suppose that the origin of life was a deliberate intellectual act."   Yes, the more we learn about the wonders of life, the more logical it is that it came from one intelligent Source. -Job 33:4; Psalm 8:3, 4; 36:9; Acts 17:28.

So a first line of reasoning involves the universe, and a second, the origin of life on earth.  Note a third - our uniqueness.  In many ways all humans are unique, so that means that you are too.  How so?  You have probably heard that the brain has been compare to a powerful computer.  Really, though, recent discoveries show that this comparison  falls far short.  A scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said:  "Today's computers are not even close to a 4-year-old human in their ability  to see, talk, move, or use  common sense. . . .It has been estimated that the information processing capacity of even the most powerful supercomputer is equal to the nervous system of a snail -a tiny fraction  of the power available to the supercomputer inside [your] skull."

Language is an ability that you have because of  your brain.  Some people speak two, three, or more languages, yet the ability to speak even one marks us as unique.  (Isaiah 36:11; Acts 21:37-40)  Professors R.S. and D.H. Fouts asked:  "IS only man . . .capable of communicating  by language? . . .All the higher animals certainly communicate with . . . gestures, odours, calls, cries and songs, and even the dance of the bees.  Yet animals other than man do not appear to have structured  grammatical language.  And animals do not, which may be highly significant, draw representational pictures.  At best they only doodle."  Truly, only humans  can use the brain to speak a language and draw meaningful pictures. -Compare Isaiah 8:1; 30:8; Luke 1:3.

Moreover, you have an awareness of self; you are conscious of you.  (Proverbs 14:10)  Have you watched  a bird, dog, or cat look into a mirror and then peck, growl, or attack?  It thinks it sees another  animal, not recognizing itself.  In contrast, when you look into the mirror, you know it is you.  (James 1:23, 24) You may check your appearance or wonder what you will look like in a few years.  Animals do not do that.  Yes, your brain makes you unique.  To where does the credit go?  How did you brain come to be, if not from God?

Your brain also allows you to appreciate art and music as well as to have a moral sense.  (Exodus 15:20; Judges 11:34; 1 Kings 6:1, 29-35; Matthew 11:16)  Why  you and not the animals?  They use their brains primarily to care for immediate needs -getting food, finding a mate, or making a nest.  Only humans think beyond the short term.  Some even think about how their actions will affect  the environment or their descendants long into the future.  Why?  Ecclesiastes 3:11 says of humans:  "Even time indefinite [the Creator] has put in their heart."  Yes, your capacity for considering the meaning of time indefinite or for imagining endless life is special. 

Next time: Let the Creator Add Meaning

The Watchtower, 1999