HOW DID LIFE BEGIN?

2. How Did Living Things Develop?

Scientists have discovered within each cell intricate molecular  machine composed of protein molecules that cooperate to perform complex tasks. These tasks include transporting and converting nutrients into energy, repairing parts of the cell, and conveying messages throughout the cell.  Could random mutations and natural selection account for the assembling and functioning of such sophisticated components?  Many find that concept difficult to accept. 

Animals and humans develop from a single fertilized egg, inside the embryo, cells multiply and eventually specialize, taking on different shapes and functions to form distinct parts of the body. Evolution cannot explain how each cell "knows" what to become and where it should move within the organism. 

Scientists now realize that for one kind of animal to develop  into another kind of animal would require that changes take place within the cell, at the molecular level.  Since scientists cannot demonstrate  how evolution can produce without the "simplest" cell, is it plausible that random mutations and natural selection could be responsible for the different kinds of animals on the planet?  Regarding the structure of animals, Michael Behe, professor of biological sciences, says that while research "has revealed unexpected, stunning complexity, no progress at all has been made. in understanding how that complexity could evolve by unintelligent processes." 

Human beings are conscious and self-aware, have the ability to think and reason,m and possess moral qualities, such as generosity, self-sacrifice, and a sense of right and wrong. Random mutations and natural selection cannot explain the existence of these unique qualities  of the human mind. 

CONCLUSION:  While many insist that an evolutionary origin of life is an indisputable fact, others are not satisfied with the answers that evolution provides regarding how life began and how life developed. 

Next time: HOW DID LIFE BEGIN?/An Answer Worth Considering 

From the Watchtower magazine