Intelligent Design as Proof of Creation: A scientific analysis

By Uditha Jayatunga

Intelligent Design goes well beyond the evolution debate. This book explores the science of this vast subject from the universe to life as well as going down to cells and DNA. It argues that the origin of first life, complexities of a cell, unparallel information system in DNA and many perfect systems seen in all life can only come from intelligence. It also draws evidence from lesser explored topics such as the brain- the most complex in the universe, power of the zygote, superior animal features, phylogenetics, microbiome, development of sexes in new species, physiology and fine-tuning of over 200 parameters in the universe, solar system, the earth as well as in the environment needed for life. It dissects fallacies and the limitations of Darwinism falling well short of the biological complexities of all life. While agreeing with micro evolution, which is a drop of water in the ocean of macroevolution. It concludes the impossible task of producing 8.7 million species with just two mechanisms of Darwinian theory namely random mutations and natural selection. Evidenced by purpose and fine-tuning at every level of complexity, this book gives proof of Intelligent Design based on undisputable mathematical probabilities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Oct 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035809660

Uditha Jayatunga

Uditha Jayatunga (MBBS, FRCP) is a senior consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine with experience over 20 years currently working at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust. He was the Associate Clinical Director in Rehabilitation Medicine Department and previously been a member of NHS England Rehabilitation Medicine Clinical Reference Group. He has got an interest in Brain Injury which is particularly relevant to this book. Hailing from Sri Lanka with strong Anglican background, he has had a long-term interest in evolution/creation debate and has given few talks in Sri Lanka and UK on this subject. Using his medical and bioscience background, he has done a comprehensive scientific analysis from the universe to cells and DNA to support Intelligent Design with proof based on mathematical probabilities.

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About The Author

Uditha Jayatunga (MBBS, FRCP) is a senior consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine with experience over 20 years currently working at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust. He was the Associate Clinical Director in Rehabilitation Medicine Department and previously been a member of NHS England Rehabilitation Medicine Clinical Reference Group. He has got an interest in Brain Injury which is particularly relevant to this book. Hailing from Sri Lanka with strong Anglican background, he has had a long-term interest in evolution/creation debate and has given few talks in Sri Lanka and UK on this subject. Using his medical and bioscience background, he has done a comprehensive scientific analysis from the universe to cells and DNA to support Intelligent Design with proof based on mathematical probabilities.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to all individuals and establishments who have contributed to my life and its successes.

Copyright Information ©

Uditha Jayatunga 2023

The right of Uditha Jayatunga to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, experiences, and words are the author’s alone.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035809653 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035809660 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

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Acknowledgement

I would like to thank my wife, children and other close family members for direct and indirect support given to me in producing this book. Further my thanks to close friends who have guided me in many ways as well as valuable criticisms and contributions of beta readers immensely helped to shape the final version of the book.

Introduction

Nobel Prize winning physicist, Brian Josephson, Professor Emeritus of Physics from Cambridge University, declared in March 2021 that Intelligent Design (ID) is a valid science. In this book, I am discussing scientific arguments to support Intelligent Design from the universe down to the level of cells and proteins.

Despite the immense advanced knowledge humans have, we still do not have definitive answers to a few very basic questions on our origin. There is wide acceptance of the Big Bang Theory as the origin of the universe over 13 billion years ago. Discussion surrounding this is outside the scope of this book. Nevertheless, there are few other questions, we the humans are still grappling with. They are:

How life originated on our earth?

Was it purely an accident or on purpose?

Did life progress on earth as described by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution based on random mutations or was it intelligently designed?

Lastly;

Are we alone in the universe?

Christians all over the world believe in the story of Genesis which is compatible with Intelligent Design. But non-Christians certainly can challenge Christians to give evidence of design, as they do not believe the story of Genesis. Hence, this book will give ammunition to all Christians to answer this valid question posed by others. Not only will I be giving scientific reasons to answer these questions but I also will be providing solid proof of Intelligent Design.

It is absolutely vital for us to recognise that this analysis is based on scientific evidence only. It needs to be recognised that, at present, scientific evidence does not have answers to many questions and, in many instances, it is unlikely that science can produce any creditable proof even any time in the future. Evolutionists do not want to admit limitations of science but suggest Intelligent Design is based on filling the scientific gaps with ‘God’ hypothesis. Hence, it is quoted as the ‘God of the gaps’ position within scientific reasoning. While refuting this, I am arguing to say that it is science that points to Intelligent Design and not vice versa.

What is Intelligent Design? It is an evidence based scientific theory about life’s origins. Intelligent Design means that life or the universe cannot have arisen by chance and therefore was designed by an intelligent entity. Hence, it also means that complexity we see in life and the universe is based on high levels of specified information.

In order to appreciate Intelligent Design, we need to explore the scientific evidence at all levels, from the universe to the solar system and earth characteristics, from the origin and life to humans, going down to the level of microscopic building blocks of life such as cells, DNA/genetics and proteins. With careful analysis, we can see unmistakable evidence of Intelligent Design and fine-tuning at all levels. Also, it is vital to note that Intelligent Design has a purpose as it is the hallmark of design. There are many fierce discussions on the origin of first life. All living things are made up of cells and hence, the first life should be a functioning cell as well as a self-replicating cell. While this is very important, if you believe in Intelligent Design, it is unlikely that the designer has influenced only the origin of first life, and I believe that there is evidence of design at all levels of life on earth.

On the other hand, if you believe in evolution for the origin and all life on earth, it means that not only every living species has arisen largely due to an accumulation of random mutations but also every biological step with in species is due to this process. When cells divide making new cells, billions of DNA genetic information in each cell also divides almost perfectly. But, during this process, there could be very minute changes which could rarely give rise to a ‘new message’ and a ‘different signal’ to the cell via a change in DNA. This is what we call a mutation. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, we have constantly seen changing virus infectivity due to mutations which may be more or less severe than the ones before. This is simply a blind process and evolutionists argue that such mutations that bring an advantage to the species are selected by nature and could be passed down the generations. Evolutionists also argue that accumulation of such random mutational changes can bring significant changes to the species, ultimately resulting in evolution of a new species. Hence, without any intelligence involved, it has no purpose and no intent which it acts on. This suggests all things in the living world are purely ‘accidental.’

Furthermore, this book infers that while Intelligent Design implies godly influence on the process of creation of life. But the blind mutational process which Darwinian and evolutionary theory is based on also indirectly appear to give a ‘godly’ status to ‘random mutations and natural selection’ due to lack of solid scientific evidence or proof at many levels.

Evolution theory can no longer square with practical scientific knowledge. As time advances, more and more gaps in evolution are exposed. This book gives solid evidence of Intelligence Design at all levels. Part of the proof of Intelligent Design is due to mathematical improbability, meaning some of the processes will not have any chance of occurring randomly on earth and some are so improbable that they will not occur anywhere in the universe as the way we know of it.

Secrets of the Universe

When I was a kid, on a clear night sky, I used to wonder the purpose of all the stars dotted across the sky. Elders could not give a clear reason and we did not have the luxury of the internet that we have today. I realise now that all the dots across the sky actually are needed for ‘our own survival’ on earth. The position of our sun in the Milky Way Galaxy is paramount for our own survival as it has given stability over billions of years for life to prosper on earth. If the sun was in a different position in our galaxy, life would not have originated. Hence, the dots across the sky and their arrangement in making the vast Milky Way is paramount for life on earth. It is not only the position of the sun within the Milky Way, but also many other finely tuned factors within our galaxy that are vitally important for the survival of our sun.

We are part of the universe, and the Milky Way Galaxy makes up a tiny fraction of the universe that we know of. It is estimated that the universe has at least 100–200 billion galaxies but they are probably many more. There is also a theory of having a multiverse, but it is beyond the scope of this book. On a clear day, when we look at the sky, we may see tens of thousands of stars similar to our sun. In fact, there are about 100–400 billion stars in our Milky Way Galaxy alone. ¹ Our sun is so tiny that it could be compared to a single grain of sand in amongst all the grains of sand of all the beaches of all the of the world. The question is how is this ‘grain of sand’ and the accompanying solar system so different from all other multibillions of stars sustain all life? Is this due to pure coincidence or is it uniquely formed to sustain life?

The characteristics of the Milky Way Galaxy are of utmost importance to the sun and our solar system. Our sun is located in a stable orbit within our galaxy for the last 4.5 billion years. Half of the stars in our Milky Way Galaxy are older than the sun. The billions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy are formed in many layers in a spiral formation from the centre of the galaxy. There are millions of stars in each spiral but also there are other stars outside the spiral formation. Typically, the stars in the centre of the galaxy orbit at a rate that differs from the rate of the trailing spiral arms. Stars in the spiral arms do not stay in that position for that long as they are gradually swept inside.

The position of the sun is outside a spiral arm and between two spiral arms, which is a much more stable position, as it has been the case for billions of years. ² If the distance of the sun from the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy were greater, it may not help formation of a rocky planet, like ours. If it was lesser, the radiation would have been too intense for life. There would have been a similar effect if the sun was too close to the spiral arm. Many other characteristics of the Milky Way Galaxy are crucial for the stability of the sun, such as the size of the galaxy, the number of stars in our planetary system as well as the current formation of the stars.

For a galaxy to function as it does, it is dependent on many forces and physical constants which need to be finely tuned, including strong nuclear forces, weak nuclear, gravitational and electro-magnetic forces.³ If any of these factors are slightly different, it will be difficult for the universe to survive.

If you take the ratio between the gravitational and electric force, if the gravitational force was to be stronger than what it is now, the stars would be smaller and would have a shorter life span. Our sun is about 4.6 billion years old and it is estimated to be halfway through its life. If the universe had a stronger gravitational force, our sun would have burned itself by now, preventing earth from having any life. Even if any creatures were able to develop prior to the sun burning out, they would have been much smaller than they are now. Further, if the gravitational force was stronger, stars would have been closer to each other, disturbing the orbits of others. Stable orbits are also vital for life to sustain.⁴

Nuclear forces within the stars facilitate the complex process that converts hydrogen to helium resulting in helium having a slightly reduced mass than hydrogen. If the nuclear forces were stronger by 10–20%, there would not have been hydrogen to ‘power’ stars and there would have been no stars. Alternatively, if the nuclear forces were 10–20% weaker, the hydrogen to helium reaction would have been short circuited and stars would not be able to use nuclear energy to power them causing the stars to collapse into black holes instead of shining in the sky as we see today.

The critical density of the universe gives an amazing fact of fine tuning at the time of the Big Bang. As we know, the universe is slowly expanding. The critical density needed is a minute fraction under 100% as it is now, but if it was a minute fraction over 100%, the universe would have collapsed a long time ago. If the critical density is lower by a further minute fraction than what it is now, the universe would have expanded too fast for the stars and galaxies to form. This amazing fact is unmistakable evidence of fine tuning of the universe ultimately giving rise to life. It has been estimated that to obtain a universe like ours, fine tuning of the initial critical density to an accuracy around one part in 10⁶⁰ is required.⁵

Although, the aspects of the Big Bang are beyond this book; it is important to mention the significance of matter and antimatter ratio at the beginning. Matter and antimatter cancel each other out, leaving nothing. This is similar to positively charged and negatively charged atoms cancelling each other’s charges. Scientific literature suggests that the ratio of antimatter to matter-is 30,000,000: 30,000,001.⁶

The difference of this one particle of ordinary matter in 30 million particles is which our universe is made up of. If these fractions were equal, the universe would have quickly devolved into radiation, and therefore galaxies, stars and planets would have never formed. Prof. Stephen Hawking has written, if the density of the universe one second after the Big Bang had been greater than one part in a thousand billion, the universe would have collapsed in 10 years. So, how was it that the initial density of the universe was so precise to enable it to survive—Was it pure luck or was it Intelligent Designed? This accuracy has been described in another way, to say that it is like hitting a 1-inch target from the other side of the universe 20,000 million light years away! Today, science is unable to explain the origin of the universe as well as the fine tuning of it to make life possible.

Design of the Earth and

the Solar System

Evidence of fine tuning in the solar system to support life is clearly seen within every parameter of our solar system. As mentioned above, the vastness of the universe means our sun is like a ‘grain of sand’ in all the beaches of the world. It is important to see why this ‘grain of sand’ is fundamentally different from others, not only to develop complex life but also to sustain it for billions of years. Humans have searched for life and still have not found even a trace of life anywhere in the observable universe. A few years ago, I read a Readers Digest article with a headline that said ‘Where is every one?’ indicating lack of evidence of life elsewhere in the universe.

In school, we learned about the normal distribution, otherwise known as the ‘bell shaped curve,’ which is observed in the natural world. This is a probability distribution curve widely used in statistics. As an example, this could be used to plot the intelligence of people. At one extreme, you will plot the intelligence of people like Prof. Steven Hawking or Albert Einstein, whereas at the other extreme, you will plot someone who has severe brain damage, whilst most of the population will be in the middle of the bell curve. You could plot these curves for any naturally occurring phenomenon in the world or universe. These could be the size of the planets, to the heights in a population, to rainfall in regions in the world etc. All these will have a bell-shaped curve due to the normal distribution curve you would expect. If the finely tuned characteristics of our sun and solar system are a ‘naturally occurring phenomenon,’ then you would expect abundant life forms in the multi-trillions of stars in the universe. Like the intelligence of Prof. Stephen Hawking or Albert Einstein, you could argue that life on earth is at its highest levels due to human intelligence at one extreme of this curve. Still, you would expect millions of stars having lesser forms of life in one way or the other. Even if you may not expect intelligent life like humans, still, as per the bell-shaped curve of normal distribution, you would expect a wide variety of life from simple to complex life teaming in the universe. This is a