The Case for a Creator - Lee Strobel [164]
5. Atheist Patrick Glynn cites the evidence from physics as being one of the reasons why he came to believe in God. How persuasive must the evidence be in order for you to come to the conclusion that a Creator exists? How close does the evidence presented in the first two chapters—cosmology and physics—come to meeting that test?
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE EVIDENCE OF ASTRONOMY
1. What were you taught in school concerning the Earth—that it’s most likely unique or that it’s only one of countless other inhabited planets? Did the interview with Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Wesley Richards change your perspective? How so?
2. What fact about the universe, our galaxy, the solar system, the sun, or the Earth intrigued you the most? Why?
3. Gonzalez and Richards said there are essentially three options concerning the existence of life. One is that some natural necessity, like the laws of physics, inexorably leads to life. A second is pure chance: life is a fluke. The third is that life was intentionally created. When you compile all of the evidence presented by Gonzalez and Richards, where does the preponderance of the evidence point? What facts back up your conclusion?
4. The late John A. O’Keefe, a prominent pioneer in space research, said the evidence of astronomy led him to conclude that “the universe was created for man to live in.” Assume for a moment that he’s right. What are three or four reasons why God might have been motivated to create the Earth and then populate it with creatures of his design, including humankind? What relevance do those reasons have for you personally?
CHAPTER EIGHT: THE EVIDENCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY
1. Early in this chapter, a scientist is quoted as describing a single-cell organism as a high-tech factory. After reading how organisms operate on a microscopic level, do you believe that “design” or some other explanation is most appropriate? What factors helped you reach your conclusion?
2. If someone asked you to summarize Michael Behe’s argument in your own words, using a mousetrap as an illustration, how would you do it?
3. Charles Darwin conceded that his theory would “absolutely break down” if it could be shown that any complex organ “could not possibly have been formed by numerous, slight modifications.” Behe claims he has passed this test. Why do you agree or disagree? If you believe Behe has failed, what else would he need to do in order to meet Darwin’s challenge?
4. Which of the biological systems described by Behe—cilia, bacterial flagella, the cellular transport system, or blood-clotting—was the most impressive to you? How well do you believe Behe responded to objections?
5. Behe said that when he concludes life was intelligently designed, some people “don’t just disagree; many of them jump up and down and get red in the face.” Why do you believe this issue generates so much controversy? Do you feel an emotional investment in the matter? How so?
CHAPTER NINE: THE EVIDENCE OF BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION
1. If you were a teacher evaluating Stephen Meyer on how well he defended his thesis that DNA is best explained by an intelligent cause, what grade would you give him? What two or three reasons would you give in defending that grade?
2. While scientists are virtually unanimous in ruling out random chance for the origin of life, this theory is still prevalent in popular opinion. What’s your assessment of the odds that life could have assembled by chance? Do you agree or disagree with Meyer’s conclusion that believing in chance is like invoking a “naturalistic miracle”?
3. Meyer also critiqued two other scenarios—that natural selection or self-ordering tendencies could have been responsible for the origin of life. In light of his analysis, do you believe either of those possibilities has merit? Why or why not? What’s your response to Meyer’s assertion that only intelligent entities produce information—including the information that’s spelled out in DNA’s four-letter chemical alphabet?
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