The Milky Way Galaxy alone has over 100 billion stars. Because the universe is so vast, some people speculate that there may be another planet with intelligent living organisms similar to man. However, it is very unlikely because both the sun and the Earth were so uniquely suitable for human inhabitation. Isa 45:18 clearly says that God “fashioned” or “formed” the Earth to be a habitat for man. The word has the meaning of planning and designing.
Is our sun just an average star?
No. The following special characteristics of the sun make life possible on Earth.
[1] Mass— The mass of our Sun is among the 4-8% most massive in the galaxy. If it was of higher or lower mass it would probably deliver more frequent intense radiation events.
[2] Composition— Its proportion of heavy elements is atypical.
[3] Stability— Our Sun is highly stable which provides a very stable climate for the earth.
[4] Location— Our Sun has an excellent position in the galaxy, minimizing catastrophic encounters with objects from other systems of our galaxy.
[5] Planets— It has a very uncommon mixture of inner rocky planets and the large outer gaseous planets which acts as a shield to minimize the number of space objects that impact the Earth.
In what characteristics is the Earth fit for human inhabitation?
[1] Stability of the sun: Our sun burns its fuel at an unusually constant and reliable rate. If the sun’s luminosity and Earth’s biomass and biodiversity fall out of sync by even a slight amount, the result would be either a runaway greenhouse effect or a runaway freeze.
[2] Distance from the sun: The distance from the sun determines the mean temperature of the Earth. The living tissue only retains their properties within a narrow range of temperature variation.
[3] Size of the earth: The size of the earth determines the constitution of its atmosphere. If it were much larger, it would have retained a large percentage of gases inimical to life. If it were much smaller, its gravitational forces would have been insufficient to retain virtually any atmosphere at all.
[4] Comet influx: Earth’s gravitational pull is not strong enough to hold onto all of Earth’s atmospheric water. This is replaced by an ongoing influx of water-rich comets.
[5] Rate of rotation: The rate of revolution of the earth is just right for the continuous renewal of the atmosphere for animal life. Nothing gets too cold or too hot over most of its area.
[6] The existence of the satellite the Moon: The Moon is the largest satellite relative to the size of its parent body. The moon causes tides, which are of great importance in keeping the oceans fresh.
[7] Thickness of atmosphere: Theoretically, Earth should have an atmosphere heavier and thicker than that of Venus, but in fact it has a far lighter and much thinner atmosphere.
[8] Ozone balances: The ozone layer offers essential life protection. It absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Yet, if it is too thick, there will be too little ultraviolet radiation getting through.
[9] The constitution of the Earth’s surface: The ratio of sea to land ratio is 71% to 29%. This has been demonstrated to provide the maximum possible diversity and complexity of life.
[10] Balance of carbonates: Carbon dioxide easily reacts with atmospheric water to form carbonic acid. This carbonic acid reacts with rocks to form carbonates. If it were not for some mitigating factors from tectonic and volcanic activities, these carbonates would have leached enough carbon dioxide and water from the atmosphere to turn this planet into a permanently frozen, arid wasteland.
[11] A stable water cycle: Advanced life can survive only if the evaporation and precipitation average between 25 and 60 inches per year, and only if snow and rain condense in the right proportions. A water that meets exacting requirements demands intricate balancing of: the physical characteristics of the sun and Earth; atmospheric composition, temperature, and pressure; wind velocities.
[12] Seasonal variations: The seasonal variations which take place throughout the year, due to the 23.5° axial tilt of the earth, are very important for the continuance of human life. Were it not for these changes, microorganisms which cause diseases would multiply so extensively that the human race might very well suffer extinction because of them.
[13] Combination of optimal conditions: Even if the universe contains as many as 10 billion trillion (1022) planets, we would not expect even one, by natural processes alone, to end up with all the characteristics described above.
What is “scientific creationism” and Flood Geology?
A group of science-trained Christians support a literal reading of Genesis, that is, a 6-day creation of not more than 10,000 years ago. They sought to discredit widely accepted scientific notions and reestablish science in terms that would appear to be in concordance with their interpretation.
According to this theory (also called Flood Geology), the Genesis Flood could account for all the geologic features on all the continents, all the fossils ever found, and all Earth’s limestone, coal, oil, natural gas, and mineral deposits. Further, radioactive dating methods must be inaccurate.
Since 1960s, “scientific creationism” has been successfully promoted. Even today, scientific creationism is still supported by many well-known scientists and evangelical theologians.
What are the main problems with Flood Geology?
[1] Number of species in the ark: With the acceptance of a truly global Flood covering the whole Earth, the only animals left were the ones in Noah’s ark. The 8 people on the ark would not be able to look after all the animals (an estimated maximum of 50,000 kinds). Also, we have over 2 million species living on Earth today.
[2] Super-rapid diversification of life: Flood Geology requires the introduction of a huge number of new species of animal life in a few thousand years in: [a] the super-rapid diversification of animal life from a few thousand into millions of species, and [b] the super-rapid adaptations from pre-Flood animals that were completely herbivorous into carnivorous animals.
[3] Rapid evolution after the Flood: After the Flood, many species (such as dinosaurs, trilobites, etc.) went extinct; the remaining species must have evolved by rapid and efficient natural processes alone into millions of species. Ironically, creation scientists propose an efficiency of natural biological evolution greater than even the most optimistic Darwinist would dare to suggest.
† Christians need to learn to provide answers to difficult questions involving creation raised by seekers. Answering their questions may help them overcome the barriers to their acceptance of salvation.
† All the facts about the Earth show us that it is impossible for all these to happen by chance. If God could make these precise planning and execution, He can deal with any problems that we have.
† From the detailed design by God to make the Earth suitable for human inhabitation, we can see a loving and caring God, not omitting any small details, all for our benefit.