How Was the World Created? A Science and Faith Perspective

Following an article by Dr. Yehoshua Shachor, Deputy Director of the Pulmonary Department at Meir Hospital, he reflects on the famous verses: "Lift up your eyes on high and see who created these" (Isaiah 40:26) and "How great are your works, Hashem, in wisdom you made them all" (Psalms 104:22). To this day, the human mind has not proposed any scientifically founded theory for the origin of life. There is no logical alternative to believing in the divine creation of the world and beings by a supreme power, as described in the Biblical account of Genesis.

Despite the rapid and remarkable advances in science today, no scientific theory can challenge our steadfast belief in a creator who guides the world. Recent outstanding scientific discoveries do not contradict the truth of the Torah; on the contrary, they reinforce it.

Scientists seek an explanation for the laws of nature and their astonishing harmony, but within nature itself, no explanation for its orderliness is found. It is clear that nature adheres to laws, which is the foundation of science. Yet, a serious scientist, constantly engaged in laws, must ask: Who set these laws? Are they random? That can't be! A law is the antithesis of randomness! In fact, Darwin's theory of evolution, attempting to explain creation's wonders as "accidental" and without any guiding hand, also bases its theory on laws.

Much has been written and spoken about the limits of science in areas like archaeology, the age of the earth, the theory of evolution, and more—many theories are based on drawing conclusions from past occurrences through current known data. For example, the hypothesis that the earth's age is approximately three to four billion years is based on calculations from measurements conducted within a span of less than a hundred years.

Darwin's theory of evolution, introduced around 150 years ago, claims that all known life forms have arisen "accidentally" through a series of mistakes or accidents during hereditary transmissions. This theory, once very prevalent among scientists and the public, faces many opponents today, and in light of recent scientific discoveries, it has essentially collapsed, much like other disproven theories.

Dr. Yehoshua Shachor, in a recent paper, emphasizes that with the swift progress of cellular biology, there is conclusive evidence against Darwin's evolution theory.

At the beginning of his article, he challenges archaeological arguments: "The correlation between an animal's development level and its position in archaeological layers doesn't necessarily prove that animals evolved from one another. According to the Torah, different animals (plants, birds, fish, etc.) were created in different eras and with different 'utterances' and are distinct creations. Animal groups found in various layers are due to separate acts of creation.

The fossil sequence in archaeological excavations is insufficient to prove transitions between species through gradual evolution. Fossils indicate that living creatures appeared on earth right when there was liquid water available, following a temperature drop, indicating that, once conditions were right, life formed immediately, without the time required for random life creation or complex species-to-species development.

Further in his article, Dr. Shachor turns to biology, questioning the supposed proof for the development of species through random mutations, natural selection, and the struggle for existence. I wished to discuss with Dr. Shachor how genetics, advancing at a remarkable pace, supports the biblical version of species creation. It's known that the most crucial structure for shaping an organism's character is the nucleus of the cell, which manages genetic material – the chromosomes. Proteins responsible for its structure and function are created in animals thanks to genetic material functioning.

It's known that a cell nucleus isn't crucial for life existence, and the simplest animals are bacteria-like entities without a nucleus, with their genetic material dispersed within the cell's plasma. In contrast to the 'simple' animals, complex multicellular organisms, including humans, display peak complexity and sophistication. Cell propagation in these animals, their differentiation for various functions, and their organ division for varied purposes result from the cell nucleus's operations, highly sophisticated protein production factories. However, does humanity have a survival advantage over bacteria? On the contrary, scientists warn that we, educated, civilized humans, face an existential threat from antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses.

What does this teach us? It suggests a clear divine design without randomness, and I'll explain why. The developmental theory question should be: What did the first single-celled organisms acquire that began distinguishing themselves from non-nucleated entities due to initial mutations necessary for nucleus construction? Did they gain an advantage in the struggle for survival? The answer is no! Here come bacteria threatening humanity, completely debunking the theory.

In your article, you provided an example of divine planning from the parasitic wasp family. What do we learn from their reproduction method monitoring? This is an example of protein formation that initially appears meaningless. I said "initially" because upon further examination, one understands the incredible divine planning behind this phenomenon. Generally, insects lay their eggs in organic material, such as fruit or other organic waste, providing abode for the larvae that hatch.

However, parasitic wasps lay their eggs in other insects. The larvae feed on the host insect's body but ensure it remains alive until the larvae can sustain themselves independently. It's easy to comprehend that this reproduction method requires an exceedingly complex system. This system has five marvelous characteristics: Firstly, each parasitic wasp species has its own host insect. Wasps need genetic material allowing them to 'recognize' their designated host insect.

Secondly, they need a mechanism allowing them to insert their eggs into the host. Some wasps, such as spiders, attack hosts, sting them, and inject material to paralyze but not kill them; others insert their eggs into insects secretly, without the host noticing. Thirdly, they must know precisely where to insert their eggs within the host’s body. Fourthly, the egg, and subsequently the larvae, must be equipped with material protecting them from the host's immune system. Fifthly, the larvae need to know how to digest host tissues without harming the host's vital organs to ensure the host doesn’t die while it still depends on it. Each of these characteristics is of no use until the complete system develops, and natural selection according to evolutionary theory cannot explain this complex phenomenon's marvels.

It's clear, therefore, that this is a creation born from exalted divine wisdom. You also mentioned human artistic talent, unnecessary for physical survival in your article. Does the evolutionary theory explain humanity's spiritual capabilities? No, and Darwin himself admitted so, writing in 1871: "Since the enjoyment of and ability to make music are the least necessary for the daily existence of humans, we must consider them the most mysterious qualities humans possess."

While musical sounds can aid various creatures in communication, human musical talent development goes far beyond that. The intricate mechanism of the vocal cords and human oral cavity, responsible for musical sound production, requires a complex muscular and nervous system. The cochlea in the inner ear needs nerve cells to transmit musical stimuli to the brain.

In the brain, musical stimuli transform into emotional drivers, with musical sounds making us feel sadness and joy, prompting us to dance to the rhythm, or imparting peace and relaxation. It is evident that these traits' development, like any other biological feature, depends on protein structure changes, ultimately stemming from mutations in the nucleic acid bases. Despite this biological activity, there is no survival advantage. This is similar for other human spiritual traits, non-essential for physical survival.

Therefore, it doesn't appear as random development driven by survival, but faith that the creator endowed humanity with these traits at creation. Speaking of spiritual traits, humans differ from animals even in their ability to express emotions through facial expressions. Is there a special reason for this? This is another human trait unexplained by Darwin's theory.

Unlike other creatures, our faces express laughter and crying, anger, fear, excitement, and more. These facial expressions require a complicated muscular and nervous system, contributing nothing to humans' survival capacity.

Perhaps Hashem bestowed this ability upon us to inspire others to empathize, desire to perform acts of kindness, and understand the Talmudic principle: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Dr. Yehoshua Shachor concludes in his article: "Indeed, there is no exact match between the Torah’s words and scientific findings. There are different concepts of time as well.

Since scientific findings are always subject to change, and the Torah finds its source in eternal truth, expecting an absolute match between sources of information is unwarranted." Dr. Shachor expresses his heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Hengelman for his publication assistance and to Ms. Sarah Gunfas for her generous technical aid.