Why did your "intelligent designer" use the same design for my hands and feet?

Question

Can anyone who believes we were designed by a god please explain why my arms, wrists, hands and fingers have the same bone structure as my legs, ankles, feet, and toes? This design doesn't seem to be ideal for either walking or writing email, and I've suffered from both carpal tunnel and sprained ankles because of it. Darwinian evolution has a simple and obvious explanation. Our ancestors once used their forelimbs and hind limbs for the same purposes (climbing and grasping) but later generations adapted them to different purposes (running and making tools). But what purpose could a creator have had in giving us the same limb "design" as other primates?

Dear "ohio gal", read the question again. I said my hands and feet have the same design (all the same bones are there, fingernails & toenails, etc.) I didn't say they are identical. That's the point.

Dear Miss Taken, thank you. My point exactly! Why do we need opposable toes for walking or running? We lost them through adaptation, although we retain the bones needed for it.

Dear Martin S, you are right. I don't assume that airplanes (or watches) evolved from other airplanes (watches) for the simple reason that planes and watches don't reproduce. If they did, we would not ask "who designed this watch?", but "what did its ancestors look like?"

Dear rkirby1331, you've fallen into a common trap in claiming that biologists explain life as the result of "random chance". Please read (and answer) my other question, "Why do creationists falsely attribute beliefs to biologists?":
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ars9IrpSS3ciueZ3ueTzwPfsy6IX?qid=20060723232203AAXx89N

Dear Evan P, I'm not asking your god to explain. You're the one who believes. I'm asking you to explain.

Some here have suggested that I shouldn't blame their god for my sprained ankles and cts, calling it "user error". But I don't blame their god. I don't even believe in a god! The fact that nobody here has asked me what a "sprained ankle" or "carpal tunnel" is indicates how common they are. So it's hard to deny the design flaw.

Dear Buzz s, evolution theory would expect the functions and shapes of bone homologs to be different as hands and feet adapted to different uses. But if you have more information about the question, which was why a god would use the same overall design, please provide it! I'm ready and listening.

Answer 1

Give me your biological design, then.

Criticism is easy.

Answer 2

It works well, doesn't it? And like all things in our world, including us, we age and wear out.
To me, the similaritiy would seem to prove there is a designer. If it were random ( how can so much order that we know come from random evolution ) the structure would very likely be different from each other, wouldn't it?
It seems evolutionists take a lot for granted: like the amazing way our bodies work and all the systems they have, the presence of food around us, water that nourishes life and rains on plants to water them, being just the right distance from the sun as not to freeze orr to burn up, a thin (20 mile) protective layer that protects us. Do you know scientists have calculated that the chances of the things we know occurring by chance are over 1,000,000,000 to one? You would not dream of taking a bet like that.
Give God his due!
Think outside of what we could do or grasp, and that is where God begins.
And, where did the original matter come from (the building blocks of life)? To say they always existed is not a satisfactory answer.
Not only that - as rebellious as we are, God loves us unconditionally. It gives me complete hope and purpose.
God Bless You.

Answer 3

Well you see, we have fallen from our perfect state in which we were originally created. That's why we die because sin entered this world.

But it's interesting that you notice the common theme in the design of body parts. It's like if you took a look at an airport and saw all of the different types of planes. You would see planes that were for carrying passengers or cargo or maybe some military planes for combat. You might see a crop duster that was propeller driven and a Lear jet.

But you would never think that one plane had "evolved" from another plane. Instead you would see that an intelligent designer had used similar structures to achieve common objectives and made modifications to meet other objectives. Just like God has done with all of the different animals He has created.

Answer 4

Change doesn't happen instantly. Your body is a work in progress, but it serves the functions today that it was developed for in generations past. It's great for walking barefoot on the earth, and grasping all kinds of objects. (It's not so great for running on concrete, using a keyboard, or digesting processed and unnatural foods.)

We weren't "given" the same limb design as other primates. It's more accurate to say that other primates developed their limb design as 1) an intermediate state toward development of "higher" life forms, such as humans, and 2) a way to fulfill their own roles in the ecosystem.

Whatever it is that causes higher life forms to develop from lower life forms also has an end result in mind. I don't know what that is, but modern humans are close to it.

Answer 5

Firstly, he's God, and he doesn't have to explain.

Secondly, the design is very effective at shock-absorption, thus making it ideal for a multitude of activities that humans may get themselves into. If he found something he thought would protect the hand, why not also protec the foot with the same system?

Thirdly, I understand you may have had some health issues, but, and this may hurt a little bit, those issues may have come more from user error than from faulty design.

Answer 6

Why do you think that the same design is used for both? Have a look at the bones and you will see that the carpals and tarsals look different and the function of each "analogous" bone is different.
It might be possible to answer the main thrust of your question, but the comments that appear under your question suggest that you are not ready to look at the information provided!

Answer 7

It all depends on what you believe about the past; you've interpreted the evidence based on your beliefs, now let me give you my interpretation based on what I believe.

The Bible tells us in Genesis that God created all things. In Chapter 3 he tells us how we were cursed when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit; not only was man cursed, but so was all of creation.

You get carpal tunnel and sprained ankles because we live in a fallen world, not because of some design flaw.

There is no physical evidence to support your claim that our ancestors adapted limbs used for one purpose in the past into a new purpose in the future. In any event, you are unknowingly appealing to design in your argument against design! You're saying we are using our limbs now in a way they were not originally intended to be used. Who would know how they were intended to be used?

Answer 8

The choice was due to functional utility... Such choices are made in intelligent design all the time.

--

Regarding evolution...

There is no evidence that proves Atheistic MacroEvolution (without Intelligent Design)...

I used to believe in Evolution. However, over a period of time I have grown skeptical of the claims of Macro*Evolution... this is largely due to the weakness of the evidence for Macro*Evolution, and the fact that the evidence, rationally interpreted does not support the overarching claims made by Macro*Evolutionists...

For scientific and intellectual critiques of evolution, see http://www.godsci.org/gsi/apol/evo/00.html .

Is Evolution a FACT? See http://www.godsci.org/gsi/apol/evo/evofaq2.html for relevant discussion.

Cordially,
John

Answer 9

I don't think the shoes I wear on my feet would fit my hands too well. Nor would my hands support my weight well enough to 'walk' on them. Can you hang from a tree or swing from a vine with your primate feet? Your question doesn't make sense.

You seem to be confused. Don't blame God for your injuries.

Answer 10

It looks uniform...Our intelligent designer was also a master artist.
Look at the birds and the beautiful colors.

Answer 11

Either youre the real deal or you just watched Aeon Flux where the one chick had hands for feet. Cant decide which.....