Creationists: Please explain to me the use of our "appendix" ?

Question

The vermiform appendix is a vestige of the cecum, an organ that was used to digest cellulose by humans' herbivorous ancestors. Analogous organs in other animals similar to humans continue to perform that function, whereas other meat-eating animals may have similarly diminished appendices. The modern functionality of the appendix is still controversial in the field of human physiology, although most scientists and physicians believe that it has little or no function.

Vestigial structures are anatomical structures of organisms in a species which are considered to have lost much or all of their original function through evolution.

I'd like to hear your explanation for this please?

Answer 1

A well presented query, to be sure. Unfortunately, the 'choir' hears you singing, and the creationists cannot. I find this argument to be somewhat humorous. It is, after all, 2006 - not 1506. Read about some of the past errors of religious leaders and zealots - one of my favorites is Galileo, though Kepler and Newton are also attention-getting. The dilemma you face is simple enough: it's like you have to display your actual boyfriend, while your creationist opponent gets to display her invisible imaginary friend. Evolution is not a theory, it is a fact. That's it - just like celestial mechanics: the earth really is not the center of the universe - or solar system. Yet, it took hundreds of years to be accepted by religious groups whose power bases were threatened with the truth. Again, well presented point.

Answer 2

Perhaps I will...but first explain how evolution supports these facts...

1) The Cambrian Explosion, where almost all life of all kinds appeared on earth in a relatively short timeframe.
2) Irreducible complexity -- like within our human cells. This is where mechanisms required for life need two or more independent components working together at the same time. This is quite counter to one cell to the next to the next to the next kind of evolution that happens by chance.
3) Aside from microevolution within a kind (or species), why have we not ever seen or proved one kind evolving into another?

I leave the questions at those three for now. By the way...if you are such an anti-Creationist, then what makes you think our appendix is something that is useless? Perhaps we are evolving iinto a new creature that will eventually sport giant appendixes that will be our...second brain?

Answer 3

being able to live without something does not make it useless. you could continue living without your thumbs, but that doesn't mean theyr'e useless.

the appendix is part of the immune system, and keeps the bacteria in your large intestine from leaving your large intestine. as far as i know, there are no vestigial organs that are still considered so by the majority of biologists. if you want to keep up to date on the debate, you should read about "junk DNA" instead. that's the new evolutionary argument that replaced the "vestigials" argument.

of course, the idea of "junk DNA" doesn't seem to be panning out as well as some thought it would as we're always finding new uses for this DNA, but that's unrelated.

Answer 4

once these laws were found many religious people were like "ok, but god put them there in the first place" and they don't necessarily contradict the bible, for example (the bible doesn't say god is pushing the earth around, for instance) but evolution does contradict a literal interpretation of genesis, and is explaining how we got here, making god unnecessary. i do believe that the laws don't need to be put in place, and what is manifest as many complex interactions is fundamentally a few principles. for example, group theory in mathematics - we define 4 properties and we see immense order out of it - but I don't believe that god carefully defined all laws in mathematics, and in group theory, all the theorems and properties that arise from these few laws (thinking about it, did god foresee or determine we would come up with these axioms and then create their properties? or did we happen upon a law that god put there, one of an absolute infinity that had to be rigourously set out? no, IMHO). Rather, from base components we have a working universe - not one that doesn't work, or it wouldn't exist. So as long as we have a universe we have some order, and mathematics is a manifestation of that inherent order of a universe that is able to exist, to me (or at least our working universe)

Answer 5

Ok, I feel a need to jump in right here:

"We only use 10% of our brain too for which we humans have no answer except God made us that way"

No, we don't. The old 10% of our brains story is a MYTH, we use all of our brains. Guess what else in that sentence is a myth?

Answer 6

The appendix is good for "appendisitis" which is good for the economy because of the monies required to perform the surgery. Imagine the economic shortfall is we didnt have this useless organ?

So obviously "God" put it there to help line the pockets of the medical community.

Answer 7

The A is part of the Digestive system. As for what is does in humans today is hard to say. But It was mostly use back in the day to houses the bacteria that digest cellulose, a chemically tough carbohydrate that we could not otherwise utilize.

Answer 8

In heaven you will need the appendix.

Just kidding.

Answer 9

Good luck finding many folks who can read your vocabulary! All I know is... we are no longer in need of it, I got rid of mine many decades ago without ill effects. So why would a god create in invalid or useless organ. A god wouldn't. I like how you think!

Answer 10

We only use 10% of our brain too for which we humans have no answer except God made us that way....maybe in the future a disease will be discovered and the appendix will be the organ to save your life.