how did the spark of life happen on this planet?

Question

can the answer be purely scientific or does theology come into it somewhere.

Answer 1

This question can be answered both scientifically or in
theological way.Here i am dealing more with the approach than answering the question.Because once you are satisfied by your approach then practise will become easier.
Scientific approach is dependable as it can be proved based on tests and investigations.It will answer our experimental enquiries and satisfy our mind.,
Unfortunately it is not fully satisfying in certain areas as it is having its own limitations.It will be worth noting that every scientific inventions exposes the human inadequacy in understanding the subject under investigation,and he is quite amazed to know the distance he has to travel further in the investigation.After all we can and are making our research in what is existing that we see and feel and what is available that is what we are trying to bring out. Some times we may not be able to find any answer.In other words we have to accept that there are limitations in our quest of knowing (trying to know) everything.
When we realise our limitations, we go for the alternatives available. Only from here we are turning our attention to the theology.For certain things we are finding the answer in theology.To accept or not is individual business.But that is the only alternative available to us.
The scientific enquiry should continue to explore the hidden truths without ridiculing the theology and its approach.My professor Dr .P. NAGARAJARAO of Madras University(Dr S.Radhakrishnan dept of philosophy) used to quote that ''man's extremity is God's opportunity.''
My answer to this question is that we should pursue our scientific enquiry not totally rejecting the theology .The hidden hand of the Supreme force by whatever name you may call it, cannot be ruled-out.

Answer 2

The simple answer is that we do not know!

The lightning experiments mentioned elsewhere, while not actually creating life, do give us a tantalising glimpse of possible cause. The comet idea (life from elsewhere) also has something going for it. Clearly, we have not yet accrued enough evidence to be absolutely sure. I do however think that in the fullness of time we will get closer to the answer. (Then we can get onto other pressing questions!)

All science admits to new ideas, new information, revisions in the light of new evidence. The same cannot be said for some 'beliefs'. At this point permit me to be pedantic. Faith is a belief in something without proof or evidence. A theory is a suggested explanation for a group of facts or observations accepted as a basis for further verification or something that may be accepted as true.

In this case, evolution is a theory which has a huge basis of repeatedly observed and recorded phenomena to back it up. To date, no better ideas have come up (at least those that hold up to scrutiny) about the rise of life on Earth. So while it is true that evolution (via pre-biotic conditions of Earth, or 'seeding' from space) is a theory, it at least has some reasonable basis to it. I therefore fail to see how the currently accepted theory of evolution of life can be regarded as faith. Calling evolution a 'faith' is a typical canard used by the religious to distort matter to their advantage.

While we do not know, and perhaps cannot know for certain, I think that science alone, and the data we already have (and perhaps with more to come) can explain matters. If more information arrives we will resolve the question. Something that I think religion manifestly does not do is provide us with reasonable, testable, repeatable answers to this question.

Answer 3

There is no absolute answer. All the experiments prove is that amino acids can be created from quite simple ingredients but that's not life. Hydrocarbons have been found contained in meteorites so it's possible that that earth was seeded from an extra terrestrial source. Also it is assumed that life originated and was made extinct a number of times (this is also referred to in the bible. God created man and then later created Adam).
However the lightening bolts that may have started life are as ephemeral as the word of god.
If life is found off world, and it has the same DNA structure as earth than extra terrestrial idea is a strong possibility but then were did that start? You can just pick an idea and go with it. If it was lightening wasn't this the hand of god?

Answer 4

Re: the answer about the experiment in the 50's. 1 way at looking at the results of that experiment is it proves that life was created, because a scientist [presumably intelligent] designed the experiment. The Jehovah Witnesses have a book that gives some food for thought on this subject. It gets a bit preachy towards the end but the first few chapters are interesting. Sorry I can't remember the name of it.

Answer 5

Science and theology are not mutually exclusive. Newton was a strong christian, and came up with some of the fundemental laws of nature.

There is only 3 ways people came to be on this planet.
1. Humans were "created" here
2. Humans "evolved" here
3. Humans were brought here from another planet

Which of these are true, requires faith. Evolution has not proved it is true, this is why it is still a theory. To believe it to be true requires just as much faith as the person that believes we were created.
The third option also requires just as much faith, because there has not been any proof of us living on another planet or in another solar system.

Answer 6

If you are asking from a purely scientific point of view then you will probably never have an adequate explanation for "life" not just existence and motion.
Since I believe in God and am a Christian I believe I know the answer to that question.
Oh well, I guess you can't have everything.

Answer 7

there isn't any life on this planet. There use too be, but it was replaced by workable facsimiles around 1953.
thats why you get that funny feeling when you wake up in the night.
go to any shopping centre and study facial expressions.
Or phone a helpline
Or emergency service
you will note that nothing actually happens
Spitting Image was real people
the imbecilic blank faces staring at the screen were not
If you have a spark, you might well use it, we need one

Answer 8

Miller-Urey experiment in 1953
The experiment used water (H2O), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen (H2). The chemicals were all sealed inside a sterile array of glass tubes and flasks connected together in a loop, with one flask half-full of liquid water and another flask containing a pair of electrodes. The liquid water was heated to induce evaporation, sparks were fired between the electrodes to simulate lightning through the atmosphere and water vapor, and then the atmosphere was cooled again so that the water could condense and trickle back into the first flask in a continuous cycle. The molecules produced were simple organic molecules, far from a complete living biochemical system, but the experiment established that the hypothetical processes could produce some building blocks of life without requiring life to synthesize them first.
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller-Urey_experiment)
The answer for all you D Adams fans ... is of course... 42

Answer 9

My partner recently said to me we lived on a another planet and ruined that one so came to earth, and are doing the same. WE live in Gloucester and recently had floods. I asked my Sunday school teacher many years ago how we evolved from just Adam and Eve as they had 2 sons. she answered, Adam means lots of men and Eve means lots of women. Even then i thought the answer was daft.

Answer 10

Many scientist's believe that amino acids were created through electricity/lightning. This was the beginning of the building blocks for life.