Does Intelligent Design have a theory of the beginning of life?

Question

According to Intelligent Design, how did life come from non-life? By that I mean, when life first began to exist, how did it happen?

I should note that I'm not talking about life in this universe, but life in general. According to cdesign proponentists (design proponents), life in the universe was created by some greater life form (like God). That's biogenesis (life from life) and therefore insufficient to explain abiogenesis (life from nonlife).

So where did the first life form (God) come from? How did living material form from inanimate material?

In short, what's the Intelligent Design theory of abiogenesis?

Nina and az-bandit: I'm asking about the beginning of life, not the beginning of the universe. Since God's alive, his beginning needs to be included in that too. (Unless God is dead, which I think most cdesign proponentists would say isn't the case)

To everybody who's saying that God created life: Are you trying to tell me that God isn't alive? I'm pretty sure he/she/it would be upset after hearing you claim that. A story of the beginning of life would necessarily need to include the beginning of God as well, unless God was never alive.

Answer 1

clays...
about 3.5+ billion years ago photosynthetic mats were formed on clay substrates. Clays had the surface topography necessary to allow *assembly* of molecules necessary to form first life forms. The mats formed on shores of oceans and were protected from hostille atmosphere which Earth had at this time. they later generated the oxygen necessary to alter the atmosphere and make it habitable to life. They (clays) did not act as catalysts, but something much more interesting, they provided the topography (assembly plane, if you will) for molecules to combine and form photosynthetic mats, montorillonite and other materials such as zeolites could have been involved. Ocean acted as a protective medium, as the atmosphere at this point would be lethal to primitive life forms. That is still insufficient to satisfactorily explain abiogenesis, but it is a tiny step in that direction. Perhaps the truth is a bit beyond our current understanding of the Cosmos. Or, maybe, the Chinese are right, the world is nothing more than a dream of a crane and a dew drop on a blade of grass.
While I do not believe it, the biblical reference to man being "made out of clay" is intriguing, but nothing more than an interesting coincidence.
EDIT: Vishal, do you know what "capo" meant in the concentration camps of WWII Europe ? an *enforcer* for the Nazis... thought I share this with you...

Answer 2

Your question is the wrong way round. ID *is* a theory for the beginning of life (albeit a non-scientific one). Evolution is the field that doesn't have a theory for the beginning of life. Of course - that's because evolution DOESN'T HAVE TO because evolution is *not* about the beginning of life. It's about how life changes and has changed since then! ID is not the only "field" interested in patterns in DNA. Genetics, molecular evolution, molecular biology, and others are all interested in this, and are actively exploring it. Have you heard of transposable elements? They were discovered by Barbara McClintock by studying patterns in chromatin. Why do you think a non-scientific field such as ID is required to study these phenomena? I'm afraid that you are - once again - displaying your complete ignorance about science in general, and evolution in particular. In fact, you don't even seem to know what Intelligent Design is. Have fun belittleing yourself in front of an audience of thousands.

Answer 3

God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. In the beginning He created.
He created the beginning. Limiting God can't be done. Time would limit Him if he were of this realm. He is Spirit and not tied to physical law. Having created He desired to experience, wouldn't you think? What better way than to enter as the Son?
Your questions and entire thought process are tied to the physical realm that is tied to law. There is more to existence than that. God breathed His Spirit into Adam. Adam threw it away and God wanted to make it available to him again. It is the spirit that continues after physical death, so go ahead and speculate what hell is all about. Perfect righteousness wants no part of evil so evil is eternally separated from Him.
You are missing so much life and understanding.

Intelligent design needs no theory. Proof lies outside empirical evidence's reach. All of physical reality testifies to the greatness of the Creator.

Answer 4

Like Dawkins said, ID only postpones the question because any "designer" would need to be at least as complex as his creations (paraphrased of course).

It's funny how Creationists (Intelligent Design proponents if you like) believe a fantastical sky daddy just poofed life into existence while at the same time claim abiogenesis via primordial soup is utterly improbable.

Answer 5

God has always existed. There has never been a time that He didn't exist and there will never be a time He will not exist. In the beginning God spoke all things into being. He is omnipitant and Holy. There is no way that we can fully understand His wisdom or His glory. As for humans, we became living souls when God breathed into the first man, Adam's , nostrils the breath of life...He breathed into Him His own Spirit which is in itself life. Without God, there is no life as God Himself is the essence of life.

Answer 6

This is a fine explanation of why ID is *not* scientific.

Instead of providing a parsimonious explanation (one which simplifies the issues), it proposes an explanation that multiplies the questions vastly.
If the answer is "God did it", it just leads to such questions as "How did God do it?", "Who made God?", "How did God do it?" and so on.

That said: God, if He exists, does so outside the normal laws of the physical universe (being omnipotent and omniscient). As such, the adjectives "alive" and "dead" have no meaning for Him: they can only be applied to normal, physical beings.

Answer 7

I think the cdesign proponentist position is best summed up this way (as stated by another user):

Intelligent design needs no theory. Proof lies outside empirical evidence's reach. All of physical reality testifies to the greatness of the Creator.

Or rather: Intelligent design IS real, it IS real, it IS real, nanny nanny boo boo, it IS real!

Answer 8

From the facts presented here, i have to disagree with a "science" of Intelligent Design. My own version is that science is probably on the right track with the WHAT and WHEN, and God is HOW and WHY.

Answer 9

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Psa.33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

Col.1:16 For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: Col.1:17 And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.

Rev.4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.

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The proof and evidence is all around you and everywhere, undeniable proof, and indisputable visible evidence. It is called creation and life. Unless your are blind, deaf, and senseless. You can see, smell, taste, hear, feel, and examine the evidence.
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We live on a planet teeming with life. Plant life with approximately 250,000 species, animal life with over a million species. Scientists are learning just how complex life is. So complex that it requires design. The evidence of design requires a designer. Scientists are also learning the conditions for life; just how perfect conditions here on planet Earth are to support all this life.
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The human brain, it absorbs forty megabytes per second of data while awake. That is two terabytes of data a day. At night, it sorts and stores that data through the creation of new chemical bonds and synaptic connectors.
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Sure, right, this all just happened and evolved. This sort of thinking takes considerable faith, exponentially more faith than believing in a creator.
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Answer 10

Intelligent design = God did it