What is the best evidence or argument for intelligent design?

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TL;DR:

Evidence for intelligent design includes the beginning of the universe, the fine-tuning of physical constants, and the origin of information in DNA.

from the old testament

  • Genesis testifies to an Intelligent Designer: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
  • God created everything, including human beings: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27).
  • The complexity of the natural world supports intelligent design theory: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).
  • Psalm 139:14 praises God for the complex design of the human body. Such complexity is near impossible without an intelligence behind it.

from the new testament

  • Christ created (hence designed) all things: "All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3).
  • Christ sustains all things: "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17). Christ upholds the universe by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).
  • God is the Creator of all things: "For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God" (Hebrews 3:4).

implications for today

The anthropic principle states that the universe appears to have been fine-tuned (designed) for our existence. Over one hundred fundamental physical constants and properties of our universe are fine-tuned such that life would not exist if these values were changed even slightly. Examples include the strength of gravity, the speed of light, and favorable planetary conditions, including Earth's atmosphere and water.

Intelligent Design (ID) says that intelligent causes are necessary to explain the complex, information-rich structures of biology and that these causes are empirically detectable. Darwinian materialism has failed to explain the biological information in DNA sequences. It is now known that the information content and capabilities of the cell go far beyond simple computer programming analogies. Many ID theorists believe the irreducibly complex biomachinery found in cells and the complex specified information present within protein molecules and DNA code clearly and unequivocally point to an Intelligent Designer—God.

The 2021 ID book by Stephen C. Meyer, Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe, provides scientific evidence with logical arguments that the intelligent designer of the universe is the theistic God of the Bible.

understand

  • The universe had a beginning, which points to an intelligent first cause.
  • The complexity of nature points to an Intelligent Designer.
  • The most logical explanation for the information in DNA is an Intelligent Designer.

reflect

  • What components of the natural world best testify to you that it was designed?
  • How does biological complexity, such as that found in human beings, help you to understand intelligent design theory?
  • How does knowing that Christ sustains all things affect your perspective on the world in which we live?

engage

  • What are some common-sense arguments we can use with unbelievers to introduce intelligent design?
  • How can we reply to those who say Intelligent Design is not a true “science”?
  • What flaws in materialism can we share with unbelievers in a discussion about intelligent design?