Why then is there a case for creation? On earth today, so far, about 2,000,000 species of living creatures have been identified (which is only a conservative estimate), each with their own forms, functionality, instinct and intelligence. A spectrum of these would include 300,000 species of plants, 30,000 species of fishes, and 6,000 species of mammals. There are more species of invertebrates such as ground insects which live on land, as well as life forms that exist deep in the oceans. Could all these have emerged from “simple cells” that evolve entirely by themselves over millions of years? As we consider how trillions of living creatures live in a symbiosis manner in the ecosystems, one cannot help feeling that it would be mightily impossible for all these to have happened by themselves. When we look at the amazing diversity of life on earth, at the planets revolving around the sun along their set paths, and the regularity and rhythm in the universe, we have to wonder if there is more to it than meets the eyes. Can all these really happen without a Designer who planned out the precise and intricate details?
I was not a believer by birth. One day, I asked a school friend, Lo Sovan, why he believed that God existed, and he said, “Look at the creation. How come all these happen by itself without God?” At that time, I found it difficult to deny that there was a ring of truth in what he said. In school, we were told about the theories of creation and evolution. However, looking at the millions of species of living creatures on earth, one could not help feeling that it was just too far-fetched to believe that they could have evolved all by themselves into such a highly sophisticated state: It is simply impossible – and this is the most common implicit opinion of most people, even if they are not Christians. Ancient civilizations burned incense and offerings to please the deities that they believed created the earth and all living things – and this belief still continues now, in the form of worship at pagan temples, mosques and churches. Amid our age of technology today, most people still cannot bring themselves to see how countless elements and living things on earth could really happen all by themselves.
The above is adapted from 'Understanding Prayer, Faith and God's will' by Roman Ri