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Does DNA indirectly point to the existence of God? Evolution assumes that from the first cell to the complex living things we see today, everything appeared naturally through processes that can be repeated in similar conditions. The complexity of DNA, however, presents reasonable doubts about this explanation. Many features of DNA are so complicated that it’s hard to believe they occurred naturally without the intervention of an intelligent being. Here are some of the most important reasons why some believe DNA points to God.
1. DNA is designed to be non-repetitive
Humans first appeared on Earth 7 million years ago. During this time, no two people have had the same exact DNA. Chromosomes within the DNA are randomly shuffled during formation using patterns that ensure repetition is impossible. This raises questions on whether this can be a natural process, uninfluenced by any form of intelligence. If it were all 100% natural, repetitions would be possible, and it would be possible for two people with the same exact DNA to be alive. The fact that uniqueness is guaranteed is generally viewed by many as a sign that DNA was carefully designed by an intelligent being in ways that forbid repetition.
2. DNA fine-tuning
The adaptations that living things develop to better fit into their habitats are a sign that DNA continuously evolves, or is fine-tuned by external stimuli. Lions that live in savanna grasslands that have tall brown grass, for example, develop a brown coat that matches the grasses' color, giving them the natural camouflage needed to surprise prey. Eagles evolved to have keen eyesight that can make out a mouse on the ground from a ten-story building. Science often does not explain how these evolutions take place. Without intelligence, natural processes cannot know which color best suits a lion's coat or why keen eyesight benefits an eagle. The fact that these helpful features often appear on their own on living things is also interpreted by many as a sign that there is a designer who fine-tunes DNA over time.
3. DNA Complexity
A printout of your DNA information can fill close to a million A4-size pages. That's how complex DNA is. Every little detail relating to how your body works has been mapped down to the specifics in a very detailed and elaborate way. Some believe DNA resembles computer code or a fancy language. The functioning of DNA itself often requires so many interdependent interactions between proteins that it’s hard to believe it was not designed to operate this way. The complexity of DNA generally implies that an intelligent being did all the intricate work of forming something that is significantly complex.
Arguments against DNA as a sign of an intelligent creator generally focus on the fact that natural processes and adaptation can lead to the complex nature of DNA as we know it today. While natural processes led to the development of DNA, natural selection ensured that species that had the right features for their habitat survived. Through adaptation, life forms were able to develop new features based on what suited their habitat.
The complexity of DNA generally implies that a creator exists. It's almost impossible to imagine how such complex structures could come to exist on their own. Due to the absence of a widely accepted scientific hypothesis of how DNA develops and how it changes, it's quite reasonable to accept the fact that it was designed by God.
