I read an interesting article today titled Darwinist-Materialist Misconceptions About The Human Genome Project and I think it’s worth commenting on because there are a couple of things I really do not agree with. In that particular article, from someone selling a book of course, there’s an argumentation about the fact that God is controlling your destiny and that there’s not much you can do about it: You are programmed to live the life you live.

So, first of all, let’s have a look the core of this article:

This is true for everyone and every event. For instance, God has created everyone with a certain lifetime and everyone’s moment of death is determined as to its location, time and form in the sight of God. If, in the years to come, someone’s lifetime is extended with timely interventions in the genes, this would not mean that this event defeated that person’s destiny. It simply means the following: God gave this man a long life and He made the completion of gene mapping a means for his life being long. The discovery of the gene map, that person’s living in that period and that person’s life being extended by scientific means are all his destiny. All is determined in the sight of God before this person is born into the world.

Similarly, someone whose fatal sickness is cured through the discoveries made within the scope of this project has again not changed his destiny. That is because it is this person’s destiny to recover from this illness by means of this project. Consequently, completion of the human genome project and the fact that man will be able to intervene in the genetic makeup, do not mean confronting the destiny created by God. On the contrary, in this way, mankind follows the developments created for it by God, and explores and benefits from the information created by God. If man lives 120 years thanks to these scientific developments, this is surely a lifetime decreed for him by God, that is why he lives so long.

While I don’t have any problems with religion and people believing in God, I think sometimes it goes too far. I don’t like how everything seems so clear and right. Like “God created everyone with a certain lifetime and everyone’s moment of death is determined as to its location, time and form”. What if it’s not the way God (assuming it exist) is dealing with us? How can you be so sure of such affirmation? I think it’s just speaking of something nobody has any idea about. The only thing we can do is PRESUME that’s the way God created us: With a start and end time bound to a location. You can’t say for sure that’s how it is.

Then comes science has not much to do with us living longer, it’s all God’s will. So basically, a thousand years ago, God didn’t give a damn about people so that’s why they weren’t making it further than 40 years old? Now, science, medical breakthrough and quality of life are all factors helping us staying alive longer, but that’s only because of God’s will? God is feeling a little generous with us so he allows us to play with DNA and everything? I think it’s a little more complicated than that and I believe we have a certain form of control over our life. I’m sorry but I don’t feel my life is being programmed. I feel it’s just a poor attempt at tying God with modern science. I’m not trying to kill the idea of God, who am I to say such a thing? I just don’t feel right about this theory that you have a certain destiny and if for a reason you go out of your predetermined path, well God will probably allow it. It just sounds like we can do whatever we want, God is just feeling generous these days. So, if we can do whatever we want without God interveigning in our business these days, does that mean we don’t have a destiny after all? Now we go the opposite direction with the same argument.

This is a poor explanation of God Vs. Science in my opinion, but you’re the judge. I just feel the author was trying to explain the relation between God, science and destiny but his argumentation is kind of killing the idea of destiny.

You think I’m pushing it too far? I’ll end with this quote:

Consequently, the discovery of the human genetic makeup by no means implies man’s challenge to his destiny, and it never can. Every incident, every act of speech and development are all predetermined in the sight of God according to a certain destiny. So are scientific developments and the innovations they will introduce. God is All-Knowing, and All-Encompassing.