Did Life Begin in a Shallow Pond?

You’re More Than “Chemical Soup”

“Imagine an entirely barren world,” begins a recent CNN article promoting the idea that life on earth began through chemical reactions in a shallow body of water. The author uses words such as “brews,” “cradle of life,” and “warm little pond” to paint a picture of a stew pot busily cooking up the building-blocks of life.

The article, entitled “A shallow lake in Canada could point to the origin of life on Earth,” references research performed at Last Chance Lake, a salty lake located on top of volcanic rock in British Columbia. The lake is interesting and unique, and not because it is no more than 1 foot deep. According to the article, “It contains the highest levels of concentrated phosphate ever recorded in any natural body of water on earth.”

A close reading of the article reveals there are two types of science being presented: observational science and historical science.

Observational science is performed by running experiments and recording results. It produces consistent facts that do not change. Observational science and the methods it employs has produced the marvels of technology and medicine we enjoy today. An example of observational science in the article can be found in the following sentence:

“When scientists have tried in a lab to replicate the chemical reactions that make the biomolecules believed to be key to the origin of life, the necessary phosphate concentrations are up to a million times higher than what is normally found in the world’s natural bodies of water.”

The facts of observational science presented in the sentence above include 1) scientists make biomolecules through chemical reactions; and 2) the concentrations of phosphate needed for those chemical reactions to produce biomolecules are up to a million times higher than those found in natural bodies of water. However, intermingled with the facts of observations science is this article, there are sprinklings of evolutionary idealism, such as “believed to be key to the origin of life.”

Historical science, unlike observational science, cannot be observed, and there is no way to provide any evidence that what has been assumed is true. An example of historical science can be found in these sentences from the article:

“If you had these types of lakes on the ancient Earth, they would be really high in phosphate …. Still, phosphate in mass abundance isn’t the sole substance needed for the origin of life. That list of prerequisites also includes carbon and nitrogen sources, as well as the right chemical and physical elements — including phenomena known as wet-dry cycles — that allow for the formation of necessary chemical compounds and reactions.”

Historical science is based on speculation, but it is used – sometimes very convincingly – as though it were proven fact. See how the author straightforwardly states that there are prerequisites needed for the origin of life – carbon, nitrogen, phosphate, and “the right chemical and physical elements.” The author implies that science has proven that life can form spontaneously as long as everything it requires to do so is present.

The author’s first word, “Imagine,” is an apt word for this line of thinking, for science has never observed the spontaneous organization of biomolecules into the genetic database required to be considered “life.” There are no viable models to explain the jump between the “building blocks of life” to “life.”

This theory is known as abiogenesis – life arising from non-life. It was disproven in the 1600’s when observational science showed that maggots don’t spontaneously arise from rotting meat. In fact, the more observational science humans perform, the more complicated we find “life” to be. Therefore the gap between “life” and its building blocks is continuously growing, and most secular scientists and authors don’t even try to bridge it anymore. They just assume it must have happened by natural means because they don’t believe in any other option.

A Christian with a Biblical worldview, shod in the full armor of God, can see right through the propaganda of “news” articles such as these. Using the Bible, “Imagine an entirely barren world.” That is the scene of day three of Creation week (Genesis 1:9), right after God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” Two verses later, God caused the earth to sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit. This is the origin of plant life on earth. On days five and six, He created all the animal life on earth and then concluded His work with the pinnacle of His creation: man and woman.

It is interesting to note that God created the plants, animals, and Adam from the earth (Genesis 1:12, 24; 2:7). Starting with this truth, scientists should be able to perform observational science to prove that the elements found in living organisms – carbon, nitrogen, phosphate, etc. – are also found in the earth. And in fact, that is exactly what science shows.

You and I are not the result of “the right chemical and physical elements.” We are so much more. We are the people that God created to dwell with forever. We are the people who broke relationship with Him when we rebelled against Him through disobedience. And we are the people Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross to purchase and restore to right relationship with Him, so we can live with Him forever. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another ….” (Col 3:16). Amen.