What is Intelligent Design?

The phrase “Intelligent Design” in its broadest sense refers to a non-scientific teleological argument for the existence of god. A simplistic example is the argument that the universe, or a part within it, appears to be too complex, ordered or purposeful to have occurred without having been designed by god. ID is nothing more than an argument from ignorance in which god is invoked to fill in the gaps of scientific knowledge. As science has increased our understanding of the natural world, the role left for god has become exceedingly smaller, if not totally unnecessary.

Before modern science came into existence, god was invoked to explain anything in nature that man could not understand. How did the earth, sun, moon, and stars come into being? God created them ex nihilo.1 How did life get created? God created the animals and plants, each according to their kind. Why do women suffer during childbirth? Why do snakes have no legs? Why do we die? Because of original sin.2 Why are their rainbows? It's a sign from god that he will not destroy the earth in another flood.3

As modern science developed man began to find natural explanations for the same questions that religion failed to correctly answer. Astronomy was able to demonstrate how the solar system formed. Geology revealed that the earth was ancient. Paleontology, biology, and genetics were able to unequivocally show that all life evolved from common ancestors. Women suffer in childbirth because evolutionary forces favored humans with large brains. Snakes evolved from reptiles with legs and slowly lost them as them became less useful. Death and suffering existed for millions of years before humans existed. As for the rainbow? There never was a global flood, and rainbows were around before there were any animals alive on earth who could even observe them.

Arguments from design for the existence of god -- that are not patently absurd -- are becoming increasingly fewer. Today the intelligent design movement has turned to more recent areas of scientific research in order to find any gaps in scientific knowledge in which they can forcibly insert a need for god. One area of science the intelligent design movement has chosen to assault is biochemical systems, since they believe they are too complex to have evolved. ID proponents, such as Dr. Behe, argue that some biochemical systems are irreducibly complex and must have been designed by an intelligent being; i.e., god. Although Dr. Behe works with the Discovery Institute in attacking evolution, Behe is a Roman Catholic who accepts that life evolved from a common ancestor.

Is Intelligent Design creationism?

The evidence clearly suggests that intelligent design is creationism repackaged to sound more scientific and less christian. In 1989 the pseudo-scientific book Of Pandas and People was published. It is considered to be the first book on intelligent design. What is interesting is that the 1987 draft of the book did not even use the phrase intelligent design. The draft of the book was altered after the Supreme Court decided in Edwards v. Aguillard that teaching creation science in public schools violated the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. Subsequently, all the words based upon creationism in Of Pandas and People were changed to ones based upon intelligent design. The term “creationists” was changed accidentally to “cdesign proponentsists” clearing demonstrating “the missing link between creationism and intelligent design.” From here on out I will refer to proponents of intelligent design as “intelligent design creationists.”

1 The Nicene Creed states: “We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” The god of Genesis, however, does not actually create ex nihilo (out of nothing), but simply brings order out of chaos.

2 Genesis 2:4-3:24

3 Genesis 9:12-16