„Because I have influenced people, I want to try to make up for the enormous damage I have done.“ (Anthony Flew)
Nowadays the newspapers reproduce these regrettable words from Antony Flew, who was a well-known atheist philosopher at the time. The 81-year-old British Professor of Philosophy Flew chose to be an atheist at the age of 15 and made a name for himself in his academic field with a paper that was published in 1950. Over the next 54 years, he defended atheism as a teacher at Oxford, Aberdeen, Keele, and Reading universities, at numerous American and Canadian universities he attended, in debates, books, lectures, and articles. However, lately Flew has announced that he has given up his mistake and accepted that the universe was created.
The decisive factor for this radical change in his view is the clear and definitive evidence that science reveals about the subject of creation. Flew realized, given the information-related complexity of life, that the true origin of life must be intelligent design and that atheism, to which he had committed himself for 66 years, was nothing but a dubious philosophy.
Flew announced the scientific reasons behind the change in his belief in the following words:
„The discovery of DNA by biologists, with their almost incredible complexity of the arrangements necessary to create (life), has shown that intelligence must have been involved.“ [1]
„It has become extremely difficult to even begin to think about building a naturalistic theory of the evolution of the first reproductive organism.“ [2]
„I have been convinced that it is simply impossible for the first living matter to be made of dead matter may have arisen and is said to have developed into an extraordinarily complicated creature. ”[3]
Researching DNA, which Flew cites as a fundamental reason for changing his mind, has brought with it truly remarkable facts about creation. The helical shape of the DNA molecule, the presence of a genetic code, the nucleotide strands that prevent pure coincidence, the storage of countless information – all this and more discoveries have proven that the structure and function of this molecule are arranged for life with a special design have been. Comments from scientists working on DNA research testify to this fact.
For example, Francis Crick, one of the scientists who discovered the helical form of DNA, admitted, based on research on DNA, that the origin of life seems like a miracle:
„An honest man, armed with all the knowledge that is now available to us, could only conclude that in an engineering sense the origin of life seems almost miraculous at the moment, so numerous are the conditions that have to be fulfilled, to make it work. „[4]
Based on his calculations, Led Adleman of the University of Southern California at Los Angeles found that a gram of DNA can store as much information as a billion compact discs. [5] Gene Myers, a scientist involved in the Human Genetics Project, said the following, given the wonderful arrangements he witnessed:.
“What really amazes me is the architecture of life… The system is extremely complex. It is as if it was planned … There is huge intelligence there. ”[6]
The most amazing fact about DNA is that the existence of encoded genetic information can definitely not be explained by matter and energy or natural laws. Dr. Werner Gitt, a professor at the German Federal Institute for Physics and Technology, said on this topic:
A code system is always the result of a thought process … It should be emphasized that matter as such is incapable of generating any code. All research results show that a thinking being freely develops his own free will, thinking and creativity … There is no natural law through which matter can get more information, nor is there a physical process or a material phenomenon that does this can accomplish. [7]
Creation scientists and philosophers played a major role in Flew’s assumption that intelligent design is behind all of these discoveries. Flew has recently been involved in debates with scientists and philosophers based on creation and exchanged ideas with them. The final turning point was a discussion organized by the Texas Intermediate Research Institute on May 3, 2003. Professor Flew participated in the discussion with the author Roy Abraham Varghese, a physicist and molecular biologist Gerald Schroeder. Flew was impressed by the amount of scientific evidence that speaks for creation and the persuasiveness of his opponents‘ arguments, and abandoned atheism as a theory in the time that followed the discussion. In a letter, which he wrote for the August / September 2003 edition of the British magazine Philosophy Now, he recommended Schroeder’s book: „The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth“ and Vargheses book: “ The Wonderful World ”. [8] During an interview with the professor of philosophy and theology Gary R. Habermas, who also played a major role in his change of opinion, [9] and also on the video “Has Science Discovered God?” (Did science discover God?) He openly assured that he believed in intelligent design. (The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth) and Vargheses Book: “The Wonderful World”. [8] During an interview with the professor of philosophy and theology Gary R. Habermas, who also played a major role in his change of opinion, [9] and also on the video “Has Science Discovered God?” (Did science discover God?) He openly assured that he believed in intelligent design. (The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth) and Vargheses Book: “The Wonderful World”. [8] During an interview with the professor of philosophy and theology Gary R. Habermas, who also played a major role in his change of opinion, [9] and also on the video “Has Science Discovered God?” (Did science discover God?) He openly assured that he believed in intelligent design.
„Intelligence permeates the universe“ and the breakdown of atheism
Given all of the scientific developments we have mentioned above, the assumption by Anthony Flews, the well-known defender of atheism, that intelligent planning is behind everything reflects a final scene in the process of the collapse that modern science has revealed atheism that „intelligence permeates the universe“.
In his book „The Hidden Face of God“ Gerald Schroeder, one of the creation scientists who influenced Flew, writes:.
„A single consciousness, a universal wisdom permeates the universe. The discoveries of science, the one that explores the quantum nature of subatomic matter, have brought us to the edge of surprising insight. In the laboratories, we experience as information what we previously called energy and then condensed in the form of matter. Every particle, every being from atom to human seems to represent a level of information, of wisdom. „[10]
Scientific research on both the cell function and the subatomic particles of matter undoubtedly revealed this fact to us: life and the universe were brought from nothing to being through the will of an existence that possesses superior knowledge and wisdom. There is no doubt that the owner of this wisdom and reason, who planned the universe with all its levels, is God Almighty. God reveals this truth to us in many verses of the Quran.
Footnotes:
[1] Richard N. Ostling, “Lifelong atheist changes mind about divine creator,” The Washington Times December 10, 2004; (http://washingtontimes.com/national/20041209-113212-2782r.htm.)
[2] Antony Flew: „Letter from Antony Flew on Darwinism and Theology,“ Philosophy Now; (http://www.philosophynow.org/issue47/47flew.htm.)
[3] Stuart Wavell and Will Iredale: “Sorry, says atheist-in-chief, I do believe in God after all,” The Sunday Times, December 12, 2004; (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1400368,00.html)
[4] Francis Crick, Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1981, p . 88
[5] John Whitfield, “Physicists plunder life’s tool chest”, April 24, 2003; (http://www.nature.com/nsu/030421/030421-6.html)
[6] San Francisco Chronicle, February 19, 2001
[7] Werner Gitt, In the Beginning Was Information, CLV, Bielefeld, Germany, pp. 64-7, 79
[8] Antony Flew, „Letter from Antony Flew on Darwinism and Theology,“ Philosophy Now; (http://www.philosophynow.org/issue47/47flew.htm.)
[9] “Atheist Becomes Theist: Exclusive Interview with Former Atheist Antony Flew;” (http://www.biola.edu/antonyflew/index.cfm.)
[10] Gerald Schroeder, The Hidden Face of God, Touchstone, New York, 2001, p. xi.
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/die-wissenschaftliche-welt-wendet-sich-gott-zu