A friend of mine in the field of microbiology sent me a piece which concerned a symposium on the subject of microbes and creationism and I have to admit I had a hard time wrapping my head around it when I first read it, but after rereading the various ideas put forth at the meeting I began to see what a problem microbes are to creationism. After all, if you accept that God created all life and that it was perfect in form and function, and that in the days before the fall of man that immortality was the rule…why would you need bacteria and fungus? What purpose would a virus have?
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16
Were bacteria all beneficial to earth at the time they were created, were they necessary as native intestinal flora as they are today, and did they change after Adam and Eve ate the apple off the Tree of Knowledge? You can see that this is all very heady stuff if you’re a creationist, and that it’s important that you concoct some very “Sciency” answers to those questions. So without further interruption from me, your science host, here are some excerpts from that meeting.
For creationists, biblical studies and current microbiological research suggests that factors leading to pathogenicity in bacteria may be attributed to the Fall of man and the Curse on the original “good” creation that is now undergoing decay. The origin of bacterial diseases is complex and multifaceted and may be explained by a combination of factors including mutations, mobile genes, and man’s protective defense mechanisms. The hypothesis is that a common pattern in the origin of bacterial diseases found in many is the modification and displacement of originally “good” bacteria.
A common focus among creationists has been the degeneracy in genomic pathways that lead to pathogenesis. Most bacterial diseases are too complex to be the result of the simple deterioration of a bacterial genome. A more likely genome “recipe” for germ genesis is to reduce, add, and “stir” the DNA. The loss of genomic and metabolic pathways has been typically understated in the evolutionary biology literature. Alan Gillen,
Degeneration in nature? Eek Gads! So the idea is that all bacteria were good, but after man sins against God that the bacteria get punished too? I teach genetics quite a bit on the molecular level because it helps students put their heads around what Darwin was writing in On the Origin of Species and my understanding of a mutating genome involves allowing that organism to fill a niche in the environment or to better compete in that niche, so degeneration is a word that I don’t think I’ve ever used in a lecture. But I promised to be quiet, so here’s some more.
Many pathogenic microbes appear to be altered when compared to non-disease-causing microbes. Creationists suggest that this alteration may have occurred as a result of the Fall. However, some microbes may cause disease not because they are altered in some fashion (through genetic changes) but because they have spread to a location which allows them to invade an organism they were not created to interact with. Joseph W. Francis, The Master’s College, Santa Clarita, California
Oh, so now God did create pathogenic bacteria, but segregated it from the garden so Adam and Eve wouldn’t fall prey to the geographically disadvantaged microbes, and if they weren’t created to interact with a particular organism…why can they? You can see why I had to read these statements several times to untwist the logic. But I digress.
Fungi are amazing organisms. As a group, they have colonized practically every ecological niche on earth. Originally created “very good,” certain fungal interactions have degenerated over time resulting in serious human and animal diseases. Fungi are also capable of producing powerful compounds called mycotoxins, which are products of the nonessential processes of secondary metabolism. Mycotoxins are a type of secondary metabolite, and as such are not normally required for normal growth and reproduction. In fact, one particular mycotoxin, ergot alkyloid, may have been the cause of the Salem Witch Trials. Consumption of ergot alkyloid can result in hallucinations, convulsions, and gangrene of the extremities. Other mycotoxins are potent carcinogens, while others are immunosuppressive. However, other secondary metabolites are useful. Many antibiotic drugs including penicillin and cyclosporin are secondary metabolites. Likewise, many cholesterol lowering drugs are based on the “statin” class of secondary metabolites.
Fungi have been important in agriculture for centuries as both commodities and crop pests. Much of our understanding of fungal biology stems from research on plant pathogenic fungi. Since the Fall, many plant-fungal interactions have deteriorated into parasitic and/or pathogenic relationships: biotrophic, hemibiotrophic, and necrotrophic interactions. These interactions result in famine and potential contamination of crops with toxins harmful to humans and animals. Also of concern is the expansion of medically relevant fungi. Fungal pathogens are difficult to treat in humans and animals due to the similar biochemistry of fungal and animal systems. Recent research demonstrates a possible mechanism for the rise of animal pathogenesis in fungi: co-opting of environmentally relevant survival mechanisms for survival in the host environment. More research is needed to elucidate the means by which these originally “very good” microorganisms devolved into the destructive pests and pathogens they have become. Ira S. Loucks, Independent Scholar
Here’s the de-evolution idea again, with an even more centrist agenda, that age old argument that if its bad for humans it has to be pointless in the real world of the organism. Here the author states that mycotoxins are nonessential products of secondary metabolism. They cause cancer, suppress the immune system and other horrendous things…so they must be a product of the “fall”.
Well here’s the thing…if you were to look at mycotoxins from the view of a fungus you’d begin to realize that these are very handy weapons designed to kill other forms of life which is then used by the fungus as a convenient carbon source. So if the “fall” was indeed the cause of mycotoxins then fungi everywhere are probably singing a hallelujah to heaven for creating two stupid humans who ate an apple and made life better for fungi everywhere.
These are only a few examples of the wackiness to be found from the Proceedings of the Microbe Forum, June 2007. If you’d like to look at the rest of the pieces they can be found at;
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/arj/v1/n1/proceedings-microbe-forum
Be sure to take a couple of aspirin before you read it though because I guarantee that you’ll have a headache if you don’t.
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