The Intelligent Design Movement

Intelligent design is a theory of origins that recognizes the element of design in nature or that phenomena in nature show the characteristics of being designed by an intelligent power or force, in opposition to the evolutionist belief that all things in nature formed naturalistically by random processes or without any intelligent or divine creation or intervention. Therefore, intelligent design has similarities to creation science and the young-earth creation movement. However, despite acknowledging that nature shows characteristics of design, the intelligent design movement refuses to name who the creator is or how and why the intelligent design occurred. In addition, intelligent design refrains from using any religious scripture and uses only scientific explanations. Intelligent design does not specify or endorse any particular religion, but only identifies the evidence of intelligent design in nature based on scientific evidence. In contrast, young earth creationists particularly cite Biblical scripture along with scientific evidence and is therefore identified specifically with Christianity. Intelligent design does not specifically endorse the young-earth belief, and many in the intelligent design movement accept the millions of years like the theistic evolution movement. Therefore, intelligent design has the same problem that theistic evolution has: the acceptance of millions and billions of years of death and pain before the first sin in the Garden of Eden. Because of this, intelligent design contradicts Biblical theology just like theistic evolution and the old-earth creationist theory. The only explanation of origins that is Biblically accurate is the acceptance of the Creation Week described in the Book of Genesis and the 6,000-year old timeline for the Earth and the universe.