[exDemMom]

As a scientist, I also see too much redundancy and just plain inefficiency to be able to believe that living organisms were carefully crafted.

Why would a creator reinvent the wheel for every single organism? And not just the wheel, but the hubcap, bolts, axles, and every other part—it doesn’t make sense. But from an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense.

A living organism is nothing more than a conglomeration of chemical reactions. Like any other chemical reactions, they occur as a result of external influences.

I do not have to believe in a literal 7-day creation in order to believe in God, or to be a Christian. To me, the lack of evidence of a Genesis-style creation does not challenge my faith, nor do I see why it should challenge anyone’s. The miracle is that life is even possible, not in the specific process by which it came to have the variety it has today.

[grey_whiskers]

As a scientist, I also see too much redundancy and just plain inefficiency to be able to believe that living organisms were carefully crafted.

Depends. Are they Linux-based or Microsoft-based?

Think class inheritance.

...and as a scientist, I've learned the danger of assuming that whatever motivates a scientist is really what motivates everyone or anyone else, including God.

He might not have been after engineering efficiency, but artistry, or trying to see what He could do with very specific design constraints, as in a cosmic soapbox derby.

Cheers!