Christianity & the Design Argument (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Christianity and the classical design argument

What is the Design Argument?

• The design argument (also known as the teleological Argument) is one of the classical arguments put forward to support the existence of God

• It suggests that the world’s order, complexity, and purpose point to the existence of an intelligent designer

• The design argument says that because everything in the universe is so intricately made, it must have been created by God. Therefore God exists

• The design argument is based on the observation that the universe appears to be ordered, structured, and finely tuned to support life

  • For example, the earth’s perfect distance from the sun, the laws of physics, and the complexity of living organisms all suggest that the universe is designed for a purpose

• Everything in nature, from the movement of planets to the intricate structure of DNA, seems to have been "designed" for a specific function, which many people believe points to a designer

IMAGE: The structure of DNA

• A famous example of the Design Argument is the Watchmaker Analogy created by the philosopher William Paley

  • Paley compares finding a watch on the ground to the world we live in

  • If you found a watch, you would assume that it was designed by a watchmaker because it has many parts working together for a purpose (telling time)

  • Paley argues that just as a watch needs a watchmaker, the complexity of the universe and the natural world suggests there must be a designer — God

IMAGE: William Paley’s analogy of the watch

• The fine-tuning argument focuses on how the conditions in the universe seem to be precisely adjusted to allow life to exist

• For example, if the earth were slightly closer or farther from the sun, or if the force of gravity were slightly stronger or weaker, life would not be possible

  • The fact that these conditions are perfectly suited for life is seen as evidence of design

Christianity and the Design Argument

• Christians believe that the natural world shows clear signs of design, such as the way the Earth is perfectly suited for life (e.g., the right distance from the Sun, the right atmospheric conditions to support life)

  • This suggests that everything has been created with a purpose, which is also written in the Christian Bible

• The intricate details of living things, from the human eye to the way cells work, seem too complex to have happened by chance

  • Christians argue that this complexity shows evidence of an intelligent designer

• The beauty and harmony found in nature like the stars, oceans, and mountains can lead Christians to believe that God created the world in a way that reflects His creativity and love

Divergent understandings of the design argument

Criticism of the Design Argument

• Although the Design Argument is a strong argument, there has been much criticism from atheists and humanists who do not agree with the conclusion that God must exist

• Some people argue that the complexity of life can be explained by evolution, rather than needing a designer

  • According to Charles Darwin’s theory, species evolve over time through natural selection, so the appearance of design in nature can be explained by science

• The philosopher David Hume pointed out that the universe might not be like a machine (like a watch), so comparing the two might not be valid

  • He also questioned why a perfectly good God would create a universe with suffering and imperfection if He was the designer

  • Atheists may point out examples of imperfections and flaws in nature that seem inconsistent with the idea of a benevolent and all-powerful designer

    • For example, the existence of natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis) which cause suffering

    • The suffering of animals in nature, such as disease and being killed by predators

    • The wastefulness of evolution, where many species go extinct without leaving descendants

  • These imperfections suggest that the world may not have been designed by a perfect, all-knowing God

• Atheists may also point out that the design argument does not answer the question, "Who designed God?" 

  • The idea of a designer may not solve the problem of origins, but rather move it elsewhere

• Atheists argue that the design argument often falls into the trap of the "God of the Gaps" mistake

  • This means that whenever we don’t understand something (such as the complexity of life or the universe), some people attribute it to God as an explanation

  • However, as science advances, more natural explanations for complex phenomena are discovered, and the need to include God as an explanation becomes less important

Christian responses to non-religious views on the design argument

Criticism responses to non-religious views on the design argument

• Despite criticism of the design argument, many religious people believe that it is still a convincing argument for God’s existence

  • The argument appeals to people’s common sense, where we naturally assume that things that appear designed, like a watch or a building, were created by someone

  • The argument is often supported by scientific discoveries about the complexity of the natural world, such as the laws of physics and the fine-tuning of the universe

  • Christians may believe that some of the imperfections in the world are present for a purpose

    • For example, God might be testing us or God might have a plan that we do not fully understand

  • Christians might argue that God Himself does not need a designer because God in infinite and eternal and has always been present