Endowment
A
A student who witnessed the deadly shooting of two students on February 27th , 2012 at Chardon High School , Ohio , reported that the gunman was targeting students sitting at a cafeteria table . At least 100 students in the cafeteria began screaming and fled through the halls as gunfire broke out around 7:30 a . m . Some ran into a middle school while others locked themselves in the teachers ’ lounge .
Without a doubt the instinct of self-preservation was much in evidence .
If a son asked his father , who was a firm evolutionist , “ Dad , what causes human beings to run away from danger ?” he would answer , “ Son , it ’ s just instinct !”
But his son may continue , “ But everybody has that instinct ! How come ?”
With some irritation the father might answer , “ Son , it ’ s just nature !”
“ But dad ,” insists the child , “ I saw it on the nature channel . Animals also have instincts ! I saw a mother cat trying to rescue a kitten that had climbed too far up into a tree . It was the mother instinct , just like how moms take care of their babies !”
“ Just nature , son !” the father would sigh , weary of all the questions .
As a child , I too recognized that much of God ’ s creation was endowed with amazing instincts . From about the age of eight , being very close to nature , my inquiring mind was always asking very searching questions .
I used to keep white and yellow back spiders on our front porch along with dark brown may bugs in bottles half-filled with earth . I watched as spiders wove webs and found that bugs lay eggs in the dirt . After destroying one spider ’ s web , I soon discovered that the spider had woven another elsewhere . I became aware that everything on earth had a cause . The spider wove its web to catch its prey , and bugs laid eggs to continue the species . I surmised that an intelligent mind must have reasoned that life without the hunting instinct , or the thrill of bringing up its young would carry no excitement at all . Therefore I soon agreed with the psalmist ’ s conclusion , “ Great and marvelous are Your works , Lord God Almighty !”
A Scientific Review Consider now the following scientific facts and illustrations , and come to your own conclusion , as you join me in the search for causes .
Jean Henri Fabre , ( 1823 -1915 ) the father of modern entomology ( i . e . the study of insects ), was a popular teacher , physicist , chemist and botanist in France . His influence is felt in the later works of fellow naturalist , Charles Darwin , who called Fabre “ an inimitable observer .” Fabre ’ s special force was exact and detailed observation , field research that always avoided premature general conclusions from his observations .
From his intensive study he pointed out that insects that kill their prey by instinctive skill , understand the anatomy of that prey and of that prey alone . Those that paralyze know exactly how to paralyze certain species only . Secondly , Thomisus , the spider that cuts bees ’ throats , knows how to apply the fatal blow , while the Epeira spider does not . Thirdly , Fabre also discovered the absolute symmetry of the cricket ’ s two wings whenever it bows : the right always lies over and plays on the left . He found that all cricket musicians were right-winged . When he raised a cricket with the left wing case artificially displaced to cover the right , the cricket tried to play in that position , failed , then corrected its wing positions to the usual position , and then played ! Thus , the study of instincts has long been a puzzle for the evolutionist , forcing the obvious question : “ How did certain insects come to have such instincts ?”
An imaginary visit to the environs of the fawn ( baby deer ) may help us to evaluate Darwin ’ s theory of evolution objectively . As we enter the forest , we are greeted by Bambi , a fawn , surrounded by his father , the Great Prince of the forest , his friends , Thumper ( a pink-nosed rabbit ), Flower ( a skunk ), and Faline , a female deer , his childhood
8 | SHARE | MAGAZINE October - December 2016