Amazing Abilities — Creation, not Evolution

Most people have heard about or even seen people with amazing abilities, going far beyond stunts or amusing tricks. There are human calculators, people with brilliance that they use to earn doctorates and very young ages, exceptional musicians, and more.

Many skills such as music can be enhanced with practice, but other people seem to be born with them. Some folks have talent, but cannot reach certain levels even after practicing every day for years. W.A. Mozart's family was modest in talent, but in his almost thirty-six years of life, he composed over 800 pieces. Sergei Rachmaninoff's third piano concerto is considered one of the most technically difficult to perform, but people like Yuja Wang do it impressively. It says a lot about her, and also about the composer himself. Violin concertos are not exactly easy, either.

Pianist Yuja Wang (image enhanced), Flickr / eXploration Etoile (CC BY 2.0)

How could they evolve, and for what purpose? While Darwin's disciples may evosplain with a trite, "It evolved", thinking people need more than that. Remember, in the evolutionary paradigm, humans were as unintelligent as apes back then. The ability to do calculations at great speed or compose a concerto for sticks at age fifteen would not benefit the tribal hunt.

From a biblical creation perspective, these reveals of talent and genius fit in well. In brief (and if I'm explaining properly), God made Adam and Eve perfect. (I remember Ken Ham saying at a creation conference that all of those wonderful abilities that have cropped up through history would have been present in the first couple. If you study on it, that makes sense.) With sin came death and genetic degradation, and occasionally the genetic switches are activated so that those abilities are manifested.

Like me, I’m sure you have sometimes enjoyed watching films or online videos that showcase amazing feats performed by talented human beings. Perhaps a spectacular acrobatic manoeuvre boggled your mind, or you were mesmerised by watching an exciting-but-dangerous sport.

. . .

And we should not forget that, while the production of books is not itself visually stunning, there are people whose erudition in writing is utterly captivating, and others whose poetry can have us spellbound.

. . .

We may take it for granted, but it is worth asking, where does all this human ingenuity, inventiveness, skill, craftsmanship, dexterity, and agility come from? Christians certainly share in celebrating so many outstanding and awesome human achievements. However, it is crucial that we do not fall into the habit of glorying in man. This can come dangerously close to idolatry. Scripture warns against this tendency:

To read the entire article (it's a mite long but not technical), click on "People are Amazing! Features that could not evolve." A similar post may be of interest: "Exceptional Abilities and Over-Design."