Brew by Design

Genesis 1:29
“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

You might not all agree with me, but I love to start the day with a cup of coffee. It was not until I came to live in the US, that I fully began to appreciate quality coffee, and this appreciation is enhanced all the more here in the Pacific Northwest, where every block’s corner seems to host a wooden shack, serving this delicious honey-colored beverage.

I love the flavor, but I also love the waking boost that it gives me. That boost, of course, is due to the presence of caffeine. As its name suggests, the chemical caffeine derives its name from roots associated with the word coffee. But coffee is not the only place where it is found. It is also found in tea, cacao (from which chocolate is made), kola, and even the flowers of orange and grapefruit trees, giving the bees a buzz!

The range of plants, in which caffeine is found has caused much discussion among biologists. One study has suggested that caffeine production must have evolved independently at least three times. Not only that, but plants contain at least two different biosynthetic routes for its production. Yet evolutionists claim that caffeine production fulfills just one main evolutionary purpose – to modify the behavior of other organisms. For example, pollinating insects will like the caffeine contained in the nectar, and will prefer to return for more caffeine, rather than non-caffeinated plants.

The problem with such opinions is that evolution is supposed to be a process of blind, random, disinterested chance. The widespread occurrence of caffeine is much better explained by its creation by God.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for all the plants that You have put in this world, which are good for food. I want to thank You for coffee, and for all the ingenuity of people that has gone into preparing it. We marvel once more, Lord God, that You have done all things well. Amen.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Ref: F. Denoeud et al., “The Coffee Genome Provides Insight into the Convergent Evolution of Caffeine Biosynthesis,” Science 345, no. 6201 (September 5, 2014): 1181–1184. Mitchell. E. (2014), Caffeine: Convergently Evolved or Creatively Provided, Answers in Genesis, < https://answersingenesis.org/evidence-for-creation/design-in-nature/caffeine-convergently-evolved-creatively-provided/ >, accessed 04/24/2017. Image: Julius Schworzman. License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.

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