When Creationists find themselves in a debate with a Naturalist (evolutionist) over any number of topics not fully understood by science, the Creationist points out that although science does not understand the phenomena, “God did it”. The Naturalist, therefore, makes the argument that this is a “God in the gaps” logical fallacy. What the Naturalist is claiming is simply because science cannot explain the phenomena or its origin “right now”, does not mean that “God did it”. They believe that one-day science will figure it all out with a Naturalistic cause.
Naturalists correctly point out that every field of science has various unanswered questions or “gaps” in current understanding. Therefore, when any Creationist proclaims that God was the cause (“God did it”) they are merely proclaiming this logical fallacy. In other words, if science is unable to explain how something happened, then God must be the explanation is a logical fallacy. Really? There is a very subtle play on words here which, when exposed, will debunk this claim.
First, Creationists believe that God did it all. God did not just do those things which modern science cannot explain: God ordered and created literally everything. Naturalists, before you get too upset by this clear statement of faith, keep in mind that Naturalism is also based on faith that nature did it all. Does this mean that Creationists do not believe in natural processes or laws? Please! Of course not. God created the universe that is self-sustaining, with pristine order. Down to the very foundation of the universe, from subatomic particles to Red Giant stars, God created and ordered all of nature. God ordered the galaxies, stars, planets, moons, the fragile balance on earth to sustain life, life itself, atoms, chemistry, and the rest. We know it is frustrating for Naturalists to hear but Creationists credit it ALL to God– not just science’s gaps of understanding. The so-called “God in the gaps” fallacy focuses on how something occurs but Creationists are inclusive of how, why, and where it originated. Science is possible within Creation because God made it orderly. God designed the universe and everything in it to function in a purposeful and predictable way conducive to scientific inquiry.
Second, science does not and cannot answer origins. How something works never explains where or how it first emerged or originated. As an example consider atoms. Science can explain many aspects of atoms. They can demonstrate what subatomic particles atoms are composed of, even what the atom weighs, how they might interact with other atoms, etc. However, science cannot explain how these relationships or why these affinities originated. Where did atoms come from? In other words, science can effectively categorize, measure, and even predict how atoms behave but cannot answer where atoms originated. Plain and simple, measurement and categorization do not explain origins in any scientific discipline. This is not “God in the gaps”– it is a logical explanation for the origin of phenomena such as atoms. Such a claim is no more extreme than Naturalism’s belief that “Nature did it all”.
Third, because origins are historical in nature, meaning perhaps they only occurred once in the past, such events will never be provable scientifically. Why? Because science is based on observation and we cannot observe something that happened in the distant past. Sure, theories and deductions can be applied to substantiate a hypothesis, but it can never prove the conjecture.
As an example, scientists can find chemical affinities in the laboratory associated with amino acid formation. They know that amino acids are used for protein chains so they are associated with life. From these experiments, they can hypothesize how life may have originated from chemical processes more widely called abiogenesis. Of course, such hypothesizes are riddled with major “gaps”. In fact, not mere gaps but vast valleys. An amino acid is not alive. The gaps include a massive array of attributes including DNA information, enzymes, cellular membranes, and much more.
The origin of the universe, earth, or life is not provable today, nor will they ever be provable by science in the future because they are passed (historical) events. The supposed “God in the Gaps” logical fallacy is debunked. Creationists do not simply insert God into those aspects of reality that science does not understand, God created everything: all order, purpose, design, and self-sustaining function. Nature did not self-assemble without a designer or purpose because such a concept is oxymoronic and offensive to all sound reason. God is not merely in the gaps– God is the cause of everything! This logic applies to all fields of science including biology, genetics, zoology, physics, geology, oceanography, botany, chemistry, gravity, astronomy, etc.
