The Problem with Bonzo

I love it when Darwinists use the cliche “human beings are 98% chimp” as if that cliche should end the argument and make you bow your head in shame.

Let’s dissect that cliché, shall we?…

First, it refers to the fact that – according to the latest scientists – human beings “share 98% of their DNA with chimpanzees.”

I won’t argue that fact. But what does it mean, precisely? Two related facts might put things in perspective:

You share 90% of your DNA with a mouse.




You share 50% of your DNA with a banana.



Quick: Do you think you’re 90% “mouse?” Do you think you’re 50% “banana?” If the answer is “no,” then the relevancy of the “human beings are 98% chimp” factoid is called into doubt.

So why AREN’T you 50% banana, or 90% mouse, or 98% chimp?

Well…quite simply, while DNA is a physical substance, what makes it special is the information contained within it…in that sense, DNA is a code...a language...think of the word, “GOD.” Now think of the word, “DOG.” If you read those words in a book, you could say, “those words are made up of the same 3 letters," and you would be right...but the ORDER of those 3 letters changes the INFORMATION contained in it…so you can’t say, “since those words have the same letters, they mean the same thing.” No, the INFORMATION contained in those letters gives them a TOTALLY DIFFERENT MEANING. “God” is NOT “Dog.” And “Dog” is NOT “God.” The information contained in the code is what matters.

Let’s expand the analogy…If a guy gave you 2 books – let’s say, The Holy Bible and The God Delusion – and said, “these books contain 98% of the same words; therefore, these books are 98% the same,” you would laugh at him…as you should…because the words don’t matter…it’s the information contained in those words, which – when put in a different order – change the meaning of the book dramatically.

So while it's true that “human beings share 98% of our DNA with champs” tells us something (in this case, yes, we have more in common with chimps than with mice or bananas), it doesn’t tell us a whole lot. And the cliche that “humans are 98% chimp” is blatantly untrue. It defies common sense (go to a zoo sometime and compare the humans to the apes; hint: we’re the ones OUTSIDE the cages). But it also defies logic and science itself.

-Todd

Note: The book analogy comes from Walter ReMine.