Laminin argument

From Religions Wiki

The laminin argument is an attempt to prove the existence of the Christian god. The argument promotes the idea that God left a hallmark of its creation of living beings in the form of the laminin glycoprotein.

The pastor Louie Giglio promotes this argument in one of his DVD sermons. It has since been passed around in chain letter e-mails and social networking sites.

"You see ... laminins are what hold us together ... LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what laminin LOOKED LIKE. But now I do. [...] And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together...one cell to another....by the cross. [1]"

Argument[edit]

The argument runs as follows: [2][1]

p1. Laminin is a protein that bonds living cells together.
p2. Laminin is shaped like a cross.
p3. The cross is the symbol of Christianity.
c1. Laminin's shape is the signature or hallmark of an intelligent designer
c2. That designer is the Christian god.

Counter arguments[edit]

Biblical inaccuracy[edit]

The earliest known copies of the gospels use the word stauros for Jesus's cross. According to historians of the time, the stauros crucifixion was done as a "T" shape. Jesus's cross was not cross-shaped.

Asserted resemblance between two arbitrary objects[edit]

Main Article: Association fallacy

A commonly used illustrative format of the structure of laminin can be said to resemble a cross (among other things, such as a sword or caduceus [the latter being a symbol of the Greek god Hermes], or even an inverted cross [which is often displayed to mock the Christian god]). The actual protein itself would have to be manipulated from the form it takes in nature in order to resemble a cross. Humans have a bias, called apophenia, that perceives false patterns in random data.

Cherry picking a single protein[edit]

Main Article: Cherry picking

Laminin is not the only protein or cell found in animal connective tissues. None of the others (nor their structural illustrations) can be said to be shaped like a cross.

As noted above, laminin is only found in animals. Is it being suggested that another entity designed the plants?

Graven images are forbidden[edit]

Main Article: 2nd commandment

A common criticism of Christianity is that it breaks the second commandment (of the Biblical Ten Commandments) by the use of the cross or crucifix as a symbol of worship. If this is an accurate criticism, then the Christian god is encouraging the breaking of its own commandments.

Which God?[edit]

Main Article: Which God?

Even if intelligent design was proven, it does not prove the Christian god was involved. Extraterrestrials that use a cross as a symbol are one of the many other possibilities.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Snopes, Laminin, Last update 21 May 2008 [1]
  2. Georgia Purdom, Laminin and the Cross, October 29, 2008 [2]

See also[edit]

External links[edit]


v · d Arguments for the existence of god
Anthropic arguments   Anthropic principle · Natural-law argument
Arguments for belief   Pascal's Wager · Argument from faith · Just hit your knees
Christological arguments   Argument from scriptural miracles · Would someone die for a lie? · Liar, Lunatic or Lord
Cosmological arguments   Argument from aesthetic experience · Argument from contingency · Cosmological argument · Fine-tuning argument · Kalam · Leibniz cosmological argument · Principle of sufficient reason · Unmoved mover · Why is there something rather than nothing?
Majority arguments   Argument from admired religious scientists
Moral arguments   Argument from justice · Divine command theory
Ontological argument   Argument from degree · Argument from desire · Origin of the idea of God
Dogmatic arguments   Argument from divine sense · Argument from uniqueness
Teleological arguments   Argument from design · Banana argument · 747 Junkyard argument · Laminin argument · Argument from natural disasters
Testimonial arguments   Argument from observed miracles · Personal experience · Argument from consciousness · Emotional pleas · Efficacy of prayer
Transcendental arguments   God created numbers · Argument from the meaning of life
Scriptural arguments   Scriptural inerrancy · Scriptural scientific foreknowledge · Scriptural codes