Page 48 - Advanced Apologetics and World Views Revised

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law. The effects of the 2 Law are all around, touching everything in the universe.

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When sin entered the world, just as God promised, death entered the world. The 2 Law was put into
motion by an act of disobedience, and it affects all living creatures and systems. As we age, our bodies
become less organized and eventually complex systems begin to fail. Death is our ultimate end.

In living things, there are two great forces working together as things age. The first is called catabolism.
It is a set of metabolic pathways that breaks down molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized
to release energy or used in other reactions. Catabolism breaks down larger molecules into smaller
ones. Catabolism is what happens when you digest food, and the molecules break down for use as
energy. But in the cells, catabolism breaks down systems and eventually leads to the death of a cell. For
example, throughout your life your skin will change constantly, for better or for worse. In fact, your skin
will regenerate itself approximately once a month. The fact is that every 7 to 10 years, we become
essentially new people, because in that time, every cell in your body has been replaced by a new cell.
That is why your looks change as you age.

This is a picture of Mickey Rooney, a famous actor
in the US. The only difference between the two
pictures is 75 years (he died at age 93) of
catabolism. He had over 6 complete regenerations
between the two pictures.

The process of replacing a dying cell or building up
is called anabolism. Anabolism is a set of metabolic
pathways that construct molecules from smaller
units. These reactions require an induction of
energy known as an endergonic process. Anabolism is the building-up or replenishing aspect of
metabolism, whereas catabolism is the breaking down aspect.

Science states that aging is a catabolic function. When the rate of catabolism (breaking down) exceeds
the anabolic rate (building up), then a person begins to display the signs of age. Muscle mass decreases,
and energy requirements decrease. Older people must consume less food to maintain their body
weight. And eventually, just as God promised Adam and Eve, “you surely will die!”

James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You
are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

It is well known that, left to themselves, chemical compounds ultimately break apart into simpler
materials; they do not ultimately become more complex. Outside forces can increase order for a time
(through the expenditure of relatively large amounts of energy, and through the input of information).
However, such reversal cannot last forever. Once the force is released, processes return to their natural
direction – greater disorder. Their energy is transformed into lower levels of availability for further
work. The natural tendency of complex ordered arrangements and systems is to become simpler and
more disorderly with time.

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This truck on the next page was once brand new. With the passing of time, the 2 Law of
Thermodynamics is demonstrated as we see the truck falling apart and becoming a pile of junk.

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