Return to 3rd Quarter 2025 articles.
from Does God Exist? 3rd Quarter 2025
STAY UP-TO-DATE ON NEWS AND NOTES. The stories in News and Notes are condensed from articles previously published on our website DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY. You can use the links within each of these articles to see the original posts (on the Does God Exist? Today website) for more details. (Some of the articles below have links to outside sources, which may not be available after we have published this page.) There are also many other interesting and informative articles on the Does God Exist? Today website each day. We encourage you to follow us daily on “Does God Exist? Today.” On that website you can also subscribe to our free weekly e-mail update. We call it “The Best of the Week from DOES GOD EXIST?” It contains links to the most popular of our posts on DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY and our facebook page (Facebook.com/evidence4god).
OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY WITH JOHN CLAYTON: Because of the COVID pandemic and age, we have suspended our lectureship schedule. In place of that, we are providing an opportunity for congregations to have a lectureship electronically. We want to give the readers of this publication the same opportunity to study with John Clayton.
We will mail you a DVD of the first four lectures in our video series. You or your group can watch the four programs writing down questions and challenges to the material. Please send us your questions via e-mail or postal mail, and John Clayton will respond to them. If you are satisfied with that material, return the DVD, and we mail you the next one. Your only cost is the return postage for the DVD.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please send us your name and address, and we will send you the first DVD. Watching the Does God Exist? presentations in the comfort of your home is an excellent way to receive the information without risk from COVID or the inconvenience of driving to a lectureship site. E-mail your request to John Clayton at jncdge@aol.com.
STAY UP-TO-DATE ON NEWS AND NOTES: The stories in News and Notes are condensed from articles previously published on our website www.DoesGodExist.today. You can use the QR codes with each article to see the original posts for more details and references. There are many other interesting and informative articles on that website each day. On that website, you can subscribe to follow us daily. Each week we publish “The Best of the Week from DOES GOD EXIST?” with links to our most popular posts on DoesGodExist.Today and our Facebook page (Facebook.com/evidence4god).
REFERENCES can be seen when one looks at the links within the articles below.
SOIL MOISTURE AND WATER SHORTAGES: Drought events in various parts of the world have resulted in the loss of 1.614 gigatons of water between 2000 and 2002 (one gigaton equals one billion tons). In the United States, irrigation has become highly contested, as rivers in Nebraska and Colorado cannot supply enough water to grow wheat and other grain crops. Drawing from the water table has caused its level to drop over 10 feet in recent years.
Studies at the University of Texas and Seoul National University show that water shortages will lead to more hunger and human suffering if we do not take action to stop soil moisture loss.
A solution is available. We can use nuclear energy and various processes to desalinate seawater. Removing salt from seawater provides the minerals humans need while generating fresh water for irrigation and helping to restore soil moisture.
God has provided humans with the water we need. In the western United States, we can let rainfall and mountain ice melt replenish soil moisture, while desalination can supply additional water to cities by the ocean, like Los Angeles.
Water shortages have intensified greed and rivalry in many parts of our planet. The teachings of Jesus emphasize peace and concern for others.
PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA: The Open Doors' 2025 World Watch List states that the persecution of Christians in Nigeria is severe. Last Christmas in northern Nigeria, armed militants attacked Christian villages. They burned houses, farms, and churches, beheaded a preacher, and left his head in a field for church members to find the next morning. The militants killed around 200 people and displaced about 20,000 Nigerians from their homes. They left half of the village's buildings in ruins, with roofs gone, walls reduced to rubble, lives lost, and families torn apart.
Alliance Defending Freedom is assembling a group of lawyers to provide free legal support to targeted Christians. Their goal is to “advocate at the highest levels of law and policy internationally to inspire global action, creating generational legal precedents for freedom that bring relief and justice to the persecuted.”
Satan is having a field day with the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, but Christ is offering an answer to those under attack. We must pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria and other countries, including our own.
ANIMAL PATHOGEN TRANSMISSION TO HUMANS: The World Organization for Animal Health and the World Health Organization released data on the number of illnesses and deaths caused by pathogens transmitted to humans from animals worldwide each year. They collected data from 183 member states, revealing that around a billion illnesses and millions of deaths occur annually due to animal pathogen transmission.
The recent data was prompted by the outbreak of bird flu known as H5N1. That virus has sickened millions of birds, dozens of mammalian species, and people worldwide. This strain of avian influenza has threatened food supplies and prompted governments to seriously examine food security and public health.
When God created life on Earth, he designed it to meet the needs of humans. Long before modern science, God gave dietary instructions to the ancient Israelites. Skeptics today may consider those instructions outdated; however, they were far ahead of their time, and many still apply today. We see the consequences of ignoring wise dietary and health guidelines.
NIGHTTIME POLLINATORS: There is significant media discussion about the plight of bees, attributed to the use of insecticides and climate change. However, the media overlooks the fact that bees and butterflies are primarily daytime pollinators. Out of approximately 350,000 flowering plant species, some rely on nighttime pollinators.
The list of nighttime pollinators includes moths, cockroaches, beetles, slugs, snails, and bats. Many people see them as pests, especially cockroaches and beetles. Because of this, they often target pollinators by applying chemicals to control them. The result is that many desirable plants fail to reproduce and eventually die out.
The solution is to help people understand the importance of being careful about what they use on their plants and why. Christians believe that God designed all ecosystems, and good stewardship means protecting what he has given us.
MICROPLASTICS AND DEMENTIA: Researchers from the University of New Mexico have found a striking link between dementia and the concentration of microplastics in human brains. A study of autopsy specimens revealed that the brains of people with dementia contained as much as five times more microplastics than those of healthy brains. Comparisons of brain tissues from 2016 and 2024 show 50% higher concentrations in the 2024 samples.
The fact is that pollution appears to be a major cause of dementia. Like cancer, brain problems are connected to human greed and a failure to use what God has given us wisely. Reducing the flow of microplastics into the environment will be a tough challenge because affordable alternatives to plastics are currently unavailable. Meanwhile, more research is needed to understand the connection between microplastics and dementia.
HOW SEA TURTLES FIND FOOD: Research has answered an interesting question about life in the sea — how do sea turtles find food? They have an extensive diet, including small invertebrates, jellyfish, and fish eggs. The problem is that these food sources are only in small patches scattered across the ocean, so how do sea turtles locate them?
The answer relates to Earth's magnetic field. Sea turtles can create GPS-like magnetic maps of Earth's oceans. They start doing this as hatchlings and remember the locations for years or even decades. Loggerhead sea turtles live for about 20 years, and the internal GPS map guides them to food and migration routes for their entire lives. For hatchlings to survive, it is essential that sea turtles find food quickly and grow large enough to escape predators.
Recent research has shown that sea turtles possess two senses for detecting Earth's magnetic field. One senses the direction of the magnetic field lines, and the other detects magnetic features to locate foraging areas where they find food and beaches where they can lay their eggs. Studies also show that migrating songbirds have these same magnetoreception systems.
God has endowed all animals with the special tools they need to survive. We see God's wisdom and planning everywhere in the natural world.
ARCHAEOMAGNETIC DATING: Biblical archaeologists use various dating methods to uncover the history of ancient Israel. Three of these methods are relative dating, carbon-14 dating, and a newer technique called archaeomagnetic dating.
In relative dating, archaeologists compare the age of objects based on their depth in a dig — objects near the surface are younger, while those deeper under multiple debris layers are older.
Researchers also use carbon-14 dating when organic material is present, such as seeds found inside pottery. Other organic matter like fruits and textiles can also be dated with this method. While alive, all living things absorb a radioactive isotope of carbon, and once they die, this isotope decays at a steady rate. By measuring the remaining carbon-14 in an artifact, scientists can estimate its age. However, often the amount of carbon-14 is too small to detect. The half-life of carbon-14 makes it suitable for dating samples from roughly 1200 to 800 B.C., a key period in biblical history.
Recent advances have introduced a method that uses changes in Earth's magnetic field. Archaeomagnetic dating can establish exact dates for materials that were heated to high temperatures, such as during fires, lava flows, or volcanic intrusions. When materials like bricks or pottery are fired, their magnetic particles align with Earth's magnetic field. As they cool, this magnetic pattern is locked in place. Since scientists understand how Earth's magnetic field has shifted over time, archaeologists can use these magnetic signatures to determine the age of the artifacts.
By combining archaeomagnetic data with other dating methods, researchers can verify biblical events. This technique helps date the time when Pharaoh Shoshenq (also known as Shishak in the KJV) attacked Jerusalem (1 Kings 14:25 – 26). As new tools like archaeomagnetic dating become more refined, it is harder for skeptics to dismiss the biblical record, because these methods allow us to verify its historical accuracy.
A PARTIAL SOLUTION FOR INVASIVE SPECIES: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has proposed a partial solution for invasive species: eat them. Erin Huggins of the CDFW wrote, “Eating invasive species can help protect native wildlife by reducing their numbers and limiting the damage they cause to ecosystems.”
The nutria is an invasive species causing problems in 18 states, especially in California. These rodents are native to South America but were originally introduced into the United States for the fur trade. Officials thought they had eradicated them from California in the 1970s, but they started to reappear in 2017. Nutrias cause significant issues for farmers and livestock owners because they eat vegetation down to the roots. Nutrias are even more omnivorous than goats, making them more destructive.
This is not the first time an invasive species has become a problem. In the 1970s, Asian carp were introduced into ponds to control aquatic plants. Four East Asian species were introduced: silver carp, bighead carp, grass carp, and black carp. Some of these species would jump high out of the water when disturbed, creating a hazard for recreational boaters, and extensive measures have been taken to keep them out of the Great Lakes.
Fish and wildlife officials are now suggesting a partial solution for invasive species — turning them into a food source for humans. Even high-end restaurants now offer nutria and carp meat on their menus. Convincing the public to accept this will take time. A partial solution for invasive species might be to eat them, but a better solution is for people to avoid disturbing the natural balance in God's well-designed world.
BOGONG MOTH MIGRATION: Since ancient times, humans have used the stars for navigation. Similarly, many animals and migratory birds do the same. Even some insects rely on stars to guide their flights at night. For the first time, researchers have discovered that insects use stars to steer their long-distance migrations. These insects are Bogong moths, native to Australia.
Researchers spent years studying how Bogong moths migrate. They wanted to understand how a moth flying at night can travel 620 miles (1000 km) to a place it has never visited before. After spending summer in the cool, dark caves of the Australian Alps, they travel every autumn to their breeding grounds in the Australian bush.
Because Bogong moths migrate at night, they cannot navigate by the Sun. Previous research has shown that birds, as well as some insects like dung beetles, use Earth's magnetic field to steer their flight. However, dung beetles only travel a few meters, not 1000 kilometers. Researchers aimed to understand how Bogong moths navigate such long journeys.
They captured some Bogong moths and placed them in a planetarium-like flight simulator that blocked Earth's magnetic field, forcing the moths to rely solely on eyesight for navigation. The study concludes that the moths use the stars to guide their paths.
Bogong moths are the first insects known to undertake long-distance migrations at night using the stars for guidance. Is the incredible migration of the Bogong moth simply a coincidence, or is it part of an intricate, designed system of life?
CORRECTIONS: I, Karl, did it again. There are several mistakes in our print copy of our third quarter crossword puzzle and answers. The DOWN clues have a missing number: number 5 should be number 3, and number 7 should be number 5, then there should be inserted a clue for number 7: “Life isn't _______ but God is.” In the answers for the crossword puzzle: DOWN 8-mind should be DOWN 9, as seen below.
Answers to the 3rd Quarter 2025 CROSSWORD puzzle: ACROSS: 4-irrelevant; 6-weakness; 10-forgiver: DOWN: 1-purpose; 2-fled; 3-Matthew; 5-merciful; 7-fair; 8-pure; 9-mind
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Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.