Programmed to Survive - 4th Quarter 2025

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The title of this article is PROGRAMMED TO SURVIVE with a picture of a billboard saying OOPS.

Every living organism is programmed to survive. Let me explain what I mean. We often describe how God designed creatures with defense mechanisms necessary to avoid, evade, or defend against predators. However, they are equipped with more than just defense mechanisms. In computer terms, a self-preservation subroutine is embedded in their DNA. Even plants, which have no brain or desires, possess this self-preservation trait. I am sure you have seen this when you try to remove weeds from your lawn or garden.

Living things are programmed by their Creator to survive. In 1969, I was a college student in Cincinnati when the science fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey opened in theaters. I still do not fully understand the movie’s message, but HAL, a computer with a self-preservation subroutine, fascinated me.

HAL 9000 was programmed to survive and refused to let the human astronaut disable it. That was the scary part of the movie for me. The idea of an evil computer or robot with artificial intelligence and a self-preservation subroutine threatening humans has become a common theme in science fiction thrillers. Those human inventions could turn into a modern Frankenstein’s monster. Many people fear that AI (artificial intelligence) could lead to such terrifying scenarios.

You can find some comfort in the fact that human programmers have been unable to design a computer program with a true self-preservation subroutine. Look around you, and you will see countless living things that are programmed to survive. God has embedded survival software into every living organism, proving that he is far more intelligent than any human programmer. God’s wisdom and creative genius have programmed all life to survive for a purpose.

Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.