It is written:
“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
Wisdom teeth are teeth which often form during early adulthood. They sometimes have to be removed, due to potential problems which may arise. They were named “wisdom teeth” because it was assumed that a person had amassed some degree of knowledge by the time these teeth develop.
Amazingly, evolutionists often argue that wisdom teeth are evidence of the theory of Darwin. The argument goes like this:
“Earlier stages of man were more apelike and had larger jaws, allowing for the wisdom teeth to exist without problems. However, as man has evolved, his jawbone has decreased in size; and wisdom teeth are an example of body parts which had a function in earlier forms of man but now have no function (these are known as vestigial organs). The wisdom teeth will gradually go away as they serve no further purpose.”
It is a clever argument.
But there are several flaws which should be noted and considered.
First, wisdom teeth actually DO serve a purpose in mankind today, as they always have. In reality, we are learning from science that there is no such thing as a “vestigial organ!”
Norman Geisler has pointed out:
“Evolutionists have used the presence of “vestigial organs” in humans as a support. They argue that, since the human body has organs for which there is no known use, they are left over from an earlier animal stage in which they were useful. The fact that vestigials can be removed with no apparent harm to the body indicates that they are useless. The appendix, ear muscles, and the third eyelid are placed into this category. However, just because functions for these organs are not known does not mean that none exist. Since scientific knowledge is finite and progressive, there may be functions of which science is not yet aware. That they can be removed without apparent harm to the body is meaningless. Other organs may compensate for their loss. Also, a loss may exist that is not readily detectable. Some organs, such as tonsils, may be more important at an earlier stage in the person’s development as, for example, during early childhood to help fight off diseases. And organs such as a kidney or a lung can be removed without serious loss, yet they have a function. It is significant that the list of vestigial organs has shrunk from around 100 when the idea was first proposed to about a half dozen today. There are hints about purposes for some of those. The appendix may aid in digestion and may be helpful in fighting off disease. Rabbits have a large appendix, and complete vegetarians may get more benefit from theirs. The muscle of the outer ear helps protect against freezing in colder climates. The “third eyelid” or nictitating membranae is used in humans to collect foreign material that gets in the eye. The “tail” or coccyx is necessary for sitting with comfort. The endocrine glands, once thought to be vestigial, are now known to be of great importance in the production of hormones. The thymus has been found to be involved in protecting the body against disease. Even if some organs are truly leftovers from an earlier period in human development, this would not prove evolution. They may be left over from an earlier stage of the human race, rather than from prehuman species. One might even say that an organ has lost its function would not demonstrate that we are evolving, but devolving—losing some organs and abilities. This is the opposite of evolution.” (Norman L. Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker Reference Library), 227 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Books)
Thomas Heinze concurs:
“Evolutionists argue that organs exist which have no function, but were useful in less evolved animals. They call them rudimental or vestigial organs. In the search for proof of evolution, past generations of scientists found in humans around one hundred eighty organs with no known function. Some of these are more highly developed in lower animals. These organs were once greatly used as evidence for evolution. However, with the progress of science, it was discovered that many of them were glands that produced very necessary hormones. Others were found to function in the embryonic stage, while some functioned only as a reserve when other organs were destroyed. Some functioned only in periods of emergency. Today, very few human organs are still claimed to be vestigial, and many scientists now believe all are functional.” (Thomas Heinze, Vanishing Proofs of Evolution, 349-354 (Kindle Edition); Ontario, CA; Chick Publications)
Second, wisdom teeth are not a problem for every person. In fact, many people are able to integrate them without a problem!
Finally, the evidence strongly suggests that the reason why wisdom teeth provide a problem for some people (as well as the decreasing jawbone size among some) is because of dietary changes:
“Dr. Allford, however, concluded that wisdom teeth are often smaller than other molars, and that “diet and the amount of breast-nursing a child has during infancy have a lot to do with the development of the jaw and teeth. Only some people have impacted wisdom teeth. There are many of us who have good functioning wisdom teeth.”….Rather than looking at evolution as a means of understanding this problem, it is far more fruitful to evaluate lifestyle changes. Diet has been closely linked with jaw development in children. Typically, a diet that requires more chewing causes the jaw to become larger, and wisdom teeth to be less problematic…..“The fact that impacted teeth are rarely seen in many animals and non-technological human societies indicates that some change in humans that occurred in the recent past is partly responsible for the problem. 50 Many researchers have concluded that the dietary shift to soft, processed foods has caused a decrease in masticatory demands (the disuse theory) producing changes in the teeth-mandible relationship that could lead to malocclusion and wisdom teeth problems. 51 The early human diet in many areas tended to be highly abrasive “which caused attrition of teeth,” resulting in a shortening of the total arch length, the widths of all the teeth added together. 52 Consumption of modern highly-processed foods has caused a reduction in masticatory functional demand, resulting in a higher rate of wisdom teeth impaction. 53 In other words, as is true of most body organs, lack of use causes malfunction or deterioration of wisdom teeth that is not inherited in a discredited Lamarckian theory manner.” (Jerry Bergman, Useless Organs: The Rise and Fall of a Central Claim of Evolution, 3101-3146 (Kindle Edition); Tulsa, Oklahoma; BP Books)
There really are no vestigial organs, and another evidence for the theory of evolution bites the dust.
At the same time, we are reminded yet again of the amazing complexity of the human body, which strongly argues for the existence of the Great Designer of mankind.
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