Hello, everyone. First let me say it's good to be back here after so long. I'll try to stick around for a bit, but who knows what will happen?

Now that that's over with, I'll get to the point of the topic.

Has anyone here heard of the protein "Laminin"? It's basically a protein found in the extracellular matrix of our bodies (the fluids and solids outside the actual cell membranes), and it holds cells together.

Now, my father (a devout Christian) recently showed me a page about Laminin. Apparently, Laminin happens to be in the shape of a cross. My father, and many Christians, take this to be proof of the phrase in Colossians 1:17 that says, "...and in Him all things hold together."

My thoughts are these:

1) If the function of the protein is to hold cells together, a cross would be the best (most efficient) shape. After all, any more branches or angles would make the "bunch" of cells fairly crowded, and any less would leave gaps. Cell surfaces need to be as exposed as possible to take in nutrients, so crowding would cause problems. And, if there are gaps, then you'd need more protein molecules to hold together all your body's cells; not very efficient.

2) There are many things in nature besides Laminin that happen to be in cross shapes. Tree branches often form crosses, and sometimes even with the tree trunk. And hold your arms out straight--you're a cross. Yet the Bible says nothing of trees representing divinity in that sense (besides the Tree of Knowledge, but we mean normal trees), and it says nothing of the shape of the body. Also, some butterflies have crosses on their wings, and some flowers have petals that form crosses.

3) The passage in the Bible (Col 1:17) does not say, "and in Him man holds together" or anything like that. It says all things. Find a plant with Laminin. Or inanimate objects and materials with Laminin. You can't, because animals are the only ones who have this (and, as far as we know at the moment, only Humans). I told my dad this, and he said, "I believe if we look closely enough that all things are held by crosses. You follow science, I'll follow faith.".

In conclusion, my thoughts are that Laminin is nowhere near proof of Col 1:17, or any part of the Bible for that matter. The cross is such a simple shape that I wholly wish it wasn't always a representation of Christ/God. The reason? It is very easy for this shape to show up in many places, and I'd hate for simple coincidences or simple geometry to be attributed to a divinity.

What are your thoughts on Laminin in this regard?

More reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminin

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/laminin.asp

http://kilbabo.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/co...r-illustration/

http://www.bdbiosciences.com/discovery_lab...t.php?keyID=135

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=la...snum=1&ct=title

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JlUGoWgbVHA

-IMP ;) :)

Will respond to this thread more in-depth beyond what is added here this morning (tonight). :)

It does amaze me as to the complexity of creation while still having a semblance of simplicity. Stepping outside and seeing a plant's growth forming nearly-perfect hexagonals gave immediate fuel for deeper wonder on how intelligent design is a "valid" concept. Not saying a true one, just a valid one for consideration.

The basic formation of genes is a helical... or swirved ladder. Perhaps I could make a relative analogy to it being "Jacob's Ladder" or the stairway to heaven... since only this design of a spiral ladder would be self-supporting enough to enable it to reach upwards so high.

Mythology comes from people's interpretation of things like this to support whatever theory or belief they have on the way it really is. We all proceed on assumptions. We all assume we are safe drivers. Otherwise we'd never leave the house for fear of having an accident (from our insecurity alone, maybe). We all assume 2+2=4 and that mathematics is the only "pure" language that exists.

Was listening to National Public Radio (NPR) and heard some guy talking about the world on a microcosmic scale. He stated his "string theory" on how everyting is made up of intricate strings that vibrate at certain speeds and having certain lengths. This may or may not be based upon the belief that E=mc^2. It does imply that energy and matter are simply varied states.

As humankind progresses even further into understanding the very building blocks of "CREATION", it will be a true test of faith. This could spell the decline of Christianity and religion in general. Or it could fuel the fire even more. I try to keep an open mind to believe that anything is possible... that God is the creator... and intelligent design means he'd thought about everything before he (or she) had made the universe(s).