The human body is so complex that it could not have developed through the random process known as evolution, according to Dr. Jim Denton.

The Abingdon, Va., surgeon was the featured speaker Tuesday night at the Creation Seminar 2008 at First Church of God.

Denton's presentation, "The Development & Complexity of Living Organisms," included detailed explanations and illustrations of the body's various systems, from skeletal and muscular to respiratory and digestive.

He also referenced several pieces of Scripture about creation and stated that he believes God created the human body on the sixth day approximately 6,000 years ago.

Denton said the complexity of the human body can be credited to special creation by "the attributes of a living God," as opposed to evolution, time and chance.

Creationists believe that God can resurrect the life He created, the speaker noted.

Denton holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry with a minor in biology from Virginia Tech University and a master's degree from the University of Virginia.

He also holds a surgical degree from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a degree in vascular surgery from the University of Pennsylvania.

He practices in Abingdon and has served as president of the Virginia Surgical Society.

To show the importance of what he said is the difference between creation and evolution, Denton listed various trends he believes show sinful behavior has increased since the teaching of evolution has replaced God in public schools:

* More than 48 million unborn babies have been aborted in the last 30 years.

* Sexually transmitted diseases are consuming today's children.

* Drug dependence is increasing.

* There are more cases of divorce, couples living together before marriage and homosexual activity, which he said he considers equal sins.

* Suicide and murder are on the rise.

Denton compared the human body to the space shuttle, which has millions of complex parts.

The human body, he said, contains trillions of interwoven molecular machines to sustain its life and house its soul, Denton said.

To demonstrate this interwoven system through Scripture, Denton referenced Psalm 139:13-16, which says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

"My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

"Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Denton said life begins at fertilization, and at that moment, he believes, God determines that person's hair color, eye color and other unique features.

Also at that moment, Denton said, a sinner is born, according to Scripture in Psalm 51:5, which says, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me."

One of the Webster's dictionary definitions of life, Denton said, is "Spiritual existence transcending physical death."

The Bible, he said, defines life in Leviticus 17:11 as "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."

Denton listed the 11 various systems of the body: skeletal; muscular; nervous; skin, hair and nails; lymphatic and immune; endocrine; cardiovascular; respiratory; digestive; urinary; and reproductive.

He presented numerous interesting facts about the human body:

* The average person has 70 to 100 trillion cells in their body.

* A human body contains 142 billion miles of DNA, which would stretch to the sun and back 763 times.

* A person's skin weighs six to nine pounds, and a small patch of that skin contains 5 million cells, 100 sweat glands and 1,000 touch sensors.

* A human body contains 206 bones and 640 muscles.

* It takes 90 coordinated muscle movements to swing a golf club.

* The human heart beats an average of 3 billion times in a lifetime.

* All the nerves in a person's body, laid end-to-end, would wrap around the world 2.5 times.

"If you really give it some thought, it's hard to imagine how this happened without some design," Denton said.

In conclusion, Denton referred the audience to three key verses in the Bible -- the first verse, middle verse and last verse.

The first verse, Genesis 1:1, says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

The middle verse, Psalm 118:8, says, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

The last verse, Revelation 22:21, says, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

The presentation ended with the showing of a short video titled, "The Privileged Planet, The Search for Purpose in the Universe," by Illustra Media.

The Rev. Gerald Rudd, pastor of First Church of God, introduced Denton and led the opening and closing prayers.

The Creation Seminar will conclude this evening, starting at 6:30 p.m., with a talk on "The Mystery of Ancient Man," by Jim Gardner, of Mountain City. He is the chief executive officer of Canopy Ministries.