Vestigial Organs?

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

In your school textbooks you have probably heard about “vestigial organs” (pronounced ve-STIJ-ee-uhl). According to evolution, there should be “leftovers” from before we became human. These leftovers, called vestigial organs, are either useless or they don’t work well. The Bible, however, teaches us that we were created by God in His own image (Genesis 1:27), so each part of our body was made for a purpose even if we aren’t sure what that purpose is yet. There is no such thing as a vestigial organ!

One example of a body part that is often referred to as vestigial is the coccyx (pronounced KOK-siks), commonly called the tailbone. We are often told that the coccyx is an evolutionary leftover from the days when people had tails. Our Bible verse teaches us that people were specially created in God’s image, not evolved from animals, so we know that people never had tails. Actually, the coccyx has a very important function. Your pelvic muscles attach to the coccyx. These muscles form slings that keep all your pelvic organs in their proper place. The coccyx is very important because it gives a place for these muscles to attach so they can work properly. We should thank God for creating our coccyx!

Another organ commonly thought of as vestigial is your appendix. For a long time, people thought that the appendix didn’t do anything and was just a useless, old leftover. Now most scientists and doctors understand that the appendix is very complex and important. This small organ helps keep us healthy. Sometimes diseases cause our bodies to lose some very important bacteria that live in our intestines. When this happens, the appendix supplies new bacteria to your intestine. The appendix is not an evolutionary leftover; it is an organ that was specially designed by God to help us fight disease in a fallen world.

There is no such thing as a vestigial organ!