Re: Fall of evolved man

Allan Harvey (aharvey@boulder.nist.gov)
Fri, 07 Nov 1997 12:12:53 -0700

At 01:26 PM 11/7/97 -0500, Moorad Alexanian wrote (regarding racism):

> Evolution is necessary but not sufficient for people to believe
>that they may be superior to others.

I hope you don't mean what you just wrote. So nobody believed themselves
superior to others prior to Darwin? Then why did Paul have to warn the
Philippians against it? What about the Pharisees for that matter? The
blaming of "evolution" (rather than sin) for every evil under the sun is
a common tactic in some circles; Toumey's _God's Own Scientists_ has some
interesting material on how that connection gets made.

But Glenn had it right. Sin is the problem. Failure to recognize God as
creator of us all is the problem. It may be that a few (the evil of
"social Darwinism" comes to mind) use (misuse) "evolution" as an excuse
for that failure. But that is not the fault of the science of evolution
any more than the theory of relativity is at fault when people who don't
have a clue about it try to justify moral relativism.

Maybe that ridiculous statement about evolution causing racism wasn't
meant, because it contradicts Glenn's statement that was agreed with (and
to which I add my total agreement):

>>My point is that scientific theories, like theologies, can be used for good
>>or for bad. It is not the theory that brings the bad, but the sin.
>
>Totally agree.

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