Re: Destructive criticism - last post

Mike Hardie (hardie@globalserve.net)
Thu, 18 Jun 1998 14:24:17 -0700

>Thanks. I was in Victoria BC last October. A beautiful place. Where exactly
>do you stand on the Creation - Evolution spectrum?

Yes, Victoria is a great city. I have several friends and relatives there.

I'd say I accept the theory of evolution, as I understand it. Science
certainly is not my strong point, however, so I'm hoping to learn more
about the issue on this list. I certainly couldn't tell you at this point
whether I accepted one particular subset of the theory of evolution over
another, for example.

I've decided not to respond to the rest of this post piece by piece. It
seems to largely have to do with ideas about Glenn's motivations, what
advances the "cause of Christ", etc. Let me just say this much in general:
I think the best thing that everyone involved can do, at this point, is
switch the debate entirely to the issues. Theology and character, while
perhaps important, are not *logically* related and consequently can only
serve to obscure the scientific questions examined on this listserve.
Further discussion of personal qualities and religious conviction, then,
are only likely to be a catalyst for conflict.

Moreover, I think it should be recognized that Ross and Johnson's status as
Christian apologists are not in any way relevant here. *All* that should
be relevant here is the veracity of their positions regarding evolution.
Their being Christian apologists certainly does not guarantee them
infallibility, nor should it ensure them immunity from criticism.

Regards,

Mike Hardie
<hardie@globalserve.net>
http://www.globalserve.net/~hardie/dv/