Whose Burden of Proof?

Steve wrote: >Perhaps I should clarify what I was driving at. If God is intelligently active in mutation and selection then a common counter argument for this being intelligent points to the "failures" in evolution. If God is intelligently designing, then why are there so many design "failures" in the evolutionary process. If the analogy of a human designer, in some respects, also says something about God as designer, then even though good human designers have great skill in predicting the outcomes of their designs, sometimes they miss the mark. Sometimes designs don't come out quite the way they were expected. That's why human designers test things(selection) and make design changes(mutations). In a way it's part of the fun of design to see how well you did. If God willing adopts a design position something like this then evolutionary failures are not really failures but design attempts that didn't quite work out. I know I'm pushing this analogy, but I don't think th!
e possibility of a kenotic aspect of the Creator has been taken seriously enough. The challenge for Christianity, I think, is to see if there are faithful ways to interpret scripture that also address the legitimate questions of detractors. <

We need to make sure that we are on the same page as to the definition of design and the use of this information.
Design in the conventional sense implies intent, as opposed to purely chance processes. However, Intelligent Design as a movement also generally claims that some implementation that sets aside continuous action of natural laws is necessary.

Although evidence of design in creation (if detectable) suggests (a) designer(s), this is not theologically very useful. Unless we know whether this/these designer(s) is/are Zeus, Baal, Ungabunga, Raelian aliens, Allah, Jesus, etc., we cannot tell what we should believe about God and what duties He requires of us (cf. Westminster Confession of Faith, I.i).

Identifying design “failures” in evolution requires identification of the purpose of evolution. Biblically, we can identify a couple of goals in creation. One is to suit God’s pleasure and bring about His glory. Another is the Incarnation and the creation and redemption of creatures in His image. This tells us that evolution ought to proceed however God likes, eventually yielding intelligent life whenever and wherever He likes. No study of evolution can demonstrate a pattern contrary to that goal, as the existence of intelligent life is necessary to provide a studier, and full knowledge of God’s plan is necessary to determine how He would want to have things happen. If creating diversity and variety is part of what He likes, the evolutionary process does an excellent job of that, including the “failures”. “Failures” may also play a key role in the “success” of others.

The working of God in history may provide a better analogy to His working in evolution than do the actions of human designers. The Bible asserts that God works out His plans in history, but often in ways contrary to human expectation. If we know from Scripture that God is working out His plan in history, then we can see that it all works together and trust Him where it does not seem to make sense (which does not rule out asking why He’s doing things the way they are, e.g. Habakkuk or several psalms). However, we should not expect a secular historian to spot the pattern. God is fond of choosing the weak and simple to confound the wise and strong.

    Dr. David Campbell
    Old Seashells
    University of Alabama
    Biodiversity & Systematics
    Dept. Biological Sciences
    Box 870345
    Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0345 USA
    bivalve@mail.davidson.alumlink.com

That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droitgate Spa

                 
Received on Mon Dec 1 15:03:54 2003