Re: More fusillades in the ID wars

From: Dick Fischer <dickfischer@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu Feb 03 2005 - 22:11:18 EST

Terry wrote:

I'll respond to some of the other points later, but now just to this point. It's amazing to me how different words can mean very different things to different people. When I say that evolution "is an expression of His creative and providential will", I mean that every detail even down to atomic and quantum events is ordained and decreed by God. So, no, I don't accept a "sporadic, intermittent divine intervention in the progression of life"--divine "intervention" is throughout and ever-present. Take Gould's replay the tape of life idea--his notion of contingency results in a complete different outcome. My notion of divine control (and contingency) results in exactly the same outcome.

I can agree with that.  Only I would tend to attribute the outcome as already known due to His foreknowledge.  If he has to continually tweak the process as He goes along then He is forcing the outcome which calls into question: Do we really have free will?  How can we be accountable?  And questions like that.

So, the problem of evil is present in full force. Mutations, extinctions, "natural" evil, and all other evil for that matter, is totally under the control of God. Evolution produces exactly what God wants. Everything that is is the result of His plan and purpose.

Sounds like we have shades of gray (no pun intended) between us, but generally in the same direction.  I wouldn't use the word "control" as much as I would prefer "governance" or "authority."  If He controls it and the outcome is bad, then He must have done something wrong.  If He authorizes us to conduct ourselves with free will and it turns out badly, we only have ourselves to blame.

Dick Fischer  - Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
www.genesisproclaimed.org
Received on Thu Feb 3 23:10:39 2005