Re: have we forgotten who the enemy is?

Hi, fellow Citizens of the Kingdom of God (and seekers!)

I really appreciate Jack's starting this thread, in a very
revealing way.

Jack Syme wrote:

> I am not sure why the discussion on this list is always so negative against
> both ID and YEC. IMO in the big picture, this battle is a minor one. The
> most important belief that we all have, and share with our creationist
> brothers, is the Gospel. Most evangelical Christians dont really care that
> much about the creation/evolution issue, knowing Christ is much more
> important.
>
> It seems to me that we are losing sight of the real enemy, which is
> philosophical materialism, atheistic naturalism. We should be reaching out
> to scientist non believers, and showing them that the Bible, and science are
> compatible. This issue is more about apologetics than polemics.

An emerging view in the scientific community, even among those
advocating the religion of Naturalism, is that the fabric of our
experience can be analyzed into two components: Material
(including energy), and Information.

Particles are interesting in themselves, as seen interacting in a
Bubbble Chamber. but they are much more interesting to me when
configured into atoms, molecules, DNA bases and proteins . . . .
(you carry on the ascending list of complexity). This list
displays the nature of Information. I don't think Information
needs to have energy or mass, but it is sort of a Platonic "idea"
that gets embodied in specific material assemblies, that gives
those assemblies form and useful properties. Assemblies like
hammers, ice cream cones, and humans. God has given US the smarts
to be creative, and make the cones and hammers. I.e. to GENERATE
specified Information.

I think Bill Dembski, though he may have been lacking in tact in
certain human interactions, has contributed greatly to our
understanding of Information, especially in his exposition of the
"No Free Lunch" theorems of evolutionary thought.

May God bless us all, Larry Johnston

"He has made everything beautiful in its time.
 He has also set eternity in the hearts of men"
 - - Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV trans

============================================================
Lawrence H. Johnston home: 917 E. 8th st.
professor of physics, emeritus Moscow, Id 83843
University of Idaho (208) 882-2765
Fellow of the American Physical Society
http://www.uidaho.edu/~johnston/homepage.html ==============
Received on Thu Feb 17 09:49:47 2005