Re: Signs of Scientism

On 1/18/06, David Opderbeck <dopderbeck@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I'd still very much like the perspectives of Keith and other ASA members
> on why the ability to observe and reasonably believe in a "supernatural"
> event such as the resurrection differs from the ability to observe and
> reasonably believe in "supernatural" creative events in natural history. As
> I've understood the discussion so far, it's not only that there's no
> evidence for such "supernatural" creative events, its that such events are
> in principle not detectable. I'm trying to understand the "in principle not
> detectable" part. Thanks.
>

Not all opponents of ID go that far. For cessationists like myself, no
supernatural event is currently detectable because miracles (which is the
empirically detectable subset of the supernatural) have ceased with the
apostolic period. If we lived when Jesus did then that would not be true.
Furthermore, finding the bones of Jesus would disprove the resurrection and
we would as the Apostle Paul puts it to be pitied.

There are others who oppose ID who would be more accepting of current-day
miracles than myself who would still oppose on ID. Here the mechanism to
detect the supernatural is theoretically possible but no proposed mechanism
to date is adequate to the task.

To summarize all Christians (and all theists) believe in design as a
consequence in believing in a Creator. This design is:

1. Detectable today via empirical means
2. Possibly detectable today but said means have yet to be discovered
3. Detectable in the past
4. Never detectable

Usually position number 4 is aligned with some kind of process theology. It
is arguable that such a theology is not theistic. Given this, I am not
surprised that Philip Johnson reacted in the way that he did, particularly
since he interacted with the thinking mostly of Richard Dawkins and Howard
Van Till (after he became more involved with process theology). That
being said, it is sad that he has ignored positions 2-3. My optimistic side
hopes that maybe the current legal cases may cause ID to reconsider their
allies given that ID is much closer to moderate forms of theistic evolution
than it is to YEC.
Received on Wed Jan 18 12:24:13 2006