Re: [asa] Resolution affirming Creation and Evolution

Randy stated:

> I guess my concern is not so much about this resolution as about
> ourselves at ASA. We are very busy discussing among ourselves the
> details
> of ID, YEC, TE, EC, concordism, accommodationism, etc., and
> appropriately
> so. Yet how much effort are we able to make in confronting the
> advocacy of
> metaphysical naturalism itself? While we may have difficulties with
> some
> aspects of ID, at least they have managed to get the issue on the
> table so
> that secular scientific communities around the world are putting it
> on their
> agenda. I don't know of any other perspective in ASA that has managed
> to do
> that. This gives all of us an opportunity to share the perspectives
> from
> the Christian community. We do indeed differ (and widely so) on the
> details
> but we are united in our belief in the Creator and that science does
> not
> imply metaphysical naturalism. I wish we could be more aggressive on
> that score.

I would differ in this assessment. Many ASA members have indeed been
agreesive in arguing against metaphysical naturalism. Furthermore, in
my experience ID advocates have made this effort more difficult rather
than easier. Many of them actually present a picture of the scientific
enterprise and of evolutionary theory that is not different from that
of Dawkins. They both argue that science is based on metaphysical
naturalism and that evolutionary theory in particular effectively
denies the existence of divine a ction in nature. Here in Kasnas, it
was the ID advocates who changed the science standards to argue that
evolution did deny purpose, meaning and divine guidance. They aslo
explicitly identified evolution with scientific materialism and
atheism. The ID movement has not helped to overcome the popular
identification of modern science with metaphysical naturalism -- they
have explicitly encouraged it.

Keith

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Received on Sun Jun 25 19:15:51 2006