Re: [asa] Question for all the theistic evolutionists

Excellent points, Glenn. These issues have bothered me as well. I do remember a long-running discussion I and several other list members had with an atheist a number of years ago. I believe his last name was Carlson, and he claimed he was one of the developers of Excel at Microsoft. I don't know whether it was on this forum or another one. As I remember we backed him into a corner over the issue of ethics. His only explanation for why he treated others with respect was a golden rule type of thing -- "How would I feel if I were in his position?" While that rule comes from Scripture, without the authority of the Lord to back it up it becomes just a human preference.

You wrote

1. Why is it that I so rarely see theistic evolutionists directly
confronting atheists on the internet when they dis our religion?

I can't answer this one because I haven't recently had occasion to see atheists dis Christianity on the internet (I guess I live a sheltered life). When I see instances of this I do respond.

2. Has anyone engaged in a direct internet debate on a forum against atheism
or against an atheist? (if so, where is it?)

See above. Unfortunately I don't remember what forum it was on, or when.

3. are we really, as my friend Wil Provine suggests, merely practical
atheists? (a people whose religion makes no real difference to the
intellectual climate of society?)

If you consider only "the intellectual climate of society" as Will defines it, perhaps you could make a case for this. But there is a great deal more to interacting with society than interacting with its intellectual climate. But there are organizations of Christian engineers that are trying to improve conditions in the third world, organizations like ACLJ that defend traditional values in the courts, thereby (we hope) contributing to the intellectual level of legal discussions. And recently ASA member Francis Collins took on Richard Dawkins very publicly in Time magazine. This is not to say that there is anywhere near enough input from TE's and other intelectually active Christians, but there is some.

3a alternatively, are we merely the lapdogs of the atheists, who use us, as
Phil Johnson suggests, but who don't respect us (I guess are we a one night
stand for the atheists pleasure?)

If the whole game is evolution/creation perhaps it looks like that. To a creationist it seems as though we have caved in to evolution. I have discussed til I'm blue in the face the difference between my position and say Richard Dawkins' and to a creationist it doesn't seem to make any difference. (Being the glutton for punishment I am, I'm going to have a discussion with our pastor, who is an OEC but adamant against evolution). But there is much more to life than evolution/creation. I don't suppose Phil Johnson would turn down our help in a campaign against abortion. And the recent discussion of global warming on this forum as well as the discussions of energy supplies indicate that we as a group are at least willing to discuss with somewhat of an open mind these critical issues.

 
Bill Hamilton
William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
248.652.4148 (home) 248.821.8156 (mobile)
"...If God is for us, who is against us?" Rom 8:31

 
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Received on Sat Feb 24 10:16:05 2007