Re: [asa] Question for all the theistic evolutionists

> 1. Why is it that I so rarely see theistic evolutionists directly
> confronting atheists on the internet when they dis our religion?
> 2. Has anyone engaged in a direct internet debate on a forum against atheism
> or against an atheist? (if so, where is it?)

Part of this depends also on exactly what qualifies as debating
atheism and what fora are under consideration. Highlighting the
compatibility of evolution and theism directly undermines the rantings
of Dawkins et al. but does not address the more important issue of
Christianity versus alternatives. Most of the fora I am involved in
specifically focus on areas of science, so evangelizing is off topic
but pointing out factual errors (made in inept efforts at attacking
Christianity) or the negative effects on science education that
result from extraneous atheism is on topic.

> 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?)
> 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?)

Johnson and Provine are both here trying to give to atheism what is
rightfully theistic. Knowing that everything is created and sustained
by God and that He created us to be stewards of creation, we have a
basis for both believing that we can do science and that we ought to
do science. As the properties of creation are physically available to
any to investigate, atheists can hold that we can do science on
empirical grounds, but have no more substantial justification.

If I had hired Johnson as my lawyer and then overheard another lawyer
at the courthouse expressing delight that he would be up against
Johnson, I would get another lawyer. Of course atheists prefer
Johnson-his bad theology and bad science support their rejection of
God.

Given the "alien genetic engineers" option acknowledged as a possible
explanation for ID, Johnson's science arguments don't do any more than
TE to disprove atheism (as Michael Shermer pointed out in a debate
with Paul Nelson on ID here).

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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