Re: [asa] Dawkins and PZ Myers and their 'attitude'

----- Original Message -----
  From: Iain Strachan
  To: George Murphy
  Cc: asa@calvin.edu
  Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 10:26 AM
  Subject: Re: [asa] Dawkins and PZ Myers and their 'attitude'

  On 4/7/07, George Murphy <gmurphy@raex.com> wrote:
    I haven't read a great deal of Dawkins' work but agree that he writes quite well about science. Also -

    (a) Christians need not get themselves quite so exercised about the recent spate of atheist books, as if they represented some sort of Armaggedon-like Final Battle.
    Intelligent positive presentations of the Christian faith will be much more helpful than frenzied defences.

  Well, it's certainly worthwhile getting to know what is written in them and if you agree with it or not. At least two of my daughter's schoolfriends are reading TGD and making aggressive atheist noises at her - she needs to be prepared as to what to say, for example.
   
  Well, yes, but it's more important for Christians first to have a mature understanding of the Christian faith. The best apologetic is a clear presentation of the foundational claim of Christianity - again I'll reference my PSCF article at http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2000/PSCF9-00Murphy.html .

  My point wasn't that Dawkins et al should be ignored but that there's nothing really new or apocalyptic about this recent wave of anti-religious arguments. Much of it is standard Enlightenment stuff of an extreme variety & even the business about Darwin making it possible for one to be an intellectually consistent atheist is overstated.
  So while Christians certainly need to deal with it, it isn't a sign of the end of the world.

  BTW, has anyone pointed out that Dawkins' argument that "God" would have to be complex in order to create a complex world is just Dembski's supposed "conservation of information" notion in atheist garb?

  Shalom
  George
  http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
    

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Received on Sat Apr 7 13:55:28 2007