Re: [asa] Theistic Evolutionists Clos e Ranks * (loonies)

> For example, is it true that a TE is afraid that other "higher" scientists will see him as a superstitious fool for believing in miracles? Why or why not?<

This gets into the problem of what is a TE. In the cited blog, it
seems mainly to be an ill-defined straw man.

The more deistic attempts to reconcile "modern" (past few centuries)
science and religion, including deism (strictly defined) as well as
process theology and much liberal theology in general tends to regard
belief in miracles as superstition. Whether this reflects fear that
others will think one superstitious, a personal commitment to reject
"superstition" which is thought to include belief in the miraculous,
or some other basis (e.g., an attempt to evade the problem of
theodicy) depends on the individual case. The accusation may have
some merit there, but not necessarily.

However, TE is supposed to be an acronym for theistic evolution(ist).
Theism would normally imply belief in a deity with supernatural
abilities. Anyone who accepts evolution on the basis of the
scientific data, concluding that as best as we can tell, it describes
how God usually creates different kinds of organisms, is not accepting
evolution out of a desire to look good to atheists, and indeed is
directly contesting the philosophical and religious claims of
"scientific" atheism, whereas antievolutionism regularly accepts those
claims.

To take the specific case of Ken Miller, in a question and answer
session after a talk here, he readily affirmed his belief in biblical
miracles (apparently disconcerting the Unitarian asker-I hope the
concept keeps nagging at him).

A less slanderous accusation would be to suggest that TEs are
guillibly accepting the status quo instead of seriously investigating
the underlying assumptions of evolutionism. As an unconsicous action,
it would be harder to disprove, also.

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