RE: [asa] The Science = Atheism Meme (evolving society, for Gregory)

Here is what Arthur Peacocke wrote, "I find the epic of evolution, from the 'Hot Big Bang' to Homo sapiens, an illumination of how the Creator God is and has been creating. Evolution enriches our insights into the nature and purposes of the divine creation -- its fecundity, variety, its ability to manifest an increase in complexity to the point where the physical stuff of the world acquires the (holistic) capacity to be self-conscious, to think (in 'mental' activity), to instantiate values and to relate to its Creator (in 'spiritual' activity). I regard God as creating in, with, and through the natural as unveiled by the sciences; hence I espouse a 'theistic naturalism.'" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/religion/faith/statement_03.html

Is that not equating evolution as an agency to God?

Moorad

________________________________

From: j burg [mailto:hossradbourne@gmail.com]
Sent: Fri 8/1/2008 10:41 AM
To: Alexanian, Moorad
Cc: Dehler, Bernie; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] The Science = Atheism Meme (evolving society, for Gregory)

On 7/31/08, Alexanian, Moorad <alexanian@uncw.edu> wrote:
> I am going to say something right off the top of my head. I
> will take you post and just make some minor changes and it makes just as
> make sense, if not even more, than what you wrote.
> -------------------
>
> You know, God (evolution) doesn't just create good things. He (It) creates
> even more mutants, retards, etc. than He (it) does something better. So an
> example of something going downward (in behavior, thought, etc.) doesn't
> disprove the actions of God (evolution) in society.
>

I see where you are coming from. The above assumes "evolution" refers
to an agency, rather than a descriptor.

Let me try this one. Substitute "gravity"

> You know, gravity doesn't just create good things. Gravity creates
> even more acccidents, deaths, etc. than it does something better. So an
> example of something going downward doesn't
> disprove the actions of gravity in our everyday life.

Here I am using the word "gravity" as an agent.

So much of the dialog on this list seems to center on word
definitions. I think Bacon was the guy who once wrote that when two
learned people disagree, it is almost always over word definitions!

"Gravity" is, of course, not an agent; it is (apparently) just the
result of living in a universe where mass attracts mass. Which in turn
is the result of living in a curved universe. Which in turn ... .

jb

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Received on Fri Aug 1 11:43:05 2008