Re: [asa] restatement on ID as a "proof" of God (defense of Behe)

Heya Ted,
I absolutely agree with this much. It's one of the reasons I have so much
trouble with the YEC perspective. The problem I have is that very often the
desire doesn't seem to be to show that a TE or similar reading of the bible
is acceptable/right, but that the YECs are wrong, wrong, wrong on the
science. I remember a discussion on this list months back where William Lane
Craig was taken to task for coming out and saying that he thinks evolution
is no threat to a proper reading of Genesis. Why was he taken to task?
Because he wasn't attacking YECs enough!

So my own view is, as far as TE to YEC dialogue goes, simply and gleefully
attacking YECs is a mistake. Attacking YECs, period, is a mistake. Arguing
forcefully why TE and similar views are entirely compatible with a proper
reading of Genesis, why the YEC view is not the only one (or even not the
best one) - that's far better. And I think this is one reason why ID
proponents, even ones who clearly and expressly do not believe in YEC, take
a softer stance towards YECs. There's more than one way to deal with the
issue effectively.

On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 9:09 AM, Ted Davis <TDavis@messiah.edu> wrote:

> Let me point out that, in my experience (for decades) in working through
> and
> with origins issues, the reason many and perhaps most TEs come down so hard
> on YEC, and some of them also come down hard on ID, is b/c they know from
> their own experiences or those of friends that the YEC position, if
> inculcated into youth, can itself cause extremely serious spiritual
> problems
> for those youth when they get out from under that YEC umbrella. The tone
> of
> ID concerning "Darwinism" in both scientific and cultural uses of that
> term,
> which is a pejorative in both YEC and ID circles, is highly similar to that
> of YEC at times, and this is a big reason why ID can receive the same
> treatment from some TEs.
>
> I would not underestimate this factor.
>
> Ted
>

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Received on Wed Apr 29 23:56:21 2009