RE: [asa] Atheist finds God thru Behe's books....

I saw the video. Some of my comments:

1. The whole main thrust of the interview is wonder and awe at mystery. Basically, it is "we don't know how Darwinian evolution did it or could do it, therefore it must be intelligently designed (by God)." Why not instead seek out more evolutionary mechanisms? That isn't a possibility for Behe- it is either Darwinian evolution (random mutation and natural selection) or God, apparently. Basically it is Paley's watchmaker analogy, only people forget that now that pseudogenes demonstrate human evolution from an apelike creature, we know that God did not make humans as humans make a watch.

2. The amazing micromachines, DNA, proteins, etc. Yes it is awesome and amazing. But so is the human body, and we thought that was also made directly by God (not evolution) before the scientific evidence demonstrated it (evolution, by pseudogene evidence) beyond a reasonable doubt.

3. If design is guided, then be prepared to explain mass extinctions and evolutionary dead-ends. Unless one believes in a recent worldwide flood and recent Earth, why else did God make so many wonderful creatures long before man even came on the scene to enjoy/observe them?

3. Behe's whole objection seems to be against "Darwinian" mechanisms.

4. Behe considers intelligent design as a hypothesis. I never saw this hypothesis explained anywhere, but I admit I also haven't read his books. From what I hear about the ID guys, it is basically "Darwinian evolution can't explain it, therefore the only other possibility is intelligent design (God)." (If someone is an ID supporter and can coherently state the hypothesis CONCISELY, PLEASE do.)

5. Is ID a science-stopper? Behe says no, it is like saying Einstein finding the speed of light as the maximum speed for anything is a science stopper, no need to look further for something faster. But Einstein's ideas are based on what can be measured, calculated, etc.; Behe's are based on "we don't know how, therefore ID."

Behe's said his further research will be more about finding 'the edge of evolution,' what things exist and can't be explained by successive changes of evolution (finch beaks are easy to explain with Darwinian evolution, skunks shooting a bad odor are difficult to impossible).

Summary: My main message to Behe would be: Instead of saying Darwinian Evolution can't explain it, instead look for more evolutionary mechanisms. Forget your obsession with Darwin!!!

...Bernie

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On Behalf Of John Walley
Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 7:03 PM
To: AmericanScientificAffiliation
Subject: [asa] Atheist finds God thru Behe's books....

This video is amazing.   http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/22075

John McWhorter is a self avowed atheist and he even admits that he doesn't want to believe in God and here in this interview he reveals his innate childlike faith and affirms the obvious truth of the overwhelming evidence of design in nature and the need for some intelligence or guidance to be behind the mechanism of evolution. Also to make it more interesting, the atheist establishment blew a gasket over this interview and demanded that the interview be removed which it was, but then it was reposted. See the details on this controversy at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/octoberweb-only/140-42.0.html?start=1.

John

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Received on Fri Oct 9 10:27:17 2009