RE: [asa] Dawkins God's gift to ID

You can thank anyone for representing their camp well, and disagree with them. For example, if I told people that many Christians thought the Earth was 10,000 years old, or that there was a global flood that wiped out all air-breathing animals except that which was saved on a boat, they could say I was building a strawman and misrepresenting people. But if I can quote Ken Ham, claiming to speak for his YEC camp, then I'm innocent of the claim of making up strawmen.

So Dawkins should take the Dembski comment as a complement. However, Dembski probably can't be thanked for representing the ID group because the group has such diverse opinions, and they are too afraid (or unwilling) to give official statements on things like the age of the Earth. Dawkins on the other hand would probably answer any question you ask him.

Those who can speak clearly and give a full accounting of their belief system deserve some respect for doing so (YEC-Ham, OEC-Ross, EC-Lamoureux). I lose respect for those who refuse to address certain questions and issues, like ID. (And it upsets/disgusts me that Lee Strobel can write a book called "Case for a Creator" without even discussing YEC or OEC... which strikes me as a cowardly act.)

...Bernie

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On Behalf Of John Burgeson (ASA member)
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:38 PM
To: William Hamilton
Cc: Dave Wallace; ASA
Subject: Re: [asa] Dawkins God's gift to ID

I suspect that Dawkins has enough of a sense of humor to appreciate
that view. I would have not included the last sentence though.

Demski here is just stating an opinion, of course, even if he poses it
as a "fact." I think he is wrong but he is certainly entitled to an
opinion different from mine. It is quite unprovable, of course.

On 11/23/09, William Hamilton <willeugenehamilton@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 1:04 PM, Dave Wallace
> <wmdavid.wallace@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Last week I came across a part of the following quote in McGrath's The
>> Dawkins Delusion.
>>
>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/mar/27/religion.schools
>>
>> William Dembski (one of the leading lights of the US intelligent-design
>> lobby) put it like this in an email to Dawkins: "I know that you
>> personally
>> don't believe in God, but I want to thank you for being such a wonderful
>> foil for theism and for intelligent design more generally. In fact, I
>> regularly tell my colleagues that you and your work are one of God's
>> greatest gifts to the intelligent-design movement. So please, keep at it!"
>>
>>
>> What bothers me about it is the sarcasm. As Christians our job is to _win_
> others to Christ. Now this may be nigh unto impossible with Richard Dawkins,
> but nevertheless we are not to judge that an individual is "unsavable". We
> are to treat all people with courtesy, and I think Dembski is being
> discourteous -- as though he "knows" Dawkins is a lost cause, so it's okay
> to needle him.
> --
> William E (Bill) Hamilton Jr., Ph.D.
> Member American Scientific Affiliation
> Austin, TX
> 248 821 8156
>

-- 
Burgy
www.burgy.50megs.com
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