>Can you explain what you mean? We are not saying God is intelligent per se.
>We are proposing
>a theory that says that there was a designer behind nature and IT happens to
>be very intelligent since nature works so well. I don't see how calling God
>"intelligent" is blasphemy or how talking about Intelligent Design is
>blasphemy.
>
>Salu2
>
My objection is, that it is we, I, man, a creature, who decides that nature
works "well" so that there must be a designer who is intelligent. Read the
last chapters of Job to see how dangerous it is to come with man made
theories to decide what God does and has done in the past.
Objections further specified:
1. WE decide what works well. But WE could make the decision too that it
does not work well, since a lot of deaths are needed to maintain nature.
WE could decide that is an imperfection in the design.
2. We have to be very carefully not to give God human characteristics,
which we have in our own mind formulated.
3. There was a fall in sin, which according to the book of Romans has
affected all nature, see Romans 8:19. Does that mean that "perfect" nature
has to be more perfected?
4. Talking about "intelligent design" means that we have a (human) idea of
what " intelligent" means and then decide by looking at nature etc., "Yes,
it is intelligently designed." But we should not attach human measurements
to God, when Scripture does not do it. It reminds me of Job 38, if we do it.
5. In Genesis God tells us that the creation was good, in Romans we read
that the creation was subjected to futility. Is this futility part of the
intelligence?
6. Unfortunately most scientists are philosophically not well founded, so
that they often do not realize what the background of their thinking is.
(I know, that there are very well versed philosophers who are in favour of
the Intelligent Design argument.)
7. Do we need a theory to explain that God did it? When we follow an
allmighty God, Who loves us, Who wants to save us, Who promises us a (more
perfect) new earth, why do we want to philosophize about the "intelligence"
of the design?
8. Reading the Bible as a whole, and considering the different styles, the
different times when written, the reasons for writing special chapters like
Gen. 1 to 11, for example makes a theory of Intelligent Design superfluous.
I received while writing this a (dutch) philosophic magazine, in which the
theme is : reading the bible. The advice that struck me: When reading
God's Word listen to God, do not philosophize, just listen. Fitting it in
in our time and knowledge is secondary.
9. How do we listen to God's Word in nature? I believe, that God is much
greater thaan we can grasp with our (very small) intelligence. I know that
we are proud enough to say that we are intelligent, but are we? In God's
eyes?
Written as in a coffee table talk, not as a scientific paper,
Jan de Koning
Willowdale, Ont.