Re: Science Education and the Church

From: Walter Hicks (wallyshoes@mindspring.com)
Date: Wed May 22 2002 - 13:07:37 EDT

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    Jan de Koning wrote:
    > The term "evolution" does NOT evoke purposeless. I don't know were you got
    > that idea from. Nothing is purposeless in this world. Everywhere and in
    > every subject, God is involved. Just taking one word out of context to say
    > it is involves purposeless and is therefor against God is very
    > dangerous. It might mean that other words are for God? We know
    > better. We know that none of our works is sinless. I find the searching
    > out one word, and saying it is against God a dangerous business.
    >
    > Personally, I find it extremely dangerous when certain Christians take out
    > one theory and declare it against God and His Christ, and by doing so
    > estrange many students from the Christ of Scriptures. I met several of
    > these when I was still teaching, who were on their way out of the church,
    > and thus out of community with Christ, because somebody told them that they
    > were not Christians if they "believed" in "Evolution." My answer took
    > weeks of talking, but came down to: "Do you believe, that our faithful God
    > is trying to fool us in nature?"

    It is often said to me that people "talk past" one another on this list.
    I certainly have to agree with that. I did not make up the notion that
    random mutation plus natural selection was the evolutionary theory. That
    was Darwin's idea, not mine. In talking about the secular world, I like
    to use secular documents. They are ones that are used to teach our
    children in public schools. Here is a quote from an encyclopaedia on the
    web:

    " Darwin's theory of the evolution of species through natural selection
    starts from the premise that an organism's traits vary in a non
    deterministic? way from parent to offspring, a process
      called "individuation" by Darwin. This theory does not make any
    specific claims as to how this process works, although more recent
    scientific discoveries in genetics explain several
      mechanisms that occur in the process of reproduction: in the case of
    both asexual and sexual reproduction, random mutation (including DNA
    transcription errors); in the case of sexual
      reproduction (which mixes the DNA of two parents into an offspring),
    gene flow and genetic drift are also important mechanisms. Competition
    (typically among males to impregnate
      females) for mates produces sexual selection - a process which Darwin
    considered secondary to ecological in most species."

    Note the term "random mutation".

    http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Natural+selection

    The fact that Christians disagree is no surprise. Of course we do.
    Unfortunately, most disagree by saying that man was directly created by
    God some 10,000 years ago. When I talk to anyone who disbelieves in
    evolution, it is because the above definition of evolution is the one
    that think is meant. Hence, they elect to believe that evolution is not
    true.

    You really do miss my point, Jan. I am trying to say that if the above
    theory is what is taught in schools (and it is), and then Morris and
    other Christians accept that definition, the ball game is lost. The
    correction has to be a scientific one, acceptable for non-Christian
    schools --- not a theological one that cannot be taught in public
    schools. There is adequate scientific reason to do so, but it will
    happen only if we try.

    This is not to discredit anything that you say, Jan. I agree completely
    with you and George, that God is in control and His methods are whatever
    He wishes. I wonder if He wishes that we would make an effort to correct
    the current secular notion of evolution. Maybe not.

    Walt

    ===================================
    Walt Hicks <wallyshoes@mindspring.com>

    In any consistent theory, there must
    exist true but not provable statements.
    (Godel's Theorem)

    You can only find the truth with logic
    If you have already found the truth
    without it. (G.K. Chesterton)
    ===================================



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