From: Joel Cannon (jcannon@jcannon.washjeff.edu)
Date: Wed Apr 09 2003 - 10:58:24 EDT
George stole the first comment I was going to make when he noted that
philospher Wiker's hype that "this was the most important movement to
occur in the last 200 years, if not the last half-millenium" exceeded
philospher Rob Koons statement that Dembski was "the Isaac Newton of
Information Theory." Outside of their discomfort with the implications
of evolution, do these philosophers have enough scientific knowledge
to provide evidence to support their contentions. Undoubtedly not. I
should retire from physics and become a philospher. Then I could
practice Christian science.
More to the point, Don Winterstein states that fine tuning lends
support to his belief in a "Tuner." Presumably this means that since
he has learned about fine tuning he has more confidence that the
Christian God YHWH is real and that YHWH is discovered and known
through the person of Jesus of Nazerath . By implication, Don would
also have less confidence in Christianity's truth if no fine-tuning
was observed (can't have it both ways).
This seems to me to be quite sandy soil. In fact,it is evidence
against Christianity's truth.
At the heart of Christianity is the belief that YHWH has revealed
himself most clearly through Jesus. The need to derive comfort from
fine-tuning and holes in evolutionary theory is evidence that this
revelation which is the doctrinal center of Christianity is not so
reliable. If Jesus reveals YHWH, why go seeking solace from
fine-tuning? If Jesus needs to be propped up by fine-tuning or holes
in evolutionary theory, he is irrelevant to answering the question of
God's existence. If Jesus is irrelevant to answering the question of
God's existence, Christianity is false.
> From: "Don Winterstein" <dfwinterstein@msn.com>
>
> Wiker expresses himself with lots of un-scientist-like flourish, but I can
> ignore that. Are you implying here that no one has made discoveries about
> cosmological fine tuning by searching for them? Wiker claims scientists
> have done so. I don't know the answer, but if he's right, I wouldn't regard
> such discoveries entirely as "theological & scientific dead ends." The many
> documented instances of fine tuning for me lend a bit of support to my
> belief in a Tuner. Isn't this one way that God might be revealing himself
> in and through nature (Romans 1:20)?
>
> Don
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joel W. Cannon | (724)223-6146
Physics Department | jcannon@washjeff.edu
Washington and Jefferson College |
Washington, PA 15301 |
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