Re: Evolution: A few questions

Jason wrote:

> I'm skeptical of evolution,
> but I do allow for the possibility of it so I want to hear some thoughts
> from Christian evolutionists.

The prime difficulty I see with progressive creation (PC) is that it demands
that God must interact in the progression of life in order to bring about
new species or even new adaptive features in organisms. Can a portion of an
existing species become isolated and through purely natural procreation
become a distinct species on its own without God's personal involvement?
No, according to PC. The Creator has to pull the switches before anything
can happen.

This demand on the Creator has a downside. Evolution doesn't always move in
a positive direction. Genetic defects, which occur all the time, that cause
a creature to die before it can procreate are washed out of the system. No
harm to the gene pool. Genetic defects which may be harmful later in life
such as Alzheimer's or Huntington's Disease are preserved in the gene pool
because the harmful effects come too late to prevent the genetic defect from
being passed on to another generation. So what was God doing when these
genetic defects occurred? Windsurfing on Mars?

PC and ID only look at the upside. Positive changes are credited to the
personal acts of a loving Creator. So who or what is blamed for the
deleterious effects of certain harmful gene mutations? We humans suffer
from over 3,000 genetic diseases caused by genetic defects. Natural
causation doesn't place an unnecessary burden on the Creator. Genetic
changes occur naturally and natural selection weeds out some of the
imperfections and allows creatures to adapt to a changing environment. Nice
system. Let's give God credit for devising it.

But if He is pulling the switches as demanded by PC and ID, well, He missed
some, or He pulled the wrong ones occasionally, or He pulled some the wrong
way. Promoting a God who pushes the throttle but sleeps at the switch
serves no useful purpose.

Furthermore, if God operated in the way that PC and ID suggests, there is no
evidence of it. So not only is the Creator a bit clumsy at times, He does
it without leaving a trace. So He pulls the switches, right ones and wrong
ones alike, and makes it appear as if it all happened naturally? Sorry,
this scenario doesn't fit the God of the Bible who is "perfect in all His
ways."

So I believe we serve our Creator best when we give Him credit for settting
the bounds and establishing the laws under which Nature is free to operate.

Dick Fischer - Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
www.genesisproclaimed.org
Received on Sun Jun 13 16:16:35 2004