RE: [asa] Designed Kangaroos?

 
Iain and Friends:
 
I find this stance in respect of 'bad things being literally due to one
historical woman and her husband eating a piece of fruit' to be very sad.
 
Firstly the quote from Darwin to Asa Gray is but one part of Darwin's
expressed world-view. A balancing observation would perhaps be this below
where Darwin says "I do not believe there ever has been any revelation."
 
Again in 1879 he was applied to by a German student, in a similar manner.
The letter was answered by a member of my father's family, who wrote:-
"Mr. Darwin begs me to say that he receives so many letters, that he cannot
answer them all.
"He considers that the theory of Evolution is quite compatible with the
belief in a God; but that you must remember that different persons have
different definitions of what they mean by God."
This, however, did not satisfy the German youth, who again wrote to my
father, and received from him the following reply:-
"I am much engaged, an old man, and out of health, and I cannot spare time
to answer your questions fully,-nor indeed can they be answered. Science has
nothing to do with Christ except in so far as the habit of scientific
research makes a man cautious in admitting evidence. For myself, I do not
believe that there ever has been any revelation. As for a future life, every
man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities."
Quoted from: Darwin, Francis ed. 1887. The life and letters of Charles
Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. London: John Murray. Volume
1. page 307.
Sourced from: http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1452.1
<http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1452.1&viewtype=text&p
ageseq=325&keywords=christ%20science>
&viewtype=text&pageseq=325&keywords=christ%20science
A challenge to the figurative interpretation of the origin of 'bad things'
would be the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 15:22 (NIV) "For as in Adam all die, so
in Christ all will be made alive."
Would those who adopt a figurative interpretation of Genesis 3 in respect of
the cause of bad things, please explain why Paul didn't take that same view
- apparently? Do they propose a mythical Adam and a literal Christ? Or are
they proposing that 'all will be made alive' is also figurative? Figurative
of what may I ask?
Blessings
Peter Loose
  _____

From: igd.strachan@gmail.com [mailto:igd.strachan@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2007 6:57 AM
To: David Opderbeck
Cc: Michael Roberts; Peter Loose; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] Designed Kangaroos?
 
I found the following explanation rather more helpful:

I cannot anyhow be contented to view this wonderful universe, and especially
the nature of man, and to conclude that everything is the result of brute
force. I am inclined to look at everything as resulting from designed laws,
with the details, whether good or bad, left to the working out of what we
may call chance.

Darwin - letter to Asa Gray - (1860)

It would of course take too long to give a full explanation as to why God
allows bad things to happen. But I can't accept that it was _literally_ due
to one historical woman and her husband eating a piece of fruit. My example
was to show how unacceptable a literal interpretation is. The account is
clearly an allegory of our own sinful and disobedient nature and our need
for salvation.

If we give cosy examples of God "designing kangaroos for jumping" then we
get a good feeling, but if we think about God designing tigers expressly for
ripping gazelles apart then it's not so easy.

Anyway - I'm off on holiday, so won't be responding for a while.

Iain
On 7/28/07, David Opderbeck <dopderbeck@gmail.com> wrote:
So what is your explanation Iain? Does this help?
On 7/27/07, Iain Strachan < igd.strachan@gmail.com
<mailto:igd.strachan@gmail.com> > wrote:
 
On 7/27/07, Michael Roberts < <mailto:michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk>
michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk> wrote:
 
I don't see design and evolution in contradiction but I would want to ask
why God designed the Ebola virus.

Trivial. God designed the Ebola virus because a real man and a real woman
ate a piece of fruit that they weren't supposed to in 4004BC.

Really, Michael, you lack of knowledge is truly shocking!

Maybe what's more shocking to some is that I don't believe my explanation.

[ Ducks to avoid hail of rotten fruit ].

Iain
 

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