Re: [asa] Designed Kangaroos?

Nice quote from Darwin, Iain. It reflects his earlier admiration of Paley's Natural Theology, I think.

Ironically, I understand that some of the more fundamentalists denominations favored Darwin's theory when it was introduced, because it did address suffering and a sense of judgement, opposed to the more popular evolutionary theory.

Are there any benefits gained by both individual and species, ignoring the enormity of the negative issues? The Hubble Telescope demonstrates the ability to see over 130 billion galaxies which harbor hundres of billions of stars. Simple geometric progression estimates the exoplanet count could be 2000 in 10 years. Are the mechanism found in evolution supportive of a grand Designer/Creator/Engineer? The best wood carvings often come from the greater number of cuts.

This is a very difficult topic, but it is on my mind lately, too. Darwin stated two arguments that sent him down his slow walk to agnosticism: suffering and his limited view of the dicontinuity between the OT and NT.

Helio

----- Original Message -----
  From: Iain Strachan
  To: David Opderbeck
  Cc: Michael Roberts ; Peter Loose ; asa@calvin.edu
  Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2007 12:56 AM
  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> wrote:

      On 7/27/07, Michael Roberts < 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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  After the game, the King and the pawn go back in the same box.

  - Italian Proverb
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Received on Sat Jul 28 10:41:03 2007