On Thu, 12 Oct 1995 09:57:18 -0500 (EST) you wrote:
LH>ABSTRACT: I give a review of theological reasons for favoring
>"natural processes" over "supernatural intervention" in biological
>history.
[...]
LH>4. God has not provided irrefutable proof of his existence through
>other areas of natural philosophy or through physical religious
>artifacts; it seems contradictory to expect such proof in biological
>developmental history.
PC does not claim to have "proof" that God progressively created new
designs by intervening at strategic points over time.
PC is a high level model that attempts to relate the facts of science
with the Biblical picture of an intervening God.
LH>God could provide proof of his existence in the physical world.
>God also could have insured that certain historical artifacts (Noah's
>ark, the ark of the covenant) would survive till today. He has not
>done so.
I agree with the above. In fact I have argued it with Glenn re his
demand that the Flood must have left detectable sediment.
LH>Although natural philosophy and rational scholarship have a
>role to play in our religious lives, it seems that God wishes to
>de-emphasize those as a basis of our faith; rather, God emphasizes
>the recorded testimony of Biblical revelation (point 6 below), the
>work of the Spirit in the church, and the work of the Spirit in our
>own lives.
Agreed.
LH>Scientists may eventually understand evolutionary biology and
>molecular biology well enough to establish firm "limits" on
>evolution's efficacy --- limits which preclude the production of
>higher taxa and biological novelty; but if God wanted to give us
>empirical evidence for his creative activity in the universe, this
>seems an unusual place to put it.
The Bible's claim is that God has given us "empirical evidence for his
creative activity in the universe" in *all* the tings that He has
made:
Ps 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the
work of his hands."
Rom 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible
qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are
without excuse."
LH>Natural philosophy does not give us such empirical evidence for
>God's activity in other areas, why should we expect it in
>evolutionary biology?
I disagree with your first premise. 30 years ago I became a
philosophical theist from atheism, purely on the "empirical evidence"
of the "glory of God" which "the heavens" declared. It had nothing to
do with Christianity and in fact it was two years after that that I
became a Christian.
And I diagree with your second premise that there is such a thing
as "evolutionary biology". This is assuming as fact what is in dispute
by PC.
[...]
[continued]
God bless.
Stephen
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