>
>We are all sinners, my children are but I love them. It is easy for me to
>understand how a loving God would love his creation. It is much more
>difficult for me at least to understand how a loving God would put mankind
>through the Hell that evolutionary mutation must cause. That would be a
>legacy of death and horrible torture.
>
Hi Randy. We have had our differences in the past (to put it
mildly :), but I can really appreciate what you are saying here.
I don't often venture into theological matters here, reserving
such things for discussions with my closest friends, but
let me take a short stab at it.
Generally speaking, chance has a very negative connotation
for most Christians. Let's try to paint it in a more positive
light. Suppose we lived in a World where all processes
were deterministic, nothing happenned by chance. It
seems to that free will would be impossible in such a
World.
Now, suppose that the only way to create a being that had
true (as opposed to apparent) free will was by an evolutionary
process wherein chance played a role. If God were to create
by such a means then he would know beforehand the pain
and suffering that would be inflicted upon all the animals
along the way. Does God care about such things? Of course.
One thing I'm sure of is that He cares a great deal more
(infinitely more) than I do. I believe God suffers with the
the pain and death of every animal. So, when I reflect on
these things I think, my how much God must love us that
he would suffer so much.
Brian Harper
Associate Professor
Applied Mechanics
Ohio State University