>While I think Provine has a rather too narrow vision of what sort of God
>might be worth having, the account you present above (which evidently
>Provine has witnessed himself) has drawn attention from theologians.
[snip]
>Unfortunately (in my opinion), creationists often consciously push
>this approach to God, declaring that the Flood is the crucial block on
>which Scripture rests, or the literal week is the kingpin of the Bible,
>and if one is removed, the whole edifice topples and we have no meaning
>in life, no God, no motherhood, no apple pie. It is my contention that
>while this may work wonders for keeping sixth-graders in line, it
>sets up a situation where later in life, people will view God (as
>Provine seems to) as being reduced in scale and function to competition
>with evolutionary theory. This is certainly not the only direction in
>which modern thought about God has gone awry, but it is perhaps
>relevant to this list, as theological convictions are the subtext which
>surround all discussions here.
Having had some extended discussions with Provine via e-mail a few years
ago, I have heard his story. He was raised as a christian. His father
didn't accept evolution. Part of the problem is that no one could fit the
Bible with what Will was learning at school. He told me that his crisis of
faith was very painful. But once it was over and he was an atheist, he has
never looked back and I don't doubt that.
I don't agree with Greg that the problem is placing empasis on the history
in early Genesis. I think the problem is that what YECs provide is a story
that can't possibly be true either biologically or geologically and
anti-evolutionists not of the YEC persuasion provide no positive explanation
of the biological data. This leaves the field open to those who can explain
the data and they are the opponents of Christianity. This creates quite a
draw to a student. If the only one who can successfully explain both geology
and biology are the atheists, it is no wonder that we lose children like
Will was.
glenn
Adam, Apes, and Anthropology: Finding the Soul of Fossil Man
and
Foundation, Fall and Flood
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm