Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Secular Outpost: 20+ Questions for Theists #7

John Loftus has posted a link to a  list of questions for theists from another blog. Rather than answer all of them in a single post, I will take each of them one at a time. Today:

7.  Why would God use biological evolution as a method for creation? Do you have any answer that is independent of the scientific evidence for evolution?

First, who said that God used biological evoluion as his method for creation? The Bible doesn't. And consensus notwithstanding, there isn't enough evidence at hand that points to macroevolutionary theory as an an answer to how humans got here - in my opinion. I wonder why is it okay for anti-theists to conclude that there isn't enough evidence to believe God exists but it's not okay to come that conclusion regarding macroevolution. Counterfactuals against Christian Theism amounts to people complaining that the world does not look like they think it should had they been God. Big deal. Counterfactuals against macroevolution includes the origin of consciousness plus everything that makes us uniquely human.

The Secular Outpost: 20+ Questions for Theists

FacePalm of the Day - Debunking Christianity: Why don't all animals photosynthesise? (the Problem of Evil revisited)

Jonathan Pearce has posted one of his videos on Debunking Christianity. It is an attempt to pose the Problem of Evil in such a way that "free will" theodicies will not work."Free Will" theodicies annoy me almost as much as arguments like the ones presented below.





Pearce writes:

The follow on question, asked in the book, is why it was deemed necessary to design a system whereby animals need energy at all. There is a much wider debate vis-a-vis energy in this here universe.

And here is the video's description:

This video seeks to pose a really difficult question that God needs to answer! If God is omnibenevolent, -potent and -scient then why dis he design a world where the pain and suffering of billions of animals is required so that other animals can merely exist?

The problem is arguments like this that ask why did God create a world in which animals must kill other animals to survive miss a very key point: we are looking at the creation after the fall. According to scripture, there was nothing killing anything before Adam disobeyed God. There was no dying or death. We miss the fact that sin is really that bad. There was no decay. There was no pain or suffering. God's creation was perfect and then by choosing to reject God we started evil in this world. Everyone. Even those who have repented did not start that way.

When God restores the universe back to the way it was before people screwed up. we won't have animals killing other animals.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
    and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox. - Isaiah 11:6-7



24 Before they call I will answer;
    while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
    and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord. - Isaiah 65:24-25

I know what you are thinking.:  I didn't answer the question for why God didn't make us so that we would make food using photosynthesis or some other mechanism. It's moot. Had we not been sinners, there would be no death. However, the reason why God doesn't spontaneously intervene so that we have no evil or death because if He did, none of us would be here. We would not have been born. And God has a purpose and reason for everything that happens or is done.The Bible even tells us why. Have a look at Paul's Theodicy:

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. - Romans 8: 18-27




Debunking Christianity: Why don't all animals photosynthesise? (the Problem of Evil revisited)

In the Beginning God. A powerful message by John Lennox « Church History Blog

So what does a mathematician, working in one of the most prestigious universities on earth think about Genesis and why his Christianity does not conflict with science? Dare you to find out.





In the Beginning God. A powerful message by John Lennox « Church History Blog

Alleged Historical Errors in the Gospels (Luke & John) by Tim McGrew - Apologetics 315

Brian Auten has posted another set of materials by Dr Tim McGrew from a series of lectures he has done on "Alleged Historical Errors in the Gospels". This lecture deals with Luke and John. I'm really enjoying the material. You can follow the link below to get a video, pdf, and mp3 for the lecture.

Alleged Historical Errors in the Gospels (Luke & John) by Tim McGrew - Apologetics 315