[Apologetics] Pope's commission on evolution

[Stuart D. Gathman]

On Thu, 17 Aug 2006, Stephen Korsman wrote:

> That depends on how you interpret the word "unguided."  Science cannot
> observe God, so it cannot comment on whether or not God guides a process.
> My understanding is that on a basic molecular level, there is no mechanism
> defined within the natural laws of physics that determines how mutations
> occur.  (There is a mechanism that determines the likelihood of each type of
> mutation - in the genome, A is replaced by T more easily than by G or C ...
> and there are factors that influence the rate of mutation.  And once a
> mutation occurs, there are many factors that determine its viability.)

You are talking about "special evolution" or "natural selection".
There is no controversy on that subject - except where it is confused
with general evolution.  Special evolution is even used in computer
aided design.  Special evolution tweaks parameters of a pre-existing
design to optimize its adaptation to a specific environment.  

The claim of general evolution is that chance + necessity produced
the appearance of chosen complexity (i.e. design).  Mathematically,
chance + necessity will only degrade existing chosen complexity and the
odds of producing chosen complexity are astronomically high.  This is not a
problem for atheistic evolution because they don't believe the complexity is
actually chosen - it only seems to be so.  Furthermore, odds are
irrelevant for atheistic evolution thanks to the anthropic principle.
The odds may be astronomically high against, but only because 
the universe got lucky are we here to observe it.

The Bible says that at one point, "God looked on creation and pronounced
it good."  From this perspective, pathogens are pieces of a once 
benevolent ecosystem that have run amok and become destructive - not 
merely upstarts in a ruthless struggle for dominance of the planet
(though they are that too in the new violent order).  Also note that evolution
of parasites to become more lethal is not only a degradation of the ecosystem
as a whole - but a long term disadvantage to the parasite.

The Bible says that "all creation groans and travails together in pain."
The Gaia hypothesis is Biblical - except that God put Man in charge of
Gaia, and not vice versa.  And Gaia is very, very sick thanks to
the sin of the first Adam.  The second Adam brings new physical life
to individual men through death and resurrection.  He brings new
life to Gaia through destruction of this heaven and earth, and the
creation of a new heavens and a new earth.

-- 
	      Stuart D. Gathman <stuart at bmsi.com>
    Business Management Systems Inc.  Phone: 703 591-0911 Fax: 703 591-6154
"Confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis" - background song for
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