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Peeking through the Forrest to look at the trees …

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Christian Darwinists are fond of reassuring us all that Christianity and Darwinism are a natural fit. They don’t seem to have taught the chant to everyone yet. Old Earth creationist Stephen E. Jones has noted,

Barbara Forrest, has explored what she believes are the religious implications of neo-Darwinism and astronomy in her article, “The Possibility of Meaning in Human Evolution,” Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science 35.4 (Dec 2000), 861-889. She writes (p. 862, notes omitted):

We have established scientifically some disquieting facts: (1) human beings have evolved from nonhuman life forms, meaning that (2) at one time we did not exist, and that (3) according to paleontological and astronomical evidence, at some time in the future we shall cease to exist. Furthermore, from a scientific standpoint, there is no discernible reason that we had to evolve in the first place, and there is no guarantee that we shall continue to evolve successfully; more hominid species have become extinct than have survived. The price of such knowledge has been the gnawing question of whether human existence has genuine meaning if it was constructed with cranes rather than supported by skyhooks, as Daniel Dennett says.

The problem of meaning is easily resolved for those who embrace a preconstructed system of meaning such as religion. However, religion cannot help us find meaning in any honest sense unless it can assimilate the truth about where human beings have come from, and the only real knowledge we have about where we came from we have acquired through science.

It’s convenient for Forrest – who has been accused of making her living by bashing design principles without understanding them – that no religion other than Darwinism would thrive by assimilating the “truth” that she imagines to be established “scientifically.” Actually, Dennett, whom she mentions, doesn’t seem sure that the human mind really exists, a position which ends the problem altogether, I guess.

Comments
F/N: barb, pardon, sol, on Hydrogen ball fusion models, is expected to go red giant, then white dwarf, not supernova, as it is within the Chandrasekhar limit. I think we can trust the H-ball model well enough to say that if things keep going as they were, that would eventually happen. But trends are made to be broken.kairosfocus
December 30, 2010
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He should really heed the words of Albert Einstein who stated, "The man who regards his life as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life."Barb
December 30, 2010
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Funny you should mention Dennett. That guy is the gift that keeps on giving for theists. Did you know he was originally one of the biggest boosters of the "Bright" schtick? There's something glorious about that - a group of people strongly motivated by the certainty that they're smarter than everyone else, when trying to come up with a label for themselves to wear with pride, pick something that is so obnoxious that they have to drop it due to the mocking backlash.nullasalus
December 30, 2010
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“We have established scientifically some disquieting facts: (1) human beings have evolved from nonhuman life forms,” No, actually, you haven’t established that scientifically. Not by a long shot. “…meaning that (2) at one time we did not exist,” Okay, I’ll buy that. At one time humans did not exist. “…and that (3) according to paleontological and astronomical evidence, at some time in the future we shall cease to exist.” No, actually, there are speculations that the sun will eventually turn supernova and extinguish life on earth, but that is far from being a scientifically proven fact. Remember, Ms. Forrest: speculation =/= fact. “Furthermore, from a scientific standpoint, there is no discernible reason that we had to evolve in the first place, and there is no guarantee that we shall continue to evolve successfully; more hominid species have become extinct than have survived.” So, we absolutely know we evolved but we don’t know why we evolved. Exactly what scientific problem is this helping us to solve, again? “The price of such knowledge has been the gnawing question of whether human existence has genuine meaning if it was constructed with cranes rather than supported by skyhooks, as Daniel Dennett says.” The atheistic belief that human existence has no real meaning is not supported by any scientific evidence. I believe that human existence has meaning. Unfortunately, we cannot place molecules of love, compassion, hatred, or joy in test tubes as part of some scientific experiment, as these are part of the human experience. If Dennett truly believes that ultimately there is no meaning in life, then why write books castigating religion? If all life—including religion—is meaningless, then in the long run, who really cares? “The problem of meaning is easily resolved for those who embrace a preconstructed system of meaning such as religion. However, religion cannot help us find meaning in any honest sense unless it can assimilate the truth about where human beings have come from, and the only real knowledge we have about where we came from we have acquired through science.” This is a simple false dichotomy. Religion cannot be true unless it accepts evolution? I don’t believe this to be the case.Barb
December 30, 2010
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"Facts"?kairosfocus
December 30, 2010
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This recent article is fitting: The arrogance of the atheists: They batter believers in religion with smug certainty - NY Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/12/29/2010-12-29_the_arrogance_of_the_atheists_they_batter_believers_with_smug_certainty.htmlbornagain77
December 30, 2010
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