Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Philosopher Douglas Groothuis doubts that commentator Dinesh D’Souza solves problem of evil via evolution

Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email
Godforsaken: Bad Things Happen. Is there a God who cares? Yes. Here's proof.

In his recent book.

In “Could God Have Created a World Without Suffering?” (Christianity Today, May 28, 2012), Philosophy professor Douglas Groothuis
reviews Dinesh D’Souza’s Godforsaken: Bad Things Happen. Is there a God who cares? Yes. Here’s proof (Tyndale House, 2012), noting that he updates a natural law argument. One to which Groothuis takes exception:

Tackling this topic is a tall order for a short book written by a non-philosopher. I respect much of D’Souza’s political analysis. However, concerning apologetics—despite his native intelligence, clear writing, and wealth of footnoted sources—D’Souza is too often out of his depth. This is particularly evident in this ambitious, but ultimately disappointing, work.

[ … ]

Given his embrace of Darwinian macro-evolution, he denies a literal, space-time fall of our first parents, while trying to retain some sense of human rebellion against God as having systemically deleterious effects on creation. However, he also claims that God’s creation of a physically fine-tuned world mandates many ills that would plague us even without a fall from grace (such as earthquakes). There seems to be a conflation or confusion of Creation and Fall.

More.

Trying to incorporate Darwinism into Christianity is like trying to incorporate a hog barn into our kitchen. The question isn’t whether it could technically be done, but why on earth are we trying to do it?

Follow UD News at Twitter!

Comments
Very discouraging to me that there are so many believers, and even worse, prominent leaders who are suddenly finding Darwinism in the Bible. This does not bode well for the future of the Church!tjguy
June 13, 2012
June
06
Jun
13
13
2012
02:07 AM
2
02
07
AM
PDT
Just in case anyone is interested, the book is currently free for Kindle at Amazon: Godforsaken (Kindle Edition)Chance Ratcliff
June 13, 2012
June
06
Jun
13
13
2012
01:25 AM
1
01
25
AM
PDT
"...when people really understand how easily humans’ rape and torture each other to death they will stop asking why God allows evil and start asking why God allows humans." - Clay Jones Also see here: Human Evil And SufferingChance Ratcliff
June 13, 2012
June
06
Jun
13
13
2012
01:20 AM
1
01
20
AM
PDT
Bevets, Coyne slipped up here. Adultery is only possible if we assume marriage. There must be a third party who is presumed to be wronged. If there are many religious scientists, then religion and science are compatible. Prima facie. If there are Darwinian churchgoers, they are acting in bad faith, because - as prominent Darwinian philosopher Michael Ruse explains - morality is an illusion. Thus, they are co-conspirators in what they believe to be a lie. That there really is such a thing as a good life, a right relationship with God. That's the rotten core of Christian Darwinism/theistic evolution. The one they always talk around, hoping the rest of us wouldn't notice. As if.News
June 13, 2012
June
06
Jun
13
13
2012
12:40 AM
12
12
40
AM
PDT
evil and company are explained by mans rebellion and listening to satan. God was executed to defeat evil. Its not a issue of why there is evil.Robert Byers
June 12, 2012
June
06
Jun
12
12
2012
10:35 PM
10
10
35
PM
PDT
True, there are religious scientists and Darwinian churchgoers. But this does not mean that faith and science are compatible, except in the trivial sense that both attitudes can be simultaneously embraced by a single human mind. (It is like saying that marriage and adultery are compatible because some married people are adulterers.) ~ Jerry Coynebevets
June 12, 2012
June
06
Jun
12
12
2012
07:42 PM
7
07
42
PM
PDT

Leave a Reply