dhw: an article in today's Sunday Times: the atheist Craig Venter believes humans will soon be able to design and "print" synthetic cells. I quote: "At the heart of Venter's thinking is the idea that cells are simply machines and DNA is no more than a kind of software that tells cells what to do. It means life is just a complex of chemical reactions." -Thank you for this entry. It makes my case and my day. Venter's ego is in the way of his reason. He cannot make synthetic life, because he must start with raw materials that can only come from life. What is synthetic is his thinking. He is simply rearranging parts of life's production and taking claim for his brilliance. If he could make the original parts I would be amazed as would the rext of the world.-On the other hand I can adapt the last sentence of the quote to support my contentions previously stated about chemical reactions underlying life. To rework his quote: 'It means life is a complex of chemical reactions', no 'just' and I add these reactions are under tight control by information in the genome, and result in an emergence of life, itself, and of a degree of consciousness in animals and a superior form of consciousness in humans. Note that life and consciousness are emergent properties. Venter's thoughts mirror mine in regard to chemical reactions.-> 
> dhw: if your God can create a biochemical programme that does all these things, why shouldn't man eventually do the same?-Our dialysis machines pale in comparison to the workings of a viable kidney. We will never do what God did in evolution. -> dhw: I'll be very interested to hear how far you are prepared to defend your theory in the light of Venter's claims.-I have above. He agrees with me at the material reductionist level whre the underpinnings of life begin. He doesn't recognize the emergent quality.