Evolution took a long time (Introduction)

by dhw, Thursday, February 09, 2017, 15:32 (2844 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Generally no fault, with this minor point: God possibly has traits in common with humans, but we cannot assume that He does in discussing His motives.

dhw: When I say perhaps he has traits in common, that is the same as “possibly has traits in common”, and when I say “perhaps he does not”, that automatically precludes assumptions of any kind. Hypotheses are not assumptions. Thank you for accepting this summary, and for conceding earlier that your beliefs concerning God’s nature and motivation are mere guesses. I will remind of you this next time you make vehement, authoritative statements about God’s nature and motivation!

DAVID: I will be vehement if you try to humanize His thought patterns.

Then although you never cease to emphasize that your God is all-purposeful, we shall have to stop asking about his purposes - and hence his nature, because you can’t gauge purposes without analysing thought patterns. In our joint quest to solve the great mysteries of life and the universe, you are allowed to guess that he might have specially created humans in order to have a relationship with us, that we matter to him, that he is "NOT" human in thought, that he is a tough-love God who expects us to solve problems and who never looks for entertainment, and he does not have a smidgen of evil in him. But if I guess that all your guesses may be wrong and there may be an alternative way of interpreting his purposes, and hence his nature, your guesses will turn into authoritative statements. I dunno about tough love, but they sure do teach 'em tough talk in Texas!