God and evolution (Evolution)

by David Turell , Thursday, March 23, 2017, 14:53 (2800 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: But your hypothetical explanation for the delay is that it may have been caused by God’s limitations, which can only mean there were difficulties he could not overcome for 3.X billion years.

I do not accept limitations out of God's control as you imply. I merely suggest it as one approach to interpretation of the history. He may well be in full control. Simply either or, but you only pick out from my comments only that which you prefer to comment about.

dhw: An afterthought does not in any way reduce human “superiority”! The “delay” is the problem, and you have now disowned the only explanation you could find. There would be no “delay” if he did NOT start out with the intention of creating humans.

The delay is our interpretation. It may be His plan all along, and evolution may require that much time. The Cambrian Explosion which starts all modern species took slightly about 8.7 billion years to appear after life started. Can we explain that gap in time with evolution controlled by God? Accept it is part of His plan, but yes limits are possible.

dhw: in any case even you can scarcely avoid the fact that if God really did set out to produce humans, he must have had a reason for doing so!

I'm sure He did.

dhw: To return to the subject of this thread, your digression on panentheism does not alter the fact that your explanation of evolution does not make sense even to you,

You cannot tell me what does not make sense to me. I've explained how I use the word 'sense' as in 'making sense of the history' of evolution. Either it is all God's perfect plan, or it is possible He has limits. Either, or. Both reasonable interpretations.

dhw: since you now refute the one explanation you had for the delay (God’s hypothetical limitations), and you have nothing to put in its place except to reiterate that that is how God did it. If you can’t explain a premise, perhaps you should consider the possibility that the premise you can’t explain is wrong.

It all makes sense to me as either/or. What have I not explained?