Explaining natural wonders: bacterial intelligence (Animals)

by David Turell , Thursday, June 15, 2017, 01:34 (2717 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: And all my ID scientists agree with me.

dhw: On what?

That a designing mind is absolutely required to create life and subsequent evolution.

DAVID: He may not be limited as you try to imply. It is obvious you dogmatically refuse to accept the idea that God knows exactly what He is doing.

dhw: Totally wrong. I offered three alternative hypotheses (no dogmatic beliefs), the first two of which allow for limitations, though he would still know exactly what he was doing: namely, experimenting or coming up with new ideas. Both of these may question how much control he has in pursuing his purposes, but even you vacillate over that problem from one day to the next. My third hypothesis (the autonomous IM) also has him knowing exactly what he is doing: namely, deliberately setting in motion a free-for-all, though always with the option of dabbling – just as you believe he knew exactly what he was doing when he deliberately gave humans free will. What I dogmatically refuse to accept is that only your interpretation of God’s motives and methods is correct, even though it makes no sense, while no other hypothesis should even be considered.

I have realized that we are off on a tangent. Of course I can't prove exactly why God does what He does, and some of it makes no sense to me. But you are debating with me God's possible motives, etc., when you don't accept the reality of God existing and I do. I've realized in thinking back that whenever I've raised the issue of chance vs. design as the only two possibilities for life and evolution you've slipped us into these discussions about God's motives and/or methods. You deny chance. Only design is left and only a planning mind can design. Can you offer a third alternative? I can't, which is why I believe.