George Coyne, Vatican astronomer obituary (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, February 17, 2020, 08:52 (1739 days ago) @ David Turell

“God in his infinite freedom,” he wrote, “continuously creates a world that reflects that freedom at all levels of the evolutionary process to greater and greater complexity. He is not continually intervening, but rather allows, participates, loves.”

"He went further by finding fault with intelligent design."

“If they respect the results of modern science, and indeed the best of modern biblical research,” he wrote, “religious believers must move away from the notion of a dictator God or a designer God, a Newtonian God who made the universe as a watch that ticks along regularly.”
He added, “Perhaps God should be seen more as a parent or as one who speaks encouraging and sustaining words.”

"To our own knowledge of ourselves, we are unique in creation because of our self-reflexivity. I can know myself knowing. I am having a conversation with you, and I can remember that conversation."

DAVID: His view of God is not mine, and perhaps closer to dhw's in his theistic mode.

Not sure how he reconciles the concept of freedom at all levels, and not constantly intervening, with “participates, loves” and the parent analogy. But yes, a lot of this would explain the higgledy-piggledy history of evolution which is so baffling to someone who believes that God started out aiming to create just one species. But at least all of us can agree that we humans are unique in our self-reflexivity!