Let's study ID (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, August 16, 2021, 09:04 (1193 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: But it is obvious He evolves all stages from the BB to humans. Evolution gives the appearance of a natural common descent, but the extent of the required exquisite biochemical designs forces the conclusion God's designing mind created all species from bacteria to the endpoint, humans with consciousness. Since humans are in total control of the Earth, the only further evolution can only be confined to humans, if we allow it. (dhw' bold)

dhw: And so once more you gloss over the fact that ALL species are not just from bacteria to the latest species (humans). ALL species encompass the vast range of extinct life forms that had no connection with humans. And so you are faced with the question: why, if his one and only purpose was to design humans and their food, did he specially design all the life forms that had no connection with humans and their food?

DAVID: And once again you gloss over the concept, which you accepted above, that God can do anything He wants. God created the evolutionary history we know. Yes, it branches in all directions, so that is what He wanted on the way to creating humans. That is the exact concept about God you adamantly deny. Your main objection is to the concept of humans as very special and therefore a desired goal. All of this is a very connected theory which you slice into various parts that you illogically claim have no connections. It is all connected by accepting that God's works reflect His intentions.

Of course if he exists, he can do anything he wants and his works reflect his intentions. My objection is to the fact that if his one and only intention was to create humans and their food, as you claim, it makes no sense that he should also have wanted to create countless branches of life forms that had no connection with humans! Either humans were NOT his one and only intention, or if they were, there has to be a reason for all the countless other forms that had no connection with humans. You cannot find any such reason, and so you continue to dodge the issue. I offer you explanations for all the other forms, two of which even allow for humans being “very special and a desired goal” (experimentation, and God getting new ideas as he goes along), plus the theory that he wanted a free-for-all (but reserved the right to dabble). You accept that these theories solve the problem you cannot solve, and your only objection to all of them is that any such “humanized” view of God does not correspond to your own humanized view.

DAVID: Evolution is a single long process in time, 3.8 byo it seams With giant gaps, each stage leading to the next more complex stage.

dhw: It is a single long process in which the bush of life has branched out into countless forms undergoing countless stages, the vast majority of which had no connection with humans and their food, which you insist were your God's one and only purpose.

DAVID: Back to your view of a tunnel-visioned God. Humans and the huge bush of food are an historical fact showing God's intentions.

It is YOUR vision that is tunnelled: God has one purpose, and so he creates forms that are irrelevant to his one purpose. Humans and their food, and countless life forms and their foods are also historical facts, but you have no idea why he would have specially designed all of the latter if his one and only purpose was the former.