Return to David's theory of evolution PARTS 1 & 2 (Evolution)

by dhw, Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 11:33 (762 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Same distortion: I don't need to know why God chose to evolve us. Only you do.

dhw: There is no distortion! You don’t know why, if we were your God’s only purpose, he didn’t choose to create us directly, and you don’t know why he chose to design countless life forms and foods that had no connection with us. But you don’t need to know. You are happy to cling to beliefs that make no sense to you.

DAVID:They make no sense to you, not me. Don't put your thoughts into my arena? Distortion of fact of a distortion of comprehension of a simple fact?

You have admitted that you can’t explain the above, have told me to ask God for an explanation, and have informed us that “God makes sense only to Himself. He has reasons we may not understand.”

DAVID: Necessary simple biochemical processes were designed first, which underlies all phenotypical changes later.

dhw: But you have your God specially designing every individual species, although he only wanted to design one species plus its food, and you don’t know why, because God makes sense only to Himself

DAVID: Not answering again. My point is evolution is evolving biochemistry and also phenotypical changes. Two separate parts of evolution. Can you recognize that?
And from the cell thread:
DAVID: Proper biochemistry existed in Edicarans. Cambrian was simply additional phenotypic change, as all evolved from each other biochemically

I can indeed recognize that, but I’m wondering why suddenly you’ve forgotten the word “species”. Can you recognize that brontosauruses and humans belong to different species, and that according to you, the species from which we have descended appeared without precursors during the Cambrian, which can only mean there was no direct line from bacteria to us? (Whereas I argue for continuity.) And how does our shared biochemistry come to mean that all other life forms extant and extinct have been specially designed in preparation for us, as “part of the goal of evolving [= designing] humans” plus our food?

DAVID (from the “brain” thread:) We are a purposeful creation, with God not doing it for His own emotional needs.

dhw: The distortion is yours. I keep rejecting the word “need” (...), and my comment relates to your statements “We’ve agreed he must enjoy it” and “God didn’t necessarily do it to please himself”. The latter indicates that it is possible he did do it to please himself, and that is all I ask…

DAVID: Those possibilities are your attempt to humanize god.

And you have agreed that they are possible. Thank you.

DAVID: Did you ever study theistic views of God which show you how to view God for yourself?

dhw: This is a new dodge. Let’s ignore the arguments and focus on what dhw hasn’t read. He needs to read books which tell him how to think for himself!! Now please tell me if all the books you have read provide you with exactly the same opinions on how to view your God. […] Do all of them accept your theory of evolution which only God can understand?

DAVID: Of course you are allowed to think for yourself, but aimlessly with no background in research in current thought on the subject?

Aimlessly? Why do you think I set up this website? Current thought on the subject of “how to think for yourself about God”? The subject itself is a contradiction. Please let’s get back to our themes rather than waste time discussing my reading list.

DAVID: I haven't tried to conceive of a different peaceful form of life. Is it even possible? You raised the issue, so let's have your version.

dhw: […] a garden of Eden, in which all living forms cooperate peacefully with one another and get their food from sources that do not have to be hunted and killed. You have given us a fine example:
Bacteria help ground squirrels hibernate
[…]
DAVID: Be realistic. All bacteria have fought with each other since they began. Do you live in a pipedream?

You asked me to “conceive of a different peaceful form of life”. I have done so, and all you can do is tell me there’s been war since bacteria began. I know. And so I asked you why your God would have chosen to create war rather than cooperative peace, as in the hibernation example. Please answer.

BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER CONTROLS (transferred from “cellular intelligence”)

dhw: You may not have noticed, but we are in the midst of a pandemic caused by a virus. Millions of people have died or been permanently damaged, and your God’s instructions have apparently not yet come into play.

DAVID: You fall hook life and sinker for the hype media uses to frighten you. In 1919 the US lost 600,000 with 110,000,000 population. At 330,000,000 now we have lost just over 600,000. So do the math. Don't you see the improvement the time around? Of course not, only the Garden of Eden satisfies you , were no blood is shed.

Praise the Lord! His invention has only killed 6+ million people, which as a proportion of the world’s population is probably an improvement over his previous pandemics. But as usual, you have missed the point, which is why your God chose to design war rather than peace.