Return to David's theory of evolution and theodicy (Evolution)

by dhw, Thursday, November 30, 2023, 12:39 (149 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: I meld together many authorities’ opinions to create my theology.

dhw: And the result is a composite theory thatyour all-powerful God’s one and only purpose was to design us and our food, and therefore he wanted or had to design and cull 99.9 out of 100 species that had no connection with us and our food. You cannot think of any reason why he would act in what you call this messy, cumbersome, inefficient way, and so when challenged, you simply try to change the subject, as follows:

DAVID: What God did was create a designed evolutionary system in which complexity of life appeared with each new stage with major gaps. Never Darwinian itty-bitty.

dhw: Thank you for acknowledging that evolution proceeds in stages. Have you now withdrawn your Creationist argument that gaps mean de novo speciation? And what has this got to do with the bolded theory above?

DAVID: If you accept God ran the evolutionary process, it is obvious He chose to.

Of course he did, if he exists. But it is far from obvious that he chose to run it in the messy, inefficient manner you have inflicted on him, as bolded above.

DAVID: My whole thesis is based upon authorities I've read as I wish to meld them together.

dhw: But as usual, you forget to mention the fact that you “meld” two theories together in such a way that they make no sense even to you,. (See the bolded theory above.)

DAVID: Again the same irrational psychoanalysis of my brain. What I propose is entirely rational to me.

dhw: You have repeatedly admitted that you can’t explain the bolded theory above. If you can’t explain it, how can it be “rational” to you? Please stop dodging!

DAVID: Wrong, wrong, wrong!! My specific response is God chose the method, which I defend. That is the full defense of my views. God's prime purpose was to create us. No explantion needed.

I know your response is that your nonsensical theory is correct, but you admit that you cannot explain why, if your God’s one and only purpose (which you sometimes try to modify with “prime”, though you reject any other possible purpose) was to design us plus food, he wanted or had to design and cull 99.9 out of 100 species that had no connection with his purpose. Stop dodging!

Defining evolution

DAVID: There are many other fossil series God created.

dhw: I’m so pleased that you are aware of the many other fossil series (which you sometimes call steps or stages) which support Darwin’s evolutionary theory that all living organisms develop from earlier ancestral forms. This is the exact opposite of your theory that your God wanted to or had to individually design (and cull) 99.9 out of 100 species that had no connection with us and our food – or do you now believe Shapiro’s theory that they had the intelligence to design themselves?

DAVID: See today's entries. Never Shapiro. God speciates all forms of evolution with designs for future use.

These latest dodges are dealt with on the “more miscellany” threads.

Theodicy

dhw: How did the philosopher explain that all-powerful means with limited powers, or that a first-cause God can deliberately and knowingly create evil out of himself and yet be called all-good?

DAVID: Two weeks ago: Goff's opinions: November 16, 2023, 19:43. It is amazing how other folks think as I do. I am not all alone.

dhw: Dealt with comprehensively in my reply of November 17. He opted for the theory that the designer’s powers were limited, which for anyone except you would mean his God is not all-powerful. He argues that evil is necessary for good to take full effect, but he never tackles the question I’ve asked above, which is the question posed by theodicy. However, I’m not saying you are all alone. No doubt millions of religious people prefer to dodge the problem as you do.

DAVID: Great recognition of the rest of us.

It is a common human trait to put one’s head in the sand if one cannot deal with a problem.