Return to David's theory of evolution (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, January 14, 2024, 18:06 (103 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: We know God purposely produced humans through a process we call evolution.

Assuming your God exists, we can assume that he produced ALL life forms through a process we call evolution. Once more: According to you, his purpose for producing all life was to produce humans, and his motive was the desire to produce humans.

DAVID: We don't know why God chose that method, since we know He can create directly (the Cambrian). (dhw's bold)

dhw: We don't "know" that your God chose your purpose or your method! And your two theories combined - purpose/motive = us plus food, method = to design 99.9 out of 100 species with no connection to us, though you “know” he can create directly - make absolutely no sense to you.

Since I believe God exists, He evolved humans for His own reasons. It all makes sense to me if not to you.

DAVID: Our emotions mimic His, so we can only guess at His. I still firmly reject your humanizing approach.

dhw: Of course we can only guess, but you believe our emotions mimic his, and yet you firmly reject even your own humanizing guesses in which our emotions mimic his.

I make a strong attempt not to humanize my God.

99.9& versus 0.1%

DAVID: What we are stuck with is a history of evolution produced by God, in which 3.8 billion years of life resulted in survivors in mathematical terms are 0.1% of all who ever lived.

dhw: Thank hou for confirming that humans plus food are not the descendants of 99.9% of organisms that ever lived, and yes, we are stuck with your absurd theory that your God deliberately designed 99.9 out of 100 species that had no connection with the purpose/motive you impose on him.

I remind you, God provided an Earth where everything is for our use.

Theodicy

DAVID: […] God is perfect.

dhw: […] Since your God is all powerful, then of course he sets the criteria for perfection. If he decides to design murderous viruses, or to chuck an asteroid at you and me, he can still call himself perfect. And you and Godel can pretend you know all about God’s attributes, while at the same time you tell us at the start of this thread that it’s all guesses, so how the heck do you “KNOW” he is whatever you want him to be?

DAVID: Welcome to the vagaries of faith.

dhw: The vagaries of faith lead you into presenting illogical guesses as if they were facts, and then you reject logical alternative guesses on the grounds that they contradict your own illogical guesses. This approach is harmless in the context of theodicy, but has alarming practical repercussions in other contexts, since it is the foundation of all prejudice: you have an opinion, and no matter how illogical it may be, you stick to it. I have no problem with faith so long as it doesn’t turn into prejudice.

Your fixed humanizing of God is also the result of your prejudices.