Posted on 12/27/2006 9:01:23 AM PST by Alex Murphy
Opening shot
So the Democratic Party is reaching out to evangelical Christians, which at first glance seems absurd. What does the party of Darwin, abortion, special rights for gays and sin triumphant have to offer those who live their lives as the good Lord intended?
Seems absurd, that is, until you start to tote up what conservative Christianity has really gotten for its loyal support of the Republican Party over the years.
Abortion remains constrained but unbanned. Gays enjoy greater acceptance as actual human beings year by year. The twin shams, creationism and intelligent design, are slapped down at every turn.
Sure, certain areas where faith has been given free rein have felt its lash -- sex ed and stem cell research and such. But those aren't quite the axle on which our nation turns. Are they?
No, what the Republican Party has offered faith is the illusion of interest, the appearance of power, the motions of respect. Can't the Democrats offer those tokens too, if it means winning?
Think about your average evangelical, on a busy street corner, handing out little blue tracts about Jesus. He doesn't seem to mind the pyramid of crumpled blue paper in the garbage can down the block. All he asks is that you smile and take one. What you do with it is your business.
Surely Democrats can take a tract as easily as Republicans, making sure to crumple it up at a polite distance. Just like they do.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
How can one ever disprove intelligent design?
Doesn't it just mean a super smart entity had to have designed the universe? Couldn't evolution, both animate and inanimate, proceed on its own after the Designer created the universe?
I just wonder how many weak-minded Evangelicals (both laity and clergy) are going to be fooled by this effort?
Democratic politicians seem to be better "actors" than Republican politicians are.
Something to keep in mind. 1400 years ago, a man by the name of Muhammad looked around at peaceful Jews and Christians and had a brilliant idea that, if it worked, would get him the power he craved. He would start his own religion and tell people that Jews and Christians were lesser people.
The Dems are pretty much doing the same thing. Their religion is socialism and they are working tooth and nail to make the American people believe that conservative Jews and Christians are lesser people.
One of Barna's 2006 conclusions seems to indicate the target population is fairly substantial:
American Christians are not as devoted to their faith as they like to believe. They have positive feelings about the importance of faith, but their faith is rarely the focal point of their life or a critical factor in their decision-making.
"Gays enjoy greater acceptance as actual human beings year by year."
Maybe this is the kind of statement that compels Americans to rightfully question the devotion that conservative Christians have to all God's children? Love the sinner hate the sin, right? Where did Jesus instruct us to hate anything?
The implication is that homosexuals are not human beings. What then are homosexuals?
We are all Americans and like a family we are in this together.
Science is incapable of proving or disproving anything. Proof and disproof happen in math/logic, not in science.
Doesn't it just mean a super smart entity had to have designed the universe? Couldn't evolution, both animate and inanimate, proceed on its own after the Designer created the universe?
Well, I guess you could say that.....but you would also be saying that the "designer" didn't plan on creating the life you see on the planet today. That's the biggest problem I have with the modern theory of evolution.
According to the theory, evolution has no plan, purpose, or goal. Humans were just one of many possible outcomes of evolution, and human beings aren't evolution's final product either. Theistic evolutionists (*cough Michael Savage *cough) tend to ignore this point when claiming evolution and Christianity work "perfectly" together. Even if you look at the early chapters of the bible as metaphor and accept common ancestry, the theory of evolution and Christianity contradict one another. In order to fully accept the theory of evolution, you are saying human beings are an accident.
No, one can imagine an intelligent designer that planned every movement of every atom, including the emergence of man.
As usual with those who believe in theistic evolution (assuming that's your position), you didn't address the points I raised.
You can imagine whatever you want, that doesn't mean your beliefs are consistent with the modern theory of evolution. Again, according to the modern theory, evolution has no plan, purpose, or goal. If we were to hit the rewind button on life, allowing the earth to evolve again from scratch, we would get entirely different results; meaning humans probably wouldn't exist (according to the theory, that is).
In fact, the theory wouldn't work if there were a goal, it's how they get around the probability hurdles. Your above statement is the antithesis of how evolution works.
Those who believe in theistic evolution are closet IDers imo. And FYI, many of the most prominent ID proponents accept common ancestry; they think humans an apes share a common ancestor etc.
My statement ("No, one can imagine an intelligent designer that planned every movement of every atom, including the emergence of man.) apparently agrees with some evolutionists:
An evolutionist may or may not believe that evolution is the way in which a Divine Being has chosen to work in the world.
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/conlaw/evolution.htm
And FYI, many of the most prominent ID proponents accept common ancestry; they think humans an apes share a common ancestor etc.
I didn't know that. So do they agree with evolutionists on common ancestry all the back to the first simple life forms? Do they then disagree with creationists?
Again, according to the modern theory, evolution has no plan, purpose, or goal. If we were to hit the rewind button on life, allowing the earth to evolve again from scratch, we would get entirely different results; meaning humans probably wouldn't exist (according to the theory, that is).
If you hit the rewind button, the same movie would play, assuming identical starting conditions. Unless the ID built in chance.
Or ID might have built in tendencies favoring "upwards" evolution. Perhaps humans wouldn't emerge, but ET or some other HiQ entity would, given enough time.
Again, according to the modern theory, evolution has no plan, purpose, or goal.
Evolution has no plan, but the ID might. Sort of like the billiard ball has no plan to end up in the corner pocket, but the guy with the cue stick does.
It's a snide remark making fun of Christians. The whole article is. Note they say "twin shams" of Creationism and Intelligent Design.
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