Dogmatists merely clamp down like a snapping turtle onto their misperceptions, and cling to them, no matter how vigorously truth swirls about them. They are easy to spot: they're the supercilious ones who delight in pointing out how wrong scientists once were -- while rejecting their improvements in knowledge.
IMHO, every poster on this thread should watch this video -- several times -- while measuring their current world view (and concept of our Creator) against it...
Of course, it is critical that everyone believe that scientists have no dogma. It makes them seem 'objective' and 'believable'. That is why statements like this are constantly being made.
In truth, philosophical naturalism is scientific dogma and all observations are filtered through that dogma first. In reality, scientists are neither objective nor believable but are committed to philosophical naturalism. That is why all of their 'theories' conform to that belief.
Beautifully and truly said, dear TXnMA! [Plus a great "turn of phrase."]
The latter observation, re: "the supercilious ones," is particularly galling to me. I see the disparagement of, say, Ptolemy, is fairly routine with some of our correspondents. But just because a man doesn't get everything right doesn't mean he got nothing right. That would be an impossible standard.
Ptolemy's mistakes were the foundation for improvements in knowledge, as man's observational tools improved over time.
It seems to me that, not only do men learn from their mistakes, but that is the only way that human knowledge can really progress.
Of course, this is the problem the dogmatist is trying to obviate by the construction of his dogma. Truth is not something to be discovered; it is something we already have in hand — and our job is to make the natural world (or at least other people) conform to it.
Looks to me like they got the problem exactly bass-ackwards.
I just loved the video! Thank you so very much for the link!
[Don't know why, but in viewing it, an image of the Mandelbrot set came to mind....]
Speaking of worldviews, it seems they basically only come in "two flavors": (1) created universe or eternal universe. Western civilization and culture is premised in the first. The odd thing is it was in the West that the sciences originally developed; yet scientists today — the dogmatic ones anyway — reject any idea of created universe because it implies the existence of God and, more specifically, the idea of Logos....
And so we read all these "eternal universe" scientific cosmologies, by the dozens. All of them are exercises in philosophy, not science. But they are passed on to the public as if they were science.
Please understand, I am not in any way anti-science, I am anti-scientism.
FWIW, to me a simple "proof of the existence of God" is the recognition that a universe that contains intelligent beings cannot have had other than an intelligent Cause. "Things are the way they are, and not some other way" because of this intelligent Cause. Thus it is because of this Cause that the universe is knowable — and man capable of knowing it.
Why do the scientistic dogmatists find this so objectionable? Even they must depend on a knowable universe. Otherwise, science would have nothing to do.
Or might that constitute "proof" that they're not really doing science???
Thank you ever so much, dear brother in Christ, for your outstanding essay/post!
My wife has been a NASA contractor most of her career so I’ve seen that before but it’s still amazing. Thanks - TK
Various beliefs are in play already on this thread including at least three Young Earth Creationism models: geocentric, heliocentric and Gosse Omphalus (that God created an old looking universe.) Old Earth Creationism is also in play and I imagine there are various degrees of God’s involvement represented, i.e. from simply setting the initial rules and conditions to frequent interventions.
Order cannot arise from chaos in an unguided physical system. Period.
In sum, I agree with Jewish Physicist Gerald Schroeder that both Young and Old Earth Creationism are true:
The universe is approximately 7 days old (equivalent earth days) at the inception space/time coordinates and the universe is approximately 15 billion years old at our space/time coordinates.. This is based on Relativity and the Inflationary Model.
The earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old at its space/time coordinates.
I also perceive this to agree with God’s Name Logos which is translated Word in John 1:1. Logos is also the root word for Logic.
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. - Psalms 33:6
Man is not the sum of his physical parts.
Every molecule in our bodies is replaced every seven years. We are quite literally not the same persons we were seven years ago. But the message of who we are continues.
Physically that message is our DNA. It describes who we physically are. As long as that message is physically communicated we are physically alive.
But that’s not all. By the very fact of our existence on some finite worldline of the space/time continuum, the universe has been physically “informed.” Physically, who we are and our entire lives are “on the record” – written across the cosmos. And God sees all of it.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. - Matthew 16:15-18
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and [that] no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. –I Corinthians 12:3
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. - Romans 8:9
Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word. – John 8:43
To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. – John 10:3-5
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: - John 10:27
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. - John 15:4-5
Give us this day our daily bread. – Matt 6:11
I am that bread of life. – John 6:48
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. – John 6:63
It is speaking to me of God’s glory:
The Universe may be flat but it is nevertheless musical
Background on the sound file: The Sound of the Big Bang
God’s Name is I AM, The Creator, Alpha and Omega, Logos, YHwH (He IS).