Posted on 12/10/2004 7:43:39 PM PST by Lorianne
A philosophy professor who has been a leading proponent of atheism for more than 50 years has decided that God may exist after all.
Antony Flew, 81, now believes scientific evidence supports the theory that some sort of intelligence created the universe. But he continues to reject traditional religious ideas of God and especially the idea of salvation after death.
He said: "I'm thinking of a God very different from the God of the Christian and far and away from the God of Islam because both are depicted as omnipotent Oriental despots, cosmic Saddam Husseins."
He still accepts Darwinian evolutionary theory but doubts it can explain the complexities of the origins of life.
Throughout his career, Flew has expounded the lack of evidence for the existence of God while lecturing at St John's College, Oxford and King's College, London. He said his change of heart had been a gradual process prompted by new scientific research.
Speaking in a new video, Has Science Discovered God?, Flew argues that the investigation of DNA "has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce [life], that intelligence must have been involved."
The first indication of his about-turn came in a letter to Philosophy Now magazine, in which he said: "It has become inordinately difficult even to begin to think about constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of that first reproducing organism."
Flew, who is writing an introduction of a new edition of his work, God and Philosophy, said: "My whole life has been guided by the principle of Plato's Socrates: follow the evidence, wherever it leads."
"Still crazy, after all these years, OH, still crazy, after all these years..."
God is nothing if not patient.
Don't know if this warrants summoning the Crevo crowd, but pinging all the same...
If you're preparing for death, you becoming more religious. In one's old age, its harder to remain an atheist.
This has been posted from different sources, but I keep wondering if Antony Flew has ever considered the possiblity that his god might not believe in him?
Flew argues that the investigation of DNA "has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce [life], that intelligence must have been involved."
Uh hu, How about entire world? I guess that's not complex enough for this guy
Aristotle need not apply. A=A. Sheesh. What a maroon!
/john
Senility happens.
SO9
Didn't even know that God was lost :-)
Ooohh ooooh,,,,, knock knock knockin' on heavens door......
How about this for Mr Flew.
Since in physics on a micro level there is the concept of collapsing a wave form by observation. Why could God not have observed the universe into existance and holds it there by his attention.
It is in keeping with scripture also. His eye is on the sparrow after all. Would require that he knows and monitors all.
God's attention wavers, universe ends.
Antony Flew, 81, now believes
Yeah, we all start to believe when we get older and closer to meeting our Maker.
"I'm thinking of a God very different from the God of the Christian and far and away from the God of Islam because both are depicted as omnipotent Oriental despots, cosmic Saddam Husseins."
Then I guess he's a Unitarian.
"If you're preparing for death, you become more religious.."
Similiar to the 'no atheists in foxholes' idea? Although I said that once to a former Marine (WWII), and he said, "OH, but there are! I was next to two of them!"
I was agnostic (knowing nothing) until truth was revealed.
Kant could't. Nitczhe is dead. Aristotle was correct.
At the very least, don't hide behind a biased world-view of God. God does not need human worship. He exists.
As a final straw, you might try reading the Bible. Actually reading it, instead of relying on reviews presented by leftist professors.
Keep an open mind, but don't let your brains fall out.
/john
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