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Intelligent design is not creationism (Stephen Meyer)
London Telegraph ^ | 01/28/2006 | Stephen Meyer

Posted on 01/30/2006 9:40:22 AM PST by SirLinksalot

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To: Filo

Dig a little deeper and you may be surprised.


41 posted on 01/30/2006 11:19:10 AM PST by mlc9852
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To: Drammach
I believe in God, and God's creation of the Universe.. I also believe in God's use of evolution to create all life...

THANK YOU! God works His wonders in mysterious ways. I am astounded at how many people think that IF you think natural selection is a believable explanation for how we developed, you are THEREFORE an atheist. For the life of me, I can't understand how they equate the two. I think it is arrogant in the EXTREME when Christians presume to say how God has -- and has not -- worked his wonders.

The bible tells us that the devil disguises himself very well and masquerades as "righteous" well enough to fool many people. Creationists need to beware: they may be pawns of the devil, because denial of evolutionary theory trades in things that are false. Anyone who believes that planet Earth was created start to finish in 144 hours 4,000 years ago is either scientifically ignorant or in serious denial. Is that kind of denial where God and faith are found -- or is where thrive lack of faith and the Devil??? I have enough faith in God to see His hand in evolution, and enough belief in the Devil to understand that he, also, works in mysterious ways -- such as Creationism.

Fossil evidence is real, the conclusions of thoughtful, intelligent (and often as not religious) men are sensible, and it looks as if the truth is that we evolved over time in various homanid forms. God trades in truth, not lies. Furthermore, evolution does NOT negate any of the ten commandments, nor does it negate the seven deadly sins -- indeed, it seems to confirm behavioral rules, as in: if you indulge in stupid behavior as a society, you risk extinction. Adapt and survive; fail to adapt, and perish. God's rules are unchanging, and we must adapt to them or we perish, as many brutal, pagan civilizations have perished in the past.

Our natural and cultural world is ever-changing, and we must adapt to those physical and cultural realities or we will perish. At the same time, we must adapt to God's unchanging behavioral rules or we will perish. There is, to me, a very nice symmetry. I have faith that God is truth and that He truly works in strange ways. I see His hand in evolution.

42 posted on 01/30/2006 11:20:09 AM PST by Finny (God continue to Bless President G.W. Bush with wisdom, popularity, safety and success.)
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To: mlc9852
Dig a little deeper and you may be surprised.

I have. I wasn't.
43 posted on 01/30/2006 11:20:26 AM PST by Filo (Darwin was right!)
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To: mlc9852
I think they should discuss whether or not habilis, rudolfensis, etc. are erectus or not and why hominid fossils of different species overlap. That would do for starters.

You and I agree..
I think that would be an excellent discussion..

44 posted on 01/30/2006 11:21:48 AM PST by Drammach (In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king..)
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To: Filo

Well, let me help you then.

http://www.nwcreation.net/abiogenesis.html


45 posted on 01/30/2006 11:29:09 AM PST by mlc9852
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To: SirLinksalot
Intelligent design is not creationism

Shhhhhh! The evols are still dreaming that it is. They get rather nasty when they are awakened from their dreams.

46 posted on 01/30/2006 11:33:51 AM PST by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: mlc9852
Well, let me help you then.

Nonsense pseudo-science. The guy can't even proofread his own page for grammatical errors.

The absence of small details from the evidence does not invalidate the theory any more than my inability to explain the vulcanization of rubber makes the building of cars impossible.

He discusses "an oxygen rich atmosphere" as a byproduct of photosynthesis that pre-dated any life on earth. Hmmm.

He negates the fact that we have found amino acids in many other places in the solar system and have detected traces in meteors. Hmmm.

Nope, I'm not buying it. I've seen much better, by the way.
47 posted on 01/30/2006 11:39:42 AM PST by Filo (Darwin was right!)
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To: Finny
Intelligence without challenge, without question, results in stagnation..

Without such challenge, mankind would simply falter and die..
The questions are there because we need to learn the answers..
Call it scientific endeavor if you will, or a need to understand the cosmos, whatever..

If you accept from the start, that there is cause and effect then something ( I call it "God" ) caused the beginning.. ( creation, big bang )
That "God" at the very least, initiated a process that created a physical universe with specific laws concerning mass, energy, time, space, and Life..

We have barely begun to understand the basics so far...
In time, we may catch a scant glimmering of what created everything.. maybe even why..

But anyone that claims they have all the answers now, really presumes too much..
We'll probably never be able to comprehend completely...

But we can have Faith that the Universe, Life, and Mankind is all part of the plan..
So is Evolution.. It's a very small part, but a part..of a much greater plan..
It got us to the point we could appreciate who and what we are, and ask ourselves how we got here..

48 posted on 01/30/2006 11:43:25 AM PST by Drammach (In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king..)
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To: Filo

Whether or not you are buying it isn't the question. The question is whether or not there are problems with the theory of evolution.

And atheists should never be allowed to teach.


49 posted on 01/30/2006 11:46:15 AM PST by mlc9852
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To: mlc9852
And atheists should never be allowed to teach.

Oh, come now..
That's a bit harsh, don't you think ?? ;o)

50 posted on 01/30/2006 11:48:28 AM PST by Drammach (In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king..)
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To: Shalom Israel
The example of the bacterial flagellum, for example, has already been answered.

Not exactly. The debate is still very much alive. The problem for opponents of IC is that, unlike earlier arguments, which were based on ignorance, modern arguments are based on extensive knowledge. Behe declares the flagellum irreducible because we fully understand its operation.

The main problem with the alternatives given to explain away IC systems is that they remove the bias from the evolution equation (directed chance) and you begin working with random probabilities again, and even Dawkins will admit that evolution utterly collapses when it's a strictly random process.

An earlier post nailed this. ID gives a foot in the door to the "God people" and so is attacked for that reason and that reason alone.

51 posted on 01/30/2006 11:53:54 AM PST by frgoff
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To: mlc9852
Whether or not you are buying it isn't the question. The question is whether or not there are problems with the theory of evolution.

And, as far as I've seen, there aren't. There certainly weren't any raised by your referenced site. At least not any scientifically valid ones.

And atheists should never be allowed to teach.

ROFL

Liberals should never be allowed to teach. Atheists are usually pretty bright.
52 posted on 01/30/2006 11:58:00 AM PST by Filo (Darwin was right!)
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To: Filo
He negates the fact that we have found amino acids in many other places in the solar system and have detected traces in meteors. Hmmm.

You might want to read up on some biochemistry before making too much out of this. I don't blame you, I blame a populist press, but the amino acids found in space suggesting life spontaneously arises would be like saying that discovering ethanol in a gas cloud means that one of these days a meteor's going to land filled with Miller beer.

53 posted on 01/30/2006 11:58:34 AM PST by frgoff
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To: Filo
"Atheists are usually pretty bright."

Atheists usually THINK they are pretty bright and those who believe in God are ignorant. Heard it all before and don't really care. As DNA becomes better understood, scientists will begin to re-think the dogma of the evolutionists and maybe, just maybe some of them will be honest enough to admit when there are gaps. Of course, until that time we'll continue to have these debates.
54 posted on 01/30/2006 12:01:02 PM PST by mlc9852
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To: Drammach

How do you suppose human language evolved?


55 posted on 01/30/2006 12:02:02 PM PST by mlc9852
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To: frgoff
but the amino acids found in space suggesting life spontaneously arises would be like saying that discovering ethanol in a gas cloud means that one of these days a meteor's going to land filled with Miller beer.

Oh, I agree. All I am saying is that the building blocks are easy to come by regardless of the "debunk" presented. That's where evolution takes over - and works.
56 posted on 01/30/2006 12:02:12 PM PST by Filo (Darwin was right!)
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To: frgoff; Shalom Israel
This article is almost 2 years old and explains why the flagellum is not "irreducibly complex". The research behind it is 8 years old.

This "controversy" only exists in the minds of ID'ers.

The article suggests that ID'ers move on to ribosomes. Their evolution is still unknown.

57 posted on 01/30/2006 12:02:25 PM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: marine86297
Sons high school debate topic bump

Then he'll want to read Index to Creationist Claims
-- and --
"The Quixotic Message"

58 posted on 01/30/2006 12:05:01 PM PST by dread78645 (Intelligent Design. It causes people to misspeak)
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To: frgoff
Behe declares the flagellum irreducible because we fully understand its operation.

That's true--but he makes a lapse in reasoning when he effectively assumes that the flagellum was "always meant" to be a motor. A simplified version of the flagellum turns out to be a fully functional system for ejecting toxins from the bacteria, and some biologists have proposed a plausible chain of development in which such an ejection system developed into a motor, first by adding a component for more effective dispersal, which provided the side benefit of moving the organism away from its own ejecta.

The burden of proof is on Behe to prove that the structure could not have evolved through selection, and if he's willing to carry that burden then he's doing real science. But it's a heavy burden. My favorite illustration is: suppose that almost any mutation of the bacterial flagellum gene resulted in higly explosive bacteria. This would be good evidence for irreducible complexity, since any hypothetical ancestor would have exploded before it could reproduce.

even Dawkins will admit that evolution utterly collapses when it's a strictly random process.

It's probable that there's equivocation going on about the meaning of "strictly random", but putting that aside I'd like to see the quote from Dawkins. You are in effect saying that he has indicated that evolution can't work without ID, and yet he is well known to say the opposite.

59 posted on 01/30/2006 12:13:40 PM PST by Shalom Israel (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.)
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To: orionblamblam

You don't think that a theory that DNA is coded similarly to computer language is worth discussing in a science classroom because you "care" about your children's education?

Gosh, my kids are going to find these things and other theories very exciting when they are old enough to study them. My kids may be the scientists who prove or disprove this, since yours won't be learning about it.


60 posted on 01/30/2006 12:14:23 PM PST by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
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