Posted on 08/25/2006 2:04:15 PM PDT by protest1
“I believe it appropriate for thoughtful Jews to support the Coral Ridge documentary and perhaps even for it to be shown in Jewish schools because there really are only two ways to account for human presence on our planet. One is that God created us in His image. The other is that by a lengthy and random process of totally unaided materialistic evolution, primitive protoplasm evolved into Bach, Brahms, and Beethoven. This approach, ruling out any role for God, is simply incompatible with Jewish values,” he said.
Very heartening.
Dr D James Kennedy BUMP!
".... This approach, ruling out any role for God, is simply incompatible with Jewish values,” he said"
Incompatible with Chistian values (IMHO) as well.
We've been through this recently on another thread. Humans have been suggesting breeding humans since Plato's time (mentioned in The Republic.)
Rabbi Lapin is Kewl.
Every Rabbi should be defending the Darwin/Hitler (not to mention Communism) connection.
Notice that Lapin doesn't endorse "creationism" in the sense of God creating us with the wave of a wand. Lapin's statement, rather, is consistent with the idea of evolution - provided God has a role in launching or guiding evolution. That's the perspective that's most consistent with science, religion and common sense. It's also the Vatican's position, I believe.
Blatant false dichotomy. I wouldn't be surprised if his opus magnum doesn't display even more logical errors.
What I don't get about anti-Christian Jewish "spokesmen" like Foxman is that when somebody supports the Ten Commandments in public places, or supports the idea that God created us, Foxman calls that a "Christian" view. Is he saying that Judaism doesn't believe in God or in the Ten Commandments that God delivered to the Jews? Is Christianity now the only religion that carries forward Old Testament principles? Foxman implies that, when he brands all God-centered policy proposals, as "Christian."
Prior to Darwin, everything was sweetness and light. It was the theory of natural selection that caused people to act in an evil manner. Yup, yup, yup....
/sarc
On the serious side, while natural selection is indeed a "lengthy" process, it is NOT "random" as the Rabbi stated. Individual variations are often generated by unpredictable circumstances such as mutation, but natural selection itself is based on the statistically-greater survival of more fit individuals. That's all. It's not random, it's reasonable.
Sheesh.
Read the addendum in Michael Crighton's anti-global warming book 'State of Fear'. He details the popularity of eugenics as a possible solution to (some of) mankind's problems in the first few decades of the twentieth century. Crighton's point was that, the opinions of the elites (including the top scientists) are subject to popular and misguided fads. The popularity of eugenics (proposing it, not necessarily practicing it) paralleled the rise in popularity of evolution. Even if evolution or the popularity of eugenics had no direct impact on Hitler's evil thinking, I don't believe he could have led an entire western nation/government into the actual massive practice of such evil without the idea of putting eugenics into practice being generally acceptable at that time. I AM NOT trying to make the point that this proves evolution is false - just trying to add some historical perspective to the attempt to link Darwin and Hitler. If there was, in fact, no link between the rise in popularity of eugenics and Darwin's theory of evolution, then I stand down.
Great. Prediction by hindsight. "Why did that species survive?" "Well, it was better designed to." "How do you know?" "Well, it survived, didn't it?"
I really don't know why this is so controversial. Eugenicists have always cited Darwin to buttress the scientific nature of their theories. It's not the only citation. They also compare humans to plants and canines and eugenics to age old breeding techniques.
It was really a burgeoning movement and it was only thanks to Hitler that it's considered an abhorrent philosophy.
hmm.
How about, God used evolution to create physical life and the part of us created in "His image" is our eternal soul.
Don't believe it was aliens.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I didn't say eugenics as an idea did not exist before Darwin. I said that I believe it rose in popularity in Western elite circles fueled by the rising popularity of the theory of evolution. I also believe Christianity was a major civilizing force that was helping to move Western civilization GENERALLY towards a more humane world-view and practices (like abolishment of slavery). So I see it as Darwin/evolution is on the rise from 1860 forward, while Christianity as a cultural/civilizing influence starts a corresponding downward trend. I am not saying at all that evolution, eugenics, inhumanity did not exist before Darwin - I am simply commenting on 19th & 20th century trends in Western civilization.
"You Mean Hitler Wasn't A Priest?"
http://www.nationalreview.com/shiflett/shiflett012102.shtml
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