“Proof will come when the first discrete, self-maintaining, self-replicating, stable organic creature—Life 2.0—is created from scratch in the lab.”
This is like the straight line in an old joke.
The scientist says, ‘1st you take some dirt.....’.
God interupts...’Make your own dirt!’.
So they don’t want you to notice that they’re not serious when they say “from scratch”.
By the same token, all of the religious objections are ill-founded. The scientists--using "God's dirt" as you say--are no more going against "God's will" than any other kind of farmer.