Replies

Thank you for the pings to this engaging sidebar!

Of a truth, Darwin never asked or answered the question “what is life v non-life/death in nature.” He took life as a "given" and proceeded to explain speciation. I suspect his intent was to avoid confrontations with theologians in his era. Nevertheless, his correspondence speaks of that warm, little pond.

And in practice, in publicly funded schools, children hear nothing but God-less explanations for phenomenon observed in nature. Moreover, it is a string of horrific Supreme Court decisions that has made “God” and “Jesus” banished words not to be spoken in publicly funded domains here in the United States.

Somewhere along the way, the high court has reinterpreted "freedom of religion" to mean "freedom from religion."

Worse still, there has been an agreement among the science disciplines except for Physics (and of course Mathematics which is not a science) – to comply with “methodological naturalism.” This sounds innocent enough – the idea being that science only addresses phenomena which are knowable and predictable. Or to put it another way, God cannot be observed with a telescope or microscope and miracles cannot be reproduced in laboratory experiments.

But the atheist community – and most notably some influential atheist scientists who do theology under the color of science (Dawkins, Pinker, Singer, Lewontin et al) – seize upon the success of science as “proof” that miracles do not happen and God does not exist.

But the ideological pendulum swings, so enter the Intelligent Design movement whose original goal was to rid science of “methodological naturalism.” Or to put it another way, all science disciplines should follow the lead of Physics and Math – go where the evidence leads, disclose the axioms and postulates, emphasize the theory, accept the absence of evidence as evidence of absence, etc.

Again, the pendulum swings and the reaction from the science community is that Intelligent Design is theology under the color of science. I find this an amusing pot-kettle-black, btw.

And once again the courts end up being the arbiter and upholding decisions which move the entire education process further towards anti-God indoctrination.

But a curious thing has happened on the way to the education system becoming the missionary of atheism on the public dole, empowered by the judiciary – the parents have started pulling their kids out. Evidently not so much because of the atheism but the teaching of politics and immorality (gay activism) – pressuring the children with “don’t tell your parents, but…”

And another strange turn of events is the 8^th Court of Appeals finding that atheism is indeed a religion, Kaufman v. McCaughtry (2005).

Time will tell as the pendulum keeps swinging – perhaps the Supreme Court will have to address the issue once again because if religion cannot be discussed in publicly funded institutions then neither can atheism if it is also a religion, or perhaps the precedents will be laid aside.

Or perhaps they will do nothing in which case I perceive a continued “falling away” in fulfillment of a certain prophesy in 2 Thessalonians 2.

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. – 2 Th 2:1-7

Maranatha, Jesus!!!