Things have been so serious around here the past few weeks—job interviews will tend to do that to you—that I thought it was time for a little levity and craziness. With all of the contention going on between “science” and Intelligent Design advocates (some of whom are real, board-certified scientists) I thought I would throw out this bit of sardonic levity.
The Contest
One day a group of eminent scientists got together and decided that mankind had come far enough along that they no longer needed God. They picked one scientist to meet with God and tell Him that they didn’t need him any more.
The scientist met with God and said to Him, “God, we have decided we no longer need you. We have progressed to the point where we can take care of ourselves. We can do so many miraculous things that we think you should just retire.”
God listen patiently and calmly and then said to the scientist, “Before I agree you are correct, let’s have a man-making contest to see how far you have really come.”
The scientist thought for a moment and then replied, “Great.”
God then said, “The rules are that we are going to do this just like I did it in the beginning with Adam.”
“No problem,” replied the scientist who bent down and scooped a handful of dirt into a sterile container.
“No, no, no,” God said, “You have to get your own dirt.”
Sometimes we forget that God tells us that everything He did was done ex nihilo, out of nothing, save Himself. That is one thing the evolutionists and anti-ID people have no answer for, where did all that significant matter and energy come from? Now to be epistemologically honest, Christians have a similar problem with God; where did He come from? Like with most problems, in the end you have to start with the beginning. The honest question is, which is more likely, matter and energy just are, or God just is (reminiscent of the “I am” response to Moses’ question—maybe God was telling us something scientifically important in that—hmmm!).
Either way, you have to have a starting point, an a priori that forms the foundation of the rest of your thinking. No matter what anyone tries to tell you, as far as I can see there are only two fundamental a priories, either matter and energy are, or God is and neither is scientifically (requires testing and repeatability) verifiable. Both must be taken on faith. They both point to unrepeatable (at least within our lifetimes) premises and essentially are constructs that the mind cannot fully comprehend. Yet despite that, it is a given that there had to be a starting point, a fundamental ground of existence, a source for what is. In the end (after you have examined your choice for the beginning) you place your bets and then you take the consequences.
May God bless your day and may His sovereign eternal existence give you hope that all He has said He will do, He will bring to pass, so that you can rest peacefully in the everlasting arms.
Thanks for the nice, peaceful, even funny bit on the debate of the century. These two worldviews that you boil it down to are at odds due to the most basic of assumptions…is our beginning natural, or supernatural? The matter/energy is argued to be naturally organized by God if you listen to theistic evolutionists, thus offering the world a Natural God. Hm.
The story is a funny one, indeed.
(The punchline would be improved, I think, if God were to say “No, you have to make your own dirt.”)
Evolution is not a theory of creation, however. As Darwin noted, evolution is what is observed on Earth “after life was breathed” into it.
Darwin started from this assumption: Creation, being from God, honestly manifests itself and its origins.
Darwin attributed to creation higher ethics than most theologians raging against science can attain on their own.
Where do you see theologians “raging against science”?
One of the things that I have learned over the years being exposed to all sorts of primary thinkers (no matter what discipline, including all sorts of scientists) is that they often are the most narrow minded people I have ever met. Most are looking for validation rather than truth and once they have invested in a theory or construct they seem to put on blinders. Not unusual since their entire life is now built around that theory or construct.
I also agree with “Creation, being from God, honestly manifests itself and its origins” which mirrors the context of Romans 1:18-21. However, if you believe “science” honestly examines that manifestation, you are seriously mistaken.