Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc!houxm!ihnp4!ixn5c!inuxc!pur-ee!iuvax!isrnix!tim From: tim@isrnix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.religion,net.misc Subject: Re: Faith in Evolution. Message-ID: <264@isrnix.UUCP> Date: Fri, 1-Jul-83 04:01:03 EDT Article-I.D.: isrnix.264 Posted: Fri Jul 1 04:01:03 1983 Date-Received: Sat, 2-Jul-83 06:55:35 EDT References: cbscd5.220 Lines: 41 I am not really all that interested in responding to Creationists attacks on Evolution because I feel it is a waste of time. But I do find it amusing to contrast Creationists with the anti-Copernicans who refused to believe that the Earth revolved around the Sun for 200 years after Copernicus presented his theory, largely on the basis of such Biblical references as Joshua making the Sun stand still, and so forth. I suppose it will another 150 years (assuming we survive!) before the Creationists finally give up! They will nitpick with this or that little detail of exactly how evolution took place, whether it possibly COULD take place (but of course not wonder at the miraculous supposed appearance in 7 days of the whole universe!) and forget the larger picture which is conclusive. The anti-Copernicans did the same thing, even Tycho Brahe who was one of the best astronomers of his day wouldn't accept Copernicus theory, and indeed by a lot of diddling he came up with a model which was ever so slightly better than Copernicus in explaining the planets motions as they knew them at that time. But of course he was wrong! So Creationists nitpick about carbon-dating this fossil was a fake, nobody's found the "missing link" to human ancestry (tho more links are discovered all the time there's always one "missing"!) and so forth. But then they will forget to mention that there are whole geological strata that are nothing but trilobites, other strata in which there are nothing but dinosaurs and a few small rodentlike mammals, and so forth-i.e. the conclusive evidence that well, at this time there nothing but trilobites and then there nothing but dinosaurs and then there were predominantly mammals. Hmmmmmm, I think one might assume there was some sort of sequence perhaps shall we even call it "evolution" from one period to another...... Exactly how that process works evolutionists cannot be sure, but that there has been some sort of progression or change across the eons is indubitable. Just as it is indubitable that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Or would anyone like to argue that point from the Scriptures as past Christians have done? Whether Evolution itself is divinely inspired is a good question and not at all ruled out. Teillhard de Chardin was both a paleontologist AND a prominent Catholic theologian whose works have pondered exactly that question-how might evolution have worked into God's processes? I think Christians would find better use of their time considering that question than trying to deny established scientfic fact. But as long as they try to deny it I remain amused...... tim sevener decvax!pur-ee!iuvax!isrnix!tim