No Coincidences

Tag: Darwin

  • Hypocrisy in Intelligent Design and Evolution Debate

    Hypocrisy in Intelligent Design and Evolution Debate

    The theory of intelligent design is, simply put, the idea that this world is too perfectly designed for there to be no designer. The theory comes from what’s called the Watchmaker Analogy, put forth by William Paley in 1802. The idea is that if you walked into the woods and found a pocket watch, you would assume someone designed that pocket watch. Due to the complexity and clear design of the pocket watch, you would not assume it just appeared there by coincidence.

    Of course, it’s more complex than that. Before you say, “Well you would assume a designer because you’ve seen a pocket watch before,” well, sure. That’s not the point. The point is that things that appear to have been designed usually have a designer. If it makes you feel better, insert “clearly designed foreign object” instead of pocket watch.

    Intelligent design gets a tough rap in the scientific community. In scientific circles, they scoff at this idea. They say, scientifically, who is the designer? The ridicule continues from there.

    There is one argument from scientists against the theory of intelligent design that I’d like to discuss here. Scientists who believe in the theory of evolution and oppose intelligent design make this argument:

    They say that –

    “If there is an intelligent designer, why would that intelligent designer create things that seem to not have a purpose?”

    To be funny, and to lighten the mood, we will use the example of male nipples. Why would an intelligent designer give males nipples when they serve no purpose?

    Proponents of intelligent design would respond, “Just because we don’t know the purpose, doesn’t mean there is none.”

    This results in escalated scoffing from evolutionary scientists. They say, “That is unscientific. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say something has an intelligent designer, then when asked why there would be pointless designs say we don’t know the purpose of those designs. That is unscientific as it is untestable and can’t be proven either way.”

    This goes back to what is “scientific” in terms of the scientific method, etc.

    The theory of evolution is that all species have evolved through a process called natural selection. There is ample evidence to appear that the theory of evolution is true. See my post What the Theory of Evolution is Missing. Natural selection is basically the idea that the strongest survive, they breed, and so the strongest traits in a species will survive and be passed on.

    Of course, it’s not that simple.

    So, here’s the thing.

    If an evolutionary proponent is asked, “Why did natural selection result in males with nipples? How did nipples help man survive?”

    The response would be, “Natural selection doesn’t guarantee everything is related to survival. There is some randomness.”

    What is the difference between the intelligent design defense and the evolution defense?

    What’s the difference between:

    • Intelligent designer
      • If we don’t understand the design, doesn’t mean there is no purpose.

    And

    • Evolution and natural selection
      • Not every trait is for the purpose of survival, there is some randomness.

    Where is the difference? These are both ‘you can’t have it both ways’ arguments.

    Is there something I’m missing here? Is this not, essentially, the same argument? Is this not the same thing?

    Ultimately, the root of criticism of the theory of intelligent design comes down to one thing: belief in God. That’s what it’s all about. A lot is thrown around about “unscientific” and blah blah. Please define “scientific.” Cool, thank you. Now I’ll find 10 different definitions of scientific from 10 different scientists.

      I’ve elaborated more on the “God issue” in science in this post. Science and religion will always be in an unwarranted battle until the true scientist – the one who set this all up, designed it, created it, organized it, and sent us here – comes down and explains it all to us. I welcome that day.

    1. What the Theory of Evolution is Missing

      What the Theory of Evolution is Missing

      This is going to go a direction you won’t expect. I’m not going to argue against Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. I’m not nearly smart enough to discuss the theory of evolution in much detail.

      What I will do instead, is propose my own theory.

      Scientists who are proponents of the theory of evolution believe that life is constantly evolving. Over billions of years, a process called natural selection has taken place. Natural selection is basically the idea of survival of the fittest. If you’re the fittest, you survive. If you survive, you procreate. Survival of the fittest. Natural selection.

      The disconnect, for me personally, is when the theory of evolution brings scientists to the conclusion that God doesn’t exist. The omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God, creator of Heaven and Earth, couldn’t allow his creations to change?

      Here is where I will diverge from class Christian thinking. The theory of evolution doesn’t go far enough.

      “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.”

      What is it to attain the fulness of God? (Ephesians 3:19).

      You think fundamentalist Christians hate the theory of evolution already? Imagine their hate for us if we say it hasn’t gone far enough.

      Now, the theory evolution is more than just change. As I noted, it’s about natural selection. Darwin’s theory is that natural selection leads to change. Christ’s theory is He leads to change.

      I’m not saying that Christ is leading plants and animals to change. They have their own process to fulfill the measure of their creation.

      But Christ does lead us to change, or evolve, if you want to use that word.

      Many of both religious and scientific persuasions would scoff at this notion.

      Look again at the theory of evolution. Living creatures are evolving.

      Why would humans not aspire or evolve to something greater then? I’m not talking about from mushrooms or apes. We are God’s children and as His children we have a divine inheritance. Our evolution is much greater. It’s from what we are now, to what Christ is now. This is possible because our Heavenly Father wants to give us “all he hath.”

      What do I change into while here on earth, in a small amount of time? I turn into my parents. I become more and more like my dad every day. What do we evolve or change to eternally? God. He is my Father. It’s the natural order of things.

      Joseph Smith often talked about how scholars, intellectuals, and religionists ridiculed him. Yet all he ever taught was what made sense. What made sense were eternal truths.

      The boy, like to his father grown,

      Has but attained unto his own;

      To grow to sire from state of son,

      Is not ’gainst Nature’s course to run.

      A son of God, like God to be,

      Would not be robbing Deity.

      Lorenzo Snow

      Paul understood this (Philippians 2:5-6) –

      “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

      Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God”

      So, the scientific-minded, expand your thinking. Religious minded, expand your thinking. Embrace your inheritance and all that the Father has to offer you. Embrace change, embrace the Atonement of Jesus Christ that allows all change. Embrace your evolution. God wants you to aspire to be like Him. It isn’t robbery to Him. What greater joy is there than watching your children grow, develop, and become better? Maybe even become like you.  

      Where does the theory of evolution lead? Where are we headed, what do we become? What is our evolution?

      Our evolution is to become like God, our Father.

    2. The God Question: Intelligent Design, Evolution, and God

      The God Question: Intelligent Design, Evolution, and God

      This is a version of an essay I wrote for a science and religion course. That’s why it has such an “official” tone, and the headlines. I don’t share this because I think it’s an extraordinary essay. But I do think I made some decent points about the “God issue” in science. When you spend this much time writing an essay that fits the theme of your blog, it’s just gotta be shared. So here’s my essay on intelligent design, evolution, and God.

      Intelligent Design and Evolution

      God is the center of the debate between science and religion, and in particular the debate between the theories of evolution and intelligent design. To claim any other conflict ahead of the question of whether God exists is to distract from the root cause that separates these theories. If the question of God’s existence could be solved one way or another, then evolution and intelligent design could coexist and potentially benefit one another. Unfortunately, the existential question of God will never be solved by science. Therefore, with God being the center of the issue, exploring the “God issue” between evolution and intelligent design is the best way to help the two theories reconcile with one another, even if the true question, “does God exist?” is never answered.

      The God Question

      Believers of evolution and believers of intelligent design have more to agree upon than is often realized. However, there is one topic or question that creates a gulf between the two fields. That question is: Does God exist? When evolutionists and intelligent design proponents come to understand this as the main question that separates them, it may be possible to relate and coexist, and therefore grow as fields of knowledge alongside one another. It is the loud voices of ardent atheist evolutionists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett who pronounce aggressive disbelief in God, and it is the loud and passionate voices of creationists who oppose belief in the undeniable evidence of evolution that create this void (Wolf, 2006). The milder, middle-of-the-road voices get drowned out by the louder minority. The believer in intelligent design who accepts the facts of evolution and the believer in evolution who can see the merits in intelligent design theory are the voices that bring these two fields to an agreement that benefits both. Intelligent design need not deny many aspects of the theory of evolution. Evolution need not devalue the merits of the theory of intelligent design. At the root of the conflict is the belief in God. Coming to understand God as the major issue and question can bring both sides into more agreement, or at the very least, a middle-ground of mutual understanding.

      Historical Belief in God

      The thinking of the world has transitioned aggressively from a belief in God. While there has been a movement away from God, especially in scientific communities, as can be illustrated in countless scholarly writings such as The God Delusion (Dawkins, 2006) and Why Intelligent Design Fails (Young & Edis, 2014), a large portion of the world still believes in some higher power, some creator that put humans on this earth. It is nearly impossible for a firm believer in God to remove that innate belief from their consciousness.

      In the book The 5000 Year Leap, Cleon Skousen (2011) discusses John Locke’s famous Essay Concerning Human Understanding. “In it Locke pointed out that it defies the most elementary aspects of reason and experience to presuppose that everything in existence developed as a result of fortuitous circumstance. The mind, for example, will not accept the proposition that the forces of nature, churning about among themselves, would ever produce a watch, or even a lead pencil, let alone the marvelous intricacies of the human eye, the ear, or even the simplest of the organisms found in nature. All of these are the product of intelligent design and high-precision engineering” (Skousen, 2011, pp. 95-96). Locke’s thinking agrees with the teleological argument of intelligent design put forth by William Paley in the 1700s (Crashcourse, 2016). Locke continues to expound on this topic by pointing out how a man can come to know God exists. Skousen concludes with Locke’s thinking, “And because any thoughtful person can gain an appreciation and conviction of these many attributes of the Creator, Locke felt that an atheist has failed to apply his divine capacity for reason and observation” (Skousen, 2011, p. 97).

      These examples from Locke are used to illustrate a point. It was not long ago that disbelief in God was deemed a ludicrous proposition. It wasn’t long ago that these theists were the louder voices. Historically, those with no belief in God have been discriminated against and ridiculed similarly to how science ridicules belief in God today. Ridicule of the belief of God is as counterproductive today as the ridicule of not believing in God has been throughout history.

      Attack on God

      An outspoken opponent of theism in the scientific community is Richard Dawkins. One of the basic attacks Dawkins uses against God is comparing belief in God to belief in any number of mythical creatures. Dawkins often refers to belief in God as being similar to believing in a Flying Spaghetti Monster (Dawkins, 2006). Dawkins says that because people believe in something ridiculous like the Flying Spaghetti Monster, doesn’t mean he has to accept it. This analogy is not close to comparable. There aren’t books handed down for centuries about belief in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. There isn’t a majority of the world population believing in Flying Spaghetti Monsters. We don’t have any support for the existence of Flying Spaghetti Monsters. This is just one example of an unfair attack from the “militant atheism” that Dawkins proposes (Dawkins, 2008).

      Scientists like Dawkins ignore the evidence that does exist out there because it doesn’t suit their needs or beliefs. This is the opposite of scientific progress and something Dawkins is “militantly” opposed to. There are many unexplained phenomena with adequate scientific evidence behind that scientists like Dawkins disregard simply because it’s phenomenal and they can’t understand it. Take, for example, near-death experiences. The catalogs and books being put together of people of different cultures, ages, demographics, and backgrounds all detailing a similar experience is dismissed out of hand. Science is based on observation. If any other phenomena like gravity or momentum had as much documented support as near death experiences that have been cataloged, scientists would explore further, not dismiss automatically.

      Another main critique of intelligent design is that the theory mentions design without defining who the designer would be. The reason intelligent design refuses to mention the designer is obvious. The mere mention of God is liable to get extreme backlash from the scientific community. Furthermore, it leaves the concept open to the many interpretations of the nature of God and who the creator may be across varying religions. This is an example of why the attack on God is counterproductive. It creates the dynamic where intelligent design theory talks about an ambiguous “designer” without simply stating that the designer is a theorized divine creator. God is the answer to the question of who the intelligent designer would be, and yet because of the aforementioned loud minority, God is not specifically mentioned. The issue is that while so many believe in this designer, in and out of the scientific community, no one can say the name for fear of being criticized.

      Intelligent Design within Evolution

      There is plausible proof of many elements of evolution. However, this does not remove the possibility of the influence of intelligent design. That is to say, it is conceivable that the world can evolve while also having the influence of an intelligent designer that planned for this evolution and progression. The two theories need not be at odds with one another. Intelligent design and evolution both have holes and flaws in their theories as Darwin himself admitted (Leddra, 2010). Neither theory is perfect. If either theory were perfect, there would be a definitive answer. That’s why they are still classified as theories. The conflict really comes down to one question: is there a God? This is where the entire conflict between intelligent design and evolution lies. That question will not be answered decisively by either science or religion.

      Science will not answer whether God exists. That will always be a matter of faith. If that question is answered it will mean that God has revealed Himself and His purpose, as science will never disprove God. This is obvious, for you cannot prove that something does not exist. If there is a God and He reveals Himself and His purposes, designs, and methods to humanity, then the conflict between intelligent design and evolution will instantly become a moot point. Humanity will know for a fact how living things came to be. The question of if they evolved, how they evolved, and God’s role in it, and these debates between intelligent design and evolution will become null and void. 

      Conclusion

      These examples showing the change in how God is perceived in both society and science, and how science has changed in the attack on God, go to show the underlying cause of all the controversy. It is ultimately about the existence of God. We can conclude, then, that it is extremely important for religion and science, and their respective theories, to consider how they can coexist with one another. By rejecting even the possibility of a God, science limits itself and its ability to explore the universe. By rejecting evolution, the theory of intelligent design limits its ability to coexist with science. Science will benefit by cooperation between the theories of intelligent design and evolution. This cooperation ultimately hinges on finding a way to reconcile the question of God, for the ability of all theories to progress to their fullest potential, and the furthering of knowledge for humanity.