- Mar 25, 2020
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There's no such thing as theistic evolution. There's either evolutionary theory or intelligent design. Because they are opposing theories, it does not make sense to mash them together. Evolutionary theory is an explanation for how life came to be what it is through natural, unguided processes. No guidance. No plan. No creator.
Intelligent design is exactly as the name says. An intelligent, purposeful mind is the explanation. Even if you believe God could have coded a program to cause evolutionary change over billions of years, that is still not evolution. That is intelligent design. But, listening to the way people talk, I get the feeling that they call it theistic evolution because it's safer than calling it intelligent design. You don't want to be that kind of Christian. Those kind of Christians tend to get ridiculed. And, it can get quite personal.
That's not hyperbole. I had an atheist tell me that he genuinely believed it was not only okay, but good, to ridicule Christians because reasoned arguments just don't work on them. The ridicule is like being cruel to be kind. They'll realize later, once they snap out of it, that it was for their own good. There's a good deal of people out there doing that kind of thing without being aware of it.
Calling it theistic evolution seems to cut down on at least some of that ridicule. At least you're getting the evolution part right. Most atheists seem to be happy with that trade off. But, I think it's time to stop being afraid to call it what it really is,; intelligent design. Give credit back to the creator where it belongs.
Intelligent design is exactly as the name says. An intelligent, purposeful mind is the explanation. Even if you believe God could have coded a program to cause evolutionary change over billions of years, that is still not evolution. That is intelligent design. But, listening to the way people talk, I get the feeling that they call it theistic evolution because it's safer than calling it intelligent design. You don't want to be that kind of Christian. Those kind of Christians tend to get ridiculed. And, it can get quite personal.
That's not hyperbole. I had an atheist tell me that he genuinely believed it was not only okay, but good, to ridicule Christians because reasoned arguments just don't work on them. The ridicule is like being cruel to be kind. They'll realize later, once they snap out of it, that it was for their own good. There's a good deal of people out there doing that kind of thing without being aware of it.
Calling it theistic evolution seems to cut down on at least some of that ridicule. At least you're getting the evolution part right. Most atheists seem to be happy with that trade off. But, I think it's time to stop being afraid to call it what it really is,; intelligent design. Give credit back to the creator where it belongs.