<Post-Darwinist>

Recently, I did a TV show (more later) on the Catholic Church and the intelligent design controversy.

My interviewer asked me about Fr. George Coyne, the Vatican astronomer who has said that intelligent design reduces and belittles God’s power and might. Specifically, the interviewer asked me what I understood Fr. Coyne to mean.

Well, I have no idea, actually. This 2006 pronouncement is the usual squid ink sprayed by people with a vested interest in preventing others from understanding what is at stake in the intelligent design controversy.

Neither Scripture nor tradition offers us a reason to think that God feels belittled by being called a designer. No surprise there - designer is one of the roles of a creator.

Meanwhile, a friend writes to say that (Not for chance) almost all orthodox traditions enclose the symbolism of the Great Designer (or equivalent), applied to God.

For example, in Hinduism they call Him "Vishwakarma", the Great Carpenter.

In Masonry they call Him the "The Great Architect Of The Universe".

In Judaism "Binah", the third of the Sephirots (Kabbalah principles), is the designing Supreme Intelligence.

In Islam, among the 99 names of Allah, there are at least four or five names related to the symbolism of the designer.

In Buddhism the "Enlightenment" or "Awakening” is a spiritual state where one sees himself and all things as designs of the Supreme Bodhi (all-pervading Intelligence).

Last but not least, in Christianity (isn’t the tradition of Fr. George Coyne?) Jesus was - both symbolically and effectively - the "Son of the Carpenter".

Well yes, but could the "tradition of Fr. George Coyne" be getting a makeover? Relevant Christian doctrines are kicked into the attic of unsubstantiated "faith," while all searches for evidence remain in the secure realm of materialist atheism?

Then we suddenly discover that no reasonable person can credit key Catholic doctrines ...

Find out why there is an intelligent design controversy:

Labels: Catholic Church, evolution