Faith in mindless matter and energy ...

A friend, responding to some bumph fronted by a Darwinist in a (doubtless) tax-supported journal, writes to say:

... it's not that the evidence is so strong, it's that there's no other explanation within the materialist worldview. Of course, Dr. Padian describes it as "rationalist," but that is a time-honored bit of sophistry inherited from the time of the philosophes. It is not belief in observations and testings that supports evolutionism, but faith that everything in the universe can be explained in terms of mindless matter and energy. Given that as the only framework for "scientific" explanations, evolution is the only "scientific" possibility. Dr. Padian also touched on this when he described how scientists must all think alike, or keep their opinions to themselves.

So, to believe in creation rather than evolution does not require ignorance of the facts and/or of the methodology of science, or stubborn clinging to religious faith in spite of the evidence. No, it only takes being open to the possibility that there's something more to reality, that there might actually be a God who might have done something more than light the fuse for the Big Bang (speaking colloquially, of course). Then you can truly look at the theory of evolution critically and put the claims to real tests, not trials designed to find in what way they are true. Suddenly the evidence is seen to have an entirely different pattern than the doctrines taught to students claim.

Not having a financial interest in either book, perhaps I can recommend Persuaded by the Evidence and Slaughter of the Dissidents , both of which can be found on Amazon. If you are not familiar with cases such as are presented in these books, you do not fully understand the basis of the creation-evolution controversies.

(Note: I don't know why my profile has disappeared from this blog. It wasn't intentional. I made the mistake of attempting a minor edit in the template. You can still see it here if you care.)

Find out why there is an intelligent design controversy:

(Note: I do have a financial interest in this book. I wrote it and I want you to buy it, in order to persuade my publisher to let me write an update.)