Atheists Opinionated on Theology and Hermeneutics

[gbrooks9 (GeorgeB)]

@John_Harshman

Then he is in for great disappointment. That won’t happen, unless “Creationists” is defined as vaguely as you have used it so far.

Over time we expect this midway point to provide refuge from those who adamantly insist that we must have 100% Special Creation or 100% Evolution.

It doesnt really need to meet either extreme.

[Patrick]

@gbrooks9

100% Evolution.

George, nowhere is evolution an affirmation of atheism. Evolutionary science is neutral on whether their is a God, or God guiding, or not.

[John_Harshman]

@gbrooks9

Over time we expect this midway point to provide refuge

For whom?

[gbrooks9 (GeorgeB)]

@Patrick

George, nowhere is evolution an affirmation of atheism. Evolutionary science is neutral on whether their is a God, or God guiding, or not.

@Patrick

Im talking about pro-Evolution Christians. Atheists never even entered my mind.

[Patrick]

@gbrooks9

Im talking about pro-Evolution Christians. Atheists never even entered my mind.

Evolutionary Science is the same whether your a Christian or not. So there is actually nothing for Christian (or non-Christians) to say anything about God in relation to evolution.

[gbrooks9 (GeorgeB)]

@swamidass

So… it should be noted that tonight we have found TWO (2) people who have been here for weeks and had no idea why PeacefulScience.Org even existed.

We need a little more protocol on the way in…

[gbrooks9 (GeorgeB)]

@Patrick

Evolutionary Science is the same whether your a Christian or not. So there is actually nothing for Christian (or non-Christians) to say anything about God in relation to evolution.

@Patrick

I think you keep forgetting that we are working on a Theological formulation of Evolution.

I believe you honestly keep forgetting this…

[Patrick]

@gbrooks9

I think you keep forgetting that we are working on a Theological formulation of Evolution.

I am not doing any work on a Theological formulation of Evolution, whatever that may entail. What’s next a Theological formulation of Modified Gravity? Or a Theological formulation of the Multi-verse or perhaps a Theological formulation of String Theory. Since science is silent on God why don’t just leave science alone without any God. Then you can work on a Theological formulation of loving humanist God that is for human rights for all.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@Patrick

I think you keep forgetting that we are working on a Theological formulation of Evolution.

I am not doing any work on a Theological formulation of Evolution, whatever that may entail.

That is correct.

Some of us, however, are thinking through how to make sense of evolution in light of theology. Not your interesting, but you certainly know that is part of what is going on here.

[Patrick]

@swamidass

That is correct.

Some of us, however, are thinking through how to make sense of evolution in light of theology. Not your interesting, but you certainly know that is part of what is going on here.

Then you really should engage @Alice_Linsley as both the anthropology in the Levant and ancient DNA will have to be aligned with the Genesis story in order for your Theology to work with the latest in science discoveries. What I am saying it is not just evolutionary science that must be aligned, it is the other sciences also, like anthropology and genomes of the ancient people, plants, and animals.

[gbrooks9 (GeorgeB)]

@Patrick

I am not doing any work on a Theological formulation of Evolution, whatever that may entail.

@Patrick

Right. Of course YOU are not. You have zero need for a theology of Evolution. You are excused from the rest of the homework.

[Patrick]

@gbrooks9

You have zero need for a theology of Evolution.

The world has zero need for a theology of evolution.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@Patrick

What I am saying it is not just evolutionary science that must be aligned, it is the other sciences also, like anthropology and genomes of the ancient people, plants, and animals.

I totally agree.

@Patrick

You have zero need for a theology of Evolution.

The world has zero need for a theology of evolution.

There is for people want to think about things in light of theology. @gbrooks9 isn’t saying this should be part of science proper.

[Alice_Linsley]

The conversation is interesting because there is no escaping the religious impulse of primitive or archaic humans. Anthropologists and archaeologists have to gather a large body of data before they can claim to interpret the religious expressions. We are only beginning to do that.

As for a theology of evolution, theistic evolution is a theological approach to the data. It operates on its own assumptions about God, creation, humans, the age of the Earth, etc. Are the various assumptions in line with the data?