Effectiveness of Ridicule and New Atheism

Good and fair question. What it means, to me, is to understand that biological evolution may be the way in which God created, and the best explanation for what we observe, this in comparison to special creation, wherein God, in some way, caused species to appear ex nihilo.

In theology (as Christians) we see a Jesus Christ who must be accepted by faith. We are asked to be prepared to give the reasons for our faith, and those reasons are personal and personally compelling. That said, all people have experiences, and eventually make decisions regarding their own faith. There seems, to those of us who have faith, an indication (stepping stones or breadcrumbs) that have led us to where we are. That said, we cannot impute our faith upon others. God seems (to me) to have created enough indication that He exists to allow me to be comfortable with my own decision of faith.

In cosmology, there seems to be many just so consequences that, once again, indicate, but do not prove, that God has intentionally fostered a safe harbor here on earth where life can not only exist, but flourish. We cannot know that he literally slung the perfectly-sized planet into the earth causing a chain of incredibly unlikely events that eventually allowed life to develop again and again here, we can only, again, see that there is sufficient indication that something incredible has happened here.

In biology, we see plenty of evidence for common descent. Certainly, some will argue that it is not yet conclusive, but many disagree. So, in my former understanding, I would have seen evolution as a process entirely incompatible (even antagonistic) with Christian faith. However, if one accepts the definition of methodological naturalism that is presented here at face value, such that we can observe what we are able to within the realm of science, but that the spiritual realm can exist outside of that realm, and, further (as some have put forth here) that God can be involved in the process, though his direct actions may be undetectable, I can now see a unity that exists between these realms in a way that I could never see it before. This is what I mean by “embrace.”

In this way, my eyes have been opened to another option that allows me to understand and appreciate the wonders of scientific discovery in this arena, and yet also allows me to keep my faith unaffected by my acknowledgment of this domain.

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