"Evolutionists, tell me what the theory of evolution is."
"...Thanks for asking. The theory of evolution began as an elegant and plausible scientific account of the mechanism whereby new species have developed through natural selection. Its general tenets have stood up well to an onslaught of emotional and religious objections and are presently so well-substantiated as to be something of a given in the field of biology, to the great chagrin of fundamentalists.
During this century other advances in rationalist-materialist understanding have meshed with the biological evolution theory to supply a most thorough description of the development of all things, so that it is quite accurate and proper to refer to the evolution of the chemical elements and the evolution of complex chemical systems early in the history of Earth.
This debate board exists because the theory of evolution is so much more than that. Christian philosophy is so heavily invested in prescientific dogma of the supernatural that it rightly regards evolution theory as an anathema. Christians don't usually argue against other standard science---gravity, atomic theory, the germ theory of disease---but when it comes to evolution, there is an urgent and frantic denial, emotions run high and objectivity goes right out the window. Why?
Because evolution theory (and all the knowledge that is seamlessly continuous with it) has fully defined and explained what life is and how it got here. "Evolution," i.e., rationalist/humanist/materialist naturalism, has supplied answers about the meaning and value of our existence, thus outdoing and showing up the pulpit. The monumental resentment will take another century to die down. Evolution theory manifests the two vehicles to Buddhahood, Learning and Realization. It is wonder and glory and purpose and moral imperative. It is emancipation."
Posted by SGTex on September 11, 1998 at 22:59:34 on CARM
Shawn, for SGTex
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Photograph: Salvia faranicea "Evolution"
6 comments:
Ahh. Tex must have saved some of that somewhere, as CARM crashed and burned and was restarted several times since then. I know I must have read it before, as I was hanging around back then at that version of CARM, but honestly, while it sounds like Tex's stuff, I don't recall that particular post. I bet it got some heated replies though.
*be well and thanks for the memory-jogger*
LOL, or maybe someone else saved a copy...
And may you be well, t-thinker. Stick around, there's surely more to come.... ;+)
Shawn
Shawn and Tex,
I was sorry to hear about Tex's uncle. My prayers are with you.
Sorry for the double post. I didn't notice the banner at the top of the page. I need more coffee.
Thanks, Vegakitty~
You take care of yourself and your man, and the sweet kittywompii...Sasha sends her feline lurve...
Let us know how it's going.
You're in our prayers, too!
S&SGTex ;+)
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