Greg Crawford wrote:
Gulley raises some points which I easily dismiss as symptoms of Biblical fundamentalism. However, he makes a point about the nature of a God who would create in evolutionary ways. Gully quotes Northwestern University scientist, David Hull, as saying that the evolutionary process is “rife with happenstance, contingency, incredible waste, death, pain and horror. … The God implied by evolutionary theory and the data of natural history … is not a loving God who cares about His productions. He is … careless, indifferent, almost diabolical. He is certainly not the kind of God to whom anyone would be inclined to pray.” Gulley himself later writes, “Why would God use an unjust “survival of the fittest” method to create when justice is the foundation of His throne (Ps. 89:14)?”
From the point of view of science, I would have problems not accepting an evolutionary development over billions of years. However, perhaps Gulley raises an important theological point. So I would be interested in the points of view of list members in response.
I find the god of fundamentalist christians equally (if not more) "careless, indifferent, almost diabolical" to that which Hull and Gully suggest. How they can suggest that there isn't incredible waste, death pain and horror in our world now (supposedly under their loving creationist god's hand) is more than I can fathom. And it intrigues me that they should call survival of the fittest "unjust" - they don't seem to leave any room for god seeing justice differently to them, although I'm sure if you questioned them in another context, they'd be agreeing that god's ways are higher than theirs, and that they don't always see clearly or understand why god might do things a particular way.
A god who demands obedience, limits salvation, and stands by doing nothing when his creatures are in pain and/or being oppressed is not a loving god in my book.
Clare *************************************************** Clare Pascoe Henderson http://www.clergyabuseaustralia.org Clergy Sexual Abuse in Australia Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************
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