All sophisticated theologians could do themselves a favor by reading this simple refutation of C.S Lewis:
I accept your challenge. Your “refutation” says: “Brains didn’t just happen. They aren’t merely some peculiar arrangement of atoms. They have a long contingent history in which they were shaped by selection to have particular properties that allowed bearers of slightly more functional nervous systems to outlive, outbreed bearers of cruder brains. An absence of a designer does not imply that the only other alternative is random chaos.”
I hope we agree that brains just don’t happen. Indeed nothing just happens, even though Dawkins says that everything is an accident.
However scientists based on the Big Bang Theory say that the universe emerged out of nothing, no time, no space, no nothing. But if nothing just happens, what is the reason behind this? Why is there something rather than nothing?
Your refutation says that human brains were shaped by a process whereby those with more advanced brains were able to out breed their fellows and thus evolve. Did that process just happen for no reason or purpose? No.
How would better brains give humans an evolutionary advantage over other hominids and creatures? They would not unless better brains would enable people to better understand the world. They wouldn’t unless the world was built on rational principles that brains can understand and use to manage their world,
The human brain only make sense if the universe was created by a rational God Who sought to create it as the rational habitat for rational creatures created in God’s rational Image.
Was Lewis right in saying that the human brain requires a rational Designer? Yes. Did he have all the evidence available to him when he made this statement? No.
There is no negotiating with logic, or different points of view, on this matter, opinion and fact work the way I explained. It’s unfortunate that people don’t get taught how choosing works at school. And then later they become professional scientists dealing with human beings choosing things, but then have no idea about how it works. It is not acceptable.
I know that you are probably busy and I want to make sure you have enough time to respond to my response to your challenge.
However I want to make another point. Non-believers often day that Christians refuse to say how their belief in God can be falsified. While that may be true in many cases, I will be different.
If you can demonstrate that Reality or Life is inherently evil, then that would indicate that God is not good and our beliefs are false. Lou talks about the horrific nature of some aspects reality so that should not be too hard for you.
If you can demonstrate that Reality of Life is inherently random, without meaning or purpose, without rhyme or reason, then this would falsify my belief in God. People like Dawkins say this is true, so you should have little problem proving it, if it is true.
This is your chance. Seize it.
Each person can and should define their purpose in life to make it meaningful to themselves and others. Life driven purpose, not purpose driven life.
@Patrick wrote:
[quote=“Patrick, post:190, topic:2392, full:true”]
“Each person can and should define their purpose in life to make it meaningful to themselves and others.”
If life is really without meaning and purpose, a blank slate, then the purpose of the Nazi, the Jihadist, and someone like Dr. Martin L. King all have the same moral weight.
“Life driven purpose, not purpose driven life.”
Life cannot drive purpose if life has no purpose. Purpose cannot be objective if everyone defines his/her own purpose. This is the opposite of what you seem to espouse above.
If life has no objective purpose, then life can be called good. If purpose is only subjective as Dawkins & Co say it is, then life cannot be the basis of purpose, so subjective purpose must drive life.
Christianity says that Life is good, because it was created by the Logos, Jesus Christ. Humans can find true purpose through faith in Jesus Christ, even though their lives and world have been corrupted and distorted by sin. Life is still good, but it can be much be much better in Christ.
I don’t see productive conversation happening on this (long) thread anymore. All commenters have 24 hours to leave final statements, and then I will close the thread.