Comment on Creeds and Fundamental Beliefs by Sean Pitman.
@Ron:
Bob, Take a close look at your examples of “Intelligent design” you mentioned above. I have yet to see any book, computer program or work of art that was achieved except through a process of evolution. Evolution is the process by which every intelligent designer I have ever known works. Even the proverbial watch found in the forest was created through a long history of evolution of metallurgic science.
This is one of your main problems – you think that intelligent design works via the very same mechanism as Darwinian evolution. That’s obviously not true.
Intelligent design is intuitive and can therefore work toward a pre-determined goal or ideal. The mindless mechanism of random mutations combined with natural selection (RM/NS) cannot do this. Beyond this obvious fact, NS cannot work at all until a novel functional system is actually found in the vastness of sequence space by purely random chance (i.e., random mutations). Intelligent design is not limited by these restrictions.
It is for this reason that true artifacts are actually discoverable as such by various sciences such as anthropology, forensics, and even SETI. According to your understanding of the methods of intelligent design, this would be impossible.
Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com
Sean Pitman Also Commented
Creeds and Fundamental Beliefs
@Ron:
You are confused yet again. The ability to adapt to new environments beyond very low levels of functional complexity requries pre-programmed information to exist within the gene pool. Without such pre-programmed information, there is no ability for adaptation beyond very low levels of functional complexity.
Darwinian-style evolution is based on the notion that high level information can be created within that gene pool which was never there before. This isn’t the same thing as breeding or Mendelian variation – both of which are based on pre-existent genes or alleles which allow for such high-level variation in form and function.
In short, you don’t seem to appreciate the difference between something like Mendelian variation (based on pre-existent genetic information) and Darwinian-style evolution (based on the generation of novel genetic information). They really aren’t the same thing.
Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com
Creeds and Fundamental Beliefs
@Ron:
So, explain to me the difference in mechanism between Darwinian-style evolution and something that requires intelligent design to produce? In your opinion, is it possible to produce all things via truly mindless evolutionary mechanisms? How can I tell if something did or did not require the input of an intelligent designer?
Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com
Creeds and Fundamental Beliefs
@Ron:
Again, there was no option during the Catholic Inquisitions of the Middle Ages since the Church controlled civil government as well its own internal government. No one was really free to leave the Catholic Church during this time without fear of severe civil penalties.
This is not the case today since there is still a separation between church and state in this country (thank God). All are free to leave the SDA Church at will – free of any civil reprisals of any kind.
However, this does not therefore mean that all are free to expect a paycheck from the SDA Church for teaching or preaching whatever they want. The Church is also free to hire only those whom it feels would most effectively represent its primary goals and ideals – to include its efforts to promote its most fundamental doctrinal ideas to the world…
In no meaningful sense of the word can this sort of expectation be called a “persecution” of those who cannot or will not represent the church as the church sees fit – on the church’s dime.
Sean Pitman
www.DetectingDesign.com
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