May 24, 2006

Wouldn't It Be Easier?
Everett

Farlas, in a word, yes. It would indeed be easier to say "And God said. . .." In the proper context, I would go as far as to say that it is sufficient. Heck, from a practical standpoint, it is probably sufficient in most situations because in most situations it doesn't really matter whether evolution is correct or a literal reading of Genesis 1 is. It's not like this bears in any way on whether you should have Corn Flakes or Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast.

Where it does matter is in the realms of science and religion and the interaction between the two. Clearly, the science contradicts a literal reading of Genesis 1-2. If you accept that at least one is correct, then you are left with a couple of options. The science could be wrong and Genesis right. In this case, it should be possible to prove the science wrong through the scientific method.

The other possibility is that the scince is right and a literal reading of Genesis 1-2 wrong. If this is the case there are two possible reasons for it. The first is that Genesis 1-2 is simply wrong, whether read literally or not. The second possibility is that simply reading Genesis 1-2 literally is wrong, but that the story is true in essence. If this is the case, it must be possible to reconcile the science with the creation accounts in Genesis.

Also, if you could point out which points in my post on entropy, I'd be happy to try and explain them a bit more.

Opalys, I'll end by wishing you a premature happy birthday and point out that I believe three of us are in the Eastern Time Zone. I know Farlas doesn't live more than an hour and half from me. Annatar, on the other hand, is five hours ahead of us. I've often thought it would be cool if we could get together, but it really doesn't strike me as being very feasible. Farlas and I could probably meet in, say, Brighton, but that would mean a drive of over twelve hours for you, and a trans-Atlantic flight for Annatar.