Wednesday, April 14, 2004

More complex design just points to a better Creator

I am writing in response to Peter Duran’s “Design without a creator? Yes, it’s possible.”

First of all, I would probably agree with Mr. Duran that proofs for the existence of God are indeed a worthwhile pursuit. I am often shaken by the religious zealots who avoid certain rational or scientific quests which seem, on the surface, to contradict the Bible. However, I will argue that scientific principles never fly in the face of God; by definition, they cannot.

The notion that one should ignore science or reason in the name of God is a paradox of terms. Our God-given ability to use our mental facilities should never be ignored. Yes, people should be guided by faith and faith should be first in our minds. But faith should not supersede what God is: Wisdom, Truth, Goodness, Order, Love, and Beauty.

I must add that I find the “intellectual” atheist just as misguided as the zealot. He often replaces God with “Science” and never offers adequate proofs for the non-existence of God. I think these types use the same faulty logic to ignore obvious illustrations of God’s love, kindness or wisdom.

Mr. Duran is talking about what philosophers call the teleological argument for the existence of God. He argues against it by claiming that the intelligent design of the universe does not necessitate the existence of God. He cites Ramsey mathematics (which fall under the umbrella of “chaos” theory) as reason for not pointing to an intelligent creator. He states that there is a scientific or mathematical order which can come about without God or an intelligent creator.

He also argues that there are creations which are intelligent which do not have an intelligent creator. The honeybees are not intelligent but they make intelligent designs. This is easily refuted by asking who created the bee. And, of course, to avoid an infinite regress you must originate with a first creator (even within the context of evolution), which is God.

I would postulate that chaos theory as espoused by James Gleick in the book “Chaos” does exactly the opposite of what Mr. Duran claims it does.

The fact that within the framework of a seemingly chaotic or random occurrence there is an underlying order is a strong indicator of the existence of one intelligent creator.

In other words, the intelligent mathematical order that can be found even in seemingly random events shows that the orderly wisdom of God is found in all things. If one day we discover that true artificial intelligence is possible, it would not follow that people did not create computers.

Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and Kant (just to name a few) have all historically equated God with scientific and mathematical principles. The fact that our reason is even structured to comprehend these principles is another testimony to the existence of God and the fact that we were created in God’s likeness.

According to Gleick, chaos theory is creating a paradigm shift. Chaos theory pulls a once-fragmented scientific community back towards a unifying principle. Einstein died looking for this principle. This unifying principle, I would argue, is God. Whether we will ever fully comprehend this is doubtful, but it is completely necessary and respectful of God’s wisdom to try.

So many people are either on one side or the other: Science or Religion. All of the modern theories — non-linear mathematics, quantum physics, chaos theory, evolution, etc. — all seem to me to be blatant confirmations for the extremely vast and complex intelligence of an absolute creator.

For those non-believers, I would suggest that you read Pascal’s Wager. This is an argument which shows that mathematically, you are at an extreme disadvantage if you do not believe in God. Using this as a vantage point, you are liable to find God in all the intelligent theories you pursue. It may no longer be considered philosophically sound to start with a premise of God, but the idea works with surprising non-contradiction alongside every notion I have encountered.

As much as I believe in God’s word, I hate to quote the Bible in argumentation because I think so many parts can be taken out of context. Oh, well! Here is a verse from the book of Wisdom (7:17-22) to ponder: “For he gave me sound knowledge of existing things, that I might know the organization of the universe and the force of its elements.... Such things as are hidden I learned, and such things are plain; for Wisdom, the artificer of all, taught me.”

Bridget Lambert, mother

Fayetteville, Ga.