The Procrustes in Us According to Greek mythology, Procrustes offered hospitality to passers-by with the intent to kill them. He had only one bed for all comers. To make them fit the bed, he hammered the short men and stretched them across the length of the bed, but sawed off the portions of the long men that projected beyond it. The hero Theseus eventually subdued Procrustes by forcing him to […]
Read moreCategory: Conversation and Reflection
Evolution: The Problem of Non-Identity
A Matter of Identity As an armchair Platonist, I find the philosophy behind Darwinian evolution not only intellectually unsatisfactory, but also self-contradictory. On the one hand, it asserts constant change, that, given enough time and proper conditions, anything can change into anything else; on the other hand, it asserts identity, that there is a “struggle for existence” of the individual and/or group. It is a self-contradiction to state that something […]
Read moreWitnessing Creation
Creation in Seven Acts In my previous post “A Layman’s Interpretation of Genesis”, I made the point that the Days in Genesis 1 are defined, not by any physical entity, but by divine command. The Days, and time itself, are God’s creation. To give a further illustration, I’d liken the Creation account in Genesis 1 to a seven-act play, and the recurring phrase “there was evening and there was morning, […]
Read more
Finding Adam: A Layman’s Interpretation of Genesis
Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 Preface When I first read the Book of Genesis many years ago, I did it out of scientific curiosity. I was an atheist who believed all religions were superstitions. But, I was very curious why many otherwise highly intelligent human beings believed in the existence of God. So I attempted to examine faith on […]
Read moreCreation: The Value of Man
If the human race passed through the world as a ship through the sea or the wind through the desert, a thoughtless and fruitless whim, if an eternal oblivion always lurked angrily for its prey and there were no power strong enough to wrest it from its clutches — how empty and devoid of comfort would life be! –Søren Kierkegaard Although Kierkegaard died four years before the publication of Origin […]
Read more
Creation: A Personal Perspective
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? Psalm 8:3-4 The Creation Debate All Christians believe that God designed and created the universe and all living things. However, there is a wide range of opinions on how the process unfolded, based on […]
Read more
Intelligent Design: Pros and Cons
Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Job 38:2-5 The Argument of Design The Intelligent Design (ID) argument was first put forth by Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and […]
Read more