If Genesis is accepted as a metaphor then what is there about evolution that precludes God, if anything?

Question

Can the theory of evolution be stated without referring to chance or coincidence or statistics or probability so that God cannot possibly be a factor in guiding evolution?

In a similar vein, can any natural process, such as weather for example, be stated so as to exclude the possibility of God's guidance?

But something does guide evolution, we just don't know what "it" is. Maybe it is an intelligence or perhaps not, but by definition, we don't know unknown factors. We account for unknown factors only through probability but we do that only because we don't know the causes. So as long as there are unknown factors, we can't say that evolution is guided by God or not.

Answer 1

No, there is nothing about evolution that precludes the idea that God is behind it.

There is one guy here on YA who keeps saying that if God used evolution to make people, then He is grossly inefficient and must not exist.

I have thought about his points for days and I don't see how that logically follows. God never has been about efficiency, but more about fullness and beauty.

There is no natural process that can prove that God is not behind the world. It always comes down to an inner knowledge that you either have or you don't.

Answer 2

Um ... probability and reality go hand in hand. Thermodynamic law - probabilistic - rules all changes, including biological change. Evolution does not occur any more "by chance," than water rolls downhill "by chance."

In order to explicitly allow for god's will, you might say that god's design for life includes mutability, such that life's responsiveness to environmental mutability is possible, and evolution happens. But you can't remove "probability" from the world altogether. Either one thing happens, or another does, and the nature/design of the universe makes some things more mathematically likely than others. That's the way it is; that's how creation is, you might say.

You might also propose that god micromanages the universe, down to every subatomic twitch, creating destiny from instant to instant. Science, of course, cannot address the existence of the "will of god," but it *always* allows for it because it cannot be falsified.

So, in a word: NO.

Answer 3

There is a disturbing trend of scientists, teachers, and students coming under attack for expressing support in the theory of intelligent design, or even just questioning evolution. The freedom of scientists, teachers, and students to question Darwin's theory, or to express alternative scientific hypothesis is coming under increasing attack by people that can only be called Darwinian fundamentalists.”

New Ben Stein Flick, Expelled, Blows the Whistle on Evolution.
Expelled is a disturbing new documentary that will shock anyone who thinks all scientists are free to follow the evidence wherever it may lead.

http://www.expelledthemovie.com/

Answer 4

Exactly, only a fool would interpret it literally (seriously, read it, most of it is ridiculous). So intelligent Christians should not be threatened by scientific theories, such as... the Earth is round, the Earth revolves around the sun, animals can adapt to their environment, the sun is simply one star out of many, there is extraterrestrial life.

Answer 5

Your question assumes that someone believes that God "guides", or needs to guide, in regards to evolution. Consider virtual reality (within the Internet):

The WWW was created by someone, but isn't "guided" in the sense that you mean. Rules are set, laws are relevant. Structure is provided.

Within those parameters, the Web evolves.

Evolution tells how things are evolving, not how they began.

Answer 6

You misunderstand vastly. To be an concept, a hypothesis could clarify each shred of info and be constradicted by skill of none. Evolution has in no way been contradiced, ever. we are continuously looking further and further fossils which bridge the greater and greater smaller variety of gaps, each of that's yet another piece of info in help of evolution. Ask a guy or woman why evolution is incorrect. Evolution won't be able to be disproved simply by fact of its simplicity and actual observable components. particularly some random stuff happens, and the stuff that's maximum suitable suited to stay to tell the tale does so. How might you in all likelihood refute the kind of basic remark. you do not even could desire to bypass out and assemble fossils to coach this. Evolution is this sort of concept you could teach by skill of sitting in an armchair and thinking. that's basic sense; a logical quite than organic and organic argument. assume that evolution does not paintings. In what way? What area of the approach which I in simple terms defined is fiction? Evolution is irrefutable. whether the universe did have a dressmaker, evolution might nonetheless carry existence onward long after after the dressmaker gave up. the customary constants of the universe might desire to be severely distinctive to confirm that simething as basic and classy as evolution to not happen. you moreover could misunderstand faith. faith is by skill of DEFINITION a perception which isn't supported by skill of info. you could't have self assurance in evolution simply by fact evolution is sponsored by skill of lots of info and is contradicted by skill of NONE. The God conjecture, on the different hand, demands faith simply by fact that's not an evidence. God is a placeholder; a scarcity of clarification. God is invoked to handle gaps that have not yet been defined by way of empirical theories.

Answer 7

Nothing, really, as it is only directed to the creation of what we comprehended as existing at the time "genesis" was written... yet, under the same assumption "god" would be a metaphor for another natural event/condition, etc...!

Answer 8

Nothing. It is peoples' insistence that the Bible is both a history and science textbook that creates the difficulty. I think their attitude amounts to idolatry.

Answer 9

Can you create something from nothing? Only GOD can make a tree.