A Question about "God's Plan"?

Question

Is it going against "God's Plan" to artificially assist life?

Or, did "God plan" for artificial assistance?

...Or, do you believe there is no plan?

I'd like to know why you believe what you believe, too.

If the world isn't fair enough to have a higher power...why is there a fair representation of your opinion of such?
Where did evolution originate?
What is the original being, that everything evolved from?
I believe in evolution, as I have seen enough evidence to convince me...does that mean i can't also have the common sense to know the theory of evolution doesn't explain existence itself?

Answer 1

The problem with any reference to "god's plan" is that no one knows, or CAN know, just what that plan is. Is it in the bible? Are you sure? What about all the other holy books, what makes them any less credible as god's word? And once you've picked a holy book to use (which itself can not be done "for sure"), then whose interpretation of it do you use? Everyone interprets their holy book in different ways, emphasizing some passages (usually the ones they agree with) and de-emphasizing others (usually the ones they don't agree with).

So with no way to know "god's plan" with any certainty whatsoever, it basically comes down to your opinion as to what you think (or would want for) it to be. Does your god see himself as the sole legitimate creator of life, or is life sacred to him even if it came about through humans?

In case you haven't guessed already, I am atheist, though a well-educated theologian would probably be willing to make the same argument. If there were a god, he sure isn't taking any steps to make his plan known to us, thus we can't be held responsible for going "against" it. (Well actually we could, if you believe in the arbitrary and capricious god of the OT.)

I agree that fairness is not a good argument against the existence of a god, only of a god that believed in creating a fair universe. (And defining exactly what "fair" is is quite subjective in itself.)

Re your questions about evolution, it was never intended to explain the origins of life, and there's certainly no reason why a god (again, depending on which one you believe in) couldn't use evolution as a means of creating the great variety of life that we have. However, it's important to note that life itself isn't an either/or thing. A virus could be considered life, and yet it's essentially just a piece of self-replicating molecular machinery, quite simple in structure and function. The first "life" forms (I hesitate to call them "beings") were even simpler forms of self-replicating molecules. When certain chemical conditions were present (like the presence of certain catalysts), the replications were more successful, and eventual random mutations allowed these molecules to take advantage of more and more conditions in their environments by growing in complexity. (And no, evolution does not violate any laws of thermodynamics.) From there it was a slow and gradual creep upwards from RNA to DNA, then with a protective protein coating, then with various mechanisms to increase energy usage and replication reliability, then more success by grouping together, then some cells in the group become specialized to do certain functions, etc. etc. etc.

Of course if you're looking for an explanation of not just the existence of life but of all the universe, then you're right, evolution can't answer that either. For that I would recommend studying cosmology. Inflationary theory, our most accurate theory describing the (ahem) evolution of the universe, has a pretty good explanation for the creation of our universe as the result of a decay of the Higg's field. But of course, there's no reason why that itself could not have been "god's plan" all along....

Answer 2

There is no Gods plan because there is no "GOD"..... Otherwise are you telling me there are numerous "beings" overlooking the running of the earth, bearing in mind most religions have a different GOD. Surely this alone should make you realise that god is simply an extremely well executed marketing plan, which has been created and running since as long as man has been alive. I dont believe there is any god, any plan, any higher beings. Why do you think the bible is the most sold book ever released, cos its a fantastic marketing plan. Good luck if you believe in god, but i would say with some certainty (really really have a good think about what you are suggesting) that you will be disappointed if you think your going to arrive at the "pearly gates" after your inevitable death, because you wont. I find it hilarious that people can EASILY believe in "GOD" and his higher power, yet if you mention in the same sentence that you are psychic, or able to levitate, something alone those lines, 99.9% of people would laugh you out of the room. Understand what im saying? Since the beginning of time, this story has been going, and evolved into seperate stories for each religion, hence the various "GODS" around the world, i doubt they are all sat together in a smoking room discussing where terrorists should attack next, or wether they should kill another baby in a tragic car crash. The world isnt fair enough to have a higher power, and also the fact that its scientifically proven (FACT!) that we originate from apes, and over billions of years from organisms originally. Its called evolution.

Answer 3

Assuming this is monotheistic infallible god that Christians, Muslims, and Jewish people worship... no it wouldn't go against the plan, simple because god is infallible therefor can never be proven wrong and if it were against his plan to artificially assist life, it never would have came to pass because it would have proven god wrong.

Answer 4

I think that "to articificially assist life" is part of God's plan in that person, that is what God wanted for him/her.