The choice is not between “God is deceptive” and genetics (actually, it’s genomics). The choice is between “God is deceptive” and the specific overwhelming evidence that shows the common ancestry of humans and chimps.
I’m still not convinced about the choice above. But I will back off until a better comparison is found.
After painting themselves into a corner, creationists more fundamental than you
I do hope you aren’t grouping me with creationists and fundamentalists. All I said is that I like the idea of Eve and Adam and do consider that they existed. I’ve known forever that “day” is not necessarily 24 hours. And I look at the poetry of the “seven days” as a teaching tool.
If you insist that God created Adam and Eve, body and soul, separately from the rest of the natural world, then you have to explain how the genomes of chimps and humans share so many unmistakeable signs of having shared a common ancestor.
If I insisted … I would be “holier than the church” as my Irish Mother would say. And I can assure you that I am barely holier than an amoeba. On second thought, maybe you better exclude weekends.
in other words God created man to *appear *to have a common ancestor with chimps - an argument of the same species as those above.
It seems to me that scientists are the ones who discovered similar genes and came to the conclusion that there was a common ancestor with chimps. I have no trouble with that. What I am driving at is the possibility that there is another explanation for Eve and Adam. I’m not about to close doors.
Of course, you hint at a third possibility - that the science is somehow wrong - that we don’t share all these signs of common ancestry. I don’t see you, or anyone else attempting to show in detail how the work I reference is wrong, and it’s just not good enough merely to hint that the science *might *be wrong - one would have to show how.
You must be referring to another post. What I actually hinted was “Or maybe something is still elusive about genomics (the corrected term) which of course are as old as living things.”
That is not even close to saying or hinting that science is somehow wrong or even that science
might be wrong*.* It is a good thing I am a lady or I might ask you to step outside.
If scientists didn’t seek the elusive something, I would be using candles to read the computer screen.
Science has been extremely adventurous these last 100 years, opening vistas at the largest scale of the cosmos and the smallest scale of matter, elucidating the vast complexity of life, that we had no idea about 100 years ago.
No idea 100 years ago and look at what we have. Guess there were some extremely adventurous scientists that conquered the challenge of an elusive something. Seriously, Alec, you are right.
Science, not religion, has opened our eyes to grandeur in the Universe.
Using religion in the generic sense, I can’t speak for all religions. However, the writings of Judaism often opens eyes to the grandeur in the Universe. Even my favorite psalm 139 uses the phrase “If I take the wings of the dawn,” One doesn’t have to be a creationist to appreciate grandeur of the universe in the Bible.
And what about St. Francis of Assisi with
The Canticle of the Creatures beginning with “Brother Sun who illuminates the day for us and he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor” and “Sister Water. She is useful and humble, precious and pure.”
and “our sister Mother Earth who nourishes and sustains us all and brings forth divers fruits with many-colored flowers and herbs.”
The job of science, however, is not to obfuscate but to illuminate. Your complaint is like that of Keats that Newton spoiled rainbows by understanding how they work. That was not so, and the understanding of genomics does not spoil the beauty or wonder of life.
I understand, but cannot put into words, the place you are coming from. Understanding gravity does not spoil the beauty of the apple. A cell, no longer simple, is one note in the symphony of the human body. Knowing the magnitude of stars increases the wonder of what is beyond. Understanding genomics brings our ancestors into love’s view. I have not and will never complain like Keats. I will continue to stand in the rain to touch the rainbow.
Blessings,
granny
All human life is sacred.
