More Than a Theory - Chapter 2

In the 2nd chapter of Ross's book he sets out to define in his words, the different range of beliefs in the origin of life and the universe.

His definitions are:

A - Evolutionists. They believe that the natural realm is attributal to strictly natural causes.

B - Young-Earth Creationists. The biblical fundamentalist, 7-day creation & Noahcian flood believer

C - Intelligent Designers. The scientific proposal that there is a designer or designers of at least some natural events or artifacts

D - Old-Earth Creationists. Accept the Biblical accounts but also accept scientific aging of the universe.

E - Theistic Evolutionists. God tinkers and directs evolution where needed (not sure how this differs from ID).

F - Framework Theorists. Accepts the Biblical account; but not necessarilly in the right order!.

G - Progressive Creationists. Not quite sure on this one; I think it is the same as Old-Earth creationists but a bit more Liberal.

H - Concordists. People who attempt to harmonise the Biblical account and the scientific account.

Ross manages to pull together eight different belief systems but of course they could easily be split into three.

A - people who accept what science tells us by looking at the evidence.

B - People who make things up without any evidence.

C - People who accept science but try to somehow squeeze round facts into square treasured myths.

All of Ross's catagories, bar one, presuppose the Christian God. Of course ID proponents say that their tinkerer is not actually identified, but it is interesting how almost all the proponents of I.D. are Evangelical Christians and I think the Discovery Institute's Wedge Strategy Document gives the game away.

Ross ignores other creation accounts, of which there are numerous.

What about Deists? People who beleive there was a God who started it all but things now proceede under natural causes? What about Matrixers? (See the film). What about.. oh heck, I could make any crap up and treat it as legitimate. All that counts here is evidence. That's it. If there is evidence then we shall see.

One thing about Evolutionists. From my readings and in my experience, almost all the scientists I have read who accept evolution, accept it as a scientific explanation for the diversity of life we see around us. If there is a God or Gods behind it then they cannot say, all they can say is that there is no evidence for the deity. They are looking for explanations and these explanations become part of the natural world, they are not "strictly" natural, they just "are" natural.

OK. On to Chapter 3, Different Strategies...