Evidence for evolution, Installment 2: Cytochrome c (page 2)

AlmostAtheist

I do agree that evolution is not incompatible with the idea of a god, but IMO it is incompatible with the Christian Bible God.

Yeah, that's true. Evolution and "original sin" don't go together well without some serious massaging of beliefs. (The kind of massaging that would have you leaping off the table in pain and filing malpractice suits)

I have a friend that uses this as his sole criteria for dismissing evolution. "It invalidates what Jesus did," he says, "So it must not be true." He's not a dub, just a strong fundy.

Dave

seattleniceguy

Pwned,

cool article. do the JW's still use the creation/evolution book, or have they phased it out yet. i know there was plenty of questionable science in it.

They have replaced their 1985 book with an update called Is there a Creator who Cares About You? I'm not sure how the science is in that one, but regarding the former, many people here have documented the outrageous way in which they misquote scientists in the book. In many instances they make it appear that a scientists is saying exactly the opposite of what he is actually saying. This kind of deception is staggering to me.

I know drwtsn32 did some research on this, and I believe AlanF has written some of it up on his personal web site, but I couldn't find the link. Alan?

SNG

drwtsn32

I know drwtsn32 did some research on this ...

Oh yeah... it was when I was trying to counter all of the evidence I was finding that supported evolution! My last major effort to "correct my thinking" was to study the 1985 Evolution book very closely. This did nothing to strengthen my faith, though. Because I studied it so closely and looked up the original source material, I discovered how deceptive the WTS was.

Here's one URL that has a list of misquotes. It's not as comprehensive as some others I have found, but it's a good place to start:

http://www.geocities.com/osarsif/cemisq.htm

seattleniceguy

Thanks, drwatsn32! That's the one I was looking for...I was searching google on "osarif"...blast! :-)

SNG

SixofNine

I'm enjoying your post on this subject, SNG. Very nicely done and easy to see how the evidence dovetails.

Elsewhere

It was the fact that humans and other primates have a defective (mutated) gene for synthesizing vitamin C.

Obviously Gawd purposfully put what we see as a "flaw" into certain living things, the problem is that we are too puney and ignorant to understand the greater-good that this supposed "flaw" is serving.

El blanko

It doesn't take much imagination to picture a god toying with molecules that replicate themselves and just watching what happens.

Doesn't that idea then reduce God to being less than a God, due to his lack of ability to know the results of the experiment with molecules?

... and if God chooses not to know the results of toying with molecules, why would God choose to deceive himself, unless he was bored.

Surely God, by the standard definitions, would know all possible permutations of the experiment?

In this instance, God appears to be limited, vulnerable, or smaller than the whole

Don't get it.

Euphemism

DanTheMan wrote:

Thanks SNG, that was informative and clearly presented.

Aw c'mon, 'Clear and Informative' is only the first point on the counsel slip. Let's rate SNG on something more advanced, like his use of Gestures or Illustrations!

BTW... great explanation, SNG, thanks.

hillary_step

SeattleNiceGuy,

An excellent series so far. It should go into the 'best of' portion of the Board once you have finished.

Best regards - HS

AlmostAtheist

Doesn't that idea then reduce God to being less than a God, due to his lack of ability to know the results of the experiment with molecules?

I didn't say he was unable to work out the result ahead of time. He may simply have chosen not to. Even as a kid, I could have worked out what my program was going to do, but I didn't want to know. I wanted to be surprised. If God knows everything and has no choice but to know, then he could never experience surprise. That sounds like a terribly boring existence, though admittedly, that's coming only from own experience of liking surprises. If you imagine that God knows everything about everything before it happens, and has no choice in the matter, then he sounds even more powerless and less in control than if you assume he can choose to not know.

Worse, assuming he must know everything upfront means he placed restrictions on Adam and Eve that he knew perfectly well they wouldn't obey. He knew it would lead ultimately to little Sally getting beaten by her drunken father, he knew about 9/11, he knew we'd all get hooked into this kooky religion that would waste our lives. I don't think I could ever reconcile a loving God with knowingly getting that particular ball rolling.

Just my opinion, of course.

Dave

Evidence for evolution, Installment 2: Cytochrome c

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