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Posted by Harvey on December 6, 2004 05:36:22 UTC

Actually, if you review European history, it seems the path that led to the scientific revolution was thinking of nature as contingent versus necessary. Once humans felt that nature had options that were not dictated by certain axioms of nature (e.g., 'fire always goes up'), then performing experiments became necessary since you couldn't be sure of nature's actions.

Had Christians used Jesus' parables in Matt.13 to predict evolutionary theory (which they very well could have done had someone said that the natural is a basis of the spiritual - which there is much scriptural precendent to hold that view), then humans would have probed their evolution over 2 millenia ago. The unique thing about evolutionary theory is that it encompasses all the major aspects of scientific knowledge. It isn't like any technology (e.g., metal forming) which doesn't need to see nature as contingent. Evolutionary theory is entirely contingent development, so it is very possible that it would have led to modern science early on.

There's Greek philosophers who held an evolutionary concept, but since they were materialists, they were not popular. Had Christians proposed evolution, I think history would have been quite different. Since the basis of natural selection is in the parable of the sower, a Christian Darwinist in the second century (e.g., Origen), might have influenced Augustine and later Middle Age philosophers and who knows where that might have led.

In any case, my view is that it was not God's intention. Rather, Eccl.3:18 seems to call it right. God tests men by having them see evolution, and having it presented as a test means that it shouldn't come from religion, but it should come from secularism. I wonder how many people will pass the test and hold onto their faith?

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