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Re: paleonet Faith and skepticism



> since God is truth, He shouldn't be left out of scientific work<

Which aspect of scientific work is critical here.  It's not possible to design experiments that will test whether God is involved in a particular process, although it may be possible to test the claim that supernatural action occurred in a particular way.  E.g., the claim that the transition from gill breathing to lung breathing in vertebrates was a barrier insurmountable except by supernatural help can be readily disproved by appeal to the many fish and amphibians that have both gills and lungs functioning, the innumerable larval amphibians that transition between gill and lung breathing every year, and the many amphibians that manage fine without gills or lungs.  However, the claim that God was somehow involved in the transition from gill breathing to lung breathing is scientifically untestable.

On the other hand, if you believe that God calls you to act ethically in everything you do, you should not make an exception for scientific work.  

> wanting to go for absolute truth in this or any discussion is I think a wasted effort<

The claim that a particular scientific discovery represents the absolute truth is dubious.  However, science does not make much sense unless we assume that there exists some absolute reality and that we can investigate it and progress in our understanding of it.  E.g., we cannot say that the current date for the K/T will not be refined by future measurements, but we can say that the current date is closer to reality than many previous estimates.  

If there is no absolute truth, then antievolutionism is not wrong but rather is just an alternative viewpoint, equally valid with conventional science.  

    Dr. David Campbell 
    Old Seashells 
    University of Alabama 
    Biodiversity & Systematics 
    Dept. Biological Sciences 
    Box 870345 
    Tuscaloosa, AL  35487-0345 USA
    bivalve@mail.davidson.alumlink.com

That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droitgate Spa