> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Richard Baker > Sent: Saturday, September 02, 2006 1:29 PM > To: Killer Bs Discussion > Subject: Re: Pope prepares to embrace theory of intelligent design
> This being the case, it seems to me that these religions imply that > humanity was supposed or intended to exist in the universe. Well, if Wheeler is right, that's by definition because the universe requires a primitive act of registration. :-) Other intelligent beings would produce different interfaces. All one really has to do is take the original intent of the passage in Genesis and extend it. > I can't help but say that it looks to me like religious people > struggling to hold onto vague and metaphorical versions of ideas > whose exact and literal versions have been shown to be extremely > unlikely indeed by the progress of science. But, the literal version, at least within the Judaic-Christian tradition, has never been intended to hold statements like "man was made in the image of God" to imply a God with two eyes, a nose, a mouth, two arms and two legs. God, by definition, was transcendent. Let me give two good examples of this in Hebrew Scriptures: the first is the anathema of Israel creating an idol of Yahweh. The second is the mockery of those who have a concrete understanding of God in Isaiah. Going to the general topic, I'd be very surprised if the Pope would embrace intelligent design. It would undo over 100 years of Catholic teaching on the subject of evolution. It would also contradict a very recent official article in the Vatican newspaper which regarded a cardinal's support of intelligent design as "unfortunate." Cardinals, on occasion, speak out on their own. Vatican officials do not publish in the official Vatican newspaper on their own. The latter is usually considered policy. Finally, only one papal pronouncement has been declared infallible since the existence of papal infallibility was declared at Vatican I, in the 19th century. The rest of the statements didn't meet the requirements. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
