Exploring the Validity of Natural Theology :: Philosophy Essays

Exploring the Validity of Natural TheologyThe thought processes that underlie Creationism and Evolution argon undoubtedly very different. The fundamentalists of the former inform of thought adhere to the Biblical tenet that divine creation in six days is responsible for environmental diversity, whereas evolutionists have repeatedly stated that the innovation was created billions of years ago and is in a constant state of fluctuation. At first glance, these accounts of life on Earth seem incompatiblethe creationists base their flavors rigorously on faith and explain their surroundings based on that conclusion, while scientists practice in the opposite direction by asking questions first and arrest systematic observations that have resulted from their propositions (Moore 5-6). Ernst Mayr claims that the beliefs of creationism are in conflict with the findings of science, but the founders of Natural Theology have man maturated to unite the principles of Genesis with those of evolut ion (qtd. in Mayr 4). There are strict purists who claim that it is not viable to combine the two ideologies, but it is possible to incorporate the concept of G-d into scientific fact. Although there are several variations on the concept of Natural Theology, its advocates generally accept evolution. Whereas strict creationists reject the notion that the Earth was formed billions of years ago, natural theists accept the scientific evidence for the age of the Earth with one large discrepancy organisms could have only originated with the aid of divine intervention. However, it is acknowledged that there is no concrete evidence to substantiate the belief that the Earth was created a mere few thousand years ago, just as there isnt any geological confirmation that a global overgorge engulfed the entire planet (Science and Creationism). This liberal interpretation of Genesis and cautious acceptance of evolution allows for some flexibility with previously undisputed Biblical notions, such as the idea that the creation of the world was completed within six twenty-four hour periods. Those six days have been construed to signify as a literary device by the author of the Bible, six days separated by long time periods, or as six days from the perspective of an unceasing G-d (Commission on Creation). Thus, the essence of Natural Theory is that an omnipotent creator fashioned the physical processes that set evolution in motion and these processes resulted in the creation of life. This supposition appears to be logical, except for the notion that some aspects of life are so complex that they completely transcend human understanding and are thereby the work of an Intelligent Designer.