TimCallahan
Philosopher
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
- Messages
- 6,293
I often hear of various religious denominations referred to as "communities of faith." However, when it comes to those "communities" that are creationists, I think it more apt to refer to them as communities of faithlessness. Considering that there are plenty of Christians who have no trouble accepting evolution - theistic evolution in their case - it seems to me that creationism is an attempt to make belief in God mandatory, rather than a matter of faith. This attempt to prove the existence of God in fact demonstrates an absolute lack of faith.
A similar situation, in microcosm, can be seen in supporters of the Shroud of Turin. Obviously, Christianity won't either stand or fall based on whether or not the Shroud is or isn't the burial shroud of Jesus. However, supporters of the Shroud hope to force a belief in the resurrection of Jesus with the following reasoning:
Major Premise: The Shroud of Turin is the burial shroud of Jesus.
Minor Premise: Had the body of Jesus decayed, the decomposing flesh would have rotted the shroud as well.
Conclusion: Since the Shroud did not rot away, the body of Jesus did not decay. Ergo, he must have been physically resurrected.
Of course, the above syllogism is riddled with holes, and, even had the Shroud been dated to the first century, this would not be proof that it was the burial shroud of Jesus. However, understanding the motive of faithlessness - the intense need of those promoting the Shroud of Turin to prove the Resurrection true - we can understand their vehement rejection of the carbon-14 dating of the Shroud to the 1300s.
Likewise, the motive of creationists is heavily rooted in their own faithlessness.
A similar situation, in microcosm, can be seen in supporters of the Shroud of Turin. Obviously, Christianity won't either stand or fall based on whether or not the Shroud is or isn't the burial shroud of Jesus. However, supporters of the Shroud hope to force a belief in the resurrection of Jesus with the following reasoning:
Major Premise: The Shroud of Turin is the burial shroud of Jesus.
Minor Premise: Had the body of Jesus decayed, the decomposing flesh would have rotted the shroud as well.
Conclusion: Since the Shroud did not rot away, the body of Jesus did not decay. Ergo, he must have been physically resurrected.
Of course, the above syllogism is riddled with holes, and, even had the Shroud been dated to the first century, this would not be proof that it was the burial shroud of Jesus. However, understanding the motive of faithlessness - the intense need of those promoting the Shroud of Turin to prove the Resurrection true - we can understand their vehement rejection of the carbon-14 dating of the Shroud to the 1300s.
Likewise, the motive of creationists is heavily rooted in their own faithlessness.