Intelligent Design, ID for short, is an “intellectual movement that includes a scientific research program for investigating intelligent causes and that challenges naturalistic explanations of origins which currently drive science education and research,” as stated at their website: www.intelligentdesignmetwork.org. The ID movement has also been called, “the bridge between science and theology: ("Science" : meaning knowledge; and theology, meaning, "ordered knowledge, in the region of the intellect what religion represents in the heart and life of man. --Gladstone. [1913 Webster]. ) but is it? Is this notion of Intelligent Design, then, " a bridge between science and religion," a bridge between scientific theory and what we humans think of in our hearts as, "God?"
It makes sense, to look at it this way since most ID advocates are religious, and they are scientists, but not all ID-ists are religious. Some are labeled as agnostics and some are atheists, who claim they are ID-ist who support ID because they reject the "Evolutionists" idea of "natural selection." In fact, most ID people emphatically refuse to claim to be "Creationists," (even though they might be Baptist, or Catholic, or Lutheran, or Episcopalian, or Anglican, or Methodist, or Presbyterian..and maybe even .Jewish, or Moslem.) In fact, they are willing to drop their Christian label and simply embrace ID because they want to stand for what they do know, and to them Evolution has some flaws that they can't embrace. ID-ists come in many different flavors and the movement is quite broad.
They say they are not Creationists though and profess to all who look on them that their beliefs are not based on the Bible, nor in defending the Bible's book of Genesis, nor even in defending "God,. Instead, their work is scientific, and they are scientists; as a movement, their focus is on detecting and documenting, as well as distributing, information to others about the evidence of this thing they refer to as Intelligent Design. As religious people, if they are religious, they profess to believe that life is evidently not without a greater purpose, and for this they look to something they call "intelligent cause."
According to the National Center for Science Education, these ID-ist are not honest. As proof they cite something they call the Wedge Document that states the Itelligent Design movement's governing goals, and say indeed they are not only religious, but that this has something to do with their beliefs in a creator God. Accordingly they state the document reads, the goal of ID proponents is:, "to defeat scientific materialism and its destructive moral, cultural and political legacies and to replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and hurnan beings are created by God."
The ID movement is a movement that has notoriety around the world. Anyone of nearly any religious pursuation can get on board. It makes “God” (by any name,) quite all-inclusive.
There is a lot of excitement over the project, particularly in the Christian World and people have been quite eager to prove evolution wrong. They are often quick to jump on board the ID cause. You might even see them passing out ID literature and giving the organization, financial aid, be;ieving such an endeavor is a great and noble cause. Yet not every one in Christianity is on the Intelligent Design bandwagon, some are not. Then also, some Christians believe quite firmly in Evolutionary theory.
Take for example, Father George V. Coyne, serving as the director of the Vatican Observatory. He is of the opinion, evolution is true. He os not on board with the IDists and their movement. He says, “Intelligent Design diminishes God into “an engineer who designs systems rather than a lover.” (Catholic Online article by Mark Lombard; 1/30/2006 @ catholic.com)
Coyne also said, “God in his infinite freedom continuously creates a world which reflects that freedom at all levels of the evolutionary process to greater and greater complexity, God lets the world be what it will be in its continuous evolution. He does not intervene, but rather allows, participates, loves.”
Nice sentiments... But...if Coynes statements are true, (that God uses "evolution" to create life here on the earth, and does not intervene, then what does the book of Genesis or the Bible as a Whole, have to do with us today or yesterday? If evolution were true, shouldn't and woudn't we have seen examples of evolutionary transition? And more importantly, what is a Christian to believe; can one follow Jesus Christ in Spirit and in truth and still believe that all that is created in the heavens and here on Earth to have come about by chance and that it is getting better and better by a process called "change" or they one believe as Coyne says, that God does not intervene in the affairs of men?"
What child is this? (Thank you dear "Elizabeth" who gave me this drawing...):
This is intervention.
Not only that...God, has a name.... and he did intervene on our behalf.
Seeing evidence he is around, should we not acknowledge that he is.. and call him who he is? "God."
He is God.
"Mr. God," to some, and he doesn't get angry if you think of him that way. It is respectful, and we should have the utmost respect for one as powerful as God. And one can treat God like a far and distant stranger, to do so as we are sinners, would be right.
There is no denial. God is and as God He is the creator and sustainer of all things.... both seen and unseen, as some men profess. But there is more to this story.
You can know of God, or you can know him and be known by him... be his friend. And what a friend he is.
He has a name,"Immanuel," "God with us...the God who saves. We celebrate him in our lives and in our world. Christmas, Easter... and other Holidays, because some people here on earth "believe."
Some of us talk to him alot, and we listen to him too. We are even on a first name basis.
We simply call him "Jesus."
Intelligent Design?
Of course... it's the handiwork of that guy in "the universe next door"
you know....
"Mr. God".
In fact, you might even say he "stands and knocks, at your door," longsuffering toward you, not willing that any should perish, hoping you will one day people will hear him, hear his voice and open the door of their hearts and invite him in.
John Chapter One....
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
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