Naturalistic evolution rules out all but a Deist god

From EvoWiki

Contents 1 Claim 2 Source 3 Responses 4 Fallacies contained in this claim 5 Further Reading 6 Related claims 7 See Also 8 Acknowledgments

Claim

"Naturalistic evolution is consistent with the existence of 'God' only if by that term we mean no more than a first cause which retires from further activity after establishing the laws of nature and setting the natural mechanism in motion."

Source

• Johnson, Phillip E., 1990 (Oct.). Evolution as Dogma: The Establishment of Naturalism. First Things. [1]

Responses

1. A God that illuminates and guides His people through prophets and incarnation is taking a hands-on approach without needing to tinker with the natural world
2. It's generally left unexplained how a God who creates using an continuing, ongoing process is more Deistic than a God who creates everything in the beginning and then stops.
3. There is no requirement for scientific theories of evolution to allow for any particular type of God; they should be judged by the evidence for and against them, not whether they fit with any given person's religious beliefs.
4. Somehow an omnipotent God who rules over an entire universe of countless celestial objects and planets full of life is hardly diminishing by permitting evolution to occur. Why would an omnipotent, omniscient being feel threatened by a mere scientific theory?
5. If logic and religion contradict each other, the problem lies with religion, yes. But whether this particular claim is true is a matter of personal philosophy. It is not true by logical necessity. If the claimant cannot personally justify any God but a deistic God in light of science, and is dissatisfied by that option, the claimant has a personal problem that is unrelated to any debate over the validity of evolution.
6. Even if Naturalistic evolution rules out all but a Deist god it would have no effect on it being true.
7. This claim contradicts the claim Evolution is atheistic because atheism and deism are extremely different concepts in the way that deists believe that god exists but does not intervene in the universe after it has been created while atheists believe that god doesn’t exist.
8. This claim also contradicts the claim Evolutionism goes back to pre-Christian times because the majority of Pagan religions believe that their gods and goddesses still intervene in the Universe’s natural phenomena to this day.
9. add more responses

Fallacies contained in this claim

• Appeal to Consequences (You have to believe in Deism to believe in evolution)
• Red Herring (whether or not evolution requires belief in Deism has no effect on whether or not it is true)

Further Reading

• Ruse, Michael, 2001. Can a Darwinian be a Christian? Cambridge University Press.

Related claims

• Evolution's materialism or naturalism denies a role for God
• Evolution is atheistic
• Darwin made it easy to become an intellectually fulfilled atheist
• Scientists aim to make God unnecessary
• Evolutionism goes back to pre-Christian times

See Also

• Why is Creationism not a Scientific Theory?

Acknowledgments