Letters

Intelligent Design

Michael Griffiths

Contents - Oct 2006 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The way ahead for the education of Catholics - Michael Gilchrist Generation Y: New survey confirms low belief and practice levels of young Catholics - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around The World Spanish bishops attack false theologies - AD2000 Report Benedict XVI interviewed by German journalists Educating young Catholics: a bold initiative in Wagga Wagga - Michael Gilchrist University: Campion College: a pioneer in Australian higher education - Stephen McInerny Modernism's 'second wave' continues to impact on the Church - Fr Martin Durham Letters: Missal translation - Philip Holberton Letters: Counter Reformation - Alan Barron Letters: Early baptism - Frances McEniery Letters: Pessimistic view - Francis Vrijmoed Letters: Church teaching on baptism - C.V. Phillips Letters: Accuracy needed - Tony Sheehan Letters: Intelligent Design - Michael Griffiths Letters: Evolution hoax - Fr G.H. Duggan SM Letters: Abortion and health insurance discounts - Robert Bom Letters: Homosexuality - Daphne Preston Books: ARMS OF LOVE by Carmen Marcoux - Jacinta Cummins (reviewer) Books: Towards A People's Liturgy: The Importance of Language, by Mark Twinham Elvins - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Book Launch: Lost! Australian Catholics Today, by Michael Gilchrist Books: Order AD2000 books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: Philosophy and theology: avoiding the pitfall of human pride - Fr John O'Neill

Mr P. Barnes, in his second letter on "Intelligent Design" (August AD2000), makes the statement that Intelligent Design is a modern concept.

It is more correct, I think, to say that the phrase is modern, but the concept is ancient. For instance, Saint Paul writes, in Romans 1:19-21, "For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them, since God has made it plain to them; ever since the creation of the world, the invisible existence of God and His everlasting power have been clearly seen by the mind's understanding of created things. And so the people have no excuse."

As for the phrase "Intelligent Design", late last century in the United States, a series of debates was held between two teams of scientists, evolutionists versus creationists. The evolutionists failed to provide convincing scientific support for Darwinism, and the creationists had a signal victory; the series of debates was discontinued.

About this time evolutionists abandoned scientific debate for philosophical speculation and "Intelligent Design" was pushed into the limelight.

A good example of the new tactics was provided a couple of years ago in a television series promoting Darwinism. In this program a noted scientist, the late Stephen Gould, claimed that no Intelligent Designer worth his salt would have designed such an inadequate thing as the human eye.

In highlighting the real or imagined faults of the eye Dr Gould bravely presented, in cartoon form, his own design for a vastly improved human eye. Since then the eye designed by God has continued to satisfy billions of happy users, and the eye designed by Dr Gould has been quietly consigned to the dustbin of failed inventions.

MICHAEL GRIFFITHS
Glenroy, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 19 No 9 (October 2006), p. 16