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4 - Theistic Evolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Frank S. Ravitch
Affiliation:
Michigan State University
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Summary

Introduction

Intelligent design (ID) faces serious opposition not only from science but also from religion. Many people, and many organized religions, accept theistic evolution; the belief that God exists (in the case of monotheists) and that modern science, including evolution through natural selection, is valid. God and science need not conflict. Many religions, from the Roman Catholic Church to Conservative and Reform Judaism, accept theistic evolution, as do many scientists and others throughout the world. Theistic evolution is a serious threat to ID's legal and philosophical arguments as well as its marketing appeal. Yet most people do not know much about the differences and conflicts between ID and theistic evolution. This can lead to confusion, with some people believing ID is theistic evolution and perhaps vice versa. Section IV of this chapter will address the significant differences between these two ideas, the threat theistic evolution poses to ID, and why ID advocates often try to ignore the topic.

First, it is worthwhile to explore a problem that ID advocates and some creationists alike try to manufacture, that is, the view that one cannot believe in the Bible or God without accepting a literal or quasiliteral reading of Genesis, or in the case of ID advocates (who often share this underlying view but do not acknowledge it), the view that one cannot accept supernatural causation (including God) if one accepts modern science's methodological naturalism because the latter precludes the former. The discussion will focus initially on more literalist creationists because arguments regarding literalism, especially relating to the human capacity for interpretation, can as you will see, apply to ID as well as creationism.

Type
Chapter
Information
Marketing Intelligent Design
Law and the Creationist Agenda
, pp. 109 - 132
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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  • Theistic Evolution
  • Frank S. Ravitch, Michigan State University
  • Book: Marketing Intelligent Design
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511761164.005
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  • Theistic Evolution
  • Frank S. Ravitch, Michigan State University
  • Book: Marketing Intelligent Design
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511761164.005
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Theistic Evolution
  • Frank S. Ravitch, Michigan State University
  • Book: Marketing Intelligent Design
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511761164.005
Available formats
×