Mislead by philosophy

Darwin wasn't just concerned with the physical world, but in the tradition of philosophy going back to Plato, his real theme was the nature of reality. Countless "philosophers" had gone around and around on the nature of God, exhausting not only themselves and the limits of "reason", but thousands of bleary eyed readers who probably came away shaking their heads and wondering if they were too stupid or if all that reasoning just didn't add up. Unfortunately, many of them decided it was their own failing that they didn't understand.

So Darwin asked the philosophical question, "does it make sense that God would have individually created and destroyed all these species, or is it more rational that God allowed them to be created and destroyed by some secondary cause?" His choice of "secondary cause" is at the root of the dispute about evolution vs creation.

As if anyone could figure out the mind of God by means of reason. Such an arrogant creature is man.

In illustration, I will close with this story from James McGrath's blog exploringourmatrix.blogspot.com. I always find something of interest there.

A man finds himself before the pearly gates of heaven, having just died quite suddenly and unexpectedly. St. Peter meets him. "Welcome, friend!" he says, "Would you like to come in?" The man says that he doesn't yet feel any different, and asks what will change when he goes through the gates. St. Peter explains to him, "You'll be given a fresh start. Since your past would inevitably influence your ongoing existence in countless negative ways, we will erase all your memories. Since the form in which you existed as a human being was frail and fallible, your body will be replaced by a glorious one incapable of sin or error."

The man looked at St. Peter puzzled. "If you do all that to me," he asked, "in what sense will I still me me?"

"Good question," answered St. Peter. "This new self will still have your name and will incorporate those few elements in your prior existence that were in no way, shape or form entangled with the sin, suffering, and other miseries of human existence."

"You know what," the man replied, looking around at the clouds and seeing that there were other people who were outside the pearly gates, "I think I'll pass. What you are offering would negate the value of everything I've ever learned, everything I've suffered, everything I've done - in short, everything I am!" And at that, he walked away.

St. Peter watched the man until he was out of sight. Then he looked up and said to God "Still no takers."

"They make me so proud of them, sometimes," came the cheerful booming voice of God from above.
St. Peter then went away too, to watch Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind...