A Change of Mind for Antony Flew
Peter S. Williams
at the bethinking web site
Or, more to the point, until the existence of living matter culminating [so far] in the human brain is unequivocally explained by science with no need to include a God, the God, my God, then a God, the God, my God is still one possible explanation. And it’s not for nothing that, for some, the deeper we go into grappling with the astounding complexities involved in the creation of biological life – not to mention the staggering mysteries embedded in the universe itself – that an omniscient Creator isn’t ruled out entirely.
On the other hand, given the sheer complexities involved, why would God be bound by them? Is God Himself necessarily anchored to the laws of nature? Was He not able to create a simpler, less “vast” cosmological reality for mere mortals like us?
On the other hand, suppose science does provide “a satisfactory naturalistic explanation for [all] facets of biological reality”. Won’t the religionists merely rationalize that? Just think back to the time when the church stopped persecuting those astronomers who were pointing out things about the Earth going around the Sun or the orbits of the other planets that were not consistent with Earth being the center of God’s universe. Or those who squared the existence of dinosaur bones with Creationism: thoughtco.com/how-do-creati … rs-1092129
So what if science is successful yet again in accomplishing something thought to be solely within the purview of God? Or of something described as consistent with “intelligent design”.
Besides, how intelligent can the design of biological life be when there are hundreds and hundreds of different afflictions we can come into the world with; and hundreds and hundreds of afflictions that can impale us all the way from the cradle to the grave.
Nope, as long as God is seen to be the only viable access to immortality and salvation, all the scientific accomplishments in the world will merely be subsumed in His mysterious ways. Religion isn’t about being rational; instead it’s the mother of all psychological defense mechanisms. With oblivion itself on the horizon.