[Avodah] intelligent design

[Harry Maryles via Avodah]

On Wednesday, August 10, 2016 8:15 AM, Eli Turkel via Avodah
<avodah at lists.aishdas.org> wrote:
>> To not accept intelligent design is absurd. I am reasonably intelligent
>> and cannot wrap my head around anyone rational denying it.

> and the philosophers and scientists on the other side say the identical
> thing. One complaint against ID is that it can't be tested and so is
> speculation.Obviously neither side will convince the other. see

I am always amazed at the claim by atheists and skeptics that there is
no need for a Creator. How did the universe and nature get here? Well,
they say it was always there. What about the highly unlikely eventuality
of world full of complex creatures with complex organs? The odds of that
happening randomly are beyond astronomical! They answer that L'Maaseh,
it did happen. The fact is that no matter how unlikely it was, despite
the fact the that the chance that this would happen is but one of an
almost infinite number of possibilities... it was still possible. V'Ho
Rayah -- it did.

The idea of matter being infinite (always having existed) is just as
impossible to understand as the idea of an infinite Creator that is beyond
scientific detection in the physical world -- and believe that by using
random natural selection they hae obviated the need to believe in Him.

They will then challenge that idea by asking 'Who created God?' ad
infinitum, thus believing they have refuted the 'first cause'
premise. They somehow do not understand the concept of 'First cause'. By
definition, the 'creation buck' stops there! The Creator' needs no
creator because He has always existed. difficult to understand but no
less difficult than saying the universe has always existed.

There is no intellectual satisfaction (at least for me) in believing in
the idea that matter has always existed over believing that it did not,
but was 'put there' by a Creator.

How we got from the 'Big Bang' of creation that happened about 15 billion
years ago to the point where we have a variety of biological species --
then becomes a matter of detail that does not contradict God's 'hand'
in it. This is where evolution and science comes in.

Scientific inquiry and study can perhaps determine 'what' happened --
and when it happened along evolutionary time. But it cannot determine
'how' it happened.

To say it was random natural selection no matter how unlikely -- is just
a guess based on the desire to eliminate any metaphysical explanation
of existence.

Intelligent design is far more likely scenario and therefore -- for
me -- a far more acceptable notion. It does not contradict science
or Torah. Just because we can't conclusively prove the existence of a
Spiritual Being doesn't mean He doesn't exist.

Just my quick 2 cents (...based in part on philosophy courses I took
with Dr. Eliezer Berkovits way back when I was a student at HTC).

HM