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From: chrism@shark.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Lets experiment on God! (reply to Norris)
Message-ID: <722@shark.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 28-Apr-84 15:24:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: shark.722
Posted: Sat Apr 28 15:24:36 1984
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David Norris in reply to Yosi Hoshen:

< ..... But by the same token, Science should not try to conduct
<experiments with God.  Science is a useful tool, but it's not for everything.
<Science, to some extent, can answer How, but not Why.

How does one experiment with God?  An interesting notion, that.  Do
theoretical physicists experiment with God when they a search for radiations
that lend support to "Big Bang" theories.  Do anthropoligists and
geneticists experiment with God when the discover our links to lower life
forms, or the mutabilty of our present selves?  Who defines what is an
experiment with God?  The Church use to think that advancing the notion
that the Earth is not the center of the universe was treading somewhat
on God's domain, so to speak, and so persecuted anyone unwise enough to
make such an assertion.  Research into pathogens is another area in
which the Church initially opposed experiments on religious grounds.
Please tell me, what areas are currently in vogue as to being part of
God's domain and hence off-limits to rational inquiry?  (I can think
of one right off - Computer Science :-).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I suspect an "experiment with God" is
any scientific idea that contradicts the Bible as interpreted by
David Norris.  Thus, Maxwell's Equations are okay, because the
Bible does not offer an alternative model, but evolution is heresy,
since it so obviously contradicts Genesis.

Finally, it is true of course that science can answer only How and not Why.
However, this ignores the question on whether the "Whys" have any
meaning or any answer to begin with:   Why is God?  Why are triangles? 
Why is this keyboard sticking so much?

Chris Minson