2009 07 01

As to whether the universe is evolved or designed intelligently, I have to go with the former. How we could stick the term 'intelligent design' to anything that is so awkward and fails as much as the human body, is beyond me.

I know there are some who feel that the explanations of science take away the sense of wonder and magic that some non-evolutionary theories provide, but I find the answers part of the magic. I am fascinated to know how and why things work, and do not feel I am losing out. Answers do not strip away the beauty, they are the beauty. Answers highlight our curiosity and ability. To live otherwise, to me, is to beg a life in fantasyland.

I went to Catholic school. The old joke related to this story is that the quickest way to turn someone into an atheist (even a passive one like myself) is to raise them Catholic. There was a nun who ended up being our chaplain for a couple of years. (Oddly, there were very few nuns teaching at that school; in fact, only two, and no priests.) One year during a religion class I recall her saying something along the lines of "why couldn't we simply believe/accept that God himself was responsible for evolution". What a simple and elegant answer that is. It would solve so many fracas of faith.