Community

Dawkins, Darwin and a Book Group

My sister’s book group recently read the ‘God Delusion’ by Richard Dawkins. The group is a mix of Christians and non Christians and it sparked some lively discussion and led to a number of interesting conversations over the following weeks. While some of the women believed that the biological process of evolution by natural selection was the best way to explain how life come into existence, there was a general disquiet surrounding Dawkins arguments that evolution is a ‘godless process’ and the universe is nothing more than ‘blind forces and physical replication with no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.’ Most of the group found it hard to accept that our lives might be nothing more than an accident, and that our existence is without purpose, meaning or value.

These feelings were reflected in a recent survey published earlier this year to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of ¬Species. The survey found that half of British adults do not believe in evolution, with at least 22% preferring the theories of creationism or intelligent design to explain how the world came about.
The poll found that 25% of Britons believe Darwin’s theory of evolution is “definitely true”, with another quarter saying it is “probably true”. Half of the 2,060 people questioned were either strongly opposed to the theory or confused about it. The Rescuing Darwin survey, conducted by the think tank Theos, found that around 10% of people chose young Earth creationism – the belief that God created the world some time in the last 10,000 years – over evolution. About 12% preferred intelligent design, the idea that evolution alone is not enough to explain the structures of living organisms. The remainder were unsure, often mixing evolution, intelligent design and creationism together.

The fact that a quarter of those surveyed actively reject evolution and at least as many again are skeptical or unsure could reflect the common misconception that science and religion are competing descriptions of the way the world works. While science can explain many of the properties of the physical world it is not the whole story. Science can’t prove one way or another the existence of God or answer questions of purpose, meaning, ethics, beauty, history, literature and love. Many people are interested in the current debate surrounding science and faith and it is useful to know the arguments from both sides – Charles Darwin himself so no reason why someone could not ‘be an ardent theist and an evolutionist.’ Peter 3 v 15 encourages us to be prepared to answer everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope that we have in Christ. If friends or family are asking questions about some of these issues log onto the Theos website at www.theothinktank.co.uk for interesting articles and further debate.

Why not take part in a discussion sending in your comments to the idea proposed by Darwin that it is possible to believe in both God and evolution?

Source: Spencer N, Alexander D (2009) Rescuing Darwin: London, Theos

Jesus promised the disciples that when He rose they would receive the power of His Holy Spirit and we too have that promise of God’s spirit dwelling within us. We each have a divine relationship that He will lead us and guide us faithfully. God has a plan and purpose which he yearns for us to accept. He gives us an abundance of hope and refreshment when we are weak and He can heal and bring us great peace.

The Bible is a book of God’s promises which can change our lives if we let Him. All these promises are ours to have and hold as our personal possessions. An ancient promise God made was that a rainbow will appear in the clouds as a sign of the agreement between Him and the earth. God promised that He would never again destroy all living creatures by a flood – Genesis 9:12-13 (NIV) ‘And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth’.
The rainbow is a sign and promise of His faithfulness.

His promises can be relied upon in every circumstance and will provide for our needs and, as His children, it is our duty to receive and claim every one. Let us trust God and act upon these promises whether it is at work, at home, or in the community.

Next time a rainbow appears, let’s be reminded that God keeps His promises.

In the current media frenzy over the Swine Flu virus, I’m wondering just how dangerous this virus really is? In spite of hours of news coverage, I’m still uncertain how worried I should be and I have a lingering suspicion that while most of the Western world seems to be whipping itself into a frenzy of anxiety in advance of the next big global catastrophe, we might actually get distracted from several major global catastrophes that are already here (children dying from malaria, young girls forced into prostitution, millions of people who live without sanitation, I could go on).

One of the more subtle catastrophes that is already with us has been highlighted for me recently by the book Affluenza by Oliver James. Listed as a Sunday Times bestseller, it came out in 2007 (so I’m not that up to date, sorry!).

Oliver James has one BIG idea: that in westernised societies huge numbers of people have been ‘infected’ by what he calls the ‘Afflluenza’ virus. By this he means that they place a high value on money, possessions, appearances (physical and social) and fame. His theory is that those who hold these values are at hugely increased risk of emotional distress, by which he means depression, anxiety, substance abuse and personality disorders.

So, for example he says that the UK is riddled with Affluenza victims and 25% of the population has experienced emotional distress in the last 12 months, with another 25% being on the verge of emotional distress, which puts half the population of the UK in a pretty bad way. His theory, and I have to say he comes up with a lot of convincing evidence, is that this distress is linked to our devotion to these four warped values.

Bearing in mind that he is not writing from a Christian perspective, it sounds like a very Christian message ‘What does it profit a man if he gains the whole word but loses his soul?’ Mark 8:36 or as it is in The Message ‘What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?’

It’s a great book if you love statistics and real life stories, he bases his research on interviews with 240 super rich people from 7 different countries. I have to say Denmark sounds like the best place to live, shame Danish is so hard to learn! Many of the stories are of people who have everything but have lost ‘the real them’.

I have two criticisms of the book: once you’ve read the prologue (or even just this review) you have grasped his one BIG idea and the only point in reading on would be to look at his evidence and the antidotes he recommends. None of these are earth shatteringly original but he does go to some lengths to show that having a spiritual faith is an excellent ‘vaccine’ against Affluenza.

The second problem I have with the book is that he only interviews the super rich even though he maintains that Affluenza affects us all. I am very interested in how a desire for money, possessions, appearance and fame affect the people in my street.

Lots of food for thought and I have a feeling that once Swine Flue has been and gone, Affluenza and its insidious effects with still be with us.

Affluenza by Oliver James published by Vermillion
ISBN 978-0-09-190011-3