Re: Satan Re: [Slate] American Religious fervor, by the numbers

Karl Anderson (kra@monkey.org)
05 Jul 1999 14:37:05 -0700


Eugene Leitl <eugene.leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de> writes:

> Karl Anderson writes:
>
> > the apple incident, I still think of Satan as being in charge of
> > evolution. Without challenges, there'd be no reason for one mutant to
> > do better than another.
>
> What's the point of attaching a face to the fitness function? It's
> certainly not science, and certainly anathema to the religious.

"The religious"? That's a large group that you're accusing me of
offending. Are you saying that I'm offending you because of your
beliefs, or are you protecting someone else? Or are you worried that
mentioning evolution might offend a creationist somewhere?

I don't think that what I said is blasphemous, however. I was raised
Christian, and was taught to appreciate nature as God's handiwork and
a reflection of his glory. And there is precedent in the Bible for
God using Satan to do some of the work. Surely a religious person who
also has a slightly open mind wouldn't object to having a conversation
where these ideas are put together and thought about.

-- 
Karl Anderson      kra@monkey.org      <URL:http://www.pobox.com/~kra/>