No! Theology is NOT a “scientific theory”
This is wholely and completely embarrassing, and this student needs to be stripped of her credits toward her zoology major. She fails.
According to this report, a group of students gathered to debate the existence of God, with three students taking the atheist position, and three students taking the theistic position. This was a student activity at North Michigan University. That’s fine. An institution of higher learning, student wanted to do this, fine. They were discussing:
questions on the philosophy of God but also social questions about the role God plays in morality and how that should affect public policy.
Well, that’s the beginning of a problem. It is IMPOSSIBLE to discuss the role God plays in ANYthing without first establishing the existence of God, which has never been done by the evidence. On the other hand, belief-in-a-God DOES play a role in some people’s morality, but it should not largely affect public policy UNLESS everyone who will be affected by that policy shares the same belief-in-a-God.
Unfortunately, I don’t see a ready transcript of the debate, so I don’t know what was actually asserted. But I will say that in virtually ALL debates and discussions and arguments about God, the existence of God has always been merely assumed, yet not ever firmly established. That’s a serious flaw in all the subsequent arguments, in my opinion. Don’t tell me about the “role of God” in public policy without establishing the existence of God. Instead, discuss the role of belief-in-a-God, which is an entirely different thing. Millions of people believe in one or another God. This does not mean there actually IS a god. But anyway…. the part of the article that really annoys me is toward the end.
Kirstin Meyer, a sophomore zoology major, spoke on the theological side because she felt that it was important to represent the existence of God.
“I hope that it can just get people thinking and get stuff out there that they need to hear,” Meyer said.
She said that she hoped to give students who attended a more clear idea of what theology is, more than whimsical beliefs.
“It’s not just an irrational faith; it should be considered as a valid scientific theory. There is a reason why humans can see that God exists,” Meyer said.
“stuff … they need to hear” – and what, pray tell, do you think people “need” to hear? Oh, here it is: she thinks people should hear that theology is more than “whimsical beliefs”, that it “should be considered as a valid scientific theory.”
WHAT? Theology HAS no data, no evidence, no nothing; theology has provided NO NEW INFORMATION, no insight into how the physical natural universe works OR WHY it works as it does. She is supposedly a zoology major (you know… that’s one of those scientifical fields!) yet apparently does not know what a SCIENTIFIC THEORY is? Scientific theories are built on EVIDENCE, fully TESTED and proven hypotheses.
On the other hand, perhaps she’s right … maybe we can just dismiss theology with “it’s just a theory”.
