Quote from jem:
While I understand the point you are making. And empathize with your difficulty trying to pin down zzz.
I am not sure these quotes are accurate.
Most theists generally believe that evolutionary change doesn't occur at all, and that biological change is the product of instantaneous "materialization from pure potentiality."
That really is the crux of the issue. The issue is not about whether or not randomness in the universe is real or only perceived. The issue is that a very large group of religious fundamentalists reject all scientific observation and inference in favor of a blind adherence to the belief that God routinely enters this universe and makes changes that could not occur, but for the introduction of magical/miraculous/supernatural force.
I think too many people believe that Christian evangelicals are monolithic in thought. They also seem to discount the fact the the majority of Christians are either mainline Protestants or Catholics.
Besides KJ if you were omnipotent and omniscient how could you be backed into having to make a change that could not occur but for a miraculous supernatural force.
First, let's get Z out of the way -- you can't pin down gas -- you can only contain the odor. Now then...
Gallup polls conducted in Sep-Oct 05 show that the majority of Americans endorse a "purely creationist view."
As for God backing himself into a corner, that's a convenient out, but it doesn't change the reality of things.
It requires the application of natural power or magic, one or the other, no matter how you slice it. If God works within the rules under which the universe appears to operate, then any attempt to invoke instantaneous change requires infinite power, and the result would be total annihilation of the universe, i.e., another big bang. In order to circumvent the power requirement, either the change must occur over time, which is the very definition of what science observes evolution to be, or, God must apply supernatural powers so as to prevent the natural result of universal destruction.
Richard Lenski, Ph.D, has measured evolutionary changes to his bacteria in the lab, and there has been no noticeable evidence of power surges in the vicinity that would accompany the kind of change at a distance required to make such evolutionary changes quickly, by natural processes.
I don't think you realize just what sort of power would be required in order to slip into a lab, invisible and undetected, and gene splice a bunch of petri dishes so as to permit them to appear to evolve, and without someone noticing that the power was being exerted in the locality.
It's a huge undertaking for a human to conduct such an activity using known technology. It's quite another for that same human to make himself and all of his equipment completely invisible and utterly undetectable, and do the same thing.
It requires power...lots of power. And power requires a source, so either God must bring it with him or plug into it, but either way, if it's a natural power source, then it's gonna be detected.
Is it conceivably possible that God could slip into Lenski's lab and make the e-Coli evolve? Sure, but unless God is using magical powers to do the job, then there's gonna be a HUGE electromagnetic disturbance in Minnesota, and every National Weather and NORAD Radar station will know about it immediately, not to mention everybody within miles, whose electronic gear will be fried.
So, it's really not a question about God backing himself into a corner. The solution must be either natural or supernatural. If it's natural, then there's gonna be a release of enormous power and a lot of people will measure the power output.
Otherwise, it's being done using magic. Period.