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February 2, 1984 Dear John Clayton: A few years ago you had one of your "Does God Exist?" meetings in Cadillac, Michigan. I was there. Since that time I have been receiving the "Does God Exist?" paper that you mail out. So I know in general some of your ideas. I have respect for what you have been trying to do, and I have deplored the way some men have written about you (Ira Rice and Wayne Jackson in particular). But let me give some background that led up to my writing "In Terms Of Finding Out" which Mike Light showed to you some time ago. First of all, I have grown up in the Church of Christ. I have always studied the beliefs that are taught in the Church of Christ to confirm that what I believed was correct and reasonable. I was willing to lay my beliefs on the line by questioning them, checking them out, and being willing to discard them if I found that they had an insufficient basis. Apparently, the contradiction between science and fundamentalist creationism does not seem to bother most fundamentalists. It bothered me. A lot. I first began studying the controversy in the fall of 1975 when I had to study evolution in my biology class in high school. I attended every debate I could. I bought and studied some of the major creationist books as well as many of the pamphlets and lesson booklets that taught creationism (but took up 80-90% of their space criticizing evolution rather than defending and giving evidence for creationism). I attended lectures, talked to a couple of professors, and did just about everything a person could do to explore a subject. And I had done all of this before the fall of 1978. I was concerned. I was troubled. I wanted to know. By this time (fall, 1978) I realized that, for me, the pivotal concept in the controversy revolved around the dating of the earth. A debate I went to at this time centered on this subject. That was the turning point for me, the time that the seed was planted in my mind. The creationist (Richard Bliss) was making illegitimate criticisms of the methods of dating that his opponent was discussing, and I realized this at the time. I entered college at Abilene Christian University in the fall of 1979. In the winter semester I took a class in astronomy. Cosmology, of course, comprised a part of the course. We learned how scientists determined the vast distances between stars and the vaster distances between galaxies. And I knew what these distances implied for creationism — a refutation. And still I did nothing about my situation. I had grave doubts about creationism — but I was still a fundamentalist (I still believed in the infallibility of the Bible). And you know, I still wanted to believe in creationism. By the time winter, 1981 came around I avoided the controversy and continued to do so until late in spring, 1983. I was in the library in Rochester, Michigan (near where I lived at the time) and discovered two books with intriguing titles while I was looking for a commentary on Genesis. The books were In The Beginning... by Isaac Asimov and Creation and Evolution: Myth or Reality? by Norman Newell. I read them at once. The scientists were finally breaking their long silence on the subject of creationism and their arguments were coming out in force. In the space of two-and-a-half months I read six books criticizing creationism: the two above; Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism by Philip Kitcher; The Monkey Business, A Scientist Looks At Creationism by Niles Eldredge; Science Textbook Controversies and the Politics of Equal Time by Dorothy Nelkin; and Science On Trial: The Case For Evolution by Douglas Futuyma. (Strictly as a suggestion: read them yourself and put them in the review section in your paper.) I finally got to see the scientists' side of the controversy in a book form that I could sit down, study, check up on, and think about. Their arguments were very telling against creationism. The doubts I had had about creationism were confirmed, and I knew I could not passively accept creationism any longer. I told the preacher (Charly Tutor) about it. One thing, of course, led to another, and I found that the implications of evolution (which many at church were pointing out to me in an attempt to get me to reject evolution by appealing to my fundamentalist and religious bias) were becoming very clear to me. Though I personally knew what my methodology was for exploring these ideas, I thought it would be best to put it down on paper for others to see in what way I was reaching my conclusions (not what I was studying, which would take a few books, but the manner in which I was thinking). This was the origin of "In Terms Of Finding Out" which I completed toward the beginning of November. Since I have access to a word processor I can easily revise what I have written, and I have done so with the essay I have sent to you. I should further point out to you that I can no longer accept the idea that the Bible is infallible. I want to make this clear at the outset, because I don't want you to have any misconceptions about where I'm coming from. I no longer believe in the existence of a divine being, though I am not an "extreme" atheist in the sense of saying I know God does not exist. I very simply and honestly say I do not know whether or not God exists. Until I find reason to believe there is such a being I see no reason to blindly follow an unfounded belief. As an example of this idea (and I'm not trying to be facetious with this example) I do not know whether or not such a creature as is referred to as "Bigfoot" exists, but I do not see why I should believe in the existence of such a creature until I actually do find evidence that it does. Mike Light, I believe, did not know at the time he talked to you that I had ended my membership in the Church of Christ. I did so officially on January 13th of this year. In my letter to the elders at University Drive in Pontiac, I said: "As a result of these things my service to any Church of Christ is effectively nullified, and my spiritual growth cannot proceed and has not proceeded in the Church of Christ for some time. Honest inquiry has taken priority over unquestioning acceptance in my life, and I have found this attitude to be incompatible with the attitude that is prevalent in the Church of Christ." Well, I'll stop here and let what I have written in this letter serve to introduce you to "In Terms Of Finding Out." If you wish to pursue the matter with me then I am willing to continue the discussion (as I always am). And now I must thank you for your time.
In the spirit of Job 33.3, January 20, 1984 Dear Mr. Greene: I hope you will do me the honor of taking just a minute to read this letter and consider something that I would like to make available to you. A friend of yours by the name of Mike Light attended a lectureship program that I gave in LaGrange, Indiana this past weekend and mentioned you to me. I am a high school science teacher in South Bend, Indiana, and have been teaching physics, earth science, chemistry and astronomy for some twenty-four years. Before that time I was an atheist and worked actively with Madalyn O'Hair. I was involved in presenting lectures attempting to prove from a scientific standpoint that a person cannot logically and intelligently believe in God. There was so much nonsense portrayed in the name of religion about evolution, origin of life, and related topics that I felt a person could not intelligently believe in God. When I began to really try to put lecture material together to prove that there is no God, and to intelligently portray science in a realistic sense in such a way that it would make the choices obvious, it became clear to me that what religionists teach, and particularly what members of the Church teach is not compatible with what the Bible says, and that in fact, from a scientific standpoint, one can prove that God exists and can demonstrate the credibility of the Bible. Mike showed me some material that you had written that was very similar to materials that I had written and eventually came to realize some difficulties with. Since becoming a Christian I have been involved in preparing some materials dealing with the scientific credibility of belief in God. I would like to be given the opportunity to loan some of these things to you for you to examine. I would do so at my own expense, and simply ask that you would be willing to write me about any objections or disagreements that you might have. If you don't wish to do this you certainly are not under any obligation to do so, but I would welcome that opportunity. I am enclosing a postage paid envelope and card for you to respond to my offer, and hope that your response will be positive. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Sincerely in Christ, |