Has the chance occurrence of life been demonstrated in the laboratory? Yes or no.
Do we really know – as distinct from guess, hope, or imagine – of what the primeval seas consisted? Yes or no.
Do we know – as distinct from guess, pray, wave our arms, and hold our breath until we turn blue – what seas would be needed for the chance formation of life? Yes or no.
Can we show mathematically, without crafted and unsupportable assumptions, that the formation of life would be probable in any soup whatever? Yes or no.
I once posed these questions in a column and, in another place, to a group of committed proponents of evolution. A tremendous influx of e-mail resulted. Much of it was predictable. Many Christians congratulated me on having disproved evolution, which I had not done. The intelligent and independent-minded wrote thoughtfully. Of the Knights Templar of Evolution, none – not one – answered the above yes-or-no questions. They ducked. They dodged. They waxed wroth. They called names.
This is the behavior not of scientists but of true believers. I have spent countless hours as a reporter talking to scientists, as distinct from zealots with a scientific background. Without exception that I can remember, they were rational, honest, and forthcoming. Yes, they were often trying to establish a pet theory. But they said, “I think this is so, and here’s the evidence, and I think it’s pretty solid, but I still need to show this or that, and no, we haven’t, but I hope we will.” If I expressed doubts, they either showed my clearly and civilly why I was wrong, or said, “Good point. Here’s what we think.”
Parenthetically, my impression, based on a small sample, is that the more incensed of the evolutionists tend to be either of the hard Right or the hard Left: those who need to believe one thing categorically seem to need to believe other things categorically. Which means that if they are wrong, they are unlikely to notice it.
And this is what disturbs me about them. I do not object to the content of evolutionism. Some, all, or part of it may be correct. I would like to know. A more fascinating question does not readily come to mind. But dispassionate discussion with dogmatic evolutionists is not possible. How sad.