Percy writes:
Of what use is belief? To be useful an idea must be supported by evidence, and it's even better if the evidence is consistent with the rest of the fabric of evidence, fitting into an accepted framework of understanding.
To address the specifics of your comment, if there is no evidence related to the roots of our existence, then anything we think about it is mere belief. But there *is* evidence. Nothing conclusive at this point, but evidence nonetheless.
What evidence are you referring to? It is easy to say that there is evidence without naming it.
I would say there is evidence as well. The fact is we exist with sentience, emotions and even a sense of morality. We can look at the evolutionary process and see how it is that we are the way we are physically. We can even look at Dawkin's meme hypothesis and can see that we are influenced by the cultural replicators that we encounter.
Just because we can discern natural processes at work does not mean that we can discern the underlying intelligence, or lack of intelligence, behind those processes. As I said here multiple times, I contend that the belief that there exist multiple complex natural processes, driven by chance, resulting in even a single cell stretches credibility beyond its limits.
Percy writes:
Paley's place in history is due to his Watchmaker analogy - Wikipedia. He did go on to draw an analogy with the eye, but your automobile assembly plant example is just Paley's watch analogy.
Turns out you are at least partly correct. Here is from your link.
quote:
Others, however, consider the watchmaker analogy to be compatible with evolutionary creation, opining that the two concepts are not mutually exclusive.
I had always taken the view of those who saw Paley as making an argument against evolution but apparently it can also be compatible with evolutionary creation.
Percy writes:
I can't tell if you're talking about evolution or the origin of life.
Both
Percy writes:
We already know it's turtles all the way down.
...of course that holds true both ways. It is either a regression of God or a regression of processes. At least with theism we have an answer which of course is that God's dimension/universe is not subject to just one dimension of time.
He has told you, O man, what is good ; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8