the god of design

[Leopoldo Perdomo]

the god of design

Some creationists replied to me something about the argument of
design.

> That might be true, but a primitive from the Amazon jungle
> viewing a modern computer keyboard, might not know it's purpose
> but I believe he would recognize that it was a designed object
> for some purpose.

You are applying here a false analogy. We can speak of a purpose
if an object presents some analogy with known objects that we know
to have a purpose. Then, a keyboard, or a screen from a computer,
thrown out on a jungle or in a desert, it does not present any analogy
with the objects people living in the jungle or in the desert know
and use. The only thing those primitives can say is about watching
such a thing is "this is rare" and here they stop his thinking.

> > You are applying an anthropomorphic concept to this question. If
> > this primitive men would had watched an helicopter landing near
> > their camp, or any other apparatus, they would had tell something
> > about gods, or magic, in case these ideas would had developed already.
> > But it is probably that had not developed, and thus they would had
> > been unable react and to any thinking about the vision of the helicopter
> > landing there. They would had frightened, perhaps and fled to hide
> > in the woods.
>
> But supposed they observed a plane crash would you think they
> would assume it was natural rather than designed?

The concept natural to primitives is all they know. Primitives do not
know anything that is not natural. The stones they were using to
cut meat are natural, even if a little altered with some delicate and
sharp blows. All the things they use are natural, even if a little altered
or worked. A lance with a point of sharp stone, or dart thrower to hunt,
is also natural. All things they know are man made. Even if not
all of them are able to do them. For it is the old men that do those
things. Younger people have still a dull brain to make those hunting
tools. It is not natural to teach young people to make tools, unless they
are lamed or a little crippled. Young people had to develop their
skills in hunting that is a basic tasks, not to learn delicate or complex
processed of shaping stones and arms. This is mostly a task for more
older men, that had lost most of their physical power.
Then, the concept "something is designed" cames out when the
humans invented complex machines almost nobody could understand
they way were made. In general, when a primitive does something
like to dig a hole to take out a root, or when he makes a hut, of a fire,
or when roasting a pig, all he is doing is natural. The idea of design
to roast a pig or to make a hut do not existed.
A farmer who sow roots on a field is doing something natural,
for it is clearly understood. A primitive that makes a bow to hunt,
or it is making some arrows, is doing something natural.
The idea of something artificial comes out "after it develops the
concept or the idea of something can be magic and the work of
gods".
Then it comes a separation in two, then natural things everybody
understand, and the supernatural that is caused by the action of
the gods.

Some incomprehensible natural processes, like the rains in arid
countries, were considered an act of a god; the god of the rains, and
they were not natural, for they occurred very rarely. Then in arid
regions, like around the Mediterranean shores, the storms and
the rains, and the lightning, and the thunder, were mostly acts
of gods, for they were incomprehensible. They were thus
supernatural.
So, the storms in the seas, specially in normally placid seas, like
in the Mediterranean. So, humans needed to separate, things
natural, easy to understand, that always existed here, from
rare things not any common that ended up being attributed to a
god or other.
This was developed as a consequence of the worshiping of
some ancestor. The normal worshiping of a brave and good
hunter ancestor, develops into a deity after a few generations.
The transformation of an ancestor into a deity, is the work some
tribal leaders. The idea of a god, does not develop in an instant.
It has to go from the idea of a very clever man, that brought us
here, a good place to hunt, and to dig out roots, into a provider
of dreams to a chief to advice him what to do, when they have a
problem. It is much later that is invented the idea of a god.
And much later as some tribes were merged into a little kingdom,
that was developed the existence of several gods.
Then, all the things that are rare and infrequent, become
"supernatural", like the thunder, the lightning, the storms, the
earthquakes, the tsunamis, etc. In often humid and rainy
countries, like Washington state, or in the Stavanger, in Norway,
light raining is so common, that it becomes natural, and there
do not make any sense to invent the god of the drizzling or
the god of the rains.
But a sudden attack of heavy rains for two consecutive days
in the near desert zone like the Middle East, must be the work
of the gods. Those rains are not so natural.

The idea of "something designed", comes when a rare individual
is able to invent a device that almost nobody understands how
it is made, or how it works. It was the work of a very intelligent
man, that is able to do some very rare things. When things are
becoming rather complex, it is difficult to have the whole idea
in the brain. Memory is not very practical when things are very
complex, and they need to draw a graphic of the parts, to make
easier to make a complex machine or device. I am thinking of
the ancient machines, or ancient complex buildings that must be
make by teams of different people. The chief engineer or architect
divided the work into several groups of men and gave them a
different drawing to make that parts by copying the model.
The chief had to teach and train those workers to interpret and
execute what was on the drawing.
This way were made decorations carved in stone, with some
forms of animals, gods, goddesses, humans and chimeric
creatures or other.
A "design" is thus a drawing to help the memory of the workers
that had to execute some parts of the work. You give different
designs to different teams, and then, another team will be
assembling the different parts into a whole with the help of
another design.
The concept of the design or drawing do not existed before,
when all the works to be done were easy to memorize for
those trained to do it. Like in building a fishing boat, or
a simple house, but not a palace with arches and decorations.

Nobody can say the gods designed the storms, or the clouds, or
the rains. The genesis do not said that Yahweh designed
the heavens and the earth, or all the living things in the water
or the land were designed by Yahweh. It does not say god
designed a man. But he made a figure of mud, and blew
over it to give it life.
God simple said, "let to be the light" and so on.
This idea that god designed something is absurd and it detracts
him of his power. It robs him a part of his might, and its
omniscient status, for "he needs to design to make something."
God made everything without any plans or diagrams. He made
not any design or planed what he had to do.
Hod just made all things, just by flipping two fingers, like this.
It looks a childish idea, but it is biblical, and literal.

By attributing the deeds of god a design, we are lowering god
to a human level, for it needs a design instead of saying,
"let be all sort of fishes that live in the water" or "let be all sort
of animals grazing on the land", etc.

Or when god says, let the waters separate in two. This was
a genial idea, for he separated a part of the waters and put them
in the heavens to make it rain, when he well pleases, and the
other waters were put on the seas and the lakes as a site for the
fishes to live. That is the reason in arid lands we pray god to
bring rains, to have abundant rabbits to hunt, or to kill bigger
grazing animals. If there are not rains, all animals would die
and the plants would have not any roots to eat. So, we need
to remind god to gives rain and we plead him, please, gives
us some rains for we are starving. Sometimes the god of
the rains forget to gives us the rains, and the children die
of starvation, and we all are dying as well.

Then, god is not designing anything. He is making the things
to appear, like in a flipping of his fingers. Thus, when god
says, let it be the sun during the day, and the moon to illuminate
in the nights, or the stars to decorate the heavens... he is not
designing anything. He simply makes those things to appear.

Then, "this idea of design is not biblical". It is anti-biblical,
and a horror to the heavens and the earth. It goes against the
holy literal interpretation of the bible.
Later, when making the man, god do not designed anything;
he took piece of mud, or several pieces of mud, the bible do
not say how many, and gave the mud, we presume, the figure
of man, later god blew over the figure of mud, and gave it
life.
Then, this is the reason we say "we are made of mud". This
idea is not so different to some people people that believe
the first lump of life come out from the mud. They had copied
this idea from the genesis, and they were inspired by the
holy book.

Then, the argument that god designed this or that, is anti-biblical
and anti-literalist. It is, thus, anti-fanatic-Christian-believer, and
thus it is against having a moronic faith. This idea of god designing
every thing is heretical, and it is thus a "post-modern-theology"
and as a result... an abomination to the heavens and the earth.

These heretical types are sort of taking the car of human technology
to give a prop up to the idea that god is almighty and can do
anything he pleases without even winking or thinking. Just instantly,
like flipping a couple of fingers, like this. And do not needs not any
drawings, blueprints, or designs at all.
Thus, the god of designs is not Almighty, and it is not biblical in
a literal sense. This god of designs is an abomination.

Eri