Why an Atheist Thinks the Shroud of Turin is the Real Deal

Creationism, Intelligent Design, Fine Tuned Universe

In its most naïve form it denies some claims about the formation of the universe and Darwinian evolution are the best explanations. It opts for a very literal interpretation of the creation story found in Genesis. Proponents of this view attempt, with scientific arguments to defend this stance, in some cases with science and in some cases by attacking science. In a more sophisticated form it accepts scientific explanations completely but grabs hold of phenomena not yet explained or seemingly unexplainable and grants the explanation to God. Science is incapable of explaining how life began, they assert. Therefore, an Intelligent Designer is the best explanation. Others seek God in the nature of nature itself. All that happens in observable reality is explained by the predictability of nature. But nature itself, the delicate balances between fundamental forces, the unfathomably complexity of the genome of any carbon-based living is so highly unlikely by way of nature as to be arguably supranatural.   In its most advanced form the quest doesn't seek God at all but only asks if theology about a theistic God and all that science knows and may know in the future are not but two compatible ways of looking at reality, each with its own limitations. We can name these approaches Biblical Creationism, Intelligent Design, Fine Tuning and Coherence.