Famed atheist concedes: evidence points to God
New York, Dec. 10, 2004 (CWNews.com) - Antony Flew,
the British scholar who for years has been the world's
most noteworthy philosophical proponent of atheism, has
conceded that scientific evidence points to the
existence of God.
Flew-- a prolific writer and energetic lecturer who
has advanced atheist arguments throughout his long
academic career-- made his dramatic concession in a
video presentation on scientific evidence for the
existence of God. In the video-- based on a conference
held in New York in May of this year-- Flew said that
the latest biological research "has shown, by the almost
unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are
needed to produce (life), that intelligence must have
been involved."
Early this year, writing in Philosophy Now
magazine, Flew had indicated that his commitment to
atheism was wavering. He wrote: "It has become
inordinately difficult even to begin to think about
constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of
that first reproducing organism."
Flew credited a Texas Catholic, Roy Varghese, with
helping to persuade him that biological research points
to the workings of an intelligent creator. Varghese, the
author of The Wonder of the World , organized the
May conference at which Flew first questioned his own
atheistic position, and produced the video in which the
81-year-old scholar abandoned that stance.
Flew-- whose 1984 essay, "The Presumption of
Atheism," fixed his place as the leading proponent of
that view-- emphasizes that he has not accepted
Christianity. He said: "I'm thinking of a God very
different from the God of the Christian, and far and
away from the God of Islam." He likened his current
position to the deism of Thomas Jefferson, explaining
that he is now sympathetic to the researchers who
theorize about an "intelligent design" in the working of
creation.
Antony Flew conceded that many of his philosophical
followers will be shocked by his announcement. But he
told Associated Press: "My whole life has been guided by
the principle of Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence,
wherever it leads."
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