Evolution's materialism or methodological naturalism denies a role for
God. "Methodological naturalism asks us for the sake of science to
pretend that the material world is all there is" (Dembski, 1996).
This is simply a lie. There are numerous scientists who embrace both
evolution and God. They believe not only that God created a universe
in which evolution occurs naturally but that God works constantly in
their and other people's lives. The claim otherwise by Johnson,
Dembski, and others is an overt rejection of other people's religious
beliefs.
This claim applies not only to evolution; it logically should apply to
people who believe in materialism or methodological naturalism in any
science or any aspect of life. All people who believe that God does
not intervene to keep planets rotating, cause winds, or make sodas
fizz, according to this claim, must be atheists. It is obvious that
they are not. Many famous scientists were and are devout Christians
who use, in their work, exactly the same sort of naturalism that
evolutionary science uses.
From a practical point of view, the people who make this claim are
denying more than advocating a role for God. They say that theistic
evolution is no different from atheistic evolution because it does not
show God acting directly. For them, a God that does not act
supernaturally is equivalent to no god at all. But nothing
supernatural is happening around me right now; in fact, I have never
seen anything supernatural occur. Does that mean God is not around?
According to Johnson and others who believe his claim, God is
irrelevant for almost all of our lives.
