So I've been reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan and he brought up a point that I haven't reflected on for a while: what does the existence of so many extinct species in the fossil record say about the notion of a God who was also Creator?The fossil record seems to show many, many species who were once well-adapted to their environment but which became extinct when the environment changed, while newer better adapted species began to thrive in their place. Many interesting and beautiful species have come and lived on the earth for a million years and then utterly disappeared; many before man was here to observe them. If, as traditional Christianity claims, God is the creator and doesn't make mistakes, it's hard to square this with the appearance of such a trial and error creation process.
Forget about all the arguments about evolution and the origins of life. What does the simple fact of the fossil record say about the notion of God as creator? It's odd to think of God playing around with the lives and generations of millions and millions of sentient creatures and then discarding them on the ash heap of pre-history. This seems more in line with Deism and Evolution than with any traditional notions of God.
I'll close with a more sobering thought from Sagan: Is there any reason for us to think that humans as a species will not some day succumb to the same fate as the many, many species who have come before us? If so, why?
