[Dave Wright]

There are over 6,000 genetic diseases known so far to medicine. These result in shortened lifespans, immense pain and suffering, and countless ruined lives both for the patients and their caregivers. How can this be explained by any kind of compassionate intelligent design?

[ComputerGuy]

It can’t.

[libh8er]

Who said intelligent design is about compassion ? As part of the design living creatures have to recycle — older or not so older ones die off and get replaced by younger ones. Various mechanisms for dying such as old age and disease are incorporated in the design.

[PUGACHEV]

That's an interesting question, and one that has troubled believers since the beginning: why does God permit evil things to happen? Honestly, I don't have an answer, but why assume that the creator shares your definition of "compassionate", and, just as clearly, that is not the life we know. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment", Hebrews 9:27. Dying is not compassionate, but if judgment follows, that's where justice occurs, not in this world. I suppose that in the end, it's a matter of faith.

[nwrep]

It cannot be explained by a remote, handsoff intelligent design, but can be explained by theistic intelligent design by including the concepts of the infinite mind and free will. What seems “evil” to us (natural diseases) is part of a divine pre-ordainment.

[unlearner]

“There are over 6,000 genetic diseases known so far to medicine. These result in shortened lifespans, immense pain and suffering, and countless ruined lives both for the patients and their caregivers. How can this be explained by any kind of compassionate intelligent design?”

Choice is real. Sin and evil are real. Consequences of sin and evil are real. We live in a world where sin has created a state of disorder resulting in pain, suffering, injustice, and more sin.

I’m not arguing against the germ theory of disease. I don’t know how or why these many specific diseases exists particularly. I just think it is reasonable to believe that the way things are is not as the Creator intended them to be.

Now, how can the existence of love, compassion, mercy, tolerance, kindness, charity, and selfless sacrifice be explained by natural selection of species competing for extremely limited resources in an environment essentially hostile to the existence of life in the first place?

[Boogieman]

“How can this be explained by any kind of compassionate intelligent design?”

How can this be explained by survival of the fittest?

[buwaya]

Intelligent design should not be taken to mean “perfect” design, nor a process without failures, dead ends, or ongoing errors.

In an objective sense one can see “intelligent” design as being a sort of designed acceleration of evolution towards a particular path. A shortcut to someones or somethings desired objective.

The expectation of heaven on earth is not necessary for this.