The Watchmaker: my fav argument

[possibletarian]

But one must assume that for creation to have 'fallen' it must have once been in a noticeably better state ?  And that pre-fall at the very least the earth designed specifically for humans was an ideal place to live. If not what would 'good' and 'very good' even mean ?

I agree, that should be the case. But I disagree that an absence of evidence constitutes a falsification. It's like asking if there's evidence in a butterfly that it was once a caterpillar (perhaps there is). But if a change has occurred, by definition, the previous state has been altered, minimized, or eliminated.

I use the "Better Earth" idea to show that pointing at imperfections is not a claim against design. Christianity already accounts for imperfection and believes in design. Christianity could be wrong and imperfection is still not a valid argument.

Neither does it provide evidence that it was so, given the very apparent disconnect between the biblical timeline and geological timeline one must assume that most reasonable people would withhold commitment to the story. That there is no evidence that it was once a better earth, that there were at least three human-like lines, nor does any known timeline support that should cause people to be at the very least cautious in declaring the narrative truthful.

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The point here: Christianity accounts for imperfection.

So does my space monkey narrative, how should we decide to take one more seriously than the other ?