Help please - new Christian...(question about the creation)?

Question

One of my friends is an evolutionist and an agnostic. I really want to help him get saved. I told him how creation is proof of God's existence.

He asked me to explain how come they always find fossils lower in the strata that are so different from todays organisims, but they become more and more like the organisims of todays time the higher you go in the strata.

I told him about the flood of Noah and that it may have burried things that way. He asked me to explain how come there are different kinds of plants and trees that follow the same pattern.

Please help me; he's a long-time friend and a really great guy.

Woah, hold on folks... I believe in the Bible.

Besides, no one is really answering my question about the fossils.

Answer 1

I tend to lean the same direction you sound like you do. I do not think Creationism goes against scientific data. I think that the two can very easily be connected, even intertwined.

I don't believe that we started out as apes, but I do think that humans have changed quite a bit over the generations. We have gotten taller. With different races intermingling, our bone structure has changed.

But, I also don't believe that Adam and Eve were the only people at the time they were thrown out of the Garden of Eden. The bible says they were the first, but it does not say they were the ONLY. So, who are we to say God didn't create several different "styles" of humans?

You will not convince your friend until he is ready to be convinced. The best you can do, is be a good friend, be a good example, and be ready to answer questions when he brings them up. Don't deny or avoid your relationship with God, but don't try to force feed him,either. That will only cause resentment.

God bless you, and congrats on your recent decision!

Your sister in Christ,

Shiba

PS>>ok, I'll try to give my thoughts on the fossils and address your ACTUAL question, though I'm certainly no archeaologist.

I work in a rock quarry, and get to see all of the tiny little sea creatures that are imbedded in the rock (mind you, these are sea creatures, and I live in the Midwest). I would say that the reason for the varying fossils in the different depths of rock would be as simple as natural selection. While this shows a change, gradual but obvious, in different animals (or organisms), it does not necessarily tell us that these creatures are the same ones, changing over time into something else. Think about it, a horse and a zebra and a giraffe all have similar attributes, but they are different species. If humans were allowed to kill off all giraffes hunting, this body style of animal would probably never be seen again in the animal kingdom. If someone were to see a fossil of a horse, and match it to a zebra, they might mistakenly assume they were the same animal. Then, if that same person were to later find a giraffe (four legs, hooves, tail), they might assume that it was an evolved form of horse.

Doesn't make it true, but one can see where someone might draw these conclusions.

Answer 2

Well I consider myself a Christian but I also believe in evolution and I am not strictly convinced that the Bible is literal truth throughout. It does have translation errors and has been around a long time. There is just too much scientific evidence to indicate that evolution does occur and that it is a good explanation for the fossils. Most Creationists will accept what is called micro-evolution which is evolution on a small scale like how bacteria become drug resistant and dogs differ so much in their characteristics between breeds but never cross species. Most arguments I've heard for fossils from Creationists are that Satan has put them there to confuse us or that God has placed them there to test our belief. I find that to be the sort of thing a rather sadistic God would do so I reject that. The Satan explanation might work for you though depending on whether or not it is a convincing argument that God would not provide a scientific way to refute any of Satan's tricks. I'm of the mind that its better not to press a friend to believe anything but its always fun to discuss these things and the more people know the better informed their decisions are.

Answer 3

GOD made the Earth with the appearance of Age,The earth is by no means billions of years old. Try maybe close to 10.000 years old. Sometimes God does foolish things to confound the wise. Not everything that God has done is in the Holy Bible, There are just some things that we are not to know about but someday we will. Next time your friend asks about the great flood and doesnt beleive there was one, Tell him to look at some of the pictures of certain mountains or even the Grand Canyon and all the different sedimentary layers from when the floods receded. I dont beleive for one minute that 1 small river cut all that canyon out, Why ?because water is going to take the least path of resistance when its flowing.

Answer 4

Okay again
I am a Christian but!
There IS such a thing as evolution. Let me explain.
You have two theories, Macro and Micro Evolution.
Micro is the only one that Science has been around long enough to see and study. I'm sure you've heard of the story about the Grey and White Moths in the polluted city. The Whites were easy to see in the smog and got picked off by the birds, the greys were not and so more greys survived to pass down the grey genes. After awhile there were no more white moths. Thats Mico evolution.
Macro is a species over time changing into another species. Science has NOT been around long enough to see it. All these fossils that your buddy is talking about are from the same species, they do change after years. But as for a lizard over acouple million years turning into a rhino, I cant believe that.
Try that buddy.

Answer 5

Ok I don't know a lot about all that stuff you were talking about (the strata) BUT... ask your friend if he thinks by accident that these things are so.... our Sun at just the right distance (we don't freeze or burn), us humans have a brain (where would we be without a brain?), that we have plants that supply us with food, what about gravity, what about the moon that allows us to have light? OKAY ask him this.........
How is it that the Bible (which is God's word) states that the Earth is a circle(Job 26:10 and Isaiah 40:22), and it was written way before the explorers came along and determined that the Earth was not flat, but round ? This shows that SOMEONE (our creator) knew this. It wasn't the apes!

Answer 6

I'm not sure that the creation debate is the place to start. It can make for interesting conversation among believers, so I'm not sure that the exact interpretation that a person gives to creation is going to affect his or her salvation.

Let me toss out another idea, though. (Of course all of the non-Christians are hovering, so they really out to get a kick out of this one.) God created the earth. But who's to say that He did not create an earth that contained fossils--possibly fossils of species which never actually existed?

The fact is that if there was a great flood, meteor strike, or other ecological disaster, then we could expect a number of species to have been wiped out--possibly even affecting vegetation. But we're dealing with things that I'm not sure either side can prove. The non-Christians laugh and say science proves it all (which is false) and accuse Christians of living by an irrational faith. Christians want to find a "convincing" argument--to use science to bolster their own claims. But the fact is that it is a matter of faith either way. Either you have faith that God created the earth, or you have faith that there is no God.

Don't worry about what your friend believes about creation. Worry that he does not believe that God exists, or that he can know the God of this universe.

Answer 7

I believe it is possible that things on earth have changed over time. I mean, I very much doubt Adam and Eve looked exactly like us.
not that I'm promoting evolution, which I'm not, I do believe God was in charge of everything and He made things with His own hands.
but history has shown that people have gotten taller, prettier, and more feminine over the years. just look at pictures of people back in the day, they were ugly. I think it's natural selection, the prettier people had more babies.
as for plants and animals, well, how do we know all the animals survived the flood? maybe there were different ones back in the early days. the Bible doesn't give a detailed list of every animal Adam saw.

Answer 8

Dr. Kent Hovind is America's foremost Creationist debater. So far no one has collected the $250,000 (he had to up it from 10,000) he offers to anyone who can prove evolution. I highly recommend checking out his website, listed first on the list below. The site has articles on fossils and other topics pertaining to creationism. I have seen one of his presentations myself-excellent. Perhaps your church could invite him to speak and your friend could attend. Perhaps he is coming to a different church in your area. This man is extremely knowledgeable, and straightforward. No need for tactlessness when you're right. As for your situation, God wants your friend to be saved even more than you do. Educate yourself. Online is a great place. And share as you have opportunity. Let truth speak for itself, no need for a heated debate. It's good for you to have to research the questions your friend is asking, so you will be grounded in your own beliefs.
I don't know the answer to your question, because I don't know that your friend's assumption is true. But one article I gleaned from pointed out that the sea life forms seem to be in lower layers of the strata, and higher life forms closer to the earth's surface, which would make sense for a worldwide flood and all the havoc it would wreak.
Please check out all the following websites for more help. And "pray without ceasing"--also, just be a good friend and always available for questions, etc.

Answer 9

The flood didnt actually cover the whole entire earth, only the small portion where Noah actually lived, but to him it would have been his whole world...

I should tell you that your friend will be saved if he beleives in GOD, that is all he needs to do....evolution happened, its a fact - and its still happening today... look at dogs.. dog breeds evolved from wolfs due to mans selection processes so it proves evolution can occurr.. horses once were tiny and had 4 hoofs, where now they have one - this also is evolution

I will warn you one thing - as a CHRISTIAN you may have been told that Jesus is in fact GOD - this is not correct - Jesus was the SON of GOD and is not God himself, beleiving this would be blasphemy and everyone worshipping Jesus as God will not be saved.. "Thou shalt have no other God but me" : quote by GOd himself.. not Jesus...
there have been other prophets and messangers, Budda, Mohammed are the most recent and well known other than Jesus.. some people worship them as Gods too but agaiin this is wrong....

evolution is real, God is real... "christianity" is a man made religion, a beleif system designed for mind control and behaviour control - same as other religions - religion is NOT real

Answer 10

My own point of view on the matter is, evolution doesn't really contradict Creation.

For one thing, God's Time is not the same as human time. Let's not forget that in both evolution & Creation(as told in the Book of Genesis)human beings are the last to come along.

Evolution does not deny the Existance of the One True God.