I truly believe it is possible to be Christian and believe in Evolution?

Question

This is possible because I believe that Bible is not meant to be taken literally. God is infinite and humans cannot understand the infinite so he/she had to use metaphors and parables to make the infinite understandable. For example, God making the world in 7 days does not literally mean 7 24 hour time periods. God is beyond the finite world of time. And when we speak of Adam and Eve, that is merely a symbol for the sinful nature of man and the relationships between man and woman. And so it goes with evolution. The evidence for evolution is so overwhelming that to call it "just a theory" is like calling gravity "just a theory" There is no question that all living things change and adapt to their environment. Life would have ceased long ago if this was not the case. God made the biological world in such a way that it would be possible for living things to adapt. Well, this is what I believe.I would be interested in your comments.

Answer 1

ha...llelujah.
Unfortunately a lot of christians believe everything in the bible as fact. Why can't they issue a Bible supplement? A 10-page, full color supplement printed on comic book paper, glued in right after Revelations. Or a disclaimer that it is merely a parable? Think it would help to get everyone on the same page.

Answer 2

I agree. I look at it this way.......certainly an all knowing and all powerful God could have created the world so that it is ever evolving....evolution. Who are we to say that God did not create and plan for life on earth to include evolution? If you believe in God and believe in his kindness...well then all things are possible and good....even good in evolution.

By the way, I do not think any less of God if we did evolve from apes (as others have quoted here). Again, who am I to question how God created the world. He is perfect nonetheless. However, I think they have not discovered the "missing link" that would be a definitive cross over from ape to humans...either way the creationist theory and the theory of evolution can co-exist.

Also, had to add something here. To answer your question directly, you can be a Christian and also believe in evolution. They are not mutually exclusive as some Fundamentalist would have you believe. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God created the world as a stable environment. The Bible does say God created animals, etc., but again it doesn't say whether these animals would evolve and adapt to their environment.

So, evolution or creation are possibilities. I like to think both are happening at the same time.

Answer 3

Then you do not believe in a literal heaven or hell? Nor do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? All allegorical? Obviously Jesus did not agree with you. He spoke of a literal Adam and Eve, not a slow evolutionary process. God makes it pretty clear when He is being metaphorical in His Word. When you start assigning it arbitrarily, you invite error.

Yes, God is infinite, and His days are not our days. But that does NOT mean that he used evolution as a means of creation. God would have said so and not have used the Hebrew word "bara" to describe the creation process. God created "bara" man from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him--making him a living being. From his rib God created the woman. Now where is the allegory? Where is the evolutionary language? Face it. You have traded in Genesis for science.

You say you can believe in both. However, it does not wash with me. If the God you are considering dwells in the eternal and is THE Creator, then you should have no problem with His abilities to create as He wills. Only a limited concept of God would have trouble with it. Evolution is nothing to stumble over. Evolution and science are a distration away from what is most important--that being eternal salvation.

Remember this, and never forget. Science is limited to the physical. Your soul is eternal. The Bible deals with what is eternal where science cannot venture. The physical realm will pass away, and science will pass away with it. What you want to do is latch onto that which will last forever, and that is the Word of God. To cling to both evolution and salvation in Christ is called compromise. Best choose a the boat or the pier or you will end up in the water.

Matthew 24:35

Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

Answer 4

I believe a Christian can be a Christian and still believe in evolution also, I mean there is no clause in salvation that says we have to know and understand everything before we can be saved right? I also believe that the Bible has a lot of metaphors and parabels to help us understand BUT they wont ever be oposite the Truth you know? If it can then there is nothing in the Bible at all that can be trust worthy and its worthless. If the Bible says "God rested on the 7th day" and doesnt tell us it was a literal 24 hour day then we can think it may be a metaphor but, if the Bible says that God took dust of the ground, breathed life into it and made man, removed one of his ribs and made woman from it... its pretty specific so to say we then evolved from monkeys means we think that statement is just wrong. So then if that statement is just false, then what can we actually take seriously in the Bible? Nothing... we would have to trust ourselves to decide what is true and what isnt and that wouldnt provide us the truth at all.

Answer 5

There are many words in Hebrew to describe the passage of time, but the word used for "day" in Genesis 1 specifically refers to a 24-hour period.

I agree with you that all living things change and adapt to their environment, and over billions of years one species could become another. But showing that it does happen and explaining how are two different things. The sheer complexity of life on Earth (even the earliest, most "basic" and "primitive" life is incredibly complex) requires a guiding hand.

I believe in God-directed evolution, but I do not sacrifice the legitimacy of the Bible to do so. Although Genesis 1 speaks of 24-hour days, this can be understood under the relativity of time, which can be analyzed by studying the Cosmic Background Radiation, radiation "left over" from the Big Bang itself. Although from our perspective, here at a point within the univese, 15 billion years have elapsed since the moment of creation, the same time took only about 6 days from a universal perspective.

I believe the theory of evolution and a literal reading of Genesis are perfectly compatible. Just as the Bible must be understood within the context of the time it was written and within the context of surrounding passages, it must also be understood within the context of science. Science offers us an additional tool to help us understand the incredible universe God has created for us to live in. A God who instantly forms the entire universe more or less the way it is now is powerful, to be sure, but consider a God who takes the time to carefully guide the changing structures of the universe, to work through evolution over billions of years to get us to where we are now-- this God is more than a Creator, he is a loving God intimately involved with every aspect of his creation, able to simultaneously see the vast stretches of evolutionary history and the intricate detail of molecular biology. If the first God I mentioned is powerful, how much more powerful, not to mention caring and worthy of our adoration, is the second!

Answer 6

I personally believe that God created everything in an order of "evolution,"
It was created in such perfect order that it fools the scientists to this day.
Everything created from the tiniest bacteria all the way up the "evolutionary" species ladder to mankind...all in a perfect "evolutionary" climb, but in reality all species were created by the Spoken Word of God.

This question re: evolution is not a question related to "salvation" so I wouldn't worry too much about a Christian who says they believe in evolution.

The main thing is to believe that the Holy Bible is real.
If one cannot understand how Creation and Evolution are in line with each other...that's okay.
Someday maybe God will open their eyes of understanding re: this subject but meanwhile, just keep going forward with the faith to believe what we do believe.

It's more important not to make an issue of things that are not essential to know but rather to concentrate on the positive messages of Christian like-mindedness.

Answer 7

I totally agree with the possibility to believe and still be christian. But believe and know are two different things. Evolution IS theory and therefore must be believed in. If it could be proven then you would know and not just believe. Gravity can be proven, which is the difference between the two. Sure there is lots of evidence for evolution, but there are also lots of questions because of it. I believe in evolution, but I know it has its problems too. But I also believe that whatever god did to create everything can be backed up scientifically. I just think that he set the whole thing in motion.

Answer 8

theory is just that, theory. it isn't an absolute such as two and two equals four. a theory is subject to redefinition as knowledg of the subject matter becomes greater. those who say that the bible is abdsolute are saying only the bible is true, but nothing else is. They are both unable and unwilling to see that everything has an explanation. Only the bible should be accepted for all explanations using it as an absolute source leaving no room for anything but what they believe. That is the same attitude the Christian church used to justify their own ignorance and stupidity in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

Answer 9

Hello friend,
May I say you have expressed your beliefs and views politely and firmly. I like that.
If you've read any of my answers, you know I have a different Biblical perspective. I too am very firm in what I believe but for a different reason.
May I suggest that you have taken a stand on the position of Evolution, but nothing in your question states or reveals your stand on Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, only He matters. We could debate Evolution until one of us grew weary or felt he had won. But in the end, we both will stand before the God of which we both speak, and at that time each of us will either hear God say "Well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of My rest", or "Depart from me, I never knew you".
Friend, while there's still time, may I suggest we redirect our energy toward growing in the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ and leading others to the saving knowledge if Him.
Just a thought.
God bless,
2 Tim 2:7

Answer 10

Preach on brother - I agree 100% with your comments.

Many of the stories of the Bible are myth - which doesn't make them untrue. What is paramount in understanding myth is comprehending the meaning of the story for the people who told them. The Adam and Eve story conveys an important truth about the fallen nature of humankind and about the propensity for sin in male-female relationships.

God doesn't expect us to check our brains at the church door. The wisdom of science has revealed a few of the secrets of the universe, and we need not stick our heads in the sand and ignore what science teaches us.

Answer 11

Well put. I have thought this way since my Sunday school teacher told me that Satan created dinosaur bones, to confuse the true believers.
I don't believe we evolved from apes.
The problem we have with science is that we have never unearthed the very first(the alpha) of any spiecies and we probably never will.
But it is important to keep an open mind.
So many people follow the same religion their parents did with no questions asked.
True wisdom is ours, the numb followers will be taken advantage of by Holy folk, who have agendas of their own.
May Master Jesus smile down upon you.