2006-07-24 13:50:04 · 21 answers · asked by ? 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No, I don't think so. I have struggled with this question as I grew up. I am intrigued by many subjects and evolution was just one of them. I don't think that bones and fossils lie. However, I also believe in the Bible.
So, I sought to study the Bible and its origins just as much as I studied evolution and the science behind it. The history of the Bible is quite fascinating. It is a powerful book that touches many lives and like all things of power, mankind has been attracted to it. Many people from popes to emperors and kings have tried to use and shape the Bible to meet their needs. There were great debates on which papers to include in the Bible and which to exclude. Roman emperors even commanded certain things to be done (for example the Nicean Creed). Many of the original versions of the books in the bible have been translated and re-translated and with it, rhetoric and meaning has changed some. Current religious sects within Christianity adopt their own versions, that state the Word of God in the way best suited to their teachings.
I am in no way stating that the Bible is false or tainted. What I am saying is that the Bible, in whatever version or form, is meant to be interpreted. Additionally, the Bible (especially the new testament) was written for a specific audience. Many of the books were letters written from one apostle to another, or from an apostle to followers of a certain land (addressing a certain issue). So, these letters and books were written to convey meaning to a specific audience. Does that audience have the same point of view as we do today? I hardly think so. Our lives are so vastly different in many ways to that of people in the times of Jesus and the apostles, that its is beyond description.
Does the Bible still apply to us today? Absolutely! Its message has transcended time like no other written work.
Getting to my point, I have come to believe that the words of the Bible describing the creation of mankind is an interpretation of what happened. Yes the first testament is an account of mankind and of God's dealings with us, but it was written by Him through human hands. The human writer could not comprehend the ideas God gave to him without interpreting them into an understandable form that he could put on paper. Does God truly think in Earth Days? Would God have measured the time it took Him to create the world and all within by the rising and setting of OUR sun? I don't believe so....I think God created the world and all within in seven stages and this was interpreted as seven days by the mind of man. When God created mankind did he do so just as quickly as the eyes can blink? Perhaps God's eyes blink every 10,000 years?!
The Bible has so many wonderful messages that teach us how to live our lives. It is filled with intricate detail. But the book was written by man (whether by him or through him) and is subject to his interpretation of events and concepts. Therefore it is my belief that the message of the book is true, but the truth of every letter and every exact statement has been altered by the interpretation of mankind and therefore is subject to interpretation.
2006-07-24 14:14:50 · answer #1 · answered by chalis913 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think maybe the person telling you that it's blasphemous just needs to lighten up. It is not part of the salvation deal to believe and understand everything. I would say where you put God in the equation is important. Do you believe He had a hand in the evolution or, it just happened by chance? Do you think the whole Bible is untrue or just the creation part? These are more important questions.
2006-07-24 20:54:09 · answer #2 · answered by impossble_dream 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not blasphemous. The bible was written before advanced methods of scientific investigation were invented, and does not address this issue at all. So it is perfectly reasonable to have an understanding of evolutionary theory and still believe in God.
Many people have a hard time not putting God in a little box. Believing in a God that is truly greater than them is difficult, especially if it appears that something doesn't agree with their own understanding. This is not just an affliction of weak minded people. Albert Einstein objected to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle because he felt it went against his understanding of how God built the universe. I believe he did heed the famous admonition " Albert, quit trying to tell God how to run the universe !" It is the duty of people of faith who study God's creation to accept the truth they find, and not try to explain it away simply because it makes them uncomfortable.
2006-07-24 21:00:00 · answer #3 · answered by Raffy_AdAstra 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello friend,
To believe in Evolution is one thing, to blame God for it is quite another. If you believe Evolution is true, in that belief, you are calling God a liar. All He said in Genesis is absolutely true and without error.
Read carefully Romans 5:12. You will see there that there was no death prior to sin. Sin came into the world through Adam, and death came because of sin.
This being said, before Adam sinned, there was no death. That includes any and all forms, types and so-called mistakes of Evolution.
Friend, simply take God at His Word. He cares more about you than you care about Evolution.
Trust Him, accept Him.
God bless,
2 Tim 2:7
2006-07-24 21:03:39 · answer #4 · answered by theodas 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it's not blasphemous. Abiding by the Christian faith is to make you a better person/
2006-07-24 20:54:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I didn't realize that it was. I think evolution explains and supports the Bible perfectly, except for the whole evolving from apes thing. They weren't as advanced scientifically then as we are now, so it makes sense that evolution can explain certain mysteries better.
So I believe in both. And I see nothing wrong with it.
2006-07-24 20:57:21 · answer #6 · answered by The_Cricket: Thinking Pink! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not. The Catholic Church fully supports the Evolution theory. It's only the Protestants who still have a problem with it, probably because many of them take the Bible so literally, when really, it should be more metaphorical.
2006-07-24 20:57:06 · answer #7 · answered by Toast 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Evolution is an attempt to explain creation apart from the Creator. Attributing the work of God to someone or something else is blasphemy.
2006-07-24 21:02:40 · answer #8 · answered by foxray43 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It isn't. Only people who promote fear and ignorance proclaim that it is. At no place in the Bible does it say believing in evolution is blasphemous.
2006-07-24 20:54:30 · answer #9 · answered by Spirit_of_1776 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Once again I need to say:
Many Christians do believe in evolution, but consider it part of God's plan.
2006-07-24 20:53:15 · answer #10 · answered by Terri C. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋