Evolution vs. the bible?

Question

Sorry for this tired conversation...I was having a debate and I was wondering what are the actual facts that evolution happened. I know there has to be something beyond theory. Have any examples or facts to prove evolution?

Answer 1

The Catholic Church does not take the story of creation in the Bible literally. Catholics believe it tells religious truth not historical fact.

The religious truth is that God created everything and declared all was good.

The Church supports science in the discovery of God's creation. At this time, the theory of evolution is the most logical scientific explanation. However tomorrow someone may come up with a better idea.

As long as we believe that God started the whole thing, both the Bible and modern science can live in harmony.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Sorry, but know one I know was around back then. Why must evolution contradict the bible? The Bible states that the Earth was created in 6 days. It does not state how and it does not state what a day is in the realm of God. It amazes me how some people take everything in the Bible so literally when I'm sure it was not written that way. Do you pray in a closet and handle poisonous snakes?

Oh, and cupcake, scientists now reject the notion that humans evolved from Neanderthals. Neanderthals were on a different branch of the evolutionary tree that has long since ended, perhaps being driven to extinction by competition or direct conflict with humans.

Answer 3

Actually, there is nothing at all in the fossil record to support Darwinian Evolution Theory. It's a leap of faith to claim that because the beaks of finches can adapt to changes in environments, therefore they can evolve into a zebra? If Darwinian evolution is true, we would see countless specimens in the fossil record of animals in transition. The reality is, however, we see none. I'm sorry, but a fish with strong fins to crawl with is not one of these specimens - saying it is, is like saying a seal is also one of these specimens. But you would not hear an evolutionist say that the seal is in transition from a fish to a mammal.
And, what about the fish that was recently caught alive, having human-like teeth? Do you hear evolutionists saying the fish is a transition specimen, becoming a human? Of course not. They simply ignore the specimen altogether. Why? Because they refuse to admit that they know very little yet about the way genetics works. Darwinian Evolution is a stretch. The fact that animals have the genetic ability to merely adapt to a changing environment, does not in any way show that Darwinian Evolution has to be true. The beaks of finches changed - but guess what...they're still finches!

Answer 4

Why does evolution and the Bible have to be adversarial? I am a geologist, scientist, and practicing Catholic (yes we are Christians, too). I have no problem with both. The formation of the earth roughly follows Genesis. Take into account when Genesis was written and the audience it was written for. People of those times had no concept of earth, space, or genetics. Lighten up people. However it was done, we are all here now.

For strict Bible literalists - riddle me this: in Genesis, time was not measurable until day four...... so how do we measure day one, two and three?

Let me add this edit on the compatability of science and religion. The beginning of life; science can tell us everything about the beginning of life from conception to birth, but it cannot and never will be able to tell us when this life receives its sprituality, it's soul.

Again, life began on this planet by science and through evolution, became man. But when did man become sprirtually aware? When was the first "Adam" made aware of his soul? Science cannot tell. Apples and oranges???......

Answer 5

Bible wins.. look into the world history, and then look at the names and times of events in the Bible.. If you look and cross referance, you will find that everything in the Bible's old and new testemants happened The NIV version, and with the exception of revelations,. That was a dream.... But if you notice, in everyculture, even native ones, there are records of the great flood... Pontious Pilate was a real ruler, who made those decisions... Science is jhust trying to understant the impossible.. no one can understand God, so trying to figure every little thing out is impossible.. Evolution is just to cling to our want for the world to make sense... It didnt happen... WEvolution is only a theory.. it has not been proven, wheras gd and creation have... All in a nice book of 60, called The BIBLE!

Answer 6

Well actually the theory of evolution is clearly a scientific law but will never be anything other than a hypothesis. The bible lack evidence and has a blury sense of how we were created. They recently found out that humans did not evolved at the same pace but was many different kinds at a given periond.They claim to have many bone evidence dating millions of years back but still lack conclusive data. As they say only God knows.

Answer 7

Evolution provides a coherent explanation of the origins of humanity that is consistent with the way in which life is regularly observed being created (through birth, seed, cell division, etc.). It is consistent within the parameters of science, requiring empirical evidence and coherence with the laws of chemistry and physics, and has been further substantiated more recently with computer simulation, game theory and more in depth genetic science. Genetic science is based upon evolution and has allowed humans to genetically engineer new forms of life that help combat starvation and more importantly produce needed medication like insulin. Nearly all insulin used today is generated by genetically engineered bacteria. Evolution further provides scientists the ability to predict the next pandemic and prescribe the appropriate flu shot.
But the fundamental argument that Darwin made in the 1800's is the easiest to understand. For thousands of years of human history we have bred animals to produce particular, perferred traits in their following offspring. Even today, major agricultural companies are breeding bigger and faster growing crops and animals simply by selecting which plants and animals get to have offspring. If animals and plants can be so significantly and rapidly modified by selective breeding, there is no logical reason to assume that if the selector is the force of nature (predators, weather, resources, etc.) the same thing would not continue to happen. No other explanation so completely explains these phenomenon nor have allowed us to produce so much through their understanding.

Answer 8

Both have significant holes, there is no clear cut answer that closes this subject. I do believe that there is spirituality and karma in this world, so there has to be something to explain this besides Science. Creationism seems a little far-fetched, but many other things in the Bible are worthy of belief.

Too many people think that Science is trying to take down the Bible, but that is not the case. Some people just do not want to go outside of their beliefs because it is too difficult to understand. You need to understand all different types of thinking to understand how things work. I think Science has done a good job in explaining how we have come to be as humans and a planet, but I also think there are some significant things that Science cannot explain. I think the Bible tries to explain those things because no one else can completely come up with a cut and dry explanation for all of this.

Answer 9

Evidence (hard evidence) has been acculated by scientists over the past 150 years. Too much so to mention just here. I suggest you might want to check out:

http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-evolution.html

This is probably one of the better sites to begin your study and it's also well presented.

Here are a few more good sites:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

http://mypage.direct.ca/w/writer/writing.html#creation




BTW - as an aside to some others here, there ARE hundreds of "missing links" in any museum on the planet that houses fossils. More of them were discovered recently in China (what do you think "feathered dinosaurs" are?)

In point of fact, you can point to literally hundreds of fossils and see the gradation of features from one type of organism to another and/or the evolution of one to another -- gills to jaws for example.

Answer 10

The best evidence for evolution is that it seems to explain a lot of what we see--closely related animals (like Darwin's finches) have different body features that seem to be useful in different environments. In fact, that we even recognize that animals are "related" at all is a recognition that they came from a recent common ancestor. From our understanding of the genetic basis of inheritance, it is impossible to deny that evolution is inevitable. The only question is how long it's been going on, and the age of the Earth can be estimated in a variety of ways...