Christians- Why Can't You Believe in Evolution?

Question

I just don't understand why so many Christians deny evolution. It is clearly, demonstrably plausible and likely. And with a contextual (rather than literal) understanding of Scripture, it is also reasonable and acceptable to believe without limiting God in any way.

It is just plain silly to believe a literal interpretation of Genesis. Seven days? A day is simply an amount of time relative to the orbits of the earth and sun. They, according to literalists, didn't exist until a few days into the Creation Week. What?

Literalism and fundamentalist ideas like 7-day creationism are so incredulous as to make Christians look backwards and ridiculous.

We have nothing to fear from genuine science; it can only teach us more about creation.

Answer 1

Because evolution contradicts what is written in the Bible.

Answer 2

We now have scientific facts, through the "Human Geno Project," that humanity is only about 6,500 years old. It took 12 years to finish the identification of the DNA Helix. Now that it is done, we are able to trace individuals personal background, bloodlines, and even by reviewing the the Helix before child birth, change some things, from brown eyes to blue eyes, hair color, etc...
If you believe that DNA is an approved science, which is permitted today, to be used in a court room to prove an individual committed a crime, then you have to believe in the Human Geno Project. Without it, the DNA Program falls apart!
It has been proven now, that the Libby Foundation, which sponsored Libby with his Carbon Dating 14 methods, is now considered a pseuo science throughout the world! Even now, in the U.S., many musesums are having items redated and shocked to find out that what was such a mystery, opened up and answer's provided when the Human Geno Project testing of materials.
Even Charles Darwin thesis upon Evolution, was a Theory, to which he completed as part of his education process. To which, Charles Darwin even denounced that such data over time was proven incorrect and he tried to have the thesis removed. And, he denounced his Evolution Theory.
So, even the author of Evolution Theory, has publiclly denounced his own work!
So, where and how do you sustain your Theory of Evolution?
Creation, has now being confirmed by the Human Geno Project. To the point, all humans, no matter where they come from have one portion of the Helix, that binds us all together as the Human Race, the same ansentry! From Northern Iraq, where the four rivers meet, 3 are still running today and the 4th has dried up, but has left it's impression. And with scientist working in this region, they have discovered Eden!
Which matches the exact location too which the bible referred to the location of Eden.
Remember, one thing, when people were being shown things and told things, that they wrote within the Bible, they did know the names of many things in the future. As such, they attempted to use words and descriptions of the time period so others might understand.
A perfect example, is stated in the Bible, that in the future, nation shall destroy nation, with an arrow that flies through sky great distance, and stikes and destroys that nation. Remember, the author did not know the words we have today, but we do have the ability to Launch a Nuclear Bomb, on a ROCKET, which looks like a giant arrow, and it would fly through the sky great distance (ICBM's) and have the ability to destroy other nations.
Just another example how to view the writings of the Bible.

Answer 3

Not all christian doubt evolution, only the fundamentalist creationists. Even the Roman Catholic church has come out in favour of evolution. In fact, the evidence for the age of the world and evolution is in reality become so over powering that many theists are rapidly back pedalling to look for alternative theories to fit biblical events to verifiable proof (the days were longer when god created the world, evolution is still an act of god and was how god planned it, etc.).

The fact that creationists say "I've not come from a chimp!" is wonderful because it shows how uneducated they really are and the uneducated are always the easist to cast aside.

We should not condemn creationists so strongly, the more irrational their beliefs the quicker we will see the demise of religion as a force in the lives of the educated world. In placing creationism so high on the political agenda, they are in reality consigning the whole hodge-podge of a theory to the dustbin of history much quicker than if they'd kept quiet. the only real danger they pose is to the naive and manipulatable, but they will always be present. With education and mass media, they are however getting less every minute. The creationist by being extreme are finally motivating the silent majority to action and causing considerable opposition wherever they appear.

Answer 4

It takes more faith to believe in evolution that in the Bible. Evolution is nothing but ideas that are so contradictory as to be silly. There are many, many simple questions that cannot be answered, and evolutionists don't even agree on what KIND of evolution took place.

The fossel record in nature does not exsist. It only exists in text books.

If humans evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

If humans evolved from apes, then where are the fossils of the tens of thousands (or millions) of the transitional beings?

Charles Darwin wrote about how women and blacks were inferior to white males because of evolution.

Every scientist will agree that the sun shrinks by about 3 feet per day. If our galaxy was around even a million years ago, then there would have been no Earth, because the sun would have been too big.

In the Bible, God said He uses the simple to confound the wise. Enough said!

Answer 5

It is a proven fact that evolution exists. It is not a proven fact that evolution has ever crossed from one genus, species to another. It is only a theory based on conjecture. There is no fact to back it up. I agree that where as God took a rib from Adam to create Eve, the possibility of God taking one form of a lesser life to create the next higher form of life is a logical thought, especially since God tells us He works His wonders through natural ways. However, We as Christians are better off to not consider these things, probably for the same reason you shouldn't, because it leads us down paths that are improvable and therefore deceiving to our rational. You claim to believe in scientific fact. Yet you are willing to believe in what is not, just to not have to believe in creationism. You don't need a justification not to believe in God. Or do you? Are you afraid if you can't have that justification, you might?

As far as the 7 days of the creation, in the beginning, there was no sun or moon or stars or anything. How was there a day by your reckoning? The days spoken of in the creation were Gods days, God’s record of time keeping. Many people have concluded from bits and pieces that one of God's days is the equivalent of a thousand of our years. To me, this is as much conjecture as your theory of evolution, improvable because it has never been revealed. Though we can be pretty certain they are a very long time to us. We do know however, that the earth and all that it incorporates was created in God's realm and then placed where it is now.

Anyway, it is unrealistic and foolish for even an atheist/agnostic to believe absolutely that man evolved from a lower genus, species. To think it is a possibility is one thing but if you truly only believe in scientific fact, there is none. So to say it is absolutely true, is to be a hypocrite. At least we as Christians have the Holy Spirit to whisper to us of the truth and anybody who is willing to humble himself and quit relying on the arm of man can know these things to be true as well.

Answer 6

It's amazing how quickly the answers multiply. ; )

Anyway, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I have to say this...... bravo! THANK YOU for using the brain that God gave you. The "literalism and fundamentalist ideas" you speak of ARE incredulous and ridiculous, and you are also correct that true Christians have nothing to fear from genuine science. In fact, learning more about the creation actually teaches us more about the creator. As much is even directly stated in God's word the Bible. (Romans 1:20)

Having said this, observable science does not contradict an accurate understanding of the Bible, but at the same time, evolution is not an allowable scriptural teaching. Let's set the record straight about the account in Genesis.

In summary, there are two important points about Genesis: 1) the Genesis chapter 1 account does not describe the creation of the "heavens and the earth" and 2) a "day" does not necessarily mean a 24-hour period.

The account in Genesis chapter 1 does not describe the creation of the "heavens and the earth" in the seven "days". This interpretation is new to many, but with an elementary knowledge of Biblical Hebrew form it is easy to understand. The grammatical pattern employed is called the wayyiqtol pattern, frequently called waw consecutive (or conversive, or conservative). Basically, the pattern exists when a Hebrew perfect verb, which denotes action that is punctiliar in respect to the reference time (usually in the past) is followed in the narrative by a series of imperfect state verbs prefixed by the Hebrew "and", which denotes action (frequently in the past) that is progressive or repeated in respect to the reference time (although the progressive or repeated aspect is often lost or ignored in translation). The first clause (in the perfect state) almost always has a different reference time than the proceeding narrative (consisting of the wayyiqtol verbs). If this is difficult to understand (it is indeed VERY difficult), it's best to look at some Bible texts in context.

For example, let's look at 1 Samuel 13:1,2. "Saul was [?] years old when he began to reign, and for two years he reigned over Israel. And Saul proceeded to choose for himself three thousand men out of Israel..." Note carefully the two sentences: first, in the same sentence (verse 1), "Saul was [?] years old" (the [?] represents a textual problem) and "he reigned over Israel." In the second sentence, "Saul proceeded to choose". The events related to Saul's choosing 3000 men and the subsequent events obviously do not occur after "he reigned over Israel." Rather, verse 1 acts as a summary of the events that follow, and the verbs in verse 2 and afterward represent a different REFERENCE TIME for the events that follow. In the Hebrew this difference is brought out in the verb forms: the verb "he reigned" is in the perfect state, and the verbs "proceeded to choose" etc. are in the wayyiqtol.

The same pattern occurs in Genesis chapter 1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth proved to be formless and waste..." The verb "created" is in the perfect and the verbs "proved to be" etc. are in the wayyiqtol. What, then? Verse 1 has a different REFERENCE TIME than the proceeding verses. So the seven "days" do not describe the entire creation of "the heavens and the earth" (which were already in existence on the "first day") but rather the preparation of the earth for human habitation.

As mentioned above, the Hebrew "day" does not correspond to our modern equivalent of 24 hours. Take, for example, Genesis 2:4: "This is a history of the heavens and the earth in the time of their being created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven." The narrative that follows is a "close up" of the "sixth day" in the creation of man, but the Bible uses the expression "the day that Jehovah God made [perfect form of the verb] earth and heaven." Here the term "day" applies to at least all of the creative "days" if not the entire span of creation. In Genesis 1:3 only a part of the 24 hour "day" is called Day. Even more convicting is the apostle Paul's testimony (which he supports using other scriptures) that the "seventh day" is still ongoing. --Hebrews 3:7-4:13

There is still much to discuss about the Genesis account that I do not have time to go into. For example, given the above, Genesis is clearly describing the preparation of the earth from the perspective of what it would have looked like from an earthly observer at the time.

I really want you to see the Jehovah's Witnesses' September 2006 issue of Awake!, which I am very excited about. This magazine discusses the subject of creation vs. evolution in depth and even includes testimony from scientists who are Jehovah's Witnesses, including a NASA physicist, a planetary geologist, a theoretical physicist employed by the University of Mexico, and two microbiologists. It also features an interview of Profession Michael J. Behe, author of Darwin's Black Box -- The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution. It discusses more in depth the Bible account of creation and the empirical evidence of evolution. For example, regarding "microevolution", the magazine states, "Such changes have been observed directly, recorded in experiments, and used ingeniously by plant and animal breeders. These changes can be considered facts." Yet the magazine shows that "microevolution" cannot be considered proof of "macroevolution", "an altogether different phenomenon, one that no one has observed." I commend your sincere interest and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this topic more with you.

Answer 7

I agree, a day = 24 hours is a man-made measurement of time. I think God created the laws of nature, so I really see no problem seeing how creation and evolution are just different ways of spelling the exact same thing.

Best wishes!

Answer 8

I find it a complete wast of time to try and fully understand, for instance was it seven days or was a day a million or whatever. I tend when i read the bible to just take it for what it says, God created the earth and on the seventh day he rested. One thing that i have realized is that were not meant to fully understand every thing about God except that he loves us and sent Jesus to die for us. Thats whats Heaven is for, when i get thei r i will be a ble to ask all this questions that i don't understand as a human

Sorry to preach

Answer 9

1) Evolution is a THEORY. It is not proven fact. It cannot be proven fact. And there are significant "gaps" in the theory of evolution.

2) Most PEOPLE believe in a combination of evolution and a higher power. We use the evidence shown by science to account for the changes and a higher power to account for all the gaps and questions involved in the theory.

Answer 10

Bible believing "Christians" believe the Bible.

The Bible states the God created everything and "it was good".

Why can't you understand the concept of "Faith". We believe BECAUSE we believe.

You have faith in your religion (atheism, agnisticism, paganism, whatever) and I don't have any problem understanding why you can't believe in the Bible. The Bible tells me that you can't understand because of who you are.

Why is it so difficult for YOU to come to terms with the simple FACT that not everyone is going to believe as you do? Instead of being insulting, why don't YOU try a little tolerance and open mindedness?

To me, "it's just plain silly" to believe as a fact an unproven theory, but you won't hear me insulting you about it or ridiculing your faith in your religion of "unfactual science".

There are two sides to an honest open debate.

Answer 11

I am a Christian and I agree with you. Fact is we really don't know how things were started, I believe that God was involved (of course). Genesis is a primitive story told by primitive people who didn't have much reference to express themselves and explain their existence. I am embarrassed by literalism and fundamentalists.