Big problems?

Question

What is the deal with everyone thinking you can be a "evolutionist" and still be a "Christian?" Why do so many Christians think they can walk the fence? So many peoples faith is mis-guided and not rooted in the true Word of God causing us to have so many weak Christians.

Can't walk the fence; it's God or the world. Either He is the God of EVERYTHING or He is the God of NOTHING.

Answer 1

Ok. Do you also believe that the earth is only 6000 years old, is flat, immovable, is the center of the universe, etc.? These are all things that were religious doctrine at one time based upon biblical scripture.

If you will set aside your disbelief of evolution and seriously study the evidence and the robust theory that explains the evidence, you'll find that evolution is such a solid theory that it can be treated as fact (just like we treat the theory of gravity to be a fact). Creationists often list several things that that say are evidence against evolution, but their claims don't hold up to scrutiny. The evidence for evolution is overwhelming, and your denial of it won't change the evidence.

You insist that religion and evolution are totally incompatible, and seem to do so to help christians deal with any doubts they might have. I think you do yourself and them a disservice, because if you are right, then Christianity MUST be wrong.

If I were a Christian I'd want to reconcile my beliefs with evolution, just as Christians in the past learned to reconcile their beliefs about the structure of the earth, the solar system, and the universe.

Answer 2

The problem is that you are confusing a theological problem with a scientific problem.
Theology - deals with the WHY of creation
Science - deals with the HOW of creation

I have the equivalent of two masters degrees in theology/ biblical studies. Below is an answer that I have posted before that summarizes what I learned in seminary.

The creation story is a myth. I use this term in the classical sense. It is a story that attempts to explain the world around it. At the time, that the bible's 3 creation stories were written (there are actually 3 of them back to back in Genesis), there were many creation stories. Actually it was a very popular genre.

So to look at the bible for a scientific explanation of the world, would be an improper usage of the story. Obviously believers hold that God did it. However to say, that creation happened in 7 days because that is how it is written in the bible would unacademic and illogical.

In these other creation stories of other cultures, not only does the lesson change, but the way we come into the world. In one, we were the product of god's feces. One we were the product of a lesser god's accident. And so on.

So the wonderous part of the creation story is not that there is one, but rather that it's message is very different from the rest of that time.

You see a myth wants to explain a couple of things:
1- who people are
2- our relationship to Creator
3- why world is full of suffering

The difference between the bible story and the other ones of that time is that in the Bible, creation is said to good, and humans are VERY good. (The creation of humans is the first time that the adjective very is used.)

So we are good, and we have a loving relationship to Creator. The world gets screwed up by our (or rather the first discernible people) rejecting God (sin). This has two effects. First is the first sin, and second is the cosmological shift that occurred that has affected everyone for the rest of history as a effect of rejecting God.

Hope that helps.
God Bless,
Vic

Answer 3

Why are you worrying about evolution? Your religion and a scientific "theory" are two separate things. Darwin observed facts and attempted to explain these facts with a non-proved theory. The bible gives us the history of Adam and Eve, which, by the way, is an old Babylonian Myth.

The attitude of you either profess X believe or you are against me is what has gotten the world in trouble. Galileo Galie was almost executed for going against the Church's believe that the earth was the center of the universe.

Talking about being a Christian. Jesus basically said to love god with all your heart and your brother as you love yourself. You do these two things and accept Jesus and the rest follows. Just because someone considers the possibility of a scientific theory does not make them bad Christians.

I hope you find peace.

Answer 4

yes and the heavens and earth are only 6000 years old - cmon man the guy who wrote Genesis didn't posess the knowledge to put the right answers on paper, inspired or not. He could not have understood any scientific or historical process if the burning bush stood there and drew it on a chalkboard.Its possible to believe in God as a Supreme being AND study history and science also. The intricacy of natural processes shows the true genius of a Creator. The lenght of time nature takes testifies about His eternal nature and His patience.

Answer 5

Why can't God create the earth, and allow evolution thereafter. The bible does not say that evolution couldn't take place afterward. Why not accept evolution as evidence of God's wisdom, since he knew that the world he created would have physical changes against which evolution would protect us. Just the same as the fact that God could have created more humans after Adam and Eve. It only says he created them first. Given the different races, either God allowed evolution, or he created more humans than Adam and Eve, or both.

Answer 6

The common thread I see here is a fundamentalist interpretation of Genesis as literal history, as the Genesis story, a story Jews use to entertain children with no notion that it is literal, as the only possible truth, and as that claim and interpretation being more important than evidence. The story is a theological allegory. I know they're big words, but look them up. Do you think all of Jesus' parables were literal events? Do you think all of Revelation is literal? All of Ezekiel? Do you really think no ancient people knew how to make up a story to illustrate a point?

Why do so many of you who believe God created you also believe God created your brain only to keep your ears apart? A god that fits inside your narrow minds is a very small god indeed.

Answer 7

Assuming God exists (I don't believe so)

The universe is too big and too complicated for the full truth to be revealed to bronze age sheep herders.

I was raised and educated by intelligent Christians who understood that the Bible is part literal and part metaphor or allegory.

The truth of the Bible was written for people who were barely literate and not scientific.

But your God has created an enormous and complex universe full of wonder. The full impact of this enormity would have been lost to your ancestors.

Your job as a modern Christian is to not be arrogant in believing your religion peaked in its knowledge 2000 years ago, (like Islam).

Jesus said "give unto Caesar" that means he acknowledged that some things were not His domain, like taxes, like Science.

Your faith has a solid basis in both morality and pragmatism, don't sully your life or your knowledge by limiting yourself to literal and narrow interpretations.

Answer 8

The only thing that is required to 'make' someone a christian is that that person believes that Jesus of Nazereth is the one and true Messiah sent to save humanity.

Evolution is merely a change over time.

If we hadn't evolved, we'd stil be living without indoor plumbing or electricity...and our clothing would be much less comfortable...just to name a few changes over time.

Besides, for someone to believe in God, who you believe is the God of everything (not saying yes or no 'cause I don't want to go there this late at night)...wouldn't that God have created said changes over time, thusly creating evolution?

Just a thought.

Answer 9

The long standing tradition of churches that recognize the old testament as sacred teachings has been that some stories (including "the creation") are not historical, but allegorical. These include and are not limited to Judaism, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Those of us in these religions don't feel it neccesary to defend "biblical creationism" against evolution because we don't believe in the former. And never have.

Answer 10

Believing in evolution is not walking the fence. Evolution exists because God created it. Every generation gets taller, supposedly smarter (if you have a teenage you may question this). We started out black (yep, Adam and Eve were black), midocondrial dna has proven that, yet as we moved to the colder climates we got lighter eyes, hair and skin because we didn't need the pigmentation anymore. That's evolution. We did not, of course, come from apes, that's simply a stupid theory, not fact. Animals have evolved, dinosaurs died out, that's evolution. That does not mean God didn't create all, He did. He created so perfectly that we adapted to our environment as it changed. He had a perfect design and if you look around at the beauty of this earth, you'll see it.