This was written by Brenda's World, in answer to another question: "Why can’t the believers of religious theory just behave in a decent manner, in much the same way as the scientific community does." My question is this: If that statement is true, then why do all public school science books start out with "Millions and millions of years ago..."? Why are kids forced to learn the THEORY of evolution (which hasn't been proven) if the scientific community isn't forcing their views down our throats?
2006-09-07 07:59:01 · 12 answers · asked by p2of9 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You are correct,my friend. Some people need to be careful when they present false proselytism.
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2006-09-07 08:06:45 · answer #1 · answered by Pashur 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The earth being millions and millions of years old is a fact of science that does not conflict with Creationism. Nowhere does the Bible say how old the earth is. The idea that the earth is only a few thousand years old was a theory first suggested hundreds of years ago. The idea was that by counting generations back from Christ, one could estimate the age of the earth. However, Biblical scholars quickly saw that this theory was not solid because in most lineages, people skip many generations:
Comparing Matthew 1 and the Old Testament linages shows that Matthew skipped several generations between Joram and Uzziah, even though they were related, they were not father and son. "Begat" did not mean "the father of," but simply meant he was "an ancestor of."
Comparing Luke 3 and Genesis 11, Luke says that Arphaxad was the grandfather of Shelah, but Genesis says he is his father.
There are other examples as well, which you can find on your own research if you wish.
The bottom line is that there is no Biblical reference to the age of the earth or universe.
Just because science suggests the earth is millions of years old doesn't make science wrong or evil. There are hundreds of pieces of evidence in nature that proves the earth is on the order of millions or billions of years old. God created nature in an orderly way. Why would he go out of his way to purposefully deceive us by creating so much evidence of an ancient earth? (Some would say Satan did it, but Satan is not involved in creation, only destruction).
By discounting evidence of an ancient earth for no reason, we are getting our arguments confused. This gives atheists plenty of ammunition for pointing our our ignorance. Evidence for evolution and evidence for an ancient earth are completely separate. Geologists have been saying the earth was millions of years old since the 1700s, well before Darwin was even born.
2006-09-07 15:18:48 · answer #2 · answered by bwjordan 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Scientific theory is tested against available evidence. Gravity and how it works is just a theory. Yet we stay glued to the Earth unless we expend a lot of resources and energy to get up into the air and into space. The planets move around the sun in predictable orbits. Leaves fall off the trees in the autumn. All covered by a theory, yet it works every time. The sun will rise tomorrow. We know the time. We know where on the horizon. All that is governed by gravity.
Religion has nothing but "It's God's will" to offer. Perhaps it is correct. Yet why is it God's will? What happened to the mass miracles spoken of in the Bible? I don't see any of them happening today. Are they just children's stories? Are the Authors of those stories just victims of some fraud? Are they themselves running the fraud? No one KNOWS God's plan. They believe, but not one of them can offer anything but faith.
Perhaps God set up the laws of gravity and motion and we are just discovering how to interpret them. Perhaps God made the Earth and the Universe LOOK incredibly old, so we would doubt His/Her/It/Them.
If so, it's time for that thundering voice from the sky to lay down the law again.
2006-09-07 15:45:52 · answer #3 · answered by SPLATT 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Why are kids forced to learn the THEORY of evolution (which hasn't been proven)"
And biblical text has?
Before throwing the word THEORY out there, realise that everything in science is A THEORY. Just because it is called a THEORY doesn't make it false. With many scientific theories, there are plenty of facts that back them; facts that haven't been disproven at this time. When they are disproven, then new facts will replace them.
Since there's seperation of church and state (schools are funded by tax dollars), biblical stories cannot be taught, which is just fine with me - we don't need fairtales taught as fact.
If you want to get around that - send your children to a private school.
2006-09-07 15:09:29 · answer #4 · answered by umwut? 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I wish all people would behave in a decent manner - I see plenty of rude people on both sides
2006-09-07 15:04:30 · answer #5 · answered by bregweidd 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Oh wow... I didn't read Brenda's World's comment but your question fills me with deep sadness for the future of the human race...
2006-09-07 15:01:31 · answer #6 · answered by XYZ 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's about learning facts instead of fairy tales. That's why they call
it education. If you don't believe in evolution,explain the existence
of fossils without bringing some kind of nutcase conspiracy theory
into it.
2006-09-07 15:21:09 · answer #7 · answered by Alion 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Excellent point.
2006-09-07 15:04:43 · answer #8 · answered by Preacher 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Never mind that scientists develop technologies that decimate an untold number of people.
I never saw Jesus developing atomic bombs.
If we're calling this decent behavior...um, okay.
2006-09-07 15:04:40 · answer #9 · answered by Gestalt 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Jesus christ (pun intended)! How can you knock science and rationality? Do you know anything about scientific theory? Never mind, the answer is obvious....
2006-09-07 15:06:37 · answer #10 · answered by mutterhals 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋