Christians slate evolution as a theory, is it double standards?

Question

Recently its come to light that christians say that an exhibit showing fossils of human ancestors show be relabelled so it states evolution as a theory. I think this is fair enough on the condition that christians too admit the existance of god is just a theory. There is no hard evidence of god's existance just like there is no fool proof evidence that evolution is true.

Any thoughts?

Just to clarify i think both religion and evolution should be taught in schools, but as theorys. Forms of evolution are factual but we can't prove without a shadow of a doubt that humans came into being from evolution.

Answer 1

You're mistaken. In science, "theory" does not mean "any halfassed notion". It requires tons of evidence.

Evolution is a FACT. The theory is the mechanism behind it.

Creation is not a theory, nor is the exitence of any god or gods. There is no evidence. By definition, they are supernatural, and outside the realm of science. They can be neither proven nor disproven, so science has nothing at all to say about them.

However, there's no reason to put them on an artificially equal footing. When it comes to evidence, they are not equal, nor even close.

Answer 2

There is proof in geology, archiology, and palalentology that can substansiate evolution. The theory of Evolution will remain theory because we were not there. The theory is based on evidence gained. Somewhere down the line we might discover something that revolutionizes the way we look at our origin but until then this is the best we have.

Religon on the other hand has very little evidence. The aformentioned sciences debunk canons on a seemingly daily basis. Even the "Exodus decoded" only proved that the plagues happened. It did nothing else because you have to have a better reason then "What if we turn the clock back to make it fit" to reverse everything we know 300 years.

Solomon is never mentioned amongst his contemporaries which is shocking given the bible's dicription of him being the International man of Trade. There are no documents from the time of Christ that document him as walking on the earth. The only book of the New Testament that might have been written when it is traditionally thought is Revelations. And the Quran was spoken by a man that went to a cave and randomly over the next 22 years said phrases (that tend to favor the muslim postion at the time) that are said to be inspired by god. I challange anyone today to do the exact same thing Muhammed did 1400 years ago and actually be believed by the mainstream.

I use history coupled with science to come to an agnostic/athestic point of view. Each religon is based on blind faith with no evidence to support any given claim.

What it sounds like is that you are struggling with the idea that religon is man made and we may have come from monkeys with nothing awaiting us after death. That is the first sign of true enlightenment. Good luck on your quest.

Answer 3

At issue here is the definition of the word theory. This seems to be a common misconception of many creationism/ID types as i have had to clarify many times. In the fields of science the word theory is used to describe a system that has been tested and observed to the point where it has enough evidence to support it as a fact. It may not be 100% perfect, but it is the most complete explanation available. Creationists tend to confuse this either for the layman's definition of theory, or hypothesis which is an educated guess... the starting point of a would be scientific theory.

With that cleared up, what creationism is, is a hypothesis. There is no research or evidence to support the existence of god, and even less to support the idea that this god created the earth. Evolution on the other hand has been studied and continues to be studied and the evidence holds as strong today as it has in the past.

One more thing i feel is worth mentioning here is that evolution does not concern itself with how life came to be on earth. It simply addresses how the variety of life came to be on earth. And as a note to your extra details... it pretty much has proved how man ended up here. The only doubt cast on the evolution of man is brought about by those who refuse to properly understand the theory properly.

Answer 4

Evolution is a SCIENTIFIC theory and no Christian feels God is just a theory, scientific or not.

As long as everyone understands what a scientific theory is, then the exhibit should be labeled to state evolution is a theory as that is what it is and we cannot possibly claim to have all the answers to that yet.

There is, in fact, scientific evidence TO SUPPORT the theory of evolution. That is why it is a theory and not a hypothesis (an educated guess).

The two concepts (God and evolution) are completely separate.

Answer 5

But evolution is a theory. It has always been a theory. There are a few morons out there that think it's a fact (they should have paid attention in school). God is not a theory, he is a reality. But I think eventually everyone will come to this conclusion, either in this life or the after-life. The fact that the universe exists is proof that there is a God.

Answer 6

I see your point. I am a Christian though, and though there is no "hard" evidence" that creation happened, there are flaws in the findings or theory of evolution - one of them being that there will always be a "missing link".
Plus so much "research" and "discoveries" has been fabricated its ridiculous.
There are no flaws in the Creation Theory. It completely backs everything it says. God is the Creator of all so this contradicts nothing about Intelligent Design.
But you are right to say that they are both theories, I suppose. It's where your heart is at and how much you understand of both sides.

Answer 7

Christians accept that there is no firm physical evidence to prove that God exists and that Jesus was his son.

That's why Christianity is called a FAITH - you must have FAITH in it.

Charles Darwin - and his grand-father Erasmus Darwin - developed a THEORY of Evolution. They never claimed it to be anything other than a THEORY.

Scientists will confirm that the THEORY of evolution has never been proved. If it had it would become the LAW of Evolution. However, some educationalists are teaching the THEORY as if it were a LAW. Science doesn't back that up.

I will continue to honestly describe Christianity as a FAITH; and I would ask evolutionists to honestly describe their THEORY as a THEORY.

Answer 8

Evolution is just a theory, as is much of science. Science is constantly changing and restating itself as new evidence is found and investigated. This is one of the advantages it has over religion, which is so hidebound it can't admit that something might be wrong. I agree--Christians ought to admit that their view of creation and the world are theories too, especially since they have far less empirical proof than science.

smcin728: theology just means the study of deities. It has nothing to do with theories.

Answer 9

Yes, they don't understand the difference between scientific theory and the layman's use of the word theory. Scientific theories are constantly being tested, even though that "theory" may be for the most part a foregone conclusion. Most biologists accept evolution as fact, and are only questioning the mechanisms involved. But that means that literally there are still questions being answered, so it is still referred to as "theory."

Answer 10

There is a major difference. Christianity is a spiritual belief. Evolution is a scientific (almost) theory. If you want Christianity to be treated the same way as evolution, then you must either allow it to be taught in public schools, or name evolution as a religion and not allow it to be taught in public schools. You can't have it both ways.