A question for all the Christian people?

Question

Im not giving you a hard time, i just have a few queries...

Do you not believe in EVOLUTION and SCIENCE?
(dinosaurs, man came from the ape..etc)

Do you not think the bible is full of CONTRODICTIONS?
(adam and eve were the only two people so where did everybody else come from)

Do you not think its something that people choose to believe in in order to feel that life has meaning?

Im not being awful, i just really dont get it!
I dont want preachings, i just want proof.....

In the nicest possible way, i find you very gullible

You seem very adamant and there is just no reasoning

You say you dont believe in evolution because its never been proved, so how the hell can u believe in god?

Sorry but its laughable really

I SPECIFICALLY SAID NO PREACHING! Ta

Answer 1

Let me preface my thoughts by stating that I am not an Evangelical Christian, so I have a broader interpretation of Christianity. With that said, let me answer your questions.

******
"Do you not believe in EVOLUTION and SCIENCE?
(dinosaurs, man came from the ape..etc)"

Evolution and science are not necessarily contradictory to religion. For example, evolution could be considered *how* the Divine created the "what." This is my argument, as I do believe in both evolution and science, as well as the Divine. There are many who denounce evolution saying that it is theory--it is not. Darwin's "Survival of the Fittest" (a term that was not coined by him) is theory, but opponents of evolution have lumped the two together. While evolution is not simply "man came from the ape," it does lead us to observe microcosmic and macrocosmic changes in the world. Theologically, evolution can be considered the "tool" the Divine used to create everything.

In general, religion can be considered to be similar to philosophy--both of which are humankind's attempt to, through mythology and ideology, understand the world in a way that is more meaningful than a scientific approach. Actually, the science of today originated from philosophy and religion.

******

"Do you not think the bible is full of CONTRODICTIONS?
(adam and eve were the only two people so where did everybody else come from)"

Of course, but contradictions can be found in any field, including that of science. There are three main problems that can be found with the Bible, though:

First, the text was written over many years by a handful of people. This could easily lead to contradictory content. Of course, you must be sure what you are reading is correct, which leads to the next problem.

Second, the majority of the Bible has been transliterated, which means it was translated from Hebrew/Aramaic to Greek/Latin to English/French/etc. This means that much meaning has been lost. The only way you can honestly say the Bible is full of contradictions is to read it in the original languages. Much insight can be found by doing so.

Third, the Bible is incomplete. There are many "books" and documents that have not been included in the text. This is due to the watchful eye of papal administration.

I personally don't take too much stock in the stories of the Bible--they are simply written in the mythological/archetypal language of the human psyche. They are wonderful stories and can speak to a person in very meaningful ways, but they are just stories. It must be noted, however, that an increasing number of these stories are being backed-up by archaeological evidence.

******

"Do you not think its something that people choose to believe in in order to feel that life has meaning?"

Not necessarily. Unfortunately, there are many who "believe" in Christianity just because that is what their parents (or parental figures) believed. All mythology (Christian mythology not excluded) speaks to our base understanding, which relies on symbols and archetypes. All humans use myth to create their realities (Atheists not excluded). These myths can be a Creator God, a Sacrificial God, Science, or no God at all--the same archetypes are there.

Since pre-history, human beings have strived to better understand the world in which they live. This brought meaning to their lives. However, they have had many "tools" to accomplish this task, tools such as science, religion, mathematics, and philosophy. Each of these tools were created to bring meaning and understanding to a person's life.

Answer 2

I am a Christian.
I do believe in science (the theory of gravity, relativity, et cetera), and I also believe in SOME evolution, though not that we evolved from apes.
My reason for not believing in THAT kind of evolution is simple: The fossil record does NOT support it.

I believe that there were dinosaurs. The Bible corroborates this. In Job 41, there is mention of a "leviathan". What do you think it's in reference to? I believe this is in reference to a form of dinosaur, or perhaps an ancient giant shark.

Which contradictions? Adam and Eve? That is not a contradiction. For one thing, the Bible only says that Adam and Eve were created FIRST. It doesn't say that God didn't create other people.
The other option is that perhaps when Cain slew Abel, and then went to the land of Nod to "find his wife", that his wife was one of his sisters.
Some historians believe that Adam and Eve may have had at least 27 children. They then intermarried, and had more children. You don't think that's possible?

I don't "need" for life to have meaning. It's harder to believe in God than it is not to. If there is no God, and nothing after death, and the whole universe is just a cosmic joke, then I've lost nothing.
All that I know is that I'm content in my beliefs.

Do you want proof? I've got the perfect site for you:
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/atheismintro.html

You could also consider reading just about ANY book by Josh McDowell or Lee Strobel. Both are former atheists, and yes they are apologetics, but their books are well-researched, and VERY informative.

Also, if you have more questions, feel free to contact me. I'd be happy to answer them for you, and no, I won't preach at you.

Answer 3

Your question isn't really very helpful. Evolution means more than "man came from apes", and I find that the levels of ignorance shown by people who do not wish to accept what is a substantially evidenced scientific theory (and many do not have a good understanding of what the word "theory" means either) to be truly staggering. "Why are there still apes?"! If God made man from dirt, why is there still dirt? Read a book on evolution all of you, do yourselves a favour.

You are asking them to provide "proofs" when your own outline of what they ought to answer is so sketchy. The bible is indeed full of contraditions but you should look into the bible in more depth before coming up with one as simplistic as Adam and Eve - any bible scholar will point out that they had many children. Yes, this means they had incest at some point, apparently that's okay. For a better contradiction (and there are many) you could try the death of Saul: suicide (1 Samuel 31:4-6, 1 Chronicles 10:4), killed by an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:8-10), killed by the Philistines (2 Samuel 21:12) or killed by God (1 Chronicles 10:14). Let them answer that.

Your last point is more relevant, though you will not get a useful answer from a theist, who has by definition already chosen to find meaning in his/her life by believing in a deity. Much better to ask non-believers if they are able to find meaning in life without having faith in a supreme power. We do, no problem.

Answer 4

1. Yes I do, because it all takes place at the same time.The existence of a greater intelligence and the evolution as well. They really don't contradict each-other.
2. Yes, the bible is (like all the other religious writings!) a book, written by the hands of men-kind. And they made mistakes or wrote down their own interpretations of what was said at the time, and so on. And men-kind has also forgotten, that almost all the words were originally mend symbolically and not historical at all. Like all parables are.
3. Yes, that happens and it is very understandable, but also a pity at the same time.
But there are also people nevertheless, that have real experiences in their contact with their Savior.
They don't believe (in authorities!), but they know.......themselves!
4. If you want proof, don't ask others, but search for yourself and in yourself. And not in books.
Because in yourself is the only source, that is connected to the higher World. Isn't there somewhere said (and not for nothing) : Search and you will find!! I wish you good luck on your path.

Answer 5

A messianic Jew is a Jew that believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Christians and Messianic Jews believe that Jesus is the Messiah. They are Jews. The point of view of the anti Messianice Jews is best summed up by Mark JPAS when he said "it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. This is the double standard that is applied to Christianity even though Jesus is considered the Jewish Messiah in Christianity. Messianic Jews are looked at with even greater disdain. Why? its a cover for there own deviations from Judaism. Some Jews need to maintain a connection to Jewish family because they have deviated so much from traditional Judaism that many Orthodox question their Jewishness. They need find some way to distract attention because of there deviation from the Torah. This is done by pointing their finger at others to direct attention away from their own actions. You can't give yourself a title and expect that it makes you something. This is the argument that has been used against Jews that decide that Jesus is the Messiah. We are told that the mere belief of a different nature of God immediately invalidated a Jews Jewishness. At the same time Jews that become atheists, pantheists or stop practicing any element of their religion we are told are still Jews. They say that you can believe in anything but Jesus. Jews call conversion "joining the tribe". Things that would never fly in Orthodox or for that matter Messianic Judaism can be found in the Reform and Reconstructionist movements. A good example of this is a previous question asked here. The person asking worshiped the God Ferris but did not believe in him or the Jewish God. The focus of the question was" ...would you PERSONALLY feel comfortable welcoming me not just as a fellow congregant at your Synagogue, but as a member of the Tribe?" (so he was clearly asking about converting to Judaism). The response was "Reform Judaism covers a wide swath of beliefs and practices and I am sure you will be wholly accepted. ... I personally would accept you whole heartily as a fellow Jew." So some Jews will accept all kinds of deviations from the Torah but not belief in "Jesus". Let's not forget the Reform movement wanted to change the sabbath to Sunday to be more like Christianity. Most Messianic Jews are Torah observant yet you can become an atheist, stop practicing their faith, become a Buddhist, join a Unitarian Church and still be a Jew in the eyes of Reform/Reconstructionist Jews. Most Orthodox when asked about other Jews will say they don't know what non Orthodox Jews are. The same applies to the other sects. Speaking of sects Jews will tell you there are no sects but its not true. Rabbinical Jews follow an understanding of their faith that was established 1,900 years ago. They have their own canon of Scripture. There are also non Rabbinical Jews such as the Ethiopian Jews that follows the pattern of the Christian Old Testament and they have many additional books that they consider to be scripture. A group called the Karaites is the opposite of the Ethiopian and only believe in the 5 Books of Moses. Rabbinical Jews call Karaites "a sect of Judaism". You can goggle it and see for yourself. Don't let anyone tell you that there are no sects in Judaism. They say the the teachings of Jesus are very different from Judaism. They also claim that Jesus taught nothing new from the rabbis before him. Then they we tell you that there were no rabbis until a hundred years after the time of Jesus. Its all about winning the argument to them not about what's true. The problem is not differences but similarities. You should know ALL the writers of the Christian Bible were Jews but one. Much of our Scriptures are shared. The vast majority of early believers in Jesus were Jews. So when you hear the exact opposite you need to keep that in mind. A Jew can believe in Jesus and still be a Jew. Edit: those that make personal accusations should include links or shut up.

Answer 6

I do believe in evolution and science. God is capable of anything. Why couldn't He orchestrate all of these things?

The "contradictions" often arise due to translation. If you get a good study Bible there are often Hebrew translations and definitions included. If you do enough study, the contradictions often aren't contradictions at all. Shortly after Adam and Eve are removed from the garden the Bible starts to mention other groups of people. Common sense alone leads me to believe that God can create as many people as He wants to. Since we're not given a time frame, I believe He created more people shortly after Adam and Eve were cast out. Not to mention, if God wants to eliminate birth defects, I think He has that power.

When you've actually experienced God working in your life, it becomes very clear that the changes couldn't just be in your head. My life is so incredibly different. When I run into people from my past they rarely recognize me or believe that I'm doing half of the things I'm involved in right now. I tried for 26 years to fix my life. I failed each time. I got with God and things started falling in line. All of my dreams have come true. I've moved on to new ones. That's not all in my head to make myself feel better.

I don't think you were awful at all. Questions, especially when asked maturely, are always welcome and encouraged.

Answer 7

I'm a Christian and evolution makes sense to me. I don't have a problem with the fact that God made everything, including science (which includes evolution.)

The Bible indeed does include some contradictions...or at least when viewed from man's point of view. The Bible teaches Truth (capital "T") as opposed to its being a history or science text book.

For example, the Truth of the story of Adam and Eve is that God created man out of His love for us and that we abused His love by the misuse of our free-will. The issue of rib cages, apples (fruit) and having conversations with snakes is simply the literary style of the writer.

If the Bible had said that God made us from Pop 'n' Fresh dough and that Adam and Eve lived at Disney World, that wouldn't change the Truth of the story one bit.

As for your third question, I suspect that some people use religion to "feel" life has more meaning. But I believe that most people of faith use religion to understand the meaning of life. There's a huge difference between "feeling" something and "understanding" something. Feelings concern one's emotions; understanding involves one's intellect.

Answer 8

I am not a Christian...But I feel to answer this Question!

1. I do not Believe in Evolution, but I do Believe there is Science
2. Yes, The Bible was Curropted for many years
3. Religion is the best way to feel that life has meaning

What is the problem, what disadvantage will you get if you Just Believe in God?

God is Real!

Answer 9

No, I don't believe in evolution. God made everything and everybody. How do I know? The Bible is the True Word of God. I have faith, faith in God. There is no proof of evolution, a man would rather think he came from an ape, than believe in God. The only problem with that theory is if man came from an ape then there would be no more apes. Now where are your contradictions?!

Answer 10

There will be many gullible people in heaven, and many intelligent people in hell.
I mean that in the nicest way possible. I do respect your opinion. I am a Christian that believes in God and will till I die. I feel if I'm wrong I have lived a better life because of my belief and have lost nothing. If I'm right I will inherit eternal life. I'm a winner either way.