Theists, how many of you have NEVER read a textbook on evolution, yet are certain it's false?

Question

I've read the bible as well as a number of other religious texts. I was given a classical Christian catechism. I was baptised, confirmed and received holy communion. My mother taught religious education. As an adult I traveled to Japan and studied with a Buddhist priest. I've done casual study on other major world religions.

I did all these things and still came to be an atheist.

Before I would even presume to debate a theist about religion, I would make certain to learn and undertand as much as possible about what my opponant believes. In fact, this is exactly what I've done.

How can you presume to discount something I believe until you've explored it in a manner similar to the way I've described. How can you expect me to entertain respect and give creedence to your position if you don't make an honest effort to understand mine?

Smiley George - I smell a rat.

Guitar Teacher - once you see how other peoples and religions view Christianity, it is impossible to overlook the supreme arrogance. Sorry.

Admiral - the we must forgive the learned theists who eschew Y!A, because it seems like most here fit my question to a tee.

Answer 1

I've read and studied to limited degree some of the standard textbooks on evolution and it has not shaken my faith, but i don't claim to be an expert, but you might want to take a look at the fact that some of the writers of standard text supporting evolution have since begun to question its ability to explain the world around us... see Dean Kenyon, he didn't read the standard graduate level text "Biochemical Evolution", he wrote it, but he has since changed his view to intelligent design. see also Stanley Salthe he wrote the widely used text "Evolutionary Biology" (1972) as far as I know he's not a christian but he recently signed a list of over 600 scientist expressing their doubts about evolution.Even among staunch evolutionist there is widespread disagreement as to how or if current theories can adequately explain the complexity and diversity of life. Don't let an oversimplified pop culture understanding of evolution mislead you into thinking the universe is understood and God has been somehow disproved/discredited or made irrelevant. Evolutionary theory has in no way proven we are here by chance. see www.wasdarwinwrong its a good survey of pro-darwin, neo-darwin, alternative and intelligent design literature. see also discovery.org and reasonstobelieve.org don't fail to examine the claims of Christ because a theory of biological origins

Answer 2

Well if this is a survey:

1. I am a Theist
2. I have read most of the books by Donald Johannsen, Richard Leakey, Jack Horner, James Shreeve, and religiously follow the National Geographic articles on the topic. With a photographic recall, I've got all kinds of detail about Neanderthal, Sapiens Idaltu, and Erectus morphology stuck in my head.
3. I'm quite certain it is true.

So don't be quite so certain that your counterparts discount anything, or lack for reading about it. For you may not be as in the know about your religious counterparts as you may believe yourself to be.

Answer 3

Let's get something clear. Evolution is a VERB not a NOUN

The NOUN science is Biology, Botony and Genetics

Evolution is an ACTION WORD that describes WHAT takes places when GENETICS has an event.

This was adequately described by Augustinian Abbot Gregor Johann Mendel, the father of modern Genetics.

Darwinian evolution was found acceptable by Catholic and Jewish scholars.

Answer 4

This is like a kindergarten-level sneer at religion. And reflects no knowledge of anything at all. I was enamored of evolution at one time. And loved science. I remember the EXCITEMENT of thinking that now I was on the true path of discovery. The "secrets" of life. But at the end I was questioning everything, and saw the fraud of "life without any god directing it." Evolution is not science at all. But what was called (when men were still thinking) "scientism." Ie. It pretended to be science, but was a substitue for it. (1) there is no "control" (comparison)---double-blind or not. (2) there is no direct witness, (3) there is no duplication of the "experiment" (which did not take lace. There is just "theory," and will always be just theory. So (ha ha) it is called for a hundred or more yrs, the theory of evolution. With no evidence of anything. A barrel full of bone fragments. Talk about faith.

Answer 5

I, and many others, study science, and yet are Christians. Do not generalize. There are religious people who know nothing of science, and atheists who know nothing of the Bible. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. As for your religious training, I would recommend you not give up on the Bible until you have honestly studied it - without the commentary of the churches' traditions.

Answer 6

Evolution say everything is improving and getting better. Is it? Why do we not see any evidence of it today? Did you evolve from your parents or were you conceived and born? Evolution is what happens when a dog becomes a cat over how many years? Cells are extremely fragile yet and explosion started it all?
You became an atheist because you heart is hard towards God, and it is easier for you to believe that than to except the fact that you will have to answer as we all will to God.

Answer 7

That's like me asking: Atheists, how many of you decided to completely disregard any aspect of religion without true knowledge of everything around you: past, present, and future?...

I am a non-theist, and I am open to all possibilities even though I would like things to be proven to me...

Answer 8

Why is it that many who HAVE read the textbooks actually believe it's true?

There's almost no proven evidence for intermediate species!

Answer 9

Yeah, it's obvious that the vast majority of them have no clue what they're talking about when it comes to evolution. Why else would you constantly keep seeing questions like "If humans evolved from apes, why are there still apes?" -- If they knew ANYTHING about evolution, they wouldn't even have to ask that.

Answer 10

Most of them