Do you believe in Darwin's evolution?

Question

I think we all evolved around Darwin's way of thinking. Just wondered if any of you felt the same?We all had to come from somewhere and i know the Bible said we were all created in God's own imagine. So what image was that? Your input will be interesting.

Answer 1

I personally like the idea of the Theory of Evolution - so yes, I 'believe' it to be the best explanation of the world around us. I also 'believe' there are misunderstandings about modern evolutionary biology, both from lack of education and misinformation peddled by opposing views (ie, Creationism and Intelligent Design).

I see The Bible as a figurative (theological) text that draws on historical events, rather than a literal historic account. Remember - the Bible was transcibed, translated, and interpreted by humans and all 'after the fact'. Humans have a good track record for explaining things based on their own understandings and prejudices - "the world is flat", "the Earth is the centre of the Universe", "the Great Southern Land", and "humans are above all other animals" being some of my faves...

Being of the Atheist/Agnostic persuasion, I don't follow the 'we were created in God's image' line of thought. (Yet another example of something that makes sense as a figurative concept rather than a literal truth.) I do believe that there is ALWAYS something bigger and beyond our understanding and, in the scale of things, humans are a very small cog in a very big Universe. We're either alone in the Universe, or we're not - and both ideas are mind-boggling...

Answer 2

Yeah I think Darwin realized something that took a lot of people by storm, and too many took his theories personally.
Evolution encompasses more than just the unfolding of life on this planet. The universe itself is still evolving, and it is doing so by, and through the hand of God.
A parallel would be Newton and his mathematics proving and explaining gravity. He didn't invent it no more than Darwin invented evolution. These two men discovered and explained a concept that had come to them through hard work and intelligence.
It was already there! God created evolution along with everything else we know of. We just discover some aspects of His creation and miss out on a lot of His creation.
Evolution is just a part of it.
As for being created in God's own image I believe in breathing into Adam He was actually breathing a spirit into the human race. That is the image I believe was given to us. A spirit; just as the Holy Hosts of heaven has.That is the life that separates us from the trees and the pumpkins.
God stands outside of time, for you and I four billion years to cook up enough from the ground to create the first humans may seem like a lot. A lot of effort just for you and I, however it is part and parcel of the evolution God started. It was nothing for Him to do. Much like you and I spending four hours preparing a good supper for freinds and family. Not a lot of trouble really but there were steps to be taken before you even set the table. From square one to the last person seated at the table; you have to admit that the whole meal evolved from one point to the present.
That in itself is a small evolution to you and I. Four billion years of cooking up the human race is a small evolution to God.
That's my input darlin hope it makes sense to you.

Answer 3

My thinking is somewhat post-Darwinistic, not that I think Darwin was wrong, just incomplete. The word "image" may be deceptive. Ancient Hebrew was a far more concrete than modern language. For example, "nephesh" is often translated as soul, but also as "breath" or "life". "Image" could be a physical "appearance", or a philosophical "likeness". As God would be unconstrained by form, I'd have to say that the likeness would have to intellectual. Many animals have free will, and possess rudimentary abstraction, but humans may be the only ones capable of contemplation the infinite and the infinitesimal.

Answer 4

I believe that spiritually we were created in God's image. With that said, I truly believe that God created what Darwin called evolution. After all, there is scientific proof of evolution, but of course there are missing links. I still don't understand why more people can't think about the idea that God created this world as complex as He did so that we would explore it to the fullest to ultimately find the Truth.

Answer 5

It's not a question of belief. I agree that the theory of evolution by natural selection is the best explanation of the facts that we have right now.

As for "created in god's image," that seems to be a metaphor, therefore it's open to interpretation, just like all the creation stories that have ever been told.

Answer 6

Evolution hasn't stopped, it's all around us. I have seen first hand the effects of evolution within our own race. Of course, I've also seen how it has been tampered with.

Vampires and werewolves. They could be a myth, or they could be the product of evolution.

That last paragraph was a little off topic, but I see so many questions about there existence, I couldn't help but wonder if these are the next steps in the process.

Answer 7

Darwin's theories were incomplete and there has been a lot of research since that time... for example, google 'punctuated equilibria' and prepare to be either confused or enlightened ;)

god and the bible were both created by man, not the other way around.

Answer 8

Evolution is supported by all the evidence. Creationism is contrary to all the evidence.

Evolution is a fact. The theory regards the mechisms behind evolution. Ditto for gravity. It's a fact, but we still have gravitational theory.

Creationism isn't a theory because there is no evidence to support it. Trying to justify creationism is like trying to catch a fart and paint it green. And just about as useful.

Answer 9

I have always blended creation with evolution. There is no way to judge how long a day was so in my opinion the process of evolution is God creating the world.

Answer 10

I think we evolved - see my question below. I'm not really sure I can tell what you think from your statement - did we evolve or were we created? Because evolution has no goal - if god set evolution in motion to make us in his image, who knows what we could have ended up looking like?