Why are creationists so terrified of evolution? Why does the truth hold such a threat?

Question

Yes, evolution is a scientific theory, but so is relativity. Both are truth and are supported by thousands of valid experiments and observations.

Yes, we belong to the same family as the apes and we share common ancestors with extant apes. It has been proven beyond the slightest doubt by genome projects, amongst other evidence.

No, not all apes would be human by now if evolution were true. Not all whales are blue whales or all birds Ostriches. Why should all apes be human? That arguement makes no sense at all.

So what if Genesis got it wrong? Why are creationists/Intelligent designers so fearful about the first chapter of the Bible being wrong. The authors made up the best story they could. They didn't know as much as we do now. Is it because admitting one thing in the Bible is wrong may make people realise other things are wrong too?

Answer 1

Maybe the better question is why do you fear it being right?

I find it a lot easier to believe creationism then to think that everything just came from nothing.

Just thinking of male and female alone would make me doubt evolution. How could two things adapt at the same time taking millions of years and be just what is needed? The species would have died out long before they adapted to each other.

No my friend, I think that for you to admit their is a GOD who created each thing after its kind, male and female, created He them....means you would have to recognize you are not on the top of the totem pole and that you are answerable to a Holy GOD.

I do admit that it is hard for me to understand why HE loves ME...but HE does...HE DOES! and...He loves YOU!

Answer 2

> Is it because admitting one thing in the Bible is wrong may make people realise other things are wrong too?

That's what I got from a lecture on "Intelligent Design". The logic is as follows:

1) The Bible is God's word. They have to believe all of it.

2) If Genesis is wrong - it actually took more than 7 days to create the universe and life - then everything else is suspect.

3) If everything else is suspect, they don't have any reason to obey the 10 commandments, or, in a broader sense, to live an ethical life.

4) So, if Genesis is to be taken as a parable, or if it is false, we are free to rob banks, lust after our neighbor's wives, daughters and goats (sex with the first two, eat the goats), disrespect our parents, etc. etc.

5) Utter chaos ensues.

In one way they are right; if someone gets caught falsifying one shred of data in a PhD thesis or a scientific paper, the whole paper is thrown out. In most others they are wrong, to my mind, since the Bible had many authors, many translators and many interpretations. Lucky I can understand something without agreeing with it.

The folks at the lecture didn't mention the fact there are a lot of different interpretation of God's Word, which is why there are so many denominations, or why the Catholic Bible is four books longer than the Protestant one. They also didn't spend a lot of time on the fact the Word of God as they know it is from the committee that King James convened, and that very few fundamentalists are fluent in Elizabethean English.

There is a verse in the Bible about a huge, round table one of the early Hebrew kings had; 10 cubits across, 30 cubits around. The state legislature of Tennessee once supposedly considered a motion to make pi be 3.0, to make school children's lives easier and the Bible 100% true.

Answer 3

First of all, theory does not equal truth. Theory is the best explaination based on a LOT of scientific evidence, but the best explaination is not always right, especially if we are missing a crucial piece of evidene. Theories can change once more information becomes available, and this has happened repeatedly throughout history. Don't have too much faith in science either! However I will say that I do believe evolution is largely correct.

Second, people miss point point when it comes to science and religion. Science describes physical reality, whereas religion describes spiritual reality. I don't beleive that the Bible, in its creation stories, is even trying to be the end-all, say-all authority of how the universe came into being *physically*. I believe that the Bible teaches us spiritually about what it means to be human. (No, I don't always read the Bible literally, but no one really does. We don't all handle poisonous snakes and kill anyone who blasphemes the Lord.) Sciene and religion do not overlap and anwser completely different kinds of questions. I think some people are feel threatened by evolution because they don't understand this fundamental difference. That said, I beleive there is a lot of truth to be found in the Bible also.

Science and religion can complement eachother quite nicely, and in seeking truth in different forms, one can become a deeper human being leading a richer life.

Answer 4

It's about authority. The clergy says this, this and that is true. The clergy are relating "God's" truths. (according to them anyway) If they are wrong on the one thing their assertions about other things are suspect. Including the fantasy of personal immortality and cosmic justice/vengance (a fairly common argument among creationists, the 'whole loaf or none' idea) Odd that they seem to have forgotten all the other assertions about the natural world in the bible that are laughably wrong. Odd as in dis-ingeniousness on the part of the clergy and studious ignorance on the part of the laity. A lot of shiftless clergymen would have to get their food, material comforts and in many cases sex the same way everyone else gets those things, by earning them instead of having them handed to them because they're some kind of superior human being who's got the inside track to the divine/eternal. The idea that they are some kind of persecuted minority also comes into play. It betrays the covert egotism of religion that paranoia becomes a virtue. Saying 'them gawdless scientists is out to get us' implies that the speaker and audience are important enough for complete strangers to take the trouble of trying to 'get'. It's a similar appeal to the one hardline ideological racism offers. You're 'better' because of something that has no immediate value and usualy in spite of being a total nonentity from a social, historical or cultural perspective.

Answer 5

Charles Darwin had a personal purpose for trying to find an explanation for the creation with a Creator. It was almost a "vendetta" if you will. He despised the evil teachings of Christendom (as do I), believing what is taught by Christendom really IS the religion of the Scriptures. BOTH his theories were wrong!

That there is "evolution" going on in biology as well as in industry is not in question, not with me at least. It is EASY to see the evolution of the dog as well as the automobile. I believe that all honest thinking people can agree on that. The real philosophical question, however, is WHAT DOES IT PROVE?

So in a broader discussion of "evolution," the origin of the species DOES come to mind, and so how does TRUE biological science deal with this question? Facts of biological science are not always easy to use in either projections for the future or explanations for the past. If the percentage of change in mans' height the past fifty years were run backward, it would be but a few thousands years that man would have had to been no taller than an ant. Project the same percentage of change into the future, and in only a few thousand years the average man will be as tall as skyscrapers! So what is the TRUE application of the fact that man has increased in height dramatically in the past fifty years? Does it in any way prove that God did not create the universe, earth, and man upon it?

Answer 6

First off, I am by no means scared of any truth. All truth is good. As a side thought, could it not be you who is scared of admiting that there is a creator?

Second off, Evolution is not a theory, it's a hypothesis, becuase they can't test it. They've tried, but as of yet they haven't had any success, unless you count replacing a flies eyes with legs a success that is.

As for belonging to the same family as the apes, that is mearly a grouping based upon evolution. If evolution was proven wrong, which is very possible, then your family means nothing.
Thirdly, modern science is pointing away from and discrediting evolution. Read Darwin's Black Box. Basically, Evolution looks at the overall structure of creatures to determine their relationship with others. This includes things like bones, position of the eyes, etc... Current science looks more closely at all of this. For example the difference between a flies eye and a human's eye. The flies eyes aren't mearly simplier, they are completely different from a genetic stand point. But of course, you should read it for yourself. It's really technical.

For your statements about Genesis, yes if it is wrong then the bible is pretty much meaningless, as it hinges upon the fall of man and man's redemption. As for being afraid that it's wrong, as i stated b4 I am not afraid of truth. However, the best science can provide is a theory, nothing to even make me reconsider my belief in it.

Well, I hope this has been insightful,night.

Ryan

Answer 7

Religion was invented as a way to explain natural phenomena which was not understood, like the sun and thunder and death - all of these had individual gods. The trouble is over time science explains these phenomena, exposing how ridiculous religion is.

So religion can either adapt by retracting claims, or flat out deny scientific facts. There's no other way.

You can even see the results in the previous answers - science contradicts their storybook, so it must be wrong.

Here's an index of creationist claims:
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html

Some of these are caused by genuine lack of understanding, some are plain ridiculous.

Answer 8

I hear you and must comment that I really don't see any relevance between the two whatsoever . I don't believe in the bible as an authoritative source but that's me not the next guy .. I'm skeptical and beyond but it has nothing to do with scientific fact.
The possibility that the passages of Eden were partially fictional and of metaphorical and spiritual significance is a letter of reprieve for some believers but the idea of god is where I get off the train . this is were I claim fantasy and imagination is at work!
thanks for the question I think they are just obstinate and to the point of mulish at times.
peaceout

Answer 9

Creationists take the bible as literal truth, so the they feel that the theory of evolution doesnt take Adam and Eve into account-therefore they disregard it. Yes, evolution is a fact and I myself don't really understand people that turn a cheek to truth. People that say evolution isn't real obviously have not studied it for themselves. In my honest opinion, the bible should not be read literally. If you don't take every word as a literal meaning, the story of Adam and Eve works fine with evolution, as does just about everything in the Bible. Things such as the rib, the tree, the snake are not literal things- but metaphors to represent other things. I feel that the Bible is mostly parables and metaphors so the simple minds of people of that time could understand them more easily, and grasp their meanings more deeply. This also does not take away any importance or meaning from any word of the Bible, it just brings you closer to the real truth about existance.

Answer 10

Because god's role as the creator is probably the most important
of all his roles. Once this is proven incorrect, their world is thrown into turmoil. Its a lot easier to blindly reject.