Evolution--Science or Religion?

Question

Before you bash evolution or religion think about this and tell me what you honestly think:
Evolution incorporates a concept known as "deep time." The theory that the earth is billions of years old. A number this large is inconceivable to the human mind....try as you will, it's impossible to imagine 13 billion years in your head! Therefore, isn't evolution an idea held by faith alone? I mean, no one was there to testify to the veracity of billions of years, right? An idea held by faith...religion? I've heard about carbon and radioactive dating...but I question their consistent accuracy.
Also, evolution eliminates the possibility of a divine God; you can't prove there is a God, but you also can't prove that there isn't a God...making claims about something outside of scientifically testable ideas (namely God) isn't scientific, it's opinion.
What do you think?

I like the fossil comment...but I'm talking about people...I don't think you can really count on fossils to give you 100% accurate dates. :) Thanks though!

I'm loving your thoughts! YES, I believe God COULD have used evolution if He wanted to...but I don't really truly think He did

Answer 1

Go out with me on any dark clear night, and I can point out to you the Andromeda Galaxy, which is over 2 million light years away, the most distant object visible with the unaided eye. That means that the light you and I see tonight, with our own eyes, is over 2 million years old. Which means that the universe is over 2 million years old. I've seen it, and it's awsome to contemplate.

And Andromeda is one of the closest galaxies to our Milky Way. In telescopes, you can see much more distant (and therefore, older) galaxies than that. The age of the universe does not depend on human witnesses, except your own witness outside at night. As Groucho Marx once said: "Who are you going to believe -- me, or your own eyes?"

Further, evolution says nothing at all about the existence or non-existence of God. Bhuddists and Hindus have no problem reconciling evolution with their faiths.

Answer 2

LOL. No, just because you can't imagine 13 billion doesn't make it "not real." Its called science because you can base it on "empirical evidence" that means by repeated testing and theories. And no, a theory is not "an hypothesis," if you don't believe me, look up the definiton of both for yourself, I'm not going to do it for you.

I also question the reliability of Carbon Dating, as do many scientist, however, that doesn't mean that most scientist (professional scientist, which I certainly am not) do trust it. Most scientist constantly use it for measurements. Our personal beliefs are not in question here, but scientific accuracy is, and so far, neither YOU nor I have proven carbon dating wrong!

Evolution IN NO WAY proves God does not exist. I think it proves quite the opposite. I believe without a doubt, that God's divine hand guided evolution so that the end could justify the means. WHO ARE WE to question any way that God could possibly use to make anything? Do I believe we descended from Apes, no, I believe man was a completely "new" creation at the last minute of the last day before he went on his Sabbatical day. However, it would make perfect sense for the rest of creation to be brought about this way.

Religion is taken on Faith, not opinion and its not meant to be "testable or provable." After all, if there were proof of God, what good would Faith be?

Answer 3

I think that once you have seen the holy spaghetti sauce splatter on the wall and realize that it kind of maybe might be a figure kinda like the virgin mary- you have overwhelming evidence that evolution doesn't happen in the thoughts of true believers.

Only a fool thinks there is no higher power than man. Only another fool thinks that power is supernatural, and they can bargain with it. But if that power (lets call it mother nature) is indifferent to the future and well-being of mankind, if it is really up to us- then the role of religion as a medium between god and man is a hoax, and loses all it's clout and power. Therein is the threat, and that is why the church fears evolution as nothing else. As the proof of evolution grows, you will see religion trying to integrate evolution into the theory of creation as if it was always part of the big picture. (Doing it right here, aren't they?) It's not going to work, because what we know now about evolution is only the tip of the iceberg. A mountain of proof is coming, and it will build for thousands of years.

The refusal to examine evidence fairly is a decision to remain ignorant. It's a personal choice. There will always be some believers.

Answer 4

To the contrary, billions of years is not a number that cannot be comprehended. Take a look at the hard drive in your computer; likely, if it's able to run any modern software, it holds billions of bytes of information. Engineers deal with numbers this large, and much larger, on a daily basis.

These numbers require nothing aproaching something called "faith".

So... you question the accuracy of radioactive dating. And your basis for doubt is? Do you have sufficient knowledge of the processes to dispute those who have studied such things for years? Do you even understand the principles upon which this methodology is based?

Evolution does not eliminate the possibility of a divine God. Not at all.

Your entire argument shows only that you don't understand evolution, the people who study it, the methods used to study it, or the theology that contradicts it.

It's not an opinion. It's a theory tested and shown accurate time and time again.

Answer 5

Evolution doesn't eliminate the God concept. Where does that come from!

If Science, as they will in the next 500 to 1,000 years, intellgently designs a species, you think EVOLTUTION won't play a part!

Do you think they can make a HUMAN style speices from an amobea in a dish. Come on little one celled animal, evolve into a whale, please.

How mature or large the speices they will make is, is hard to understand at this point. Science will determine that when they start crafting DNA to make it.

It will probably be cloned or inbedded into a womb for gestation.

Science IS intending to do this and Scientists WILL be the speices GOD and Evolution will affect the species. Hence to say EVOLTUTION negates a GOD is not a very valid concept.

You're confusing evolution, which includes Natural Selection (implying a wilfull CHOICE was made) with Randomism of Plank, Heisenberg and the others.

Answer 6

I deeply support evolution--I have read all arguments, both sides, original texts, spoken to researchers at many universities, and done hours of debate and reading. Evolution does not necessarily disprove a god, although I don't subscribe to monotheistism anyway. I believe that, although you can't disprove the existence of god, the probability of the existence is less probable than the nonexistence. Take for instance the old example of the celestial teapot. If it was said that a teapot, too small to see on any telescope, orbited to sun, very few would be privy to believe it. But perhaps say stories of the teapot were passed down over time and people wrote texts on the teapot. Now those who don't believe in the teapot are the strange ones. When looking at evolution, the existence of god is not necessarily under attack, but the necessity is greatly reduced.

Moreover, I don't hold faith in the numbers of great orders. I hold trust in the scientific method, which produced everything around us. Faith is dangerous.

Answer 7

Who says evolution proves there's no divine God? Why can't a divine God and evolution both exist? I'm a very religious person but I also believe in evolution. I don't see any reason to deny that both a God and evolution exist.

I understand what you're saying about evolution being "religious" because it takes faith to believe in it....yadda yadda blah blah....but I don't think it matters what you call evolution (science or religion).

I also agree with what you say about deep time and Earth being billions of years old for evolution to exist. I also agree that that means it takes faith to believe in evolution.

I just don't see why evolution, a 13 billion year old earth, and a God can't all coexist.

Answer 8

Evolution is a theory, but it is a very widely accepted theory. You are right we cannot know it the way we know 1+1=2. It is a matter of faith in that sense. But...

Who says evolution eliminates the possibility of a divine God? I have no patience with the whole evolution vs. creation debate. It is nonsensical.

Why couldn't God create evolution as the mechinism of his creation? It is a truly beautiful system. I don't really care whether God created it or not. It is not pertinent to my practice of Christianity.

Answer 9

First of all, evolution says nothing about how we came to be, so much as what happened once we (life) got here. That's it's only job.

Second, evolution is not meant to explain how the universe came to be. I'm not sure, but I think cosmology is the field one should search out for that question.

Third, just remember that if everything had to come from something, then so too did god, and there's no exception to that; the conclusion that god "always was" does not follow the premise. Well, that's my two cents on it.

Answer 10

The Bible's faith journey begins in Gen. 12 where God begins to shape a people. The first chapters in Gen. are an intermingling of Ur (Abram's home) and Hurrian beliefs (Gilgamesh Epic) mixed w/ even more ancient struggles to define the respective roles of science and religion.
The two creation stories reflect those ancient sources with different intentions. It is not a matter of evolution good or bad science. It is a statement, as you wisely suggest, of faith - there is a God, creation is good/morally neutral, creation has an order and therefore purpose allowing science.
You are right God cannot be proven for then the proof would be greater than God. And can't prove no God is a double negative which is considered a logical prove God. positive.