Why is it it Christians mess up evolutionary theory so badly?

Question

I just read a question [I also watched a documentary onCreationism today], and I have a large nit pick.

Why do Fundamentalists get the idea wrong? Why in their minds does evolution deal with things that are not species, such as stars, the universe, and life [As in origin of it]? Is there a specific reason beyond "Stupid?"

Also, please note, I am a pagan-type, but I do accept the theory of evolution as scientifically sound, as well as physically true [I cannot see the unformed existence as caring about existence], so please do not say it's religion in and of it's self. Many religions co-exist with it.

Thanks.

Christians, you can tell me to read the bible when you have yourselves [I know you silly kids aren't even past Leviticus.], to which I can kindly reply, "I have, because it is good literature, and at one point I tried to be saved."

You see, people like me who are smart can smell "LIES" a mile away.

Proof. Okay.

In the London Subway system [As I recall, if this is something I accidentally dreamt up, please see my Micro-evolution example] a populaion of Mosquitoes has changed to the point where they are no longer able to breed with Mosquitoes from the surface. This is our best example of Macro, as I recall.

For Micro, the fact you need a flu shot is highly relavant.

To the "Actually they're right" answerer.

By that statement, Evolution is proven true by the fact we have advanced cars, as it is an "Evolution."

Sometimes a theory is later found out to have been wrong because it was not properly tested, and may have been the effect of something else. Therefore, I wil lsay I beleive evolution is scientifically sound [The Scientific method was used properly]

Answer 1

First of all, it's much easier to shoot down the straw man. That's the whole point of this sort of argument. You construct something that you represent as the opponents argument, and shoot it down. This makes it look like you won the argument.

It also keeps many Christians on the defensive. Rather than having the opportunity to present their position, they have to spend a great deal of time refuting the premises that the Christian poses. If you are spending all of your time clarifying what your position is, you don't have as much time to actually prove it.

Example:

CHRISTIAN: Evolution says that we came from a puddle of material that magically created a cell. We know that a cell is far too complex to have been created by accident. With such a degree of complexity, there must have been an intelligent designer.

Scientist: Evolution doesn't address the origion of the first cell, but it ***CHRISTIAN breaks in*** So, you see... Science ADMITS that Evolution can't answer the questions it says it has the answer for!!!

Scientist: That's not what I was saying at all. I'm saying ***Christian breaks in*** That's EXACTLY the point. Evolution claims to explain how man got here, but your'e saying YOU DON'T KNOW......

Scientist, realizing he can't win because the CHRISTIAN simply won't listen, leaves.

Answer 2

Answer: Taking beliefs and making them science, or expecting science to justify beliefs, you end up with neither.

Details: Creationism is a belief, it is not a science no matter how many jump of the bandwagon.

God reveals, man observes.

Using scientific method you have theories explain facts. Creationism is simply a theory that a creator, God, created everything. Is this creator apart of everything or outside or both. The universe is everything we can observe. If something created it, we cannot observe that event. We may say that the universe has a beginning and end, but whatever existed before the universe was created or after it no longer exist and can be observed. You make claims, but those claims are not facts. They are wishful thinking, or better, beliefs.

As this point, let's turn to revelation (in my case Christian revelation). From that, we know that God who existed before created everything we observed. Great we get proof for the existence of God. but sadly we don't. The reveal source tells us these things, but don't give us a "proof". The revelation (for the Christian is the bible) assumes it by the believer. In every revelation, you either belief it or you don't.

You question regarding evolution. Evolution is scientific theory that explains facts first introduced by Darwin. Is evolution correct via the scientific method? Yes, until there are other facts that may modify the theory. Theories may change, as more facts are known. Facts are observations by men (note plural) independent of location.

Does revelation support evolution? But what about dates? Genesis 1.1 tells us observable world was created. Genesis 1.2 Tell us that the world because chaos. How much time past between those two verses. We don’t know because God didn’t tell us. God didn’t us a timeline showing us how much time elapsed. Since we are talking about the timeline, how long was Adam and Eve in the garden. Remember God created Adam and Eve as eternal beings.

The trouble here is simple: Revelation is not science and science is not revelation. God reveals, man observes. We get into trouble we confuse the two.

Answer 3

First. let's think of religion as the weak man's crack. Now understanding that people can actually get addicted to religion and the sheer power mind control gives them.
Why wouldn't Christ humpers and book thumpers say that Evolution is wrong. To control the mind people must control all aspects of the realities that mind exists in. Christians most often grow up being "bible blasted", those that convert usually do it because they are held in place by need of anything that can fill the void in their lives.

Lies beget lies to the point of disbelief and that is where things are headed. You watch. If people get into a full scale holy war. Religion will become a phobia instead of an addiction. Truth will be discovered and people will not forgive the liars. Evolution will push the church out of society and it will be proved that evolution is real. People will evolve during WW III, people will soon understand the deceit of religion and they will feel forsaken.
Evolution is more than the evolution of the creature over millennium it is also the evolving of mind, thought and government.

Answer 4

As for myself, I am agnostic and have a dim view of all religion. But it has been my experience to listen first; you never know know where you'll find a really good idea.
A lot of objections come from the fact that Christianity needs to reduce evolution into a straw-man agrument. Oversimply, then smash to bits. They are caught in a rationalization- they need a specific conclusion to be reached and work backwards to make sure the arrive at the proper destination- i.e. God is at the center of it all. Example: Say you're in an accident and for whatever reason you didn't wear your seat belt. Here's three scenarios:

1.) Car got spun around a couple of times, but you're OK and the other guy is OK. Just some shot nerves and a hike in your insurance coverage.

2.) You: Lacerated by glass, broken arm. Him: OK.

3.) Terrible head-on crash; you were ejected through the windshield, the car flips, strikes and kills a pedestrian that didn't get out of the way.

So what's the neutral Christian to say? I guarantee this:

1.) "God was really looking out for you. You had an angel on your shoulder."

2.) "It's bad, but God is looking out for you and you'll get better. These things happen for a reason you know."

3.) "It was God's plan. We can't always know why these things happen. But He has called them to a better place."

Do you see what's happening? God must 'look good' no matter the circumstance. He has to be the omnibenevalent caretaker of us all who asks of nothing in return but faith in Him. If anything happens to crack that image or cast doubt on the device reporting all this (the Bible) - that bad things happen for truly no reason, that the world was created in a way other than what was written in Genesis, etc., then disillusionment gains a foothold. And believe me, when the adage "belief is more important than fact" came into being, they weren't just whistling Dixie.

Answer 5

I suspect it is because they have never been taught to think for themselves. They would rather be told how things are by someone with a persuasive personality, than to actually look at the evidence for themselves.

I read quite a lot of fiction, mostly sci-fi, so does that mean that I can then state as fact something which is in one of those books? Just because something is in one book, and only one book, doesn't make it true. Yet this is the argument being used against evolution.

They have never found any flaws in the theory or logic of evolution without using lies and deceit. They will continue, because it means they can continue to believe they are superior, instead of something that evolved out of a single celled organism, billions of years ago.

Answer 6

literal interpretations and authority go hand in hand. They feel it as a challenge to their authority. They painted themselves into that corner.30 years ago the issue was settles -a non issue. But some revived it for profit. and authority litmus testing of their followers (beleive or else we kick you out ...oh no not that!!) It's about control, not facts.
Moreover controversy gives them an excuse to divide people and they find ways to make money from that. Divideing people gives them an opportunity to win -or loose- a bigger market share. So say if 30 people leave church 'A" over evolution , they take their money over to church"B" . As a result there are many, many churches. None unified on any doctrines, except they agree to hate some out group. For example any of the humans who might be evolved from the primate neaderthals. Like the racist macrobiotic guru Micho Kuchi did in Japan makeing the claim that the indigenous Japanese with body hair were somehow lower in intellect, more violent and subhuman. Then they proceed based on such views to genocide them as the Christians did the indiginous people of North and South America. The root of the controversy is racial superiority and race hate .... thats comeing again . they are just setting it up.

Answer 7

They don't understand the basic concepts, and they have no motivation to learn. It's much simpler to take a faulty interpretation which makes no sense, and say, "Look, it makes no sense! Therefore my religion is correct."

A prime example is the very definition of a theory, in the context of scientific inquiry. The majority of educated people in the world know that a scientific "fact" can be either a hypothesis, meaning it hasn't been tested, or a theory, meaning it has. A "law" is an unrelated concept - there is no process by which theories mature into laws.
Is this some kind of esoteric knowledge that has been kept hidden from the fundies? Of course not, they just refuse to look it up, since it would invalidate their favorite argument: "It's just a theory!"

Answer 8

Not all Christians are that ignorant; some of them believe in evolution.

But you are correct about most of them.

Fundamentalist Christians are just as stubborn and ignorant as fundamentalist followers of any other religion in the world. They believe the word of the bible to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; they take every passage quite literally, and refuse to believe that any portion of these ancient texts might have been wrong or perhaps metaphorical.

After all, who could blame them? On the one hand you have science, with facts and methods and equations and physical evidence. On the other hand you have a book, written by some people who died a long long time ago. Really, it only makes sense to take every word in that book to heart and disbelieve every aspect of science.

The problem fundamentalist Christians have with evolutionary theory is that it disproves many biblical stories; for example, Adam and Eve. And Noah's Ark. Stories such as these require the utmost blind faith, closed-mindedness, and utter ignorance in order to be accepted as facts. Facts with absolutely no evidence aside from witness testimonial from dead people who knew a guy who knew a guy who saw it all happen.

If you prove one part of the old testament wrong, well then, in the eyes of a stubborn extremist closed-minded fundamentalist Christian, you have proven that the entire bible is flawed; if the bible is flawed, how can we ever know Jesus? The inherent problem is that if a hard-line conservative Christian is forced to face the proven facts of evolutionary theory, these facts will inevitably cause them to question their entire faith and perhaps even God himself.

The problem with these people is that they are incapable of holding two opposing viewpoints in their minds at one time. That, and they do not understand that the theory of evolution does NOT disprove the existence of God, nor does it deny the life of Jesus. It is possible to believe in a Judeo-Christian god, and yet still accept the fact that the universe was not created in seven literal days nor is the earth less than 10,000 years old.

The rest of us are intelligent enough to understand that some bible stories are just that -- stories. There was no Adam and Eve, just as there is no Goldilocks and the three bears or Little Red Riding Hood. The universe was not created in seven days, and there was not an old woman that lived in a shoe. Noah did not procure a male and female specimen of every species on the entire planet and manage somehow to fit them on a boat that he alone had built, just as the Big Bad Wolf did not topple residential structures with mere lung power.

If anyone is offended by my associations, it is because you have your head in the sand and want so badly to believe every last letter of the bible that you are willing to deny logic and reason and settle for complacent stupidity. In fact, you are not only settling for stupidity, you are insisting on being stupid. On top of that, you are probably trying to convert intelligent rational people to join your moron-athon.

Creationists oftentimes ask, "if we came from monkeys, why are there still monkeys, and where is the missing link? What happened to all of the half-man half-monkey people that eventually evolved into modern day humans?" Well, the answer to that is quite elementary: they still exist, and they call themselves Creationists.

Answer 9

don't you hate the idiots they put on TV. It's never the one that has a moderate view but always the one who is as far right or left as impossible.
The Bible says God created everything in six days(Genesis) That's the tripping point if you will
I've been looking to no avail, but the bible also talks about how God's Days and ours are not the same, how his day is as a thousand years(some one help me if ya can, I don't want to miss represent)

It all is deep and there is all kinds of room for different beliefs and I believe that God did it all in a way that could be explained, that had a design. Not only to give doubters a way out but to give believers a way into His world of creation. deep

Answer 10

I think it is a real bad move on the part of religious leader to spread so much misinformation about evolution, which I believe they have done purposely, in order to keep people skeptical about it.

The problem is that when people finally do get a good grasp on it, they lose respect for those religious leaders.

I’m sorry, but the strongest, most lasting religions are the ones that create a firm hold on the people and ignorance is one way to keep that hold, so I see the motives, but I think in today’s world it will bite them in the ars.