Christians: An Honest Evolution Question?

Question

(Disclaimer: I realize that not ALL Christians disbelieve in evolution. I'm generalizing, yes, because I didn't want a super-long question title. I apologize for any insensitivity on my part.)

I was raised a Christian by Christian parents. I was sent to private Christian schools and instructed from Christian texts. I went to church regularly, and truth be told, I rarely met or spoke to anyone who wasn't a Christian. I even went to a Christian college when I got my first degree.

When I got out of college, I thought evolution was total bunk because, well, I'd been taught that it was. It wasn't until someone sat me down and showed me some good websites and even better books that I realized that the arguments I'd been provided with were not logical. All the stuff I'd heard about watchmakers and thermodynamics had been misued to try to disprove something. I was also shocked to find that there are thousands of transitional fossils - something I'd been blatantly lied to about.

My question is, if you are a Christian and you don't believe in evolution, have you had read any non-Christian texts about evolution?

And, no, I didn't put the question in the Additional Details because I forgot. I ran out of room. So there. ;p

Sister Steph, obviously I can't send you a book, but I can send a web link that I, personally, think is a "godsend". If you're interested: http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html

A.M.D.G, I am not talking about the discredited "finds". The fact that they existed and were lied about is shameful, but I'm afraid that Christian scientists have not always behaved flawlessly either.

I was, instead, talking about the animal transitional fossils. :)

Answer 1

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people refuse to believe that evolution just may have been God's way of creating everything. And no, evolution does NOT try to overthrow God. In fact, if you study it, it might enlighten you to the wonders of the universe and all of creation.

The Bible just says that God created everything. But does it say how? Does it say that he just waves his hands and BOOM, there was the Earth. Wave his hands again and BOOM, there was the sun, starts, etc.?

Maybe the Biblical story is a shortened version...or more likely, allegorical. I tend to think so.

Also, I think a lot of fundamentalist Christians are scared to entertain non-Creationism scientific findings and studies for fear that God will forever roast them in Hell for it. I went to churches like this while growing up, so I'm sure this is the mindset in a lot of them.

Answer 2

As for me, I was also raised by Christian parents, but only spent a little over 2 years in a Christian school. The rest of my education including all my secondary education and both my university degrees so far, has been in secular institutions. My first degree was a BSc in Behavioural Science, which is half zoology and half psychology, and it had Darwinistic evolution as a sort of grand unified theory. I took modules on evolution and our core texts were written by Evolutionists like Richard Dawkins and Jared Diamond.

I believe that species do change, and that what we would classify as new species do evolve (microevolution if you like), but i do not think that major taxonomic groups evolved from common ancestors, or that the neo-Darwinian paradigm is adequate for explaining the current diversity of life. Those who say things like "Evolution is a fact, it really happened" are making statements of faith which to me seem at least as unbelievable, if not more so, than Creationists stating that God created the world in six days. Real scientists should always keep an open mind and question existing theories, only then can science advance and new discoveries be made.

There are actually lots of problems with Darwinian Evolution and i think that it will soon go the way of other scientific theories that have fallen out of favour, like the flat earth theory, or spontaneous generation, or ether theory, or the miasmatic theory of disease. For some of the problems facing Darwinian theory, from a non-religious point of view, see "The Facts of Life" by Richard Milton.

On the other hand, if you believe in God, and if you believe that the Bible is a revelation from God, then logically, what the creator of the universe says about the origins of the universe must be more true than what modern scientists, who were not around to observe the process, can deduce from mere human reason and imperfect observations.

Answer 3

No, i havn't read a whole book about it, but i've read comments such as from Richard Dawkins and stuff about Darwins' Origen of the Species. I think what your point is that if a reasoning person really investigates the matter, then they will conclude that evolution is the correct history of all living things.

I admit that a lot of creationists are confusing when they claim that the earth was formeed in 6 actual days, science has proven that , and yet the bible never calls those 24 periods. A day can be as long as a thousand years or more to God (2 Peter 3; 8).

Darwin's theory actually started with a variety of different finches that he noticed on an island, but we all know that in every species theres different varieties such as dogs for instance. However, they all remain dogs and never turn into something else such as a cat. They can only reproduce with their own kind. Evolution cannot explain this but the bible does when it says God made each one according to its kind.

I actually think the watch illustration and the law of thermodynamics work quite well in disproving evolution, but i understand that if a person's mind is made up, then they usually won't change it.

Answer 4

I am a Christian who actually did believe in evolution at one point and to some degree still do. You don't even have to look outside the human race to see that there are men of differing colours and facial features.I have since changed my position and i have read articles by Dawkins and others. I suggest everyone read there stuff. I also suggest in a spirit of fairness and honest enquiry read some of the articles by some of the Intelligent Design movement. Don't just read their critics but read the articles as they present them so you can see what they are actually saying and not saying without distortion. I would like to recommend a few such books. Evolution a theory in crisis by agnostic Michael Denton. The icons of evolution...A very eye opening book by Jonathan Wells. And Michael Behe's Darwin's Black Box. I understand the new tenth edition has a new chapter added to deal with the critics. I also recommend if you have a chance Darwin on trial by the Berkley Law Professor Phillip Johnson. He has proven he has a keen understanding of science in a recent debate when the fact checker announced he was 99 per cent correct in the facts he presented during his debate.I just finished reading a book the other day called darwin strikes back chronicleing the rise of the Intelligent design movement and their critics. One interesting piece of information was provided by Dr. Jun-Yuan Chen a paleontologist who teaches at China's prestigious Nanking institute of geology. His findings were that all the new species appear suddenly without any hint of transition then stay the same before they dissapear from the fossil record in higher layers. In his opinion Darwinism cannot explain the Cambrian explosion and they clearly need a new theory. Notice to person below me who says we only need to read the bible. Ibelieve in reding the bible however when I want to repair my car I would suggest a mechanical guide not the bible. And if you want to prepare a meal a cook book. In this same spirit there are other fields of knowledge and enquiry that are not contained in the scriptures. And I see no edict forbidding est enquiry and use of knowledge outside of the bible. Not trying to offend you only correct a misunderstanding about what we as Christians are allowed to do. Unless of course you still think we should be driving around in chariots. In which case I shall have to try and find a new line of logic to penetrate your thinking.

Answer 5

Well, either way people can't claim that evolution doesn't happen on some level.

Simplest proof for evolution: humans breeding dog species into specific traits in order to accomplish what they needed or desired from the certain dog.

Selective Breeding wouldn't be possible without evolution on some scale.

Answer 6

Perhaps some of the transitional fossils you were lied to about were the following so-called transitional fossils between apes and humans:
Pildown Man, claimed to be conclusive proof of evolution for over 40 years until it was exposed as a crude fake. Nebraska Man (a single tooth) also claimed as conclusive proof of ape-human evolution, used as evidence in the 'Scopes Trial', it was later exposed as the tooth of a peccary. Orce man, more conclusive proof? sorry that one was part of the skull of a donkey. Colorado Man, more proof? ... no sorry! it turned out to be the tooth of a horse.
I could go on and on and on, but one thing is clear, if you believe and trust evolutionists with a record like theirs, you will believe anything.

Answer 7

I am christian, very religious. For me I have no doubt that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. First off evolution is just a theory no different than creationism. However there is enough compelling evidence to suggest that evolution did in fact happen. I don't see how anyone with a brain could dispute that. The whole "The Bible says" argument is a cop out in my opinion. So we evolved BIG DEAL who's to say that our evolution wasn't guided. Science and religion do not need to be adversaries.

Answer 8

i'm not in all probability a creationist, in simple terms type of agnostic on the priority. (To be undemanding, i hit upon maximum creationists to be illogical and stupid concerning this debate. regrettably, maximum individuals protecting evolutionary concept are in simple terms as irrational. they'd have technology on their section, yet they don't many times argue scientifically. Evolution is in simple terms too many times taken care of as a competing faith instead of a medical concept.) I heard lots with regard to the priority with the aid of my husband, who studied paleontology and actual anthropology in college. there's a diverse hollow between what the final public understand to be properly-known with regard to the fossil checklist, and what actual, tangible information exists. If we separate fact from concept, we are left with customarily extrapolation, that's why info of evolutionary concept substitute from 365 days to 365 days. making an allowance for that maximum issues scientists have called fact over the years have became out to be incorrect, it does not look too incredible that cutting-part-day questioning on evolution turns into defective, and that scientists will ultimately would desire to do an entire paradigm shift and initiate up another time. i think of scientists (the ninety 5%) would desire to word of gaps and inconsistencies interior the information for evolution (or for cutting-edge evolutionary concept) yet that they assume (as i've got heard some say) that extra information will ultimately be got here across which will make clean issues. They settle for evolution as a fact in spite of incomplete or inconsistent archives, simply by fact the only different option (or so it type of feels) could be something related to the supernatural, and that's unthinkable to maximum scientists.

Answer 9

Funny thing is when I went to school I learned about evolution too without much controversy. I didn't believe all of it but a lot made sense. From my point of view God was the origin but through science we see how God worked things through.

Science has its place and so does faith.

Science is the study of things we can see.

Faith is the belief in things we cannot see.

Why we try to mix the two is beyond me.

Faith says there is a God.

Science says it can neither prove nor disprove God.

Faith says God created everything.

Science says things evolved over time but cannot explain the true point of origin.

Some religious fundamentalist want nothing more than to live inside their little bubble of understanding. They don't understand something so they it is not so.

The writers of the bible were not concerned with the how and the why of the sun rising and setting. What the stars were made of or how old the world was.

They were only concerned with following God. We christians would do well to remember that.

God gave us science to explore his creation. Who are we to put God in a box?

Answer 10

"The heavens declare the glory of God".

You either believe that or not, but to answer your question. Truthfully, consider the source. No one who is trying to convince you of something would blatantly tell you they are wrong. They would only tell you the "selling points".

Finally, for a great scientific and biblical presentation of creation visit: http://icr.org/