Adam and Eve v.s. Evolution ???

Question

Ok i was thinking about this the other day..and found it rather interesting...so catholics (p.s. im a catholic..just a lil detail b4 i start getting into things) beleive in adam and Eve..the first people on earth...but then we have the scientific theories of Evolution which are very much supported by evidence and bones...soo isnt it quite contradictory? like i beleive in the story of adam and eve...but yet i also beleive in evolution..so how does that work...let me here what you think on the matter.

Answer 1

most Catholics that I know don't take the Genesis story literally.

Answer 2

"but then we have the scientific theories of Evolution which are very much supported by evidence and bones"

The whole theory of macro-evolution that life came from inorganic material and that a fish like creature became a frog like creature that became a reptile that became a mammal that became a human being is a huge house of cards that doesn't adhere to the scientific method.

The Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge, as well as for correcting and integrating previous knowledge. It is based on gathering observable, empirical, measurable evidence, subject to specific principles of reasoning.

There is no evidence that macro-evolution ever occurred in the past and there is no evidence that random mutations can add vast amounts of useful information to DNA structures. Mutations only change information that is already present like making something an albino. Most of the time mutations are harmful.

Natural selection where a species evolves gradual changes within a species can be put to the test. You can demonstrate it by things like dog and horse breeding. But natural selection mitigates agains macro-evolution because animals would be born with half formed body parts that would make them less competitive with other animals. If you really want to investigate the massive flaws in the theory of macro-evolution then check out The Evolution Cruncher on a link on the Free Stuff page @ http://web.express56.com/~bromar/

Answer 3

From what I've been told, Catholics believe that Adam and Eve were the first human beings, but at the same time acknowledge that there were other creature in existence before that. Since God is God and not limited to our measurement of time, the 7 days of creation were most likely not really days at all. They were just the 7 phases of creation. If you look at it that way, the animals were created, and eventually, over time, the animals evolved into humans-- Adam and Eve being the first ones.

That's what I was told, it still seems semi-contradictory, but oh well.

Answer 4

Well not too long ago they found bones that predated the earliest bones that evolutionists and scientists have found. Funny because the bones were in no way "primate" or "monkey" type bones. People need to realize that Evolution is a THEORY!!!! that means that they don't have enough evidence to back it up and Evolution is constantly getting disproved, even Darwin before he died admitted a lot of his theories and evidence were wrong. I know some people think that creation is a theory but all the evidence they have found to back up on creationism has not been disproved, example the bones they recently found that predated the "monkey" type bones. A lot of the Bible has been backed up with History books also.

Answer 5

My personal thought on that, is that it's not so much a story about how mankind was created, as about primitive man becoming aware of himself, and beginning to write His-story.
He didn't have the resources to explore the universe that we take for granted today, he might have had some oral tradition passed down prior to that, I have heard before that the story of Adam and Eve was a blending of two stories. As you are already aware, understanding the world through scientific exploration, doesn't negate faith in God, I don't know about you, but for me it makes the creation all the more remarkable :)
To me, that which we call "God" is the ultimate inventor / artist. If you know any inventors or artists, you know that we can't resist tweaking our creations, and always trying to improve them here or there :) (I'm an artist)

Answer 6

The Bible stories are mainly parables. The Bible is like a manual for life, how we might want to live it here on planet school. Who is still alive to describe how Adam and Eve looked. We may have and I still say have and are evolving from the days B.C., even A.C. So there may be truths in all of it, you can pick and choose and ponder your brain but someday we will all know. I hope you remain a Catholic.

Answer 7

Actually, most Catholics I know believe in the theory of evolution. It was even acknowledged by the Pope himself, who said that it's OK for Catholics to accept the theory, as long as they acknowledge that somewhere in there God infused humans with a soul. It's not Catholics that have the problem with evolution, it's fundamentalist Christians, who won't accept anything but the LITERAL interpretation of the Bible.

Answer 8

Think on this one people of Judaism and christianity haven't bothered to contemplate. They believe in the Adam and Eve story as "truth." If "God in heaven" created all things out of NOTHING, why did he create "adam" out of the dust of the ground?, and which "God" was it? GENESIS-CHAPTER 1:26 states in part; "And god said, Let US make man our image, after OUR likeness, ............." "Plural." The sentence states there was MORE than one BEING present. The hebrew word "Elohim" also means "Gods," just as Yahweh is the word for "Lord" also given as Yahuh. Then there is the interpetation into the name "Jehovah." I am of the ancient egyptian faith and "Yahweh" was the name of a "God" worshipped in the Nile Valley in Pre-historic times. So where did the "Jewish peoples" get this name? They "injected" it into their culture after the Babylonian captivity for the Persians found "record" in egypt of this god "Yahweh" in the 25th dynasty, or around the 6th century b.c. Most "Jewish" peoples of the time didn't even KNOW how to SPEAK or READ the hebrew language, much less HAVE on hand any of the ancient writings of their forefathers. Arguement and point made "is" that even the Jewish religion went through it's own EVOLUTION. The story of Adam and Eve is a "theory" written as literature to instill FAITH for no one KNOWS the truth of where everything began, and nothing written DENIES evolution took place EXCEPT the mouths of the faithful of Judaism and christianity who state it without FACTS to substantiate their stance. Ask yourself one question? Why is the BEGINNING of our creationaccording to Judaism only 5500 years old? Why? Because that is how far BACK history is RECORDED. Before then, nobody knew how to read or write. Why couldn't Judaism say, well the world began when god gave Moses the ten commandments. They couldn't and didn't because in the "beginning" it was the hebrews who carried "out" the faith I believe in for a Pharoah had abolished it throughout egypt, but "later" they changed much of the faith to suit themselves. It is that "faith" that had it's start 5500 years ago but not as it is written in Judaism of present day.....

Answer 9

The Earth and life on it evolved for who knows how long before Adam and Eve were created. Note the gap between verse 1 and verse 2 of Genesis Chapter 1. Verse 1 says God created everything, verse 2 says it was without form and void! So what does God create that is without form and void? Nothing! Everything He creates is right the first time. So what happened between verse 1 and verse 2 and how many eons of time passed? We don't know. But we have found evidence of creatures that lived here. Even creatures that very much resemble modern man. But those creatures were not modern man, they were evolved creatures. Where is the famous "missing link"? That link is found in Genesis.
The Bible does not contradict evolution, it helps explain it.

Answer 10

I was a Catholic once. The Catholic church is one of the most progressive churches in terms of the positions on science, even if it is not very progressive on birth control. Don't listen to the fundamentalists, they love to promote ignorance and hate. That is one reason why they hate Catholics- because Catholics aren't as simplistic in their thinking. I would suggest you learn more about evolution, geology, and astronomy. There is a great PBS series on Evolution, maybe you can find it at the library. Ken Miller is a prominent biologist who is Catholic, and he is featured in the series.

Answer 11

I think Adam and Eve were special, Chapter 2 is devoted to them. God breathed into Adam and he became a living being. I think this event is what gave Adam a soul and became the true beginning of humankind. I don't think it is contradictory, I think the fact it gets its own chapter shows its exclusiveness to the rest of creation.

** For PhD, those of us who believe in the Trinity see this as the first reference. The us is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.