Why won't religious people accept evolution, but they accept that langauges have changed on their own?

Question

Both directly contradict the bible.
Langauges evolving is acceptable to believe even though it contradicts the bible and life evolving must not be accepted because it contradicts the bible. Why?

Answer 1

You made lots of false generalizations here.
First, even young earth creationists believe in microevolution -subtle changes within species over time like dog breeds or racial characteristics such as eye and hair color. What they reject is macroevolution - chemicals forming amino acids becoming living cells then complex life forms. A fish does not become a reptile, a reptile doesn't become a bird, etc.
Second, people who believe the Bible, believe that God divided languages at Babel. However, since that time languages have continued to change and further differentiate into more and more dialects until today.

Actually, although the English language, for example continues to evolve making it difficult for a person from 100 years ago to understand today's terminology, I think a case could be made that we are reversing the course started at Babel. The lingua franca of the world is English; people in diverse places attempt to use it in politics and commerce. Language barriers that divided the European continent have been falling and there is talk that one day, languages such as Italian, German and French could be dead. (I'm sure we'll be long gone before that happens, though).

Answer 2

Evolution does not contradict the Bible. It seems that the conclusions of evolution appear to contradict certain sacred texts that describes God's role in the creation of the universe, the earth, all living things, and ourselves. Why it bothers you that people think that evolution theory is a theory. It has never been a big issue in my life.

The major part of the problem in accepting the theory of evolution is that it requires one grasp the significance of extremely long periods of time involved in the process. Such intervals are imaginably beyond individual experience.

Answer 3

Let's say that SOME religious people won't accept evolution. Darwin's version of it was wrong, he admitted it himself. But that doesn't mean the entire concept is wrong! Neither the evolution of language or life forms contradict the Bible; anyone who tells you that hasn't read very carefully. Genesis 11:8-9 explains the variation in language. Some people call it evolution, some people call it the work of God. The fact is, it exists; does it really matter how we explain it? Giants are mentioned in Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:13, dragons are rampant in Revelation, and there are some very bizarre creatures in Ezekial chapter 1 - apparently these things are extinct now. Oh wait, extinction is an evolutionary term. Oh well.

Answer 4

I am Catholic and I believe that the process of evolution exists. We see things change and mutant over time to survive. But I do not believe that human beings evolved from ape creatures from 100,000 yrs ago. I believe that God created Adam then Eve long after He created animals.

I believe that at the Tower of Babel, God made man be able to speak many different languages. We see that over time some languages change (evolve) because ancient Hebrew is a little different that today's Hebrew. And even English has changed over the past 200 years. We add words, add slang, stop using certain words and even change the way some words are pronounced.

"IF" early apes evolved into human beings, then when and how did the ape sounds evolve into a language, then into hundreds of very different languages? And then there is the written word.

Answer 5

I evolved from a sperm and a egg. Gods pretty cool Hugh he makes something feel so good and then it creates life. If you ask me I think God is real smart. In fact I'm hungry. I love oranges I think I'll have one. Wow look at the rapping God put on that fruit to keep it fresh for me to eat. Hay I saw the seeds I planted in the garden evolved into vegetables the other day. Were continually evolving if you ask me. I'm a Christian and a son of God! Intelligent design is very clear to see, his personality is written thought creation. This argument about evolution versus creation is pretty bizarre if you ask me. Evolution and creation are one in the same.We all evolve. Satan blinds peoples eyes and minds and hearts.

Answer 6

Really ,communication is out of necessity.I don't think evolution plays much of a part in that.Life evolves within a species out of necessity.Men change from dark to light depending on where ther are.In Africa you get dark,the further north you go the lighter you get.Reflcting hot sun or wanting to absord it when it's cold.Yet we can all mate and have kids because we are the same species.Try that with a fish and a monkey.You won't get ''Funkys "out of the deal.

Answer 7

Good point. I would add (as an evolutionary linguist) that it's not absolutely clear that we can talk of language evolving according to precisely the same mechanisms as biological organisms. What are the units of selection? Utterances? Structures in the brain?

But this is probably a minor point; the analogy is a very good one.

Answer 8

I am of a Christian denomination. I do believe in evolution, but that it is part of God's plan. I don't know where it says that languages shouldn't evolve--particularly since the Bible has been translated over and over again, and into so many languages.

Answer 9

This world had to start somehow. There must be something here already to evolve.
If we evolve from monkeys there would be NO monkeys and the big bang theory doesn't work. When anything blows up it doen't blow inward and create anything. It blows outward and destroys.
Plus humans have never made even one thing magically. He had to use what is already here.

Answer 10

Superb point. However, I think it's easy to see that Chaucer did not write in a style that would be recognized as correct in MS Word's grammar and spell checker, even though it is partially recognizable as English. People have a harder time seeing themselves as evolved. This is almost all about whether human beings are special or not. And to the universe we're not; only to each other are we important.