Evolution/Religion Coinciding?

Question

Ok. I was very religious before but have become somewhat distant somewhat with different ideas of how we were created however Ihave come to believe that if there was a God and we were created through him it was through an evolutionary process. Thus Can Evolution and Religion Coincide? I think it can

Answer 1

If you could stomach the idea of god starting the universe in motion and then letting it evolve, your want to believe in the two theories coinciding is surely a possibility.

The problem comes when you try and share this belief with others, since the religious folks will tell you "that's not what the bible says, so you're wrong and you'll burn in hell" and the scientific folks saying "that's not going to be anything that can be proven scientifically, so it can't be true."

But, if it's your own personal belief and you're not trying to share it with anyone or get anyone's official 'approval' then so be it. Many feel religious beliefs are personal, as is their relationship with whatever god they worship, so it doesn't matter if anyone else approves.

I say it's a fair compromise of your own belief system, and that's all that should matter to you!

Answer 2

I think you can create a construct where this is valid. However, I am concerned that there is a body of empirical evidence which makes a creator out of the question, except possibly a deist style creator. Even that is questionable. There is a substantial and growing body, both inside biology and outside, that make the idea of a creator very questionable.

Although there are a number of different types of problems in biology, physics and so on, I will provide one specific example in the literature.

In Engineering studies of using biological systems for the purposes of design, an interesting observation has occurred. Biological systems fail using what is called the "bathtub curve." Engineering systems made by professionals fail at an increasing rate as time or usage increase. Engineering systems made by amateurs or the incompetent fail using the bathtub curve, implying they did not know what they were doing.

So, if we were intelligently designed, the designer was not very bright, let alone omniscient.

Just a note, the bathtub curve is created because there is a high failure rate of poorly fit newborns or biological equivalent for other new organisms. For example, babies with severe birth defects die early. Intelligently designed systems lack birth defects.

The article in this was in an issue, I believe, of Transactions of the IEEE in the last three years.

It causes one to wonder what possible reason a creator would have in creating systems unintelligently on purpose.

Answer 3

Travis, you would make a very handsome pet , by the way, I remember when I first appeared here. I had often gazed at this planet from the other realm, where I exist. I often loved to gaze at it, and wanted to come here. Imagine how surprised we all were to find it teeming with live organisms. I have noticed many children crying when their "parents" say they cannot have another cookie, or they must come home from "play" . I have seen people cry when they were told they had no more job, or to they were being "fired" and told the reason why, I guess the truth. I have seen women and men trick each other for a variety of reasons, and then when the truth was found out, no one laughed. Only tears, and contorted facial expressions. I have seen people told they had an incurable disease, or they would lose their baby. This truth caused immense crying, and pain. People would learn someone they loved died, that is the number 1 truth where tears come readily. And I have seen people cry when they won something, when someone "confessed" that they loved them, after all, when they graduated from a school or training program, when they had loved ones returning from a "war" alive, and visa versa. I would say , the tearducts work when the truths are powerful. or make one realize something . I have had to ask for a pair of these to be made, so I can cry too, while i am here. And immediately, i began to use them. I didn't ever think this planet was so complex. But it is. I hope you are ok. There is a saying i heard from your place, " this too shall pass" and also, " seek to know the truth and the truth will set you free."

Answer 4

Evolution is a scientific explanation for how species of animals on this planet came to be in their present form.
This explanation is based on evidence, data collected in the real world, and uses mathematics and experimentation to determine the truth or falsehood of the explanation.
Religion is a belief system based on ancient writings, ancient sayings, or the pronouncements of religious leaders. It is not based upon anything scientific and in fact claims it is based on "faith" - that is the putting aside of your reasoning abilities and logic and just accepting blindly these pronouncements and writings. I don't see how these two things can be said to coincide.

Answer 5

Not in the end because religion is being forced to reinterpret or make up new excuses for how the science fits in. Its all just an attempt to keep followers.

All you are doing is trying to justify to yourself how god fits into the overwhelming realm of science.

Answer 6

Yes, but not the modern theory of evolution.

That theory states that new, more adapted species are created from genetic mutation plus natural selection.

I won't argue about the selection part. Man himself has created through breeding, and interbreeding, new races of animals.

The error is placed in the genetic mutation part: it is not possible to increase any amount of useful genetic information from bare genetic mutation. Experiments with the famous insect species "escherichia coli" have demonstrated that.

My position is that G-d made us Himself. He introduces the human spirit into the human body:

"Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis, 2:7)

The "dust of the ground" is the human body, and the "breath of life" is the human spirit.

Answer 7

Sure. My faith and science mesh all the time. Evolution explains how life came to what it is today. But it doesn't explain the first spark of life. Perhaps it will one day.
I am taking Bio right now and I am in awe of how complex this world is. I look at it and think "Wow look at what the Gods did!" My husband that athiest looks at it think "Man science is cool." Its perspective.

Answer 8

There is no room in science for a primitive, bronze age mythological flying creature.

I mean really, try saying that out loud, does it not sound ridiculous?

Answer 9

God created man in His image. My God is not an ape...much less an amoeba.

Answer 10

Theistic evolution. Don't try to muddle science and religion or pretend you can prove it.