My family says I need to find God, more specifically Jesus. But every time I find a representative of his, they try to convince me that science and facts are not factual. I worked as a geologist and paleo-engineer for years, and I got to dig up bones and teeth that were millions of years old. But my Christian friends, and family insist the world is no more than 6 thousand years old. They also insist that evolution is a sin, and untrue, even though my fossil evidence has proven it conclusively. My question is do I have to give up on scientific fact to find Jesus? Is there a switch that Christians can switch off in there minds to stop asking questions about there surroundings? Where do I have to go to get this switch installed?
Why won't Christians allow the books of the bible that actually document Christ's life into the Bible? I found several books written by people who actually witnessed Christ and his miracles, but their words are in the Apocrypha instead of the Bible, Why?
2007-07-30 15:00:22 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I believe that religion is a business.
Yet I am a spiritual person.
We unfortunately live in a world that is made up of followers not leaders. The ones that decided what was to be accepted within the Holy Bible were interested in furthering there own business interest. Thus they gave clients what they wanted not what they actually needed.
Through false Wisdom, control is made easy, when you have a multitude of followers that are not willing to find out the "Truth" for themselves.
I have a feeling that business as usual is soon to be interrupted.
2007-07-30 15:19:51 · answer #1 · answered by WillRogerswannabe 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
I don't think it's necessary to shun science for Christianity. I believe God might've created through evolution and that the 7-days were God-sized days. The Hebrew word Yom just means extended period of time or 24 hours, and it was translated to 24 hours instead of the extended period of time.
Granted, I also think God might've created in 6000 years, I don't think we know. And please don't call the people who believe that idiots.
About evolution, there is no way that evolution could've happened without God. Take the eye for example. It would've required millions of random mutation just to create a working eye. And 1 mutation towards the eye does nothing, because the eye has millions of genes working together and there is no way that there could be an eye with only one gene.
If the 1 or two genetic mutations that would help towards the eventual eye don't actually help the organism, it doesn't allow natural selection to select toward said organism. Thousands or even millions of mutations would have to happen at the same time to create a working eye that would actually provide a benefit in survival of the fittest. And the chances of that happening are slim enough that in all seriousness it's not possible without God. And the eye is not a fluke, complicated
organs are all over, the nose, the ear, and that's just in humans.
2007-07-30 22:12:36 · answer #2 · answered by glsbnewt21 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Woah, lots of questions in there. No you do not have to give up your logical mind or deny scientific process. I am a college educated, very logical minded born again Christian.
Even in the bible its talks about babes and milk vs. meat. Faith is called a walk because there is a progression, a learning process that happens.
Perhaps it is the level of Christian you are talking with. Just as there are people who can't talk on your level as a geoligist, there are Christians who can't talk about the science connection because they are not well versed in one or both.
As far as the Apocrypha, there were question about their authorship and whether they added any additional value to the Bible as it stood. I have read bits and pieces and they do not have the same tone as the other books in my opinion. My understanding is that there was also some conflicting writings in there as well, which automatically kept them out.
But the point of the Bible is not to figure out how the world works but to figure out God works, how he thinks. If he created the universe why would scientific findings conflict with that? If he created the world for our benefit and created us, why would he have to prove how he did it? From his perspective he's not obligated to us in that way. Just like when you are a child and parents say, "Because I said so." Knowing there is no way they can explain something in terms you would understand (until you've matured).
The nature of God is that he doesn't have to prove to you that he made the universe. But if you study him as you have studied engineering and geology you will find more confirmation than conflict. I guarantee it. To follow the school analogy, unstudied Chrstians cannot be your teacher, anymore than two 3rd graders can discuss the function of the earth and the night sky......but they know the stars are there.
You want to resolve the conflict? Study the bible and listen to those who have studied it deeply as well.
Ever read the Old testament provisions? - do you realize that many of the rules directly correlated with germ elimination and containment? They were even told to wash their plated and cups - sounds logical because we know about bacteria, but THEY DIDN"T they just obeyed God's Laws.
Thousands of years later they couldn't figure out why the Jews weren't affected in great numbers by the plagues in Europe - well, they were just living life as God had instructed.
At the time of Jesus, the rules of washing had been turned into such ritual that only the priests were able to be "clean enough" as if that made them holy. Can you imagine Jesus's frustration (no microscope invented yet, no bacteria identified yet) when he knew the point of washing and they had turned into an act of holiness?
I often find the Bible absolutely fascinating in light of science.
2007-07-30 22:46:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Your friends and family are a ridiculous sub section of Christians that follow a ridiculous concept called "literal interpretation of the scriptures".
Only idiots believe the world is only 6 thousand years old in the face of all the evidence to the contrary.
But there are lots of legitimate Christian religions that don't ask you to accept Genesis as more than an allegory. (Orthodoxy and Catholicism among them) In fact, the Jews have the same old testament, and they have historically considered much of the old testament as allegorical.
Now... the hard part... even if you decide you like one of the "rational" Christian religions, you are going to have to accept the idea that god became a man and rose from the dead...
2007-07-30 22:11:25 · answer #4 · answered by Jimee77 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I love science and I love finding things that create mystery. There are things we see and experience here on Earth as true, yet my gut feeling also tells me that my faith is true. I love finding science that proves this. Chesk out The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, and then check out "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne and compare it to what we know about Quantum Physics. Truly fascinating and belief affirming. As for the Bible, keep in mind that a "council" got together and decided which stories of the Bible should be included and which should be tossed. I read The Bible, The Gospel of Thomas, Dead Sea Scroll and Apocrypha. Don't stop questioning. Read, learn for yourself and consider all of the facts. Nothing you have learned disproves God's existence, it only disproves narrowminded belief systems.
2007-07-30 22:09:47 · answer #5 · answered by lifeilluminate 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Catechism of the Catholic Church
159 Faith and science: "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth." "Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are."
2007-07-30 22:09:39 · answer #6 · answered by Danny H 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Those that say the earth is only 6000 years old are not the only ones who accept Christ. You might check the crowd your hanging with.
2007-07-30 22:14:15 · answer #7 · answered by kazmania_13 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
So how do you know, 100% sure that those fossils date back that far? The first person to date one had no clue the real answer they just made something up. Seriously how do you know? Were you there? The apocrypha is blasphemy, that is something the Jesuit preists wrote up and put into the catholic bible. www.chick.com Alberto Rivera or something like that he used to be a Jesuit preist and came out of the vatican and released every bit of information on them. But of course they will deny it.
2007-07-30 22:06:53 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
it is obvious that everybody needs to make balance between rational(scientific) and intuitive, irational...words are not perfect tool
2007-07-30 22:10:24 · answer #9 · answered by Srbo Sutaric 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
don't give up on rationality. religion is for the ignorant.
2007-07-31 01:35:37 · answer #10 · answered by superwow_rl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋