If you are a Christian and you study biology, how do you resolve the spiritual conflict?

Question

Let me start the thread by admitting that there are a great number of highly-achieved biologists who are Christians. They have my respect.

But, since in the modern days, evolution has gone from a "topic in biology" to the "cornerstone of biology." You may not believe me for this, but if you go deeper into the biology community, you will find out that this is true.

So I really wonder how the serious biologists out there, who are also Christians, resolve this conflict in belief.

You can surely use principles that you don't really believe, but isn't that awkward?

Answer 1

Many believers feel that religion and science do not contradict one another. The two can co-exist. Science can help explain just how God does create. This is not a new idea, but has been on-going since the 1800's.Many believers know the Big Bang did occur. We differ with science on this as we believe God or a spiritual force started the event.

Answer 2

Well, I'm no biologist. My field is history, not science. However, I have made it a point the last few years to study science more closely.

What I would like to know is, once a person gets into molecular biology, how did things happen?

So I've got the whole "superheated" atoms and matter pressing together, and after it cooled, the primordial soup was formed. This process probably took a million years, maybe more, and that's fine. I can accept that. Out of this, the first organic cells or molecules were formed. Okay, I can accept that too. But how did the dozens of steps that it takes to form ONE living cell occur? And WHY?

The living creatures that can survive in superheated environments were MADE for it. They have other ways of surviving. How and WHY did the first living cells eventually form sea creatures? And WHY did sea creatures suddenly decide to become land creatures? It makes no sense to me. How did they mate? What's the mathematical possibility that this happened?

In all truth, it's my experience that once a person reaches beyond the HOW and starts asking WHY, science can no longer explain it. Science is observing the natural world, and forming theories from what is learned. It can explain the "how" to an extent, but not the "why." I've always been one to ask "why" and I think that's what led me to become a skeptic for so many years (most of my life, except for the first five years, and the last ten months). Even now, I'm skeptical.

This is where philosophy and religion come in. Science does NOT have all the answers. It CAN'T. And it can't make comment on the supernatural, either. Any person who tries to insist that science has "disproven" God is deceiving themselves.

The only thing that science conflicts with is a literal interpretation of the creation story in Genesis. I don't believe this is a problem.

And THAT is why a person can be a biologist (or just interested in science, as I am, though some of the technical terms baffle me) and religious.

Not a very thorough answer, I know, but I've only been awake for about forty-five minutes, and I'm still on my first cup of coffee, lol.

Answer 3

Many people I know resolve it by choosing to believe that God planned and started the process of evolution and had a hand in nurturing it along the way.

I don't buy that though. I believe that God created each species separately. I don't think evolution is as solid a theory as the scientific community makes it out to be. They have based so many other theories on it that they can't afford for it to be wrong.

I see some major flaws in the theory of evolution. Evolution is almost always lumped together with adaptation as though they are one and the same, but they aren't. Adaptation within a species (AKA natural selection or survival of the fittest) is indisputable fact. It can be observed within a few generations. Evolution on the other hand, the idea that one species can change enough to become thousands is theory at best. Where's the evidence?

In order for one species to become another it would have to gradually change over millions of years. So there should be millions of in-between fossils. Where are they? They don't exist.

What about fitness factors? In order for a fish to evolve into a newt it's fin would have to gradually become and arm. But in the process it would have part-fin part-arm. It wouldn't function right as a fin or an arm. It would be a hindrance and the creature would get eaten and not be able to pass on it's genetic material.

When scientists study fossils how do they know they are looking at different species? If dogs went extinct thousands of years ago and they dug up a Chihuahua skull and a Great Dane skull would they know they were the same species or would they assume that one came from the other.

These arguments don't completely disprove evolution, but they certainly cast some doubt on it. I'm not trying to convince you that evolution is wrong. I'm just saying that it's not dead certain as the scientific community has chosen to believe.

Answer 4

I believe in emotional honesty and believe the first step to conflict resolution is listening.you can be logical and emotionally true to yourself. it is only through really listening to how the other person is feeling that clears the air long enough to get to the root of the problem Many conflicts occur because of context and circumstance that give people different perspectives. The first step to discovering the distintion in perspective is to listen to feelings as the starting clue You must first identify a problem before you can solve it. Too many people come up with the solution before they listen carefully to the facts of the sitition, Good solution to the wrong circumstance caues more problem when you say getting on with it you are skipping this vital step and create a barrier to real solotions. Define a problem before fixing a solution The sexual sterotypes are wrong. There are babes that can be both smart and emotinally honest . I know because thats the type of woman i try to be so you cant lump all woman together talking it out is the key to problem solvin solving and any reasonable man will do so that is not just a girl thing but a person who has a healthy problem solving approach ok my ex bf was type A--rush to judgement type guy and he missed the mark so many times. he thought that same way and it used to totally piss off my normally sweet smart disposition when he would say" I dont want to argue with you jenny" That seems nice but the way he said it is that he didnt want to dicuss it, whatever the issues was. It wasnt nice though cus it was usually accompanied by some lame remark like is it time for your period I believe the best approach is a combination of emotional honesty and logical thinking. You need both to solve a problem effectively and i think the truest people of both sexes incorporate both and that there are immature people in both sexes that dont bet you didnt expect such a long logical and enotional explanation like that from a cute babe

Answer 5

No conflict.. Evolution is valid with flaws (it cannot explain everything) per the current Pope and the last Pope.. And Mendel with his beans was an Augustinian.. Catholics see no conflict whatsoever in this.

Catholics take Adam & Eve as a De Fide (out of faith) belief but not Genesis as word for word history - for Catholics Genesis is an allegory. For Catholics the Old Testament is some allegory, some poetry, some history and many good stories which teach..

If you look at the genetic variation exhibited today among people in the world, logically Adam and Eve could not have been the source of all people on the planet without evolution having a hand in things to cause such wide genetic variation.

In my opinion you should not worry.. God created science and evolution..

Take care..

A Catholic..

Answer 6

The evidence is the same.
The presuppositions used to interpret that evidence are different. This is historical science that is based on interpreting data that cannot be repeated. Evolutionists (molecules to man) have to assume everything about the past.

Creation is very complex and intelligently designed.
There is no such thing as a simple life form.
There is adaptation within species but that is not the same as one organism evolving into a completely different organism.
The fossil evidence that we have, if looked at honestly, does fit the Biblical account that God created all things in 6 days.

There is no conflict----God is the author of life.
He is the only eye witness to how it all began.

Answer 7

1) Evolution has nothing to do with spirituality.
2) If it does, tell us what it is, so that we all may know.

3) I took Biology 1 and 2, and then Physiology, I still don't see a connection.
4) Did you ever take a biology class yourself?

Answer 8

Conflict in belief? Betweeen belief in evolution and Creationism? There is no conflict for many biologists/scientists. Let me explain.
Genesis states that God created the world in 7 days.
For thousands of years, people believed that meant 7 of "our" 24-hour days. But then we learned that the earth is millions of years old.
No conflict there. God's time is not "our" time. We exist in time and space. But for God, past, present and future are one. Therefore, in 7 of "God's" days, the world (and man) was created. But who is to say "but God Himself" what was the length of one of His days that the author of Genesis describes? For instance, one "day" could have been hundreds upon thousands of years!
On the 6th "day", he created man. At an exact point in creation, God breathed a living soul into a human being (whom Genesis calls Adam). This "soul" he breathed was not just a "lifeforce" that vivified the body, as animals received. The "soul" he breathed into Adam was in the "image and likeness" of Himself! The soul was self-aware, and had the capacity for great intelligence, memory and free will (not just instinct, although we have that, also).
So, a scientist certainly can believe in the God who created the universe and all that is in it, without there being a conflict with belief in evolution.
In fact, the more men and women discover about biology and all the sciences, the more I marvel at His great creation.

Answer 9

Polar Bear: Check-out the Center for Science & Culture site at: www.dissentfromdarwin.org - herein, you will find groups of Scientists (non-Christians), who will totally disagree with you and supply you with a long list of the names of the Scientists and his or her respective institution of study. This claim even, is supported by scientific proof. You will see, that even, modern day Biology - as held as pure it may seem, has its major flaws. You are addressing a former Atheist and dyed-in -the-wool Evolutionist here, who is currently a Christian.

Answer 10

evolution is still a theory. Nothing has been proved. Guys like you go around believing without studying fully and then put down Christians who have a spiritual connection with God. Something you should acquire. Then maybe you would see that mankind can never possibly understand the power of God or His abilities.