If a Christian chooses to accept the theory of evolution...?

Question

does this automatically discredit the creation story? I would love to hear from evolutionist Christians on this, or open minded evolutinists who could explain if it were possible at all ie. the creation story being true at the time that humans have evolved at that point?

Answer 1

It may be that Adam and Eve may have been the beginning of our species to recognize right from wrong. I am not for sure and will not claim I am. When they do because of temptation they are kicked from their old way of living. Maybe this relates we used to live off the land (as eden) and began to grow our own food (man must till the ground) because of the knowledge he has acquired and now growing population. In order to do what he knows is right he must support those of his population whom he cares about. It does in the Bible in Genesis say that the whales came from their kind and spiders from their kind. Maybe man being made in Gods image was something caused us to have the knowledge of Good and evil. Anyways I cant completely dismiss this idea though I have to admit I havn't considered everything about it yet. Scientist nor Christians know all the details yet but it is quite possible that The Bible can be merged with truths we find in our earth if they are both truths. It is also possible for people to make bad assumptions.

Also when in the Bible it says to God a day can be as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day means to God time is meaningless. He is beyond time and space as space is part of time and obviously he is omni present so that makes sense as well. So God making the world in 7 days could even bey 7000 years, 7 million years, 7 billion years.

By the way I think of God as an extra-dimensional being

By the way Apes would still be around because as 2 groups of Apes were separated one group would adapt to its environment while the other to its. Eventualy the 2 types can become so different they can no longer reproduce and the dividing line between the 2 groups is now permanent. This is how new species come about the best we know. However not to say we did come from apes but its not impossible. Specialy over millions of years. However we would no longer be considered Apes. We would be considered Humans. There is a difference.

I also accept the fact that if God were an extra dimensional being he may be able to tweak genetic material from his place. We would never know the difference and think it was a naturally occurring phenomena when in reality for it to occur at its natural pace would be almost impossible. There for what looks natural to us is actualy supernatural. Only time will tell.

Answer 2

Not for me! I personally accept the evolution theory as a theory. We have no way to tell for sure that science is accurate, and they say we evolved in however many billion years. I can accept God's words much more easily than that. He said that He did it in seven days. Okay, well I'm not Him. I don't have any clue as to what a day is to him. But since he did create the beings of the ocean before the things of the land, biblically, and scientists generally believe that life came from the ocean. . . well, it fits, though a tad awkwardly. But we're making advances on science each day. Some day I believe that we'll know enough to see that evolution does fit with the bible and be able to see God's hand in it.

Answer 3

I believe in evolution, I think God could have made and animal and then thought "hey, he'd be better if he could have one more finger etc" and remember that God has been around for billions of years so to change an animal over thousands of years isn't exactly a long time for Him. But I can not believe that people were apes. I mean, it says in the bible that people were made in Gods own image, and I'm sure we have changed since then, like we have different coloured skin (seeing as Eden was in Africa I expect we don't look the same as Adam and Eve), but God created apes and He created man, they can't have mixed or there wouldn't be any monkeys still here? I just don't see how we could have possible come from monkeys!

Answer 4

When the evolution theory was first gaining acceptance, Joseph Le Conte, a university professor, wrote a book entitled Evolution and Its Relation to Religious Thought, in which he set forth the relation of this new theory to religious belief:

"Its truth or falseness, its acceptance or rejection, is no trifling matter, affecting only one small corner of the thought-realm. On the contrary, it affects profoundly the foundations of philosophy, and therefore the whole domain of thought. It determines the whole attitude of the mind toward Nature and
God."-Pages 3, 4.

Just how the evolution theory affects the "attitude of the mind toward Nature and God is tersely set forth by a spokesman for Bible-deriding skeptics who, significantly, were among the first to accept the theory:

"But-no Adam, no fall; no fall, no atonement; no atonement, no Savior. Accepting evolution, how can we believe in a fall? When did man fall; was it before he ceased to be a monkey, or after? . . . And if there never was a fall, why should there be any atonement?" -ROBERT BLATCHFORD, God and My Neighbor, p. 159.

Answer 5

genesis is not a science book, it deals with morals and whatnot.

the story could be allegory, or maybe dumbed down in a sense

"in the beginning God put together nucleotides to form a basic amino acid"

interpreting genesis allegorically isn't a new thing either, St. Augustine wrote about this in the year 408!

"It not infrequently happens that something about the earth, about the sky, about other elements of this world, about the motion and rotation or even the magnitude and distances of the stars, about definite eclipses of the sun and moon, about the passage of years and seasons, about the nature of animals, of fruits, of stones, and of other such things, may be known with the greatest certainty by reasoning or by experience, even by one who is not a Christian. It is too disgraceful and ruinous, though, and greatly to be avoided, that he [the non-Christian] should hear a Christian speaking so idiotically on these matters, and as if in accord with Christian writings, that he might say that he could scarcely keep from laughing when he saw how totally in error they are. In view of this and in keeping it in mind constantly while dealing with the book of Genesis, I have, insofar as I was able, explained in detail and set forth for consideration the meanings of obscure passages, taking care not to affirm rashly some one meaning to the prejudice of another and perhaps better explanation."



lost.eu/21618

Answer 6

I feel that time to God means nothing. One day to God is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. It could just as easily say a million years. I believe that evolution could have happened, but if it did, God caused it to happen.

I also believe that God, who is all-powerful could have done it in a literal period of six 24-hour days. If God can do anything, why not. He could have done it in 6 seconds if He had chosen to. I don't put limits on God.

But, someday I am confident that He will explain to me the way He created the universe. I will ask Him when I get to heaven.

Answer 7

It's called Theistic Evolution. Basically, it's the belief that God started the big bang, etc. The problem is that it doesn't work for either side. The 2 cannot be married together. ie, Bible has Earth before Stars, Man coming from dust, not slime water, etc. Basically, they both can't be right. Must chose one or the other, or neither I guess.

Answer 8

I see no contradiction at all. God made Adam from dirt. Evolution says virtually the same thing. They just go into far greater detail.

And yes, man IS made in God's Image. But God is SPIRIT, not flesh. So if you want to see God's Image, look at human intelligence and emotion. Geesh, people!

Answer 9

That's an excellent question! The bottom line is going to be, does a Christian accept God's Word or NOT.

They can't accept God's Word and believe in evolution. Period. God made man in His image and God isn't a primate.

Also, if man actually evolved from apes, why are there still apes? And why aren't there signs of some apes still evolving who are part man ??? Hmm ???

*doing the eye roll thingy*

Answer 10

A Christian who, in their error, accepted evolution as being a truth, would have to be corrected (healed) before they could move on from their mortal and temporal beliefs of this age.