2007-10-05 14:58:18 · 45 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Wow, what a fiery topic this is.
You can believe evolution is true (since it's pretty well-established, anyway) and still be a Christian. Literally interpreting everything in the Bible to be one hundred percent true is a terrible idea. In fact, it's nearly impossible considering the gross contradictions between the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ.
The Bible is a book of stories. It doesn't matter whether or not ANY of them are true. Like any great work of literature (from Anne Frank's diary to The Odyssey to Hamlet), you're supposed to understand a deeper truth after reading it. In this case, it's all the MORAL teachings of Christ and the holy power of God. If people concentrate on literal details such as the entire human race being descended from two people rather than evolving from other animals, they overlook more important things in the book.
That said, I don't see why anyone has an issue with God creating life (or even protein chains. OR even just the universe and protons, neutrons, and electrons. Isn't that a tremendous enough achievement?), and evolution running it's natural course from there. God doesn't have to micromanage everything. He's GOD. Give Him a little credit.
2007-10-05 15:19:04 · answer #1 · answered by dPaladin 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No you can't. Evolution is in direct contradiction with Genesis 1:23 and 24 where He says that He created all living creatures according to it's kind. This means that everything that was made was finished and exactly as God had intended it to be. Yes creatures adapt to new environments. We humans do it all the time but adaptation is not evolution. Species do not decide to grow an extra set of legs or more fur. All animals were made as we see them today. Anyone who says that evolution has been proven is either a liar or a fool. It has never been proven regardless of what people may say. If I pointed at a car and said that that car just evolved to be that way on it's own you would laugh at me for being a fool yet people accept every day that the miracle of life itself, in all of it's complexity just happened on it's own. The word of God is clear on the subject of evolution and to pick and choose what we want to believe is to reduce the relevance of His Holy Word to the realms of a fairy tale. If we do this, why even bother believing anymore?
2007-10-05 15:17:41 · answer #2 · answered by Arcturus 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Absolutely you can. I'm a Geologist and my studies and work led me TO God. I believe evolution is nothing more than God's process of creation. I don't believe He twitched His spiritual nose like "Bewitched" and poof, there is a cow! Moses wrote Genesis through divine inspiration in a way that the people of that day would understand about man's spiritual relationship with God and the human condition and how it came to be. I believe God did use the "Big Bang" and then let his nature take its course. I also believe and KNOW it took millions of years, not 6 days 5,000 years ago. I believe in God because of the complexity of life, the fact that I think there are things that were put here specifically for our enjoyment and fulfilled prophecy.
2007-10-05 15:11:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes. There are a lot of Christians who believe in evolution, most believing that God works through evolution. Personally, I do not believe in evolution in the grand sense where one species becomes another, but certainly selective breeding and environmental conditions do influence the design of animals and plants. I just think its on a very limited, small scale.
2007-10-05 15:07:03 · answer #4 · answered by William D 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
In a nutshell, God's thoughts are never subject to chance or time (evolution), for they are perfect and eternal. But all thoughts not from God can evolve and prove evolution. But as you know or may have heard, without the Word was not anything made that was made. It is a material interpretation of spiritual truth which evolves, but not the spiritual original.
2007-10-05 15:09:10 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
you can believe whatever you want and still be a christian - - just look at what other christians believe....
even the pope believes in evolution and catholic schools teach it as scientific fact in biology class.
but you can't be a doctor, biologist, or drug researcher and not believe in evolution
2007-10-05 15:11:50 · answer #6 · answered by PD 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
If you're a Christian you should believe all the more that some parts of the bible are wrong. The namesake of your religion gave plenty of clues about how those around him failed to understand most of what he was trying to teach them. He talked about having eyes to see and ears to hear, and in essence cutting away the drek. If you believe in God, you should acknowledge that God would be the author of science and truth. Where science conflicts with ancient writings, it should be obvious which side your God is on.
2007-10-05 15:14:42 · answer #7 · answered by Emerald Blue 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Yes Just because you are a Christian does not mean you have to deny reality completely. One can accept some of Christianity and some of reality.
2007-10-05 15:08:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it does not contradict the story of creation at all.
To "create" means to put and keep something in existence. God is Creator because He puts and sustains everything in existence. He is the maker and final goal of everything that exists, all things visible and invisible.
The truth of creation means that God's loving creativity builds into each of us a meaning, purpose and destiny which nothing can take away from us.
Does the Genesis account of creation contradict the scientific theory of evolution? No. In affirming that God is the ultimate cause of all that exists, Genesis gives its ultimate meaning and purpose - "Why" the world exists. It does not explain "how" the physical world came to be in its present condition, which the theory of evolution tries to explain.
The Catholic Church does not have an official position on whether various life forms developed over the course of time. However, it says that, if they did develop, then they did so under the impetus and guidance of God, and their ultimate creation must be ascribed to him.
Concerning human evolution, the Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility that man's body developed from previous biological forms, under God's guidance, but it insists on the special creation of his soul.
For an in-depth presentation on this subject please go to this link and look for paragraph 279 and following.
http://www.scborromeo.org/index2.htm
2007-10-05 15:01:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 3⤋
A Christian, yes. A Christian fundamentalist, no.
2007-10-05 15:07:55 · answer #10 · answered by ? 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋