Is evolution one of God's tools?

Question

I read a question on R&S in which someone asked whether God or evolution made more sense, and he argued in favor of evolution. Several people answered, saying that evolution had been guided by God. I hope some of those people will come here and elaborate. My question is this: If God had a hand in creating life, why did he choose a process as wasteful, inefficient, and cruel as evolution?

For every species that survives, many others go extinct. Various body parts, like the backbone in humans, often cause problems due to bad design. Human backbones, though similar to those of animals that walk on four legs, are vertical, leading to herniated discs and other problems. This seems to indicate that evolution is not a good tool for an intelligent designer to use. It also indicates that the supposed work of a perfect being contains all sorts of serious structural flaws, making his work identical to the results of blind evolution, removing the need for God as an explanation of life on Earth.

Answer 1

All the evidence and arguments you use here indicate that God plays no hand in evolution, if He exists at all. I think a God or other omnipotent and omniscient being would enjoy observing more than creating. Think about it. God would know what would happen if He did something on his own, but anything humans or animals do might hold surprises for Him. So it could be more entertaining for Him to watch than to intervene.

Answer 2

I think your question makes more sense if you remove outdated concepts of God from the equation.
If God is merely the activating principle of life, then evolution is the process by which it is perfected.
When looking at the flaws in evolution:
"Human backbones, though similar to those of animals that walk on four legs, are vertical, leading to herniated discs and other problems"
I don't see a completed product but rather an ungoing process leading toward higher and higher levels of evolvement. In other words, if you remove tribal supersitions and look for God on a higher level of being.. you get a sense of a much larger plan at work.

Answer 3

That's a pretty valid question and it's none science
deals with. Or *can* deal with. A supernatural is
beyond what science (or anyone else) can proof
or disproof. This is the only foundation why it's not
a necessary contradiction to be a scientist and a
believer in (whatever) god. We *do* know pretty
well what happened after life started on earth. But
we do not know with the necessary certainty to
call it proof or theory how that life formed or where
it came from. There's still plenty of space left for
religion and probably there will be lots of space
for it for the next few hundreds to thousands years.
This does of course not mean there's plenty of
space for every aspect of religion. As soon as
it leaves the meta physical it pretty much becomes
invalid on sight.

Answer 4

It's clingy. The very Bible that they all tell us to read states that God created Heaven and Earth in six days. On the seventh day, He rested.

A good many scientific methods have shown that to be absolutely false, and have piled on evidence against the six-day claim. Instead of admit that the Bible is not only wrong--it plain-out lied--they instead try to work this new science thing into their system of beliefs.

Now the "read the Bible" answer is usually given when asked to back up a hateful and intolerant viewpoint.

[Edit] As a personal fitness trainer who corresponds with physicians, I'd say most back problems have to do with improper usage of said back rather than poor design.

Answer 5

Yes, if God created everything, there would be no need for an evolutionary process. However, we have proof that evolution has occurred and is still occurring.
Therefore the Christians must reconcile these facts in one of two ways.
1. Evolution is a complete lie.
2. God created evolution.

Answer 6

For me, the most convincing evidence that life evolved is all the errors, mistakes and imperfections in life.

The inefficiency of the human eye (hardly intelligent design)
The panda's thumb (actually a modified sesamoid bone)
the human spine (not actually 'designed' well for walking on 2 legs)
Evolutionary "dead ends" (species that evolved to fit an extremely narrow niche)

Answer 7

I don't think our back problems make it wrong. For example, a woman has evolved to give birth with great pain, but God made it like that on purpose. We are created on purpose to get old, lump up, and die. The fact that God made us less significant then what he COULD have made us, does not disproove evolution as a bad tool for God to use. There are good things in bad things just like there are bad things in good things.

Answer 8

Look dude...cant say God to a point...not Humans but to point in the far past did not have a hand in evolution...but to say he is flawed with his design in Humans is asinine. He made the first two humans perfect..Adam/Eve...and through sin there bodies got older and imperfections started to occur through their childern....eventually death to all human race...by then a Savior was promised and the rest is in ur Bible:)

Answer 9

You have it backwards, friend; God is man's tool to satisfy his need for answers for that which Science has yet to explain. Once Science has provided a reason for certain phenomena, the mystical association is ended.

As Oscar Wilde wrote:
"Science is a catalogue of dead religions."

Answer 10

Actually your putting FAR, FAR too much importance on this plane of existence. I might be able to understand if we were guaranteed at least 500yrs. and all with good health. But when your talking maybe 80yrs. with a few good ones you have to be out of your mind to trade it for eternal torment.
Evolution isn't one of GOD'S tools, it's one of satans deception devices that idiots cling too. There is no such thing as evolution in real life, only creatures going through their NORMAL stages of life. But you can lead a horse to water...