Evolution

The Bible has an account of creation, but there are many interpretations of this story. There are Christians who are evolutionists (like Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project) and Christians who are creationists (most high profile Christians). God gave us brains so that we could think and analyze and study. I would encourage you to read about them both and make your own decision. You should be able to find these in your local library.

Books by evolutionists: Why Evolution Is True, Survival of the Sickest, The Greatest Show On Earth, Relics of Eden

Christian evolutionist's website: biologos.com

Books by creationists: Case for a Creator, The New Creationism

Christian creationist's website: AnswersInGenesis.com

While I don't want to influence you in any direction, I do want to say that evolution is not contrary to a belief in Scripture. Many, including myself, can see God's work in the beautiful and complex process of evolution. Christianity has its focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Issues like creation are secondary issues that on which we are free to have different viewpoints: just like contraception, what kind of sex we have, what foods to eat, what movies to watch, when and if we swear, tattoos, if we smoke or drink, how often and what we pray for, etc. Do not let anyone sway your belief. Study the issue yourself, reading the opinions of many well-educated people, and then decide upon your conviction.
 
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How one interprets Genesis influences how they interpret the rest of the Bible. There are problems interpreting statements later in the Bible if one takes a non-literal view of Genesis.
 
Just read/watch the AIG material. It will truly change your mind on the subject.

The reason evolution is taught as the truth in schools and what not, is because they don't want to believe there is a God. That's why it was created.

Evolution was turned to, because we as humans don't like self-control. In evolution, self control is not needed, as we are all considered animals. If we are just animals, what's wrong with having sex with every male/female you see? We are just animals aren't we?

Think on it :D
 
I think the Bible says God created or designed everything, therefore, that would include evolution. :p So no matter what, creation or evolution, all roads lead to the same place. If there was a big bang, God started it. If Adam looked more like an ape than we do today, God made him.

I agree with tj
Issues like creation are secondary issues that on which we are free to have different viewpoints ...
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I just think man wants answers he's not going to get on this side of eternity. He needs something to preoccupy his mind. We will not know where the arc of the covenant is, what actually happened to Elijah, exactly what Heaven or Hell are like, where Moses's body went, exactly how everything was formed, and many other things on this side of eternity. It's like a dog chasing it's tale. :rolleyes:

Personally, I think the truth is more in the middle and less on both ends. ;)

It doesn't really seem as though the Bible disagrees nor supports it.

1IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.(A)
2The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.... So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.
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Gen 1:1-2; 27

Doesn't say how exactly. Big bang? Who knows. Hairy? Who knows. He spoke it, it happened. The one thing we do know is that everything was created by God and has been evolving since then as designed by God. :D
 
Yes, 6 literal days if you read the words literally and grammatically. Also, as quoted, "God created man is his own image", so I don't believe Adam looked more like an ape. Also, genesis states the earth started out as a ball of water, evolution/big bang has it starting out as a mass of molten rock. Also, while I agree that not everything has an answer, in this case, we were given a specific recounting of the events that took place so that we would know what happened. "All scripture...is profitable", it's not there for filler to make the Bible larger. Proven observational science always agrees with the Bible, why try to twist the Bible to fit scientific theories?
 
The resone im asking is that im going into anthropology and I want to focus on cultural anthro I cant avoid the biolgical part. I believe in Micro but I find that there is a lack of evidence in marco evolution, however it is taught as truth and I need to give the answer the proffs want. The bible says god created everything on 6 days, but what is a day to God? I read somewhere that a day is a 1000 years. Is there any other scriptures that verifies the creation in six days?
 
The Bible does tell us in 2 Peter 3:8 that "that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" and Psalms 90:4 also mentions that "a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past". This has been used to argue that the 6 days of creation could actually longer periods of time.
However the Genesis account tells us that "the evening and the morning were the " for each specific day. When we add night to the context of each day we now know they are talking about a 24 hour period. Otherwise Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" breaks down.

(very quick answer as I get ready for work. this could probably be explained better by someone with more time)
 
Nazgul - I guess the only thing I would say is consider this research on knowing what the other side thinks. Give the answers that they want, it doesn't mean you believe it. St. Patrick (not his real name) was able to spread the gospel of Christ by taking time to understand how the people thought and what they believed. He then took those things and used them to advance the Kingdom. One day, you could be a very well known name in Anthropology, who is advancing the Kingdom in that area because you fully understand the roots of the field. Now might not be the time to fight the battle, now might be the time to understand how the enemy thinks. ;)


Yes, 6 literal days if you read the words literally and grammatically. Also, as quoted, "God created man is his own image", so I don't believe Adam looked more like an ape. Also, genesis states the earth started out as a ball of water, evolution/big bang has it starting out as a mass of molten rock. Also, while I agree that not everything has an answer, in this case, we were given a specific recounting of the events that took place so that we would know what happened. "All scripture...is profitable", it's not there for filler to make the Bible larger. Proven observational science always agrees with the Bible, why try to twist the Bible to fit scientific theories?
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I agree with 6 literal days as well. I think Wolfeman explained the why of this quite well.

Just curious ... how does being created in his own image mean that Adam didn't look like an ape? Every place in the Bible where I've seen God described, I don't get the feeling he looked like a man's outer shell at all. So who knows what the original Adam's outer shell looked like. Just for the record, I don't really believe he did either - just saying, we really don't know for sure, anymore than the evolutionist do.

Ball of water, lol I like that description. My whole point is that we can only think of things in our human mind as it relates to our human life. For example, if we see a bush burning, we know that the fire will destroy the bush. But with God, that isn't always so. If a man is swallowed by a whale, he's dead. But with God, that isn't so. If a man dies, he's gone for good. But with God that isn't so. What we think is an absolute isn't once God enters the picture.

Heavens and earth ... does that mean space (what we define as galaxies and universes) is heaven or is heaven a space or maybe heaven is beyond space? How did the ball of water get here? Was the entire outer space a ball of water, or was it just earth? How were the other things in the spans of space created? Were they here before or after the ball of water? We aren't told that. Maybe God spoke with a big bang and that created all of space and earth ended up as a ball of water that he decided to play with? ;)

God is, was, and always will be, He has no beginning and no end. Therefore so much could have happened before what we know as, "IN THE beginning God ..."
 
I agree that while it's unfortunate, you need to just give the answers they want if you want to make it through the class. There's no harm in understanding what others believe or why they believe it.

As stated, I believe in the 6 literal day creation, and the timeline of the earth as can be traced through the geneologies given throughout the Bible. Given this belief, there wouldn't be enough time for apes to evolve into man, so that would support believing that Adam was created as a human. That, and the fact that the bible refers to him as a man, he could speak words, God made him clothes, he worked the land for food,...

Ball of water, yes, good description, one clearly given in Genesis as the Spirit moved over it. Also to be understood by the fact that dry land wasn't created until day 3. Yes, a lot of things are possible with God, but why doubt the word He gave us, in our own human language to understand and try to re-interpret it into something else that suits our imaginations.

Heavens and earth ... does that mean space (what we define as galaxies and universes) is heaven or is heaven a space or maybe heaven is beyond space?
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Yes, space is heaven, so is our atmosphere, so is Heaven. As Pual identifies in 2 Cor 12, there are 3 heavens, one of which is Heaven.

How did the ball of water get here?
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Read Gen 1:1, God created it.

Was the entire outer space a ball of water, or was it just earth?
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No, just Earth, the heavens were also created in the beginning.

How were the other things in the spans of space created?
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By God, in the fourth day.

Were they here before or after the ball of water?
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The fourth day took place 3 days after the first day, so I would say after.

We aren't told that.
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...Try checking page 1 in the bible...(no offence meant, but after such a rambling of senseless questions, I think it's a suitable answer.)

Maybe God spoke with a big bang and that created all of space and earth ended up as a ball of water that he decided to play with?
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Yeah, and when he's tired of playing with us, he'll donate us to the Good Will. Or, maybe things happened just like he said, and rather than doubt His Word to entertain the vanities of the secular world, I'd rather stand firm on the precious gift we've been given so freely.
 
:eek:

Sassamo - I think you took me wrong. Those rambles were just hypothetical - since I already stated that I believe God created everything, all roads lead back to God no matter how this or that got here or there. I totally believe the Bible and I know page 1 well. I am just pointing out that there are some unknowns that we just won't know on this side of heaven - we only "know in part."

You have some good points about the ape thing tho, maybe Nazgul could use them if he needs to - they make a good arguement against apes. ;)

Yeah, and when he's tired of playing with us, he'll donate us to the Good Will.
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Hehe ^5 :p
 
Patriot said:
How one interprets Genesis influences how they interpret the rest of the Bible. There are problems interpreting statements later in the Bible if one takes a non-literal view of Genesis.
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I find it interesting that many Christians demand a literal interpretation of the Bible, especially Genesis, but then proceed to cherry-pick the verses they meant to be literal. What about 1 Corinthians 14:34 (women should be silent in churches)? Mark 9:43 (cut your hand off if it causes you to sin--masturbators take note!). How many times did Jesus say to give all our possessions to the poor? Titus 2:9 (slaves should act glad and happy of their circumstances). What about Revelations? Are we to believe Jesus is going to have a sword hanging out of his mouth? John 10:9 (we are not to believe Jesus is a door with a handle and hinges). This is not to mention all the laws laid out in Leviticus that say who to kill for what sins and what to eat.

I know many of the standard replies to these arguments. Christians talk about how it has to be interpreted within the context of the era. We were freed from the Mosaic laws. Women were told to be silent because they were uneducated about Scripture. The point is that there are reasons we don't interpret these Scriptures literally, and we can very well do the same with Genesis 1.

Joshinator said:
The reason evolution is taught as the truth in schools and what not, is because they don't want to believe there is a God. That's why it was created.
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There are plenty of Christians who believe in evolution, and many Christians have contributed to evolutionary theory and teachings. Darwin may have had a vendetta against religion, but it would be a logical fallacy to taint the whole body of science for one man's beliefs.

Joshinator said:
Evolution was turned to, because we as humans don't like self-control. In evolution, self control is not needed, as we are all considered animals. If we are just animals, what's wrong with having sex with every male/female you see? We are just animals aren't we?
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Evolutionary theory says nothing about how humans should or should not act. I know many atheists who are friendlier, kinder, and more moral than Christians. They have more liberal views on sex, but lets not forget the rate of teenage Christian pregnancies.

Joshinator, your statements suggest a fundamental misunderstanding about evolutionary theory, its history and development, and what it means and its impact on today's scientific endeavors.

Wolfeman said:
The Bible does tell us in 2 Peter 3:8 that "that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" and Psalms 90:4 also mentions that "a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past". This has been used to argue that the 6 days of creation could actually longer periods of time.
However the Genesis account tells us that "the evening and the morning were the " for each specific day. When we add night to the context of each day we now know they are talking about a 24 hour period. Otherwise Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" breaks down.
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God lives in eternity and is not subject to the bounds of time. It seems to me that the creation story is a simple way to say, "God is the author everything". Remember that Jonah was just a human and lived in the bounds of time. To compare a timeless entity with a human doesn't make much sense.
 
tjguitarz said:
I find it interesting that many Christians demand a literal interpretation of the Bible, especially Genesis, but then proceed to cherry-pick the verses they meant to be literal. What about 1 Corinthians 14:34 (women should be silent in churches)? Mark 9:43 (cut your hand off if it causes you to sin--masturbators take note!). How many times did Jesus say to give all our possessions to the poor? Titus 2:9 (slaves should act glad and happy of their circumstances). What about Revelations? Are we to believe Jesus is going to have a sword hanging out of his mouth? John 10:9 (we are not to believe Jesus is a door with a handle and hinges). This is not to mention all the laws laid out in Leviticus that say who to kill for what sins and what to eat.
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Your argument is based on misinformation. The Bible is pretty clear in the original languages when something is meant to be literal or clearly an allegory or anthropomorphism. All those verses you mentioned can be explained with basic study of the original languages. Many harsh laws found in the OT were later removed by acts in the NT or were directed to a certain group of people/culture. While a law towards slavery does not apply in America currently and the principal can still speak to us, it does not mean it is not a literal verse.

It is simply not a case of Christians cherry picking verses. It is proper study and hermeneutics. There are usually clear answers on how to interpret these verses and all signs point to the Genesis account being literal.
 
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tjguitarz said:
I find it interesting that many Christians demand a literal interpretation of the Bible, especially Genesis, but then proceed to cherry-pick the verses they meant to be literal. What about 1 Corinthians 14:34 (women should be silent in churches)? Mark 9:43 (cut your hand off if it causes you to sin--masturbators take note!). How many times did Jesus say to give all our possessions to the poor? Titus 2:9 (slaves should act glad and happy of their circumstances). What about Revelations? Are we to believe Jesus is going to have a sword hanging out of his mouth? John 10:9 (we are not to believe Jesus is a door with a handle and hinges). This is not to mention all the laws laid out in Leviticus that say who to kill for what sins and what to eat.

I know many of the standard replies to these arguments. Christians talk about how it has to be interpreted within the context of the era. We were freed from the Mosaic laws. Women were told to be silent because they were uneducated about Scripture. The point is that there are reasons we don't interpret these Scriptures literally, and we can very well do the same with Genesis 1.
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What Ewok said, plus, I have never had one theistic evolutionist manage to explain where Genesis makes a transition from a metaphorical narrative to a literal narrative. If you would like to do so I would be more than willing to entertain your thoughts.
 
tjguitarz said:
Please explain more. What is it about Genesis 1 that forces a literal interpretation?
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The opposite could be asked as well. What is about Genesis that implies it is allegorical? There are distinct parts of the Bible that are visions and prophecies that are interpreted into literal events. It is difficult to pinpiont (IMHO) where in Genesis this takes place (pointing to allegory vs reality).
 
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