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Christianity and Creationism are NOT the Same Thing

posted 16 years ago by gourlegr
54 replies | jump to latest

Given that there seems to be so much vindictiveness spilled over the creation/evolution issue, I thought I should clarify one thing. That is that Christianity and evolution are compatible! Indeed, while I believe the Bible is true and inspired, that does not mean the entire Bible is like a newspaper, giving pure history. Rather, there are different parts of the Bible that mean different things. For example, the Prodigal Son is one of the best-known Bible parables. It serves to encapsulate moral lessons in a way strict commandments, while important, cannot. To try to argue that that story is "literal history" would be to miss the whole point of what Christ is saying. Likewise, to insist that the first chapters of Genesis are literal history is to miss the point. They are moral lessons first I believe (although I would not say they are pure fiction--they probably are based on historical events but have been reformulated to create a cohesive, morally instructive narrative). Thus, evolution and Christianity are compatible. One does not need to reject science to believe in Christ. While I agree many young-earth creationists use faulty arguments and often seem to know little about science, that says more about the fallibility of human beings, not Christianity as a religion. Indeed, I was once a young-earther, but after understanding there are many Christians (such as Francis Collins) who accept Christianity and the neo-Darwinian paradigm, I decided to do so to. So I hope you who have been led to believe Christianity relies on "anti-intellectualism" and "blind faith" and ignorance now realize the truth-accepting what God reveals in Scripture does not require checking one's brain at the door and embracing superstition and pseudoscience.

[–] russedav 11 years ago

See www.creation.com for an exhaustive refutation of your sad confusion that tragically enslaves most today, Christian or not, binding them into scientific incompetence that always entails those who abandon and reject truth for evolution's bigoted and groundless antitheist lies. Like the "anthropocentric global warming" fraud, evolution's only done for $ sex & power, controlling the microphone lest the creationists expose "The Emporor's New Clothes" nakedness of antitheist chicanery that enslaved Nazi Germany & the USSR the creationist West defeated before it finally overcame and destroyed the west too.

[–] ScreenwriterVA 11 years ago

Read "The Demon-Haunted World" by Carl Sagan and then get back to me.

[–] jeromec-2 11 years ago

I often wish I had more biology and less physics and math. This is one of those times.

I find it odd that no one has mentioned who Darwin was, who his wife was, and what history there was in the publication of his findings. I cannot counter what those of you very knowledgeable about chromosome theory have said. I find it commendable that you can even talk about such things and anyone who believes in the literal truth of the Bible has to deal with the chromosome issue has to delve into the scientific evidence offered by those people who bring up these arguments.

Darwin himself was a trained theologian. His wife was extremely religious and not stupidly so. Their marriage was such that he would not consider publishing his findings without her consent. Even so, his method was painstakingly thorough and he tried very hard to keep God out of it. Darwin's wife Emma gave her consent because she saw clearly what he (Darwin) was trying to do. It was a very fine line that he was walking.

Many religious scientists who believe deeply in God (Newton for one, Faraday for another, Maxwell for a third) try and keep God out of their "equations" and stick to observable facts. What they found did not shake their religious beliefs at all. That's true of Newton, Faraday and Maxwell. I'm not sure about Darwin, since he seemed to have questions before publishing his Biological material. His wife never faltered and never developed any doubt that I know of.