Evolution vs Creation

[yearbook50]

I grew up Southern Baptist too, and was a very inquisitive child. Things bothered me if they couldn't be explained. I was told there was really no proof of dinosaurs, we never went to the moon, to study space was evil because God gave us the earth but not space, etc. One of my most vivid Sunday School memories was asking who Cain married (if no one was around but Adam and Eve after Cain slew Abel and was sent into exile), and was told that is where black people came in. I'm not joking!

I've heard some of those before, sadly some from members of my extended family.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Just a little insight into the who did abel marry... Jewish midrash states that cain and abel had twin sisters and married them....Nothing like a little biblical incest

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I grew up with a girl - a very good friend of mine actually. We were all sitting around and a "where did God come from?" debate started.

She became very upset and got up and left the room. I talked to her later and she told me that in her Church that was on a list of questions that were never allowed to be spoken, because it was considered "Questioning God" and a huge sin. You could be asked to leave the Church over them.

It turns out they had a whole list of such questions that they memorized as part of their Religious Classes.

 

[december]

Well, I was told that very thing by a Mormon! Black people came from Cain. Geez.

I'm sorry you were taught that in a SBC. I have never heard of all that. I know that I have seen shows on TV where people believe we have not been to the moon but I have never heard of that in a church! God gave us earth and not space??? oh brother!

Oh brother, oh brother, oh brother.

Some people should not be teaching in church is all I have to say.

Where do people come up with this stuff???

You know, those are the same people who think jesus was a white American male.

Wow-I thought the teacher was just a racist freak-who knew she actually learned this from somewhere.

My son actually asked me about people living hundreds of years. This just never seemed possible to me either (no offense suzij13). Scientifically we know that lifespans have grown over the years, not shrunk. I always wanted to know how all those animals and their food sources fit on the ark, about that dang talking snake (this story has kept millions of women down for way too long!), and the infamous talking donkey! (dd7 asked me about that the other day. At her age we just stick to the basics!)

 

[Diva of Dragons]

Humans and dinosaurs did not live at the same time. Of all things that can proven and disproven, this ranks pretty high.

I'm not going to attack you for thinking in such a way, but it's not true in the slightest. Nor is it one of those things that's even debatable.

Almost everything is debatable. Here is just a scientific taste, to the contrary, of your statement. http://www.dinosaur-extinction.com/

I personally don't care which is true. These discussions interest me because they get people thinking about their beliefs and why they believe them. It reallly bothers me (though I shouldn't let it) when people are absolutely convinced of something, anything, based on what someone has simply told them, without any personal research. To me, it doesn't matter where they have heard it...pulpit, press conference, NY Times, the water cooler, Gov't official etc..
All information bears looking into if we are going to form a hardened opinion about it.

DISCLAIMER: This isn't directed at the quoted poster or anyone else on the thread, it is a general statement about my own feelings about the nature of belief, debate and knowlege.

 

[Buckalew11]

I grew up with a girl - a very good friend of mine actually. We were all sitting around and a "where did God come from?" debate started.

She became very upset and got up and left the room. I talked to her later and she told me that in her Church that was on a list of questions that were never allowed to be spoken, because it was considered "Questioning God" and a huge sin. You could be asked to leave the Church over them.

It turns out they had a whole list of such questions that they memorized as part of their Religious Classes.

Can you even imagine such a thing? I wonder what belief she was that she was not allowed to question. I question everything. My questions bring on more questions and so do someone's answers!!

Wow-I thought the teacher was just a racist freak-who knew she actually learned this from somewhere.

I doubt all Mormons believe or ever believed that. But that is what I was told and was also given a quote from the Book of Mormon saying where they got it from.
It is a very rascist thing. And, sadly and pathetically, there have probably been many people who embraced that type of belief over the years and probably some out there now still buying it. It actually makes me sick to think about it.

 

[disneyfan67]

Usually in my experience most religious people don't like science because it offers hard indisputable facts, contrary to what they have been taught in the bible. Most likely that very book was written by man because it offers no mention of the dinosaurs and it some cases, it made mention of the world being flat. (Yes, earlier versions did mention the world being flat.) If God had written the Bible, wouldn't he had known about the dinosaurs, after all didn't he create them as well? Same with the Adam and Eve story. How did all the different races of people come from two individuals? Did every race on this planet have their own version of Adam and Eve to start off from? Same with the Noah's Ark fantasy. How did sharks and whales fit on the ark? How about all those poisonous reptiles and spiders? Did all those dangerous creatures get along with each other in perfect harmony on that tiny vessel? How about all the primates? How did they keep them all from going ape? (Sorry, pun intended.)

We can argue/debate these issues all we want, but we should always remember the hard facts that have been proven by science, then base our beliefs from there. I have heard some religious people say that the Dinosaurs didn't exist and it's a fraud. I think it's pretty safe to say that it would be damn near impossible to pull off a hoax of that magnitude. Especially with new fossils being discovered on a daily basis. Carbon dating proves that the earth is far older than 10 thousand years as the bible suggests. So to deny these hard facts doesn't help the "God only" side of the argument. There's room for both religion and science in today's society, but lets put away the impossible, fairy tale aspects of the bible when trying to have a reasonable discussion.

 

[profdsny]

I was reading on another thread in the Theme Parks forum how they are disturbed Disney promotes the Theory of Evolution in Dinosaur. This got me wondering.

As a non-religious person, maybe I don't really understand it, but how does the fundamentalist Christians describe the existence of Dinosaurs and other ancient ages of time?

I was raised Southern Bapist, but a lot of questions like these made me lose a lot of my religious beliefs as when I suggested that maybe God's "7 days" were actually expanded days taking place on millions of years rather than our traditional 24 hours so that evolution could happen over the course of time my youth pastor told me I was being a devil child.

I hope this thread remains a civil discussion.

I didn't read the thread, but it's interesting on so many levels that people will go to WDW, then complain about the Dinosaurs there. (Animal Kingdom, I mean. As far as I know there aren't any walking around)
My point is, here's a place based on fantasy, and they are making an issue about extinct creatures? Has there been a thread on the fact that people walk around in shorts where you can see their legs? What about half-naked people at the pool?
Sorry, this goes beyond religion. These people are American taliban.

 

[JoyG]

.

My son actually asked me about people living hundreds of years. This just never seemed possible to me either (no offense suzij13). Scientifically we know that lifespans have grown over the years, not shrunk. I always wanted to know how all those animals and their food sources fit on the ark, about that dang talking snake (this story has kept millions of women down for way too long!), and the infamous talking donkey! (dd7 asked me about that the other day. At her age we just stick to the basics!)

I don't know your religious beliefs...so this is not directed at you...but your post brings up a question I have.

I have heard lots of people say they can't believe the story of Noah's Ark b/c it would be impossible for all the animals to fit in the ark. Yet, some of this people believe the miracles of Jesus. I'm curious why one would believe one and not the other. The Bible is full of miraculous events. It just seems like if you believe one, you might as well believe them all.

 

[JoyG]

Can you even imagine such a thing? I wonder what belief she was that she was not allowed to question. I question everything. My questions bring on more questions and so do someone's answers!!



I doubt all Mormons believe or ever believed that. But that is what I was told and was also given a quote from the Book of Mormon saying where they got it from.
It is a very rascist thing. And, sadly and pathetically, there have probably been many people who embraced that type of belief over the years and probably some out there now still buying it. It actually makes me sick to think about it.

I believe the official mormon teaching on black people has changed over the years.

 

[JoyG]

Most likely that very book was written by man because it offers no mention of the dinosaurs

The bible discusses Leviathan and Behomath...the descriptions of which sound like dinosaurs.

 

[Buckalew11]

I've wondered that also. Why some things in the Bible are not to be taken literally but yet, when Jesus broke bread at the last supper and said, "This is My Body..." it means literally His Body.

Or even the whole story of Jesus being crucified and rising from the dead on the 3rd day to take away the sins of the world! As Christians, that story is taken literally. I mean if God can't flood the world and save Noah and the animals on the Ark then why could he raise His Son from the dead? Why would His Son's death( and ressurrection) have such special meaning to someone?

Things that make you go Hmm...

 

[Buckalew11]

I believe the official mormon teaching on black people has changed over the years.

Thank God.

 

[JoyG]

Thank God.

Amen!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I'm with Rich. God created Evolution.

Seems simple enough to me.

FTR, Leviathan and Behemoth (as mentioned in Job) are widely thought by scholars to describe a crocodile and a hippo -I forget which is which.

 

[yearbook50]

I didn't read the thread, but it's interesting on so many levels that people will go to WDW, then complain about the Dinosaurs there. (Animal Kingdom, I mean. As far as I know there aren't any walking around)
My point is, here's a place based on fantasy, and they are making an issue about extinct creatures? Has there been a thread on the fact that people walk around in shorts where you can see their legs? What about half-naked people at the pool?
Sorry, this goes beyond religion. These people are American taliban.

I don't think the poster in that thread thought someone would take something she said and take off from it to really think about the various issues there which is why I didn't link it to this thread.

 

[helenabear]

I've wondered that also. Why some things in the Bible are not to be taken literally but yet, when Jesus broke bread at the last supper and said, "This is My Body..." it means literally His Body.

Probably because it was a quote straight from his mouth. My "hmmmmm" thought is why do so many Christians take the Bible literally *EXCEPT* for that?

As for the concept of evolution and religon together, I never realized until I became older and was told otherwise that the two could not coincide. I listen to both religion and science in my life and find they co-exist nicely.

 

[JoyG]

Seems simple enough to me.

FTR, Leviathan and Behemoth (as mentioned in Job) are widely thought by scholars to describe a crocodile and a hippo -I forget which is which.

Yes, but our crocs and hippos don't usually breathe fire.

I don't know the answer, but it's interesting to think about.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

The Bible is full of miraculous events. It just seems like if you believe one, you might as well believe them all.

I agree with you 100%.

(And FTR, I don't believe in any of them--I'm just saying--your viewpoint makes perfect sense!)

 

[december]

I don't know your religious beliefs...so this is not directed at you...but your post brings up a question I have.

I have heard lots of people say they can't believe the story of Noah's Ark b/c it would be impossible for all the animals to fit in the ark. Yet, some of this people believe the miracles of Jesus. I'm curious why one would believe one and not the other. The Bible is full of miraculous events. It just seems like if you believe one, you might as well believe them all.

I think it just goes back to scientific evidence. I do believe in miracles, and I'm not saying the ark didn't happen. I just don't think it is probable. I may get to heaven one day and find out I'm wrong-but I don't think believing the way I do will prevent me from getting there! I don't believe we have to do all or none. And not believing it really happened doesn't mean I don't believe it is a valuable teaching story.

I believe the story of Job is a story. I have a problem believing God and Satan played a game with a man's life-and his children and slaves were just pawns. And who recorded this conversation? I don't believe we all spoke one language, God got upset over some Tower, and sent us all on our way speaking differently.

I believe that the Bible is the greatest literary collection ever made. It is a collection of History, of Law, and of Parables.

You see that I started everything with "I believe". Everyone has to come up with their own set of beliefs.