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Once you’ve acquired enough knowledge of science and scientific methods to understand evolution – not a great deal – why waste time with silly beliefs like “god”?
Think about it.
Really?
It took them this long to come to this revolutionary conclusion?
Humans need to buy a clue!
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#1
Because the penis is not inflated by the lungs.
The earth is not the center of the universe.
There are no canals on mars.
Things can go faster than light.
Despite how intelligent or briliant a person is, does not preclude that person from being totally wrong.
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So let me get this straight. Your belief in God is based on the fact that human beliefs are usually erroneous. Now that’s funny… on just so many levels.
Simple answer to the question is, NO!
PEOPLE USED TO THINK THAT THE WORLD WAS FLAT AND IF YOU DISAGREED, YOU DIDN’T BELIEVE IN GOD.
NOW THEY SAY YOU CAN’T BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION AND GOD.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE IN GOD MAKE UP THEIR OWN RULES. PLEASE IGNORE THEM. GOD DIDN’T SAY THAT HE DIDN’T MAKE THINGS USING THE BIG BANG, THAT THERE IS NO EVOLUTION, THAT THERE AREN’T ALIENS ANYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE, OR ETCETERA.
[Please don’t talk so loud. – ed.]
I know a PhD Fisheries Biologist that not only didn’t believe in evolution but refused to even use the word. Smarts have nothing to do with it.
Evolution still requires abandoning belief that the Bible is word by word a 100% accurate written communication from God, which a lot of people will never do.
How do you explain Adam and Eve through evolution?
Speaking from personal experience, the answer is yes.
Why not? It is, probably, not possible to believe in evolution and be a follower of a major Christian church but there’s nothing which prevents you from believing that a higher being created an initial world and turned an evolution on afterwards.
Well, the Catholics have been doing it for years, so the answer is yes.
Evolution is only a problem for those who believe in a literal interpretation of the bible. Lots (most, even) of Christians do not take the bible literally.
A hundred years ago a guy did a psychological profile of Yahweh & exposed him as the laughable buffoon he is. Deities are comic-book projections of the human mind. But they aren’t going away. Mankind refuses to seize the self-knowledge that would allow that to happen.
Your deity was installed at the factory. Your mom put him in your head a few weeks before you came slip-slidin’ out of the womb. My mom did it to me too. Just try to pry Him out from between your own ears. Congratulations if you can do it. Can’t seem to get rid of mine. Damn.
There be no such thing as an atheist. Gawd archetypes are an intrapsychic fact, sorry to say. Anti-theist is a better concept. Count me in.
People “believe in” what their subconscious needs for them to. Average Joe Bozo doesn’t want to get to know the inside of his own skull & what’s really pulling the strings. He’d rather hang onto his bonehead, thumb-suck Gawd.
Our “evolved” western Gawd is the ultimate in flexibility, a one-size-fits-all, “plug & play” deity.
Your reality is what you project onto it—like a Jesus on a potato chip.
What you believe isn’t near as interesting as why you need to believe it.
Credulity sucks.
Amen. 🙂
It all depends upon how much evolution you want us to believe. We all agree there are fossils of creatures & plants in the ground that arent present anymore. That is evolution fact.
The Humanist dogma takes it further than that, though. Their dogma states that there is no god, so all evidence must point to blind chance creating everything, life and the universe itself. Thatś their faith. Thats not fact.
13,
Timbo,
You make what appears to be a good case, but you arern’t looking at the situation properly.
Science doesn’t say that random chance created us, science says chance influences the direction of our development.
Nature by nature (pardon the pun) is self-organizing into higher sytems, this is a recognized fact. We also know that our universe has a unique balance of physical constants where the change of any one would make our existence impossible.
I believe that there is something greater than us. I don’t know the nature of the mystery but neither does anybody else. I believe in God but I don’t believe in religion.
Yes there is something greater than us. It is 700 light years away, 1000 years more evolved and they look like a praying mantis. Nothing more.
I also say the answer is yes. I’m an evangelical Christian who accepts the fact of evolution.
It’s important to draw a distinction between evolution as a scientific fact (Note: there are SEVERAL theories of evolution), and “Darwinism,” which starts with a belief there is no god and goes from there. The two are NOT synonymous.
Also: I don’t “believe in” evolution, I accept it as a scientific fact, akin to accepting that the earth is round and revolves around the sun. I believe in Christ and accept evolution.
First of, what does this debate have anything to do with Technology?
Well, I know that as soon as I start typing the majority will find flaws, have anger and criticism, and skepticism towards me. Just because I’m a Christian, I am considered weak, foolish, unwise, unscientific, and so-on. I really don’t care. Just as I cannot prove to anyone that I love my wife and children, but through my actions, I cannot prove that I don’t merely “believe” in God, but have a personal relationship with Him, but through my actions. I am not merely trying to “do” good things as Jesus did and mimic his “goodness.” Those who are really watching to see if there is proof in Christianity, please read on with my argument. But, if there is a strong resentment for my even posting, just go back to what you were doing and ignore this, for this will waste your time.
Christians cannot believe in evolution and be a Christian. A Christian, whether or not he/she believes in a literal 7 day creation model, has one basic problem with evolution. If God created us for a perfect world and then, as humans, we sinned and brought death and suffering into the world, then it cannot be possible for millions and billions of years of death and suffering before a thinking human being had chosen to sin. For example if a fish were to complain about the water’s wetness, that could only mean he was mad for something outside of wetness. Just as the biggest complaint of our time is the injustice of the world (death, suffering, crime, etc), we were made for something better. The evolutionist says that you were made no reason at all, have no value (except that which you put on yourself), you are a product of matter+chance+time, and lucky you even woke up this morning. The most flattering comment you can give a person is that you are made in the image of God, for a purpose, to glorify Him.
I was not raised in a church. I was living life up to the fullest of what our culture says brings happiness. Wealth, drugs, women, partying, and the like. Nothing satisfied. I had moments of happiness, but never joy. There is a difference. I was ready to commit suicide until a friend asked me to go to a Christian event. It changed my life. So, yes I was weak. I couldn’t handle life. It is not until you realize you cannot do it and you are like everyone else, weak and vulnerable. I have personally met, the risen Jesus. Goes against all human logic. Jesus prayed, thanking God that He let those who consider themselves wise see this truth as foolish and those who clearly heard the truth were like foolish children and became wise. I’m full of joy and want everyone to experience what I mean. Scripture says to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” I say just sample the truth. It will surprise you. Not religion, but the person of Jesus Christ himself. I’m not above anyone, matter of fact I was the worst sinner and God showed me mercy by using knuckleheads like me to share His truth. You decide, it’s your life… just my testimony.
IMHO, it can co-exist.
The problem with the pure evolutionist theory (no God) is that somehow they believe that nature owes us an explanation for everything. Why?
I used to believe this and now I don’t. I accept in evolution as factual yet I also believe our brain capacity can NEVER comprehend the universe around us. With that, I resign myself to believing in some higher being.
However, I will NEVER subscribe to the man-made organized religions every one “prays to” – they are all built on some form of prejudice and prosecution.
Was the title of the book, “We are a bunch of pussies that don’t want to upset anyone”?
Umm… not be rude, but all everyone says and does is a form or prejudice and prosecution.
There is not hard core evidence for evolution. None. The evolution vs. creation debate has nothing to do with Christianity. I had a hard time with evolution before I was a Christian. Give me any argument… I can’t find reason nor scientific proof for it.
Well the fossils are BILLIONS of years old… hmmm… lets see the way that we figure out how old the fossils are is by what rock layer they are in. Sounds fine, but here’s the crutch: the way we figure out how old the rock layer is, is by how old the fossils in them are. Hmmm…cyclic thinking. Chicken or the egg, anyone? But wait, what about the fact that fossils are only formed by rapid burial. How many people have seen dead, perfectly preserved animals laying on the ground so millions of years or dust and water can bury them to make a fossil. Or is the world wide flood of Noah actually an option? There are more creation scientists than there are evolutionary scientists. When doctors and scientists look at medicine, nothing has come out of the evolutionary model, only creation model. I will agree to only one point: Evolution and Creation are both theories, not facts. But, as a Scientist, I lean strongly to evidence and evidence points to Creation. You know, I’m done.. I knew I shouldn’t have started this.. I was looking for pictures of his storm from his Tech 5 podcast… I’m done.
imho:
God is all about the Spiritual Universe,
how humans have a Soul, and came to being in the conscious world, have a gift to think for them selfs.
Evolution is a theory about how humans and other critters came to be in the physical world.
duh….Evolution is merely a tool, made by whatever sparked the process. god, Aliens, pure chance, whatever you call the spark that began the process.
Let me also say that you can believe in a God, yet not have a literal interpretation of the Bible. The real question is, Can you believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible and in Evolution.I guess the answer to that would be no.
I have a church full of doctors, lawyers, scientists, and average joes that believe in evolution and in God. I’d go so far to say that it’s the majority view in mainstream christianity.
yes, i can.
That stunningly beautiful cavewoman advertising this story reminds me of a cartoon idea that I had many years ago. The title is The First Evolutionary Theorist.
A typically ugly looking caveman scientist at a conference of ape-like scientists has just finished painting a naked, incredibly sexy looking, modern woman on the cave wall. He announces his theory of evolution by saying that he expects women in the distant future will look like this. Then a primitive looking chimpanzee-scientist from the audience says, “I can hardly wait.”
I think that’s funny.
I would say that yes you can “believe in Evolution and still have faith in God”. Since God still loves people when they make mistakes, I don’t see how believing something against what God might have said would destroy his reliability to place your faith in.
The better question might should have been: “Can you believe in Evolution and still believe the Bible?” And the answer to that question is “no”.
Genesis and Evolution are not very compatible with each other, so once you start picking apart Genesis then you break the “self claim” that the bible is error free and authored by God himself. Basically you start deciding what is true and fiction and therefore might as well make up your own god and have him say whatever suits you. But at that point it becomes fiction instead of fact.
Aside from that, if you throw out Genesis then there isn’t a “fall from grace” moment for the human race anymore and that takes away the reason of Jesus coming to earth and dieing for sins.
I keep seeing this unmistakable mark of ignorance pop up in this thread:
“evolution is a theory.”
Children, no it is not. It is a proven, recognized fact of reality.
You are sloppy in your thinking and your terms. The name is “theory of evolution by natural selection.” That means that natural selection is the theory proposed for how the proven process of evolution operates. Theory means it is the best and most complete – but not yet complete – explanation which fits what we know to be true. There is no alternative explanation. Fairy stories don’t count as explanations.
Everyone got it?
Evolution = proven fact.
Natural selection = theory which explains the mechanism of evolution.
Also a FACT, but not YET known down to every single last fine detail. That is what continuing, ongoing research is about, working out all the t-tiny details of natural selection.
There is no other explanation than evolution. There is no other way for evolution to operate than by natural selection. These are not theories. They are givens. They are the only explanations that account for the facts that we are aware of. Nothing of any kind will upset or replace evolution by natural selection. Everything we will learn will only refine what we already have proven to be so.
And despite what some of you misguided and/or brainwashed souls keep repeating, the ToE has absolutely nothing to say about God or Allah or Vishnu or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It also has absolutely nothing to say about why life exists.
Evolution is about how life – on Earth – developed into the forms which it now expresses. How that life first came into being or why is 100% irrelevant and is therefore not addressed by it. It is a separate issue and a separate field of investigation. Some indefinite time in the future, the relation between them will become clearer.
Got it? Good.
• • • • • • • • •
(now watch as idiot after idiot returns, with more ‘evolution tries to disprove God’ spew. More like:
#20 – JLane
“There is not hard core evidence for evolution. None.”
From that statement alone, and no other, I can tentatively conjecture that you, if you actually believe that statement, are simply a very, very stupid person. Beyond any doubt whatsoever. Because the very reason for the existence of the ToE (and the complete absence of any alternative theory) is that it explains everything that we observe. It is BUILT FOR THE PURPOSE of explaining everything we observe. When evidence is found that is contrary to what the theory predicts, the theory is then modified to accommodate it.
Get this, friend. ALL the evidence, in every branch of science, which adds up to more than one human mind can even grasp, supports the theory of evolution.
You and those like you who are incapable of simple, basic logical reasoning, need to get into your heads that there is absolutely no evidence for ANYTHING BUT EVOLUTION.
“The evolution vs. creation debate has nothing to do with Christianity. I had a hard time with evolution before I was a Christian. Give me any argument… I can’t find reason nor scientific proof for it.”
The fault does not lie in the argument. The fault is your inability to think logically.
There is no “debate” between evolution and creationism. 100% of all evidence demonstrates the fact of evolution. Creationism has exactly zero evidence to show that it is anything other than a childish, primitive prescientific fairytale which even children (who have not been subjected to religious brainwashing) can readily see is totally absurd and impossible.
You and yours only foolishly deceive yourselves that there is any such ‘debate.’ Those of us who live in the real world recognize the painfully obvious difference between reality and superstitious, ignorant, emotionally-induced fantasy.
Anyway, as Dr. Nick Riviera says, “It’s a free county!”
Enjoy your fairy stories. 🙂
Huckabee as the President will be another great setback for reason and science in the US. Being a creationist, he’ll push the creationist agenda further into the school system. The decline of the American empire will go a couple of steps further.
Is it possible to believe in evolution and God? Sure. It is also possible to believe that pink fairies mowed my lawn *and* that the lawn crew did it. Is it possible to have a fully logical and critical mind and believe in evolution and God? No. You cannot claim to posses a logical and critical mind and accept supernatural claims IMO. Post #17 provides a nice example of that. The principles on which religions are based require an abandonment of critical thought to accept claims as true which cannot be proven and indeed have no evidence. That fundamental premise leads you down the dark path of accepting other claims without proof.
Before anyone wastes too much time reinterpreting the Bible to accommodate scientific facts, they should think about this… Many sincere, intelligent believers throughout the ages have been deceived by their straightforward, completely logical interpretations of the words contained in the Bible. It almost forces you consider the possibility that the writing may have been second-rate to have caused so much confusion, and even death.
Who was that author again? I’m certainly not going to buy any more of his books 😉
The question is not whether one can believe in both… but rather whether evolution will allow for “design” to be the agent of change or only “undirected causes”. If the latter… then they are incompatible. Period.