Christians and Darwin

[Loddfafner]

Here is a question for the Christians on this site: How do you reconcile your faith with science, specifically with Darwin? Do you believe in some sort of theistic evolution? Do any of you seriously believe the earth is only 6000 years old?

[Jamt]

Evolution theory and Christianity can easily be combined. Lutheran Church father Augustine of Hippo taught us not to read and try to understand the holy bible as a cook book but instead recognize the spiritual truth. That said, as a Christian I believe God created the world, when and how is beyond man to understand. Even the Pope and Catholics don’t have a lot of problems with Darwin now days.

[Loki]

That said, as a Christian I believe God created the world, when and how is beyond man to understand. Even the Pope and Catholics don’t have a lot of problems with Darwin now days.

Why has the Bible laid out creation so literally then in Genesis? It clearly says God created the world in 7 days, and lists chronologically how it had been done. Perhaps in those days, humans were too stupid to understand anything more accurate, and God had to mislead them slightly in order to explain things? :confused:

[Jamt]

Why has the Bible laid out creation so literally then in Genesis? It clearly says God created the world in 7 days, and lists chronologically how it had been done. Perhaps in those days, humans were too stupid to understand anything more accurate, and God had to mislead them slightly in order to explain things? :confused:

The bible was written by man. I don’t know about stupider but our knowledge is for sure greater today, thanks in large part to the Christian Church and faith. I think Darwin was a Christian? Newton and Linné where religious big time.

[fr0d0]

Here is a question for the Christians on this site: How do you reconcile your faith with science, specifically with Darwin? Do you believe in some sort of theistic evolution? Do any of you seriously believe the earth is only 6000 years old?

The dates in the margin of certain KJ Versions was created by James Ussher in the 17th Century. It really is no much more than a joke to serious scholars.

Read up on that here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology

Personally I primarily believe in evolution and big bang theory when it comes to understanding the science. For faith I rely on relevant sources to it.

[Lutiferre]

What exactly is it that needs to be reconciled, if I might ask?

The only substantial conflict is with literalist protestant sola-scriptura heretics.

Why has the Bible laid out creation so literally then in Genesis? It clearly says God created the world in 7 days, and lists chronologically how it had been done. Perhaps in those days, humans were too stupid to understand anything more accurate, and God had to mislead them slightly in order to explain things? :confused:
Genesis is obviously poetic. It is an image of Gods creation subdivided into stages/aeons, the days.

If the Bible was a "scientific" text, I'd throw it in the trash bin.

It is Gods word in the language of Man. And that is, if anything, poetical and symbolical even in it's prose.

[Loki]

Genesis is obviously poetic. It is an image of Gods creation subdivided into stages/aeons, the days.


But ... the initial readers of Genesis obviously didn't realise that, or did they? Nor did all the Christians throughout the ages. It's only in the modern era, when scientific discoveries have rubbished the Genesis claims, that it all of a sudden became "poetry".

[Lutiferre]

But ... the initial readers of Genesis obviously didn't realise that, or did they? Nor did all the Christians throughout the ages. It's only in the modern era, when scientific discoveries have rubbished the Genesis claims, that it all of a sudden became "poetry".
No, it was not. I've read the Church Fathers homilies on Genesis, as well as even Jewish commentaries on the Torah.

But obviously, a part of your problem is that you think "poetic" means "untrue". That is not at all what I meant. To call it poetic is if anything a compliment to it's truth.

But whether it's a truth in the order of numbers and calculations?

That is a narrow idea of truth, which only fits into various ideas of scientific reductionism.

It is not an instruction on science and mathematical truth, but on what is relevant for human existence and it's relation to God.

[Loddfafner]

Wasn't it Kruger of the Transvaal who insisted to a visitor who stopped by as he sailed around the world:

"You can't possibly mean you are sailing around the world. Surely you mean across the world!"

[Lutiferre]

*moved*

[Lutiferre]

I moved a few posts on Christian evolutionism to this thread (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?p=109614).