Does Christianity support the theory of evolution?

[Shelly21]

I think the theory of evolution is about human & apes sharing the common ancestor, not that we evolved from apes.

Do I believe it? Dunno, Luray Cave took a couple million years to form....

 

[Dumbledore]

Originally posted by: Optimus
Sects of Christianity that interpret the Bible literally (Fundamentalits, Bible-Belt Christians, most sects of Protestantism (Southern Baptists, some Methodists, etc) believe only in Creationism, and often do not believe in any form of evolution (micro, macro, and especially man). I.E. that God created all species, man, etc as they are.

Other branches/sects, including Catholicism, believe in an interpreted Bible - i.e. that the Bible is not literal, but meant for interpretation. These groups/churches often do believe in evolution as a design mechanism created by God. i.e. that God made the Big Bang and designed everything to evolve from there.
The only corallary, at least for Catholicism, is that if man evolved from ape there was a point in that evolution where God endowed man/Neanderthal Man/what have you with a SOUL. So they believe that everything could have evolved, but that God was the designer of the system and intentionally created people's souls. (i.e. that the soul did not evolve).

The key here is Bible literalism or interpretation. The Bible taken literally does not support evolution.

So with that said, it is very possible for evolution and creationism to coexist with one another. So wouldn't it make sense for the bible to support evolution?

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
no it does not. they subscribe to a theory called creationism.

The two are unrelated. Creationism refers to the origin of the universe.

I am in INHERIT THE WIND right now and there are some good lines in there:

On The Origin Of Species: "All it says is that man wasn't just stuck here like a geranium in a flower pot; that living comes from a long miracle. It didn't just happen in seven days."

On the first "day" of creation, in which there was no sun: "Isn't it possible that first day was twenty-five hours long? There was no way to measure it, no way to tell! Could it have been twenty-five hours?...It could have been thirty hours! Or a month! Or a year! Or a hundred years! Or ten million years!

Its interesting to "live" in the shoes of a man who is trying to convince people that evolution does not mean God does not exist.

 

[conjur]

I think we evolved from some alien race that came to earth several thousand years ago. At least that's what the voices in my head tell me.

 

[clamum]

If the Bible isn't taken literally and instead is used for interpretation, you can dream up practically anything you want and use the Bible as a reference. That's ridiculous.

 

[SinnerWolf]

shoot yourself, find out from the horses mouth, then post the results in an ethereal form here at atot so that we can belittle your obvious prank and ask for *pics* as proof.

 

[Optimus]

So with that said, it is very possible for evolution and creationism to coexist with one another. So wouldn't it make sense for the bible to support evolution?

Well, as I said - if read as a description, aimed at spirituality, and written for all people throughout all of history, then its just fine with evolution (and pretty much anything else in science as it doesn't speak factually to the physical world).

However, taking it completely literally (i.e. that a "day" in Genesis was literally 24 hours, that type of thing), then no, it really doesn't gel with anything. To be honest, I couldn't subscribe to Bible literalism personally.

If the Bible isn't taken literally and instead is used for interpretation, you can dream up practically anything you want and use the Bible as a reference. That's ridiculous.

A very valid concern. If everyone is free to interpret the Bible themselves, then 'heck - this verse here tells me I can marry my sister'!.

This leads to the Catholic belief that there is one official, God-guided interpretation from the Church on earth. This belief is, as far as I know, unique to Catholicism among Christian sects.

 

[gypsyman]

Particles to people, i.e. inorganic to organic. That is an ifinintly greater leap than hominids to man and is supported only by the greatest of wags.

 

[glen]

Most Christians believe in Evolution, only a few extremely fundamentalist branches reject it.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
no it does not. they subscribe to a theory called creationism.

Calling Creationism a "theory" is weak at best. Definitions of theory:

1. 1. A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.
   2. The branch of a science or art consisting of its explanatory statements, accepted principles, and methods of analysis, as opposed to practice: a fine musician who had never studied theory.
   3. A set of theorems that constitute a systematic view of a branch of mathematics.
   4. Abstract reasoning; speculation: a decision based on experience rather than theory.
   5. A belief or principle that guides action or assists comprehension or judgment: staked out the house on the theory that criminals usually return to the scene of the crime.
   6. An assumption based on limited information or knowledge; a conjecture.

 

[Tash]

Did apes evolve from humans? I think they're more intelligent.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: Ameesh

Originally posted by: Lonyo
In a way you can believe in both, but it's a kind of stretch.

Like God made man evolve from apes or something.

Or is that the big bang that Christians can believe in because God made it happen.

I don't know, but I think some do.

the bible doesn't support that notion.

Read "Inherit the Wind".

Edit: Too slow in my old age.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: glen
Most Christians believe in Evolution, only a few extremely fundamentalist branches reject it.

I would not say most in general, but rather most educated. Go through the bible belt and there are still towns without video games.

 

[Amorphus]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: Ameesh

Originally posted by: Lonyo
In a way you can believe in both, but it's a kind of stretch.

Like God made man evolve from apes or something.

the bible doesn't support that notion.

Oh? Did you ever read Genesis?

Genesis 1:1, God created earth without life,
Genesis 1:2, God created water without life,
Genesis 1:11, God created simple life (no animals yet at this stage),
Genesis 1:20, God created animal life in the water first, then birds,
Genesis 1:21, God later created additional water life (including water mammals), and additional birds,
Genesis 1:24, God created land mammals and other land life,
Genesis 1:26, God lastly created man.

The bible said those things happened in a very specific order.

Now what does evolution say? Yep first came earth, then water, followed by simple life, then water animals, then land animals, and finally man. Gee doesn't that sound familiar? Where else did that exact order appear?

I look at both theories and see no reason that they must conflict. Both creation and evolution match and can go hand in hand. Christianity supports the theory of evolution (or at least the bible does).

try reading the Bible, eh? I bet you got that from a website.

notice, God created each step in one 24-hour day. macroevolution does not do that.

microevolution is not covered by the bible - that is, adaptation.

creationism is rather strongly supported by available geological, biological, mathematical, and chemical evidence. it IS a theory, in the scientific sense of the word.

and not "only fundies" believe in it. probably the only Christian groups who don't believe in it are the ridiculously liberal (Unitarian Universalists, Catholics, and some other minor spinoffs). the vast majority of Protestant Christians believe in Creationism.

to the guy who said this: Christianity has everything to do with the creation of the world, because Christ is the Jewish Messiah. Thus, the Old Testament is as relevant as the New Testament - it is from that we derive our moral code, etc., and the creation of the cosmos, and the earth, and all that is in it, is the history of God the Father. deal with it. Christianity's main point, the whole idea of Christianity you got right, but the two topics are not mutually exclusive.

 

[rockyct]

Originally posted by: Optimus

So with that said, it is very possible for evolution and creationism to coexist with one another. So wouldn't it make sense for the bible to support evolution?

Well, as I said - if read as a description, aimed at spirituality, and written for all people throughout all of history, then its just fine with evolution (and pretty much anything else in science as it doesn't speak factually to the physical world).

However, taking it completely literally (i.e. that a "day" in Genesis was literally 24 hours, that type of thing), then no, it really doesn't gel with anything. To be honest, I couldn't subscribe to Bible literalism personally.

The Hebrew word for "day" can mean a 12 hour period, a 24 hour period, or an indefinite period of time. So, the Bible can use the word day and still mean a very long time.

 

[Extrarius]

From what I've read, 'Day' is a mistranslation existing only in the english version of the bible. The real word means something like 'work period' rather than a specific amount of time.

Also, Christianity as a whole does not support anything because it is not a unified system. You might as well ask if <Country> supports <Controversial Issue> or something like that.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Well, one theory is that God created man in his own image (which can have all sorts of different meanings), and created within him the ability to evolve. That theory is called creative evolution.

My personal belief is a little different. I believe that we naturally evolved from apes, and that we were endowed by our creator, at some point, with a special "something" to set up apart from other creatures. Oh well, it is a theory in progress.

I don't think it is a stretch at all. I guess it all depends on whether you are a strict constructionist. I believe that it is hard to take the Bible literally, word for word, since there are areas where the translation is admittedly pretty rough.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: dtyn
Only the fundies are against evolution. I believe in a mix of creation and evolution, although I don't believe we evolved from apes.

 

[sandorski]

The Bible was not meant to be a Science Textbook, so using it as such leads to bizarre conclusions.

 

[Amorphus]

Originally posted by: sandorski
The Bible was not meant to be a Science Textbook, so using it as such leads to bizarre conclusions.

no, it wasn't, but it was meant as a definite, inerrant history book, and thusly, I subscribe to it fully.

 

[phatj]

Chrisitianity does support the theory of evolution. Only old school literalists don't believe in evolution. God simply oversaw the process of evolution. The story of adam and eve is not to be taken literally (as most of the stuff in the OT)

 

[Amorphus]

Originally posted by: rockyct

Originally posted by: Optimus

So with that said, it is very possible for evolution and creationism to coexist with one another. So wouldn't it make sense for the bible to support evolution?

Well, as I said - if read as a description, aimed at spirituality, and written for all people throughout all of history, then its just fine with evolution (and pretty much anything else in science as it doesn't speak factually to the physical world).

However, taking it completely literally (i.e. that a "day" in Genesis was literally 24 hours, that type of thing), then no, it really doesn't gel with anything. To be honest, I couldn't subscribe to Bible literalism personally.

The Hebrew word for "day" can mean a 12 hour period, a 24 hour period, or an indefinite period of time. So, the Bible can use the word day and still mean a very long time.

your argument could work, too, if the bible didn't specifically say one period of dark and one period of light passed, thus, the first day (that is, one nighttime, and one daytime = one day). it is strictly defined as our traditional view of the 24-hour day.

 

[Haikunamatata]

Help! T-Rex Attack!
Who will save us from this beast?
Always bet on Christ!

 

[xenocyd3]

our speaker said that we did not evolve from apes but i think that guy doesn't know what he's talkin about cause he used to be a porn addict... he admitted it!

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Amorphus

Originally posted by: sandorski
The Bible was not meant to be a Science Textbook, so using it as such leads to bizarre conclusions.

no, it wasn't, but it was meant as a definite, inerrant history book, and thusly, I subscribe to it fully.

It was not meant as an "innerant" history book either. Certain parts were definitely Historical, some were Artistic, others legislative.