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Creationist - Evolution Belief spectrum


What is your belief about the biblical creation story vs. evolution?  

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I have a little Trump fatigue and wanted to change the topic a little.  Just a harmless anonymous poll to get some discussion going...

 

(you can choose more than one because.... why not?)

 

And BTW, this is not some elaborate way to proselytize, although after I read it, it kind-of looks like that.  I'm just genuinely curious about what people believe.

Edited by Kiyoat Husker
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This is an area of conflict with me.  Being a Christian and believing fully in science and evolution requires you to either decide what you can justify and what you can reject - or just not think about it and keep going to church.  I am not someone that can just compartmentalize my beliefs, or believe simultaneously in two conflicting things, so it has been a struggle.

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I believe in Creation, but that a "day" during creation isn't a literal day and evolution was part of God's plan.

 

I mean, this didn't even happen until "day" 4:
 

Quote

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

 

If the two great lights weren't made until day 4, then why would we assume our definition of day now is the same as God's definition of "day" back in the... day?

 

 

Also, how can read a sentence like this and think everything's 100% literal and assume that you know exactly what it means?
 

Quote

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind

 

What does "after his kind" mean? Why are cattle singled out?

Edited by Moiraine
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9 minutes ago, Kiyoat Husker said:

This is an area of conflict with me.  Being a Christian and believing fully in science and evolution requires you to either decide what you can justify and what you can reject - or just not think about it and keep going to church.  I am not someone that can just compartmentalize my beliefs, or believe simultaneously in two conflicting things, so it has been a struggle.

 

 

Tell me what you think the conflict is between evolution and creation.

 

With the flood there are a lot more conflicts, so maybe that's what you're talking about.

Edited by Moiraine
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I was raised in a fairly strict, protestant, Christian household, so that's what i believed the first 17 years of my life. I really didn't think about it much through my 20's or 30's , and  i didn't attend church . After the deaths of some friends/family members, my own mortality, and faith, became a concern again. I did quite a bit of research on other religions, science, evolution, etc and i didn't find any one thing i totally believed.

On one hand, the scientific history of the planet, doesn't match the Bible version, (by a few billion years) so that raises questions for me. On the other hand after seeing the intricacy of life, nature, and the universe i have a very hard time believing its all just happening , and means nothing. I believe we were created, and put here for a reason,  that's why being an atheist doesn't work for me. That seems like a very empty hopeless point of view to me.

Nobody really KNOWS why were here, or what happens after we die, so were left with our beliefs, religion, and faith to try to make sense of it all. Through my life have witnessed the power of strong faith though , and i have the utmost respect for those who have it. I'm trying to get there.

 

 

Edited by Big Red 40
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53 minutes ago, Kiyoat Husker said:

Being a Christian and believing fully in science and evolution requires you to either decide what you can justify and what you can reject - or just not think about it and keep going to church. 

 

I'm non-religious and the bold is also true for me. I have no ability to prove or disprove evolution or creationism, and no credible reason to believe either one will be proven in my lifetime.

 

It is just about equally preposterous to me that "organic material" coalesced in primordial pools, replicated, absorbed energy from its environment, healed itself, and then went on to grow, change, evolve and become everything alive that we see today.  That's pretty far out there.  It's a pachinko machine on a massive scale, where one of the balls lands on this incredibly improbable spot and poof! life. 

 

The alternative is that a supernatural being that nobody has every seen or interacted with said poof! and there it all was.  Like, literally, all of it.  Even the trillions upon trillions upon trillions of stars & planets that we, whom creation was made for, will never see. 

 

One of those is slightly less difficult for me to believe is true.  I chose that one, because it makes the less least sense (if that makes sense). 

 

Mostly I don't think about it.  I have errands to run and bills to pay and family stuff to do.  That'll keep me busy until I die.

 

 

Edit - I voted for Evolution & Other.  My evolution vote is explained by most of this post.  Other is explained by the last paragraph (before this edit).

Edited by knapplc
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11 minutes ago, Big Red 40 said:

That seems like a very empty hopeless point of view to me.

 

I've been Christian and non-religious. What gives me hope is the same today as it was when I was Christian - the people around me, and the people I hear about, who do awesome things for each other.  Family, friends, loved ones, a good pet that loves you unconditionally (this is one of the best things people can have), and a sincere attempt to be the best person I can be are what make my life hope-filled.  Not believing in a god is not hopeless, at least not to me.  I think hope is programmed into us naturally - whether that was by the genetic code evolving or by a god I've never met.  Either way, there's a good life to be lived.

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3 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

I've been Christian and non-religious. What gives me hope is the same today as it was when I was Christian - the people around me, and the people I hear about, who do awesome things for each other.  Family, friends, loved ones, a good pet that loves you unconditionally (this is one of the best things people can have), and a sincere attempt to be the best person I can be are what make my life hope-filled.  Not believing in a god is not hopeless, at least not to me.  I think hope is programmed into us naturally - whether that was by the genetic code evolving or by a god I've never met.  Either way, there's a good life to be lived.

You sound like a secular humanist Knapp.  Come join the club.  It's a fun one.

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33 minutes ago, Moiraine said:

 

 

Tell me what you think the conflict is between evolution and creation.

 

With the flood there are a lot more conflicts, so maybe that's what you're talking about.

 

Creation is probably the worst example for me (but I picked it for the poll for some reason).  I'm very much in agreement with the description you laid out.  Divine plan, with the story being an an abstract interpretation of creation.  I picture God trying to explain creation to a bronze-age or iron-age society of humans, and using easy-to-understand generalities.  Kind of like an adult explaining a very complex idea to a toddler.  Evolution being part of God's plan.

 

The areas of the bible that are more conflicting to me are the misogynistic, pro-genocide, and anti-gay parts.  Trying to put the Old Testament God on the same page as the New Testament one.  Many conflicts and hypocrisies to contend with.  I have to go through them one by one.

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1 hour ago, NM11046 said:

You sound like a secular humanist Knapp.  Come join the club.  It's a fun one.

I had a conversation with my 25 year old son a while back and he's in your club too. :thumbs

I would say I'm probably agnostic at this point? According to the philosopher William L. Rowe, "agnosticism is the view that human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist".[2] Agnosticism is a doctrine or set of tenets[4] rather than a religion.

As i said i'm working towards faith in something, but its difficult for me.  I prefer to know things, which in this case i believe , are unknowable

 

Also NM I didn't know you were a Gal lol

Edited by Big Red 40
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19 minutes ago, Kiyoat Husker said:

The areas of the bible that are more conflicting to me are the misogynistic, pro-genocide, and anti-gay parts.  Trying to put the Old Testament God on the same page as the New Testament one.  Many conflicts and hypocrisies to contend with.  I have to go through them one by one.

 

 

I'm trying to convince my mom to cause an uproar by trying to be an elder at her church. She is 1 of of maybe 20 members of her 800+ attendee church who has been there since its inception yet she can't be an elder because she's not an old man. I know she won't do it though.

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1 hour ago, knapplc said:

 

I've been Christian and non-religious. What gives me hope is the same today as it was when I was Christian - the people around me, and the people I hear about, who do awesome things for each other.  Family, friends, loved ones, a good pet that loves you unconditionally (this is one of the best things people can have), and a sincere attempt to be the best person I can be are what make my life hope-filled.  Not believing in a god is not hopeless, at least not to me.  I think hope is programmed into us naturally - whether that was by the genetic code evolving or by a god I've never met.  Either way, there's a good life to be lived.

Any thoughts on an afterlife, or is dead just dead? 

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