Why do Christians have a problem with Evolution?

Originally posted by catsi
Question---if humans evolved from apelike form, then why aren't we still evolving? Why aren't apes still evolving? Just a question, would like opinions.

We ARE still evolving. Any college genetics/cell biology/biochemistry textbook would tell you that plainly. I don't know if high school books address it, but I think that they should if they don't.

Here's an example of BAD evolution:

Wisdom teeth. They weren't a problem a few million years ago when our jaws were much larger. However, as a whole, the human race is developing a smaller jawbone, while still keeping wisdom teeth.

Your wisdom teeth can actually kill you. They can get infected and grow cysts and all sorts of nasty stuff. Waaay back in the day, if they coudln't fine a cause or cure for your disease, they started yanking molars. Impacted wisdom teeth were the cause of many of those who crossed the American plains in the 1800's.

So anyway, were it not for modern dentistry, I could see a definite stuggle for the human species due to the decreasing jaw bone / too many teeth scenario.

I didn't mean to get off my OWN topic. Let's see...

Religion! Evolution!

Okay, I'm back on track now.

Originally posted by Ralph_The_Wonder_Llama

Originally posted by catsi
Question---if humans evolved from apelike form, then why aren't we still evolving? Why aren't apes still evolving? Just a question, would like opinions.

We ARE still evolving. Any college genetics/cell biology/biochemistry textbook would tell you that plainly. I don't know if high school books address it, but I think that they should if they don't.

Well, if the Bible, er uh... I mean the textbooks say it then it must be true!!

I know it's true!! I read it in the humanist bible!! I mean a textbook.

Originally posted by resistor
Well, if the Bible, er uh... I mean the textbooks say it then it must be true!!

I know it's true!! I read it in the humanist bible!! I mean a textbook.

Lol, yes... Everything in the bible is right! Everyone should know that!

Originally posted by Saltman
Unfortunately there are those who confuse zealotry with devotion, righteousness with faith.

Science at one time in its history was actually welcomed by religions as a way to explain God's creations. What we have today in the USA is the spawn of the poitical-religion connection that helped elect Reagan (who listened to astrologists for heaven sakes--very unfundamentalist!) and has been nurtured by politicians ever since to get votes. This voting block will vote against their own economic self-interest in the name of religion (another reason to separate politics and religion). We are left with grown men shouting and crying because a granite block is removed from a court house or a word removed from a pledge--God is being removed from our nation! Nonsense! How arrogant or childish to think so little of God!
Without a culture of science in which to raise our children, little wonder our children understand less than others in the world. Where the smartest student in another country could describe the theory of evolution and also "Big Bang", our smartest student could very well say the world was created in 6 days and age is "built in" by God. Intellectuals are scoffed at and called "elite", and it is perfectly acceptable by our leaders to declare how little they know and seem proud and unapologetic for it.

Can someone please tell me some of this "proof" of evolution. The geoloigical column? lol what a jip. I feel there is no real proof for evolution.
I think it is impossible for a person to be a christian and evolution. If you have a couple of minutes you should read the article at

www.drdino.com...

it has a lot of good points.

[edit on 24-3-2006 by sambo5us]

Originally posted by sambo5us
www.drdino.com...

it has a lot of good points.

[edit on 24-3-2006 by sambo5us]

You're bound to catch some heat for that link.

Some of the recent "examples" of evolution given such as being taller, stronger or the ridiculous one about the wisdom teeth prove nothing. How can you compare these things, which should be called natural selection, with the evolution theory? The evolution theory claims that we came from monkeys which is a completly different species than we are. Just because we are bigger, stronger or don't need wisdom teeth are we not still human? Or do these things make us another species altogether? Are people so eager to bash christians and the bible that they really believe we used to be monkeys!

Originally posted by trust no one
Some of the recent "examples" of evolution given such as being taller, stronger or the ridiculous one about the wisdom teeth prove nothing. How can you compare these things, which should be called natural selection, with the evolution theory? The evolution theory claims that we came from monkeys which is a completly different species than we are. Just because we are bigger, stronger or don't need wisdom teeth are we not still human? Or do these things make us another species altogether? Are people so eager to bash christians and the bible that they really believe we used to be monkeys!

It seems that it's mainly Paleyists/creationists who believe that humans evolved from monkeys....



[edit on 24-3-2006 by melatonin]

Originally posted by the_blue_sky11
and evolution is a religion not science.

forgive me if this is off topic but I just had to respond to this

religion
One entry found for religion.


Main Entry: re·li·gion
Pronunciation: ri-'li-j&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back -- more at RELY
1 a : the state of a religious b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
- re·li·gion·less adjective

Originally posted by the_blue_sky11
in order to be science it has to be fact. evolution is NOT fact.

evolution is a theory. theory is science.

Theory
Main Entry: the·o·ry
Pronunciation: 'thE-&-rE, 'thi(-&)r-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ries
Etymology: Late Latin theoria, from Greek theOria, from theOrein
1 : the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another

Evolution is not one species giving birth to a new species. Speciation is alot more complex then pure natural selection alone. Natural selection is NOT the only avenue for evolutionary process', please don't let the ID crowed have you believe that it is. Obviously Natural selection ALONE can't bring about alot of the complexities and change's we see today. If only they took the time to learn and got the heck of natural selection rather then latching on to it like a baby onto his mommy, they'd understand this.

Remember kid's.. Be cool, stay in school.

Sounds like you are saying evolution is a religion to me. Myself, I don't enough faith to believe in it.

[edit on 30-3-2006 by Sun Matrix]

I do believe in a creator and if we consider all that has been uncovered by archaeology, then evolution may very well be proven false. But I'm not really opposed to something evolving, if it's true. It's just the idea that our universe is all some big accident, that I have a problem with.

You peer into the heavens, circular patterns in the form of planets, seasons here on earth, symmetrical bodies, etc. then it honestly doesn't look like an accident to me. It really makes a lot more sense that things were created, or set in motion by a creative force. It is very incomprehensible to think that anything started at all, without a consciousness to start the process in the first place. (Cakes don't bake themselves, a human has got mix the dough and put it in the oven) Now, I'm not claiming to know the origin of god/creator, whatever you want to call it, but at least if you start with a creator, and you at least have a starting point of the physical universe. Accidental evolution can only say, "well, some matter just accidentally appeared one day..." What kind of an explanation is that, really?

"I" punched that kid in the face but "I" didn't have anything to do with it, it just happened accidentally. My fist balled itself up and my arm lept out on its own accord.

You may disprove accidental evolution, but creation will never be disproven. But all being said, yes, I suppose evolution (not accidental) and creation can co-exist. The question is, did evolution actually happen at all? Perhaps all the variations of life were created in the way that they are, and never really gradually changed from a different form....

Troy

Sounds like you are saying evolution is a religion to me. Myself, I don't enough faith to believe in it.

You should stop reading thing's out of context and applying your own meaning's to them.

I do believe in a creator and if we consider all that has been uncovered by archaeology, then evolution may very well be proven false. But I'm not really opposed to something evolving, if it's true. It's just the idea that our universe is all some big accident, that I have a problem with.

Evolution says nothing about the birth of our universe. Never has, never will. Seem's like you've got a problem over lack of understanding.

You peer into the heavens, circular patterns in the form of planets, seasons here on earth, symmetrical bodies, etc. then it honestly doesn't look like an accident to me.

None of it is an accident. Thing's take those shape's for a reason. If you took the time to learn about physics you'd realize this.

It really makes a lot more sense that things were created, or set in motion by a creative force.

So let's get rid of school. No sense in teaching "false" science right? Planet's and stars aren't spherical because of gravity, it's because God made them that way. I mean, just make's more sense to be intellectually lazy, especially when you don't want to take the time to learn.

It is very incomprehensible to think that anything started at all, without a consciousness to start the process in the first place.

You really think it's much more likely for a complex consiousness to form before a simple sub atomic particle to form? That just doesn't sound right at all. We can't get complexity through natural means, but we can have complexity pop out of nothing so it can create complexity. Uh... ok.

(Cakes don't bake themselves, a human has got mix the dough and put it in the oven)

Of course they don't. The chance's for something to form fully "cooked" like that are pretty much zero. You've never heard of a cake being grown fully cooked have you? It's just not possible. But chemistry and physics do allow for atoms to form molecules and for molecules to form protiens, etc etc etc. You just have to want to learn in order to understand this.

Now, I'm not claiming to know the origin of god/creator, whatever you want to call it, but at least if you start with a creator, and you at least have a starting point of the physical universe.

Using the same argument against you guy's. You can't get something from nothing.

Accidental evolution can only say, "well, some matter just accidentally appeared one day..." What kind of an explanation is that, really?

I'm not sure really. Sounds like an explanation born of ignorance to me. Evolution says nothing like that.

"I" punched that kid in the face but "I" didn't have anything to do with it, it just happened accidentally. My fist balled itself up and my arm lept out on its own accord.

That anology is so weak. I'm actually surprised you even bothered posting that.

You may disprove accidental evolution, but creation will never be disproven. But all being said, yes, I suppose evolution (not accidental) and creation can co-exist. The question is, did evolution actually happen at all? Perhaps all the variations of life were created in the way that they are, and never really gradually changed from a different form....

There's no such thing as "accidental" evolution. Not sure where you even got that term lol. I agree, we can't prove/disprove what started the initial reaction that lead to the big bang. Be it supernatural diety or a model of physics that's simply like nothing we've imagined or seen. But yes, evolution really did happen, and still continues to happen today. Pick up a science journal, learn abit more about it then whoever the hell is teaching you that garbage idea you posted here.

We can however and pretty much have (to my satisfaction atleast) proven that the concept of god(s) is a man made invention. Monotheism was never the first religous belief, and obviously isn't the last (scientology). We can see how religous belief's have changed and molded into new religous beliefs, leading to new sect's and denominations with the same circle of belief's etc etc etc.

evolution is a fact AND a theory.

It is a fact that life changes over time. It is a fact that we are descended from ancestors (i.e. we have relatives). Speciation is a fact etc etc.

I'd rather be a child of God, than a desendant of a monkey. But don't label me a "Christian"

Originally posted by stompk
I'd rather be a child of God, than a desendant of a monkey. But don't label me a "Christian"

Ignoring the incorrect monkey descendent statement...

1) are monkey's not god's creation in your beliefs?

2) Maybe I'd rather be a brain surgeon than a neuroscientist, but my aspirations/preference do not change the evidence.

[edit on 31-3-2006 by melatonin]

C'mon man, it's obvious we descended from monkehs!

Here's the proof!




Bigger picture here.

z.about.com...



Maybe thing's like this are what's confusing the religous folk?

Originally posted by trust no one
The evolution theory claims that we came from monkeys which is a completly different species than we are.

The "monkey" issue has been beat to death......

Humans did not evolve from monkeys

Are people so eager to bash christians and the bible that they really believe we used to be monkeys!

I don't think anyone one really believes that humans came from monkeys.

Later

[edit on 31/3/2006 by SportyMB]

Originally posted by Prot0n

Evolution says nothing about the birth of our universe. Never has, never will. Seem's like you've got a problem over lack of understanding.

How do most evolutionists think the unvierse came to be? I know some believe in the big bang but come on. Nothing exploided and created everything? Plus, did you notice that most planets spin one way while some spin the other way? How would this happen if there was a big bang. If something breaks off from a spinning object it spins in the same direction as its parent. Maybe there was big bang's'.

Once you climb up a mountain of stupid you can't back down.