Evolution. Literalism of Genesis/OT.

[thiis_liife_ox]

I know I'm posting again, but oh well.

My question is: As a Christian, can the Bible lead one to believe in Evolution? 
[As Evolution is becoming more and more generally accepted as to how the universe started, I've been questioning the whole my belive in Creationism. I believed in the Old Earth theory for a little while (the '6 days' of Creation are

Comments

[arago_sama]

Well for one thing evolution isn't about how the universe started, just such things as speciation and explaining fossil records or whatever.

Let me explain what I believe is the biggest problem in compatibility with evolution and Christianity (although I'm sure some have a more proper or sound reasoning). If God did not specifically make homo sapiens and set us apart, then all we did is win some sort of evolutionary lottery. Not only does it make, in my eyes, God's desire for connection with us a little weak and less sincere, it also doesn't explain why the world is in its state or its need for a savior, because there was never a fall.

[efriden]

But Creation fell already in Eternity when the angels fall. Maybe man was sent here to fix things, but failed so God had to step in Himself? That is (as far as I've understood it) what the Eastern Orthodox believe.

[cmaried]

Okay E, I'm really curious about this. You don't have to answer these questions, but do you know what sort of book I could read that incorporates both Scripture with EO theology? I have the following questions:

Earthly creation fell, or the creation of the heavenly realms fell? Did creation fall a second time when Adam and Eve sinned and were kicked out of Paradise?

What were we sent here to fix? I thought God created us for His glory, not so we could "fix" things. I thought God, in His omnipotence, is the only one who can actually fix things.

[efriden]

Man was put in the garden of Eden = on Earth, to bring this bit of God's material creation to completion. Unfortunately we slept on the post.

I recommend bishop Kallistos Ware's book "The Orthodox Way" (for many other reasons as well), but I'm sure there are other places you can find things on this. And he quotes both Scripture and Tradition (Eastern and Western and even Protestants) in his book. Don't have it handy now, so I can't really tell you more.

[gtrnvox]

Christians who accept Evolution (biogenesis and gross speciation) are either terribly inconsistent and misled or they ultimately deny the Christian faith.

I think you're right.

I was tempted to make a lengthy comment about how my repeated meditation on 1 John influences my agreement, but it's late.

[thehonorableryu]

I was tempted to make a lengthy comment about how my repeated meditation on 1 John influences my agreement, but it's late.
I'd like to hear about this eventually. :)

[mintogrubb]

i think this has a bearing on the case-
and no, it is not a "Rick roll".

take a look...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xC1hTNht4&feature=related

[paedraggaidin]

Can Christians believe that God created the universe through evolution?

Yes. A belief that God created the heavens and the earth does not exclude belief that He used what we now call evolution as the method of creation. Of course, theories and explanations for creation change over time; plate tectonics was unknown a century ago, and the idea of evolution two centuries ago; who knows if, in a century's time, new scientific discoveries will have produced new theories which make Darwinian evolution look as archaic to our progeny as Ptolemaic cosmography looks to us?

What does not change for the faithful Christian is the belief that God created the universe. Knowing the precise mechanics of creation is not necessary to the faith.

There are of course problems that some branches of evolutionar theory present; the postulation that humanity evolved from lower life forms is, for instance, unacceptable to the Christian faith, because it denies man's special place in creation, reducing man to a mere random development. Nothing in the

[catdraco]

Excellent response regarding faith/evolution.

[susannah]

I think this a really helpful and well-balanced response.

I'd just add that, although we did not see the resurrected Christ ourselves (because we lived 2000 years later and he'd already ascended) nevertheless the repeated testimony of christians through the ages is of *spiritual encounter* with the living Christ.

And while this is of course a matter of faith (and faith is good because it helps nurture trust) it may also be deemed rational (in the sense that if you have enough encounters with the living Christ it may become 'irrational' to deny those encounters altogether).

Ask yourselves this: if we are indeed (as I believe) evolved and descended from earlier primates, and they from other mammals, through all the ages, why does that stop us encountering the love and living presence of Jesus Christ?

It doesn't.

[arago_sama]

Hey Richard! You've returned :)

I contend that it doesn't make sense for God to have a connection with us if we descended from earlier primates because there isn't a huge reason for Him to connect with us and sacrifice Himself for us if we were set apart in some way or created in His image...otherwise I don't see a particular motivation for him to do so for us compared to all the other species out there. We could still counter Jesus but the whole event of God Incarnate just seems kinda pointless.

[heyunyi]

It is possible to reconcile Christianity and evolution, even with the evolution of man.

If you will click here: http://heyunyi.livejournal.com/230291.html I posted an excerpt from C.S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain where Lewis discusses the creation and fall of man with the assumption that man evolved from lower life forms.

[bus_surfer04]

I believe that God has given us three witnesses to Himself: The Word, Creation, and The Body.

All three ultimately work together to reveal God, although any one taken on its own outside of the context of the others is problematic. The Bible informs how I see Creation, the Community (or Body) informs how I interpret the Bible, and Creation reveals to me the majesty and glory of God.

So in Creation, we see evidence of something going on. We currently call that something evolution. I don't think God placed Dinosaur bones in the ground to test our faith.