Well... THIS certainly explains it!
Posted on 09/20/2005 7:02:45 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor
ITHACA, N.Y. - Lenore Durkee, a retired biology professor, was volunteering as a docent at the Museum of the Earth here when she was confronted by a group of seven or eight people, creationists eager to challenge the museum exhibitions on evolution.
They peppered Dr. Durkee with questions about everything from techniques for dating fossils to the second law of thermodynamics, their queries coming so thick and fast that she found it hard to reply.
After about 45 minutes, "I told them I needed to take a break," she recalled. "My mouth was dry."
That encounter and others like it provided the impetus for a training session here in August. Dr. Durkee and scores of other volunteers and staff members from the museum and elsewhere crowded into a meeting room to hear advice from the museum director, Warren D. Allmon, on ways to deal with visitors who reject settled precepts of science on religious grounds.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
"But I was recently convinced that to accept Christ, I had to accept the apparent literal meaning of Genesis and other old testament books. That I can't do, because it becomes something closer to believing in Santa Claus than believing in truth."
Oh, check with some other Christians on that point. Only a small minority of Christian denominations treat the Old Testament as literal truth, especially the Pentateuch. Most Christian denominations accept the Genesis tale as a symbolic explanation, with a deity as the causal entity.
Those that do not are few in number, frankly. So don't let that keep you from Christianity. Just ignore the literalists and find a denomination which will allow you to keep your intellect intact.
Or don't. Me, I reject all supernatural stuff, regardless of the name of the religion. But that's just me.
To whom are you referring? I know of nobody who needs science to justify their faith, and I personally know hundreds of good Christians.
The ID people of this article were challenging the hubris of the Museum and the so-called scientists who are open minded to all possibilities except those defined in the Bible.
It is the Museum that is uncomfortable and unable to accept the challenge, not the Christians.
Science continues to affirm Biblical teaching, not the otherway around.
"Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe -- a spirit vastly superior to that of man." -- Albert Einstein"With regard to the origin of life, science...positively affirms creative power." -- William Thompson Kelvin, Physical Scientist, Mathematician, Inventor. Degrees Kelvin named after him. He held 21 honorary doctorate degrees.
""All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths come on high and contained in the sacred writings." -- John Herschel, Astronomer.
"There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than any in profane history." -- Sir Isaac Newton
You quoted Albert Einstein. You are aware that Einstein did not believe in a personal deity or an afterlife, correct? Why then do you quote him after asserting "Science continues to affirm Biblical teaching, not the otherway around.", when clearly he did not agree with your assessment?
And this is the tragedy. Creationists are basically saying, "who are you going to believe? Us? Or your own lying eyes?" They set up a false choice such that when people actually begin to understand the science behind evolution they believe they can no longer accept the existence of the Almighty.
This is why I'm constantly saying that creationism has to be the work of Satan. It has driven more people away from God than just about anything else.
Take off your blindfold and see the river!
Due a few, reject the whole?
What kind of thinking is this?
His newest novel states the facts of GW as well.
(Now if he could just look into the C vs E thing... ;^)
State of Fear(?)
Nice 'deflection' yourself.
VERY well said...
Well... THIS certainly explains it!
STOP LISTENING TO IDIOT MEN!
No man can tell you how to interpret the Bible! That is a matter strictly between you and the Holy Spirit.
God gave us those words in the Bible to teach each of us personally wisdom we need to do His will. For each of us then the Bible will mean something different because we each have different gifts and different purposes.
Please do no let what some other men say affect your relationship with Christ.
Accept Christ. then read the Book for yourself. let the Holy Spirit influence your interpretation. read different translations; read different analyses and come to your own conclusions.
No man has authority over the Bible or its contents.
No man has authority over your beliefs but Christ.
You have not rejected Christ, you have rejected men and some particular set of doctrines they would impose upon you. Do not let those men detract from your relationship with Christ.
For fellowship and worship I'd suggest perhaps seeking a liberal Baptist church. They will not tell you how to believe. [They are the originators of religious liberty in the 1st Amendment]. In Bible study we have great arguments, but never judge another for their interpretation.
And once that emotional ball gets rolling, it gets down to a choice of keeping a civil face and shutting down the discussion, or getting into a highly emotional match with people who aren't a) using the same debating rules and b) aren't sticking to the topic...in which case, they end up "proving their point" by fiat.
And convinces me that creationists have nothing worthwhile to contribute to the genuine study (and heartfelt appreciation) of the world and its history.
I agree with an earlier poster : asserting a Scientific Method and believing that God had something to do with the object of the Scientific Method are not mutually exclusive of each other. Even trying to explain this to a creationist becomes an exercise in futility.
and then once they say that I am not a 'true Christian' because I "believe in evolution" (after having completely tuned out my explanation that the Scientific Method is not a matter of belief) all bets are off in my even considering giving them their argumentative due.
Guess what? Am teaching my daughter about early hominids as we speak!
It's the kind of thinking to which the majority of humanity subscribes. Get enough looney tunes in the mix and the well is poisoned enough that none will dare drink from it.
The antics of the creationists at the museums is that toxin. You get enough family folks getting their afternoon at the museums of natural history ruined and you'll see popular opinion sway in such a manner that the creationists will be relegated to the Fringe Wing of the Lunatic Fringe Club in no time.
yes he was a deist. Which is always a bit funny. Deists believe there is a God of sufficient power to create the entire universe but not have sufficient power or interest to be able to intervene in our daily lives.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in my soul tells me the truth of the matter. I do not need Einsetin for that.
I quote Einstein for the atheists who believe they have some sort of superior logical reasoning over us believers, when in fact it takes far more mental contortions and rationalizations to deny God than to accept God.
[BTW: I did not intend to use Einstein to support the Bible. If it came across that way then it was wrong.]
I've seen such a list. But those creationist scientists who lived recently were usually dentists and gynecologists.
Someone (not you) seems to have quite a chip. It's been a while since I've been accused of being a flame thrower.
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