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FWIW, my mom has been an Episcopalian from birth. She goes to church every week. And according to her, her church teaches that the six days of creation is not literal; rather, it allows for evolution. I know Unitarians/Universalists also subscribe to evolution, as do certain sects of the Methodists and Presbyterian Church (my DW's uncle is a retired minister that taught it).

The fundamentalist church I belonged did not believe in a literal six days of creation; rather, it taught The Gap Theory which states that the six days found in Genesis 1 were a RE-creation from the chaos after the fall of angels (Gen.1:2 "The earth was without form and void--tohu and bohu--chaotic/wasteland/empty..."). This Gap Theory states that the earth and the universe are infinitely older than six thousand years. In fact the theory allows for an unfathomable past beginning with the creation of angels and uses Job 38:4-10 to explain that the angels sang when the earth was created. Then Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 27, Jude, and the Book of Jasher state that the angels warred in heaven and throughout the universe (the rebellion is shown within the chaos within structures and cosmic laws, scarring of planets, etc.) and they were cast to earth. From there we see in II Corinthians 4:4 that the evil spirits with the Adversary at the helm ruling the earth. But as Job points out, they can do nothing without the express permission of the Eternal Deity. Finally Christ came to retake the rulership and will cast the Adversies out forever into outer darkness at the Second Advent.

The Gap Theory allows for micro-evolution. In point of fact, some writers that subscribe to the Gap Theory speculate that either the Eternal Deity or his angels fiddled around with humanoids which the believers think is why we see fewer fossils of ape-like creations -- but they readily admit that there are fossils and they are humanoid. In fact, I read one article that speculated that the humanoids died in the rebellion of fallen angels known as the First Flood (you read in Genesis 1 that the Spirit hovered over a flooded Earth before it began the six day text). The first flood predates the Noahic flood by unknown years--possibly billions of years.

Greek, Persian, Roman, Chinese, Native American and Hindi myths all seem to point to a similar history which is ignored whole clothe by certain (not all) fundamentalist churches.

My point is not to get on a soap box, nor is it to preach it but to illustrate that religious people can and DO believe in evolution...Christians believe in evolution...Catholic priests have been intimately involved in research and have uncovered fossils...and many conservatives subscribe to evolution. They are not part of a vast conspiracy. They are not dupes used by libs to undermine values. In fact, I dare say many are vastly more conservative than people on this forum. Conversely, I know many liberals that are religious and use the Bible to justify their liberalism.

In any event, I highly respect the work of Patrick Henry and the other scientists on both sides that take time out of their busy lives to instruct. I don't think we realize the enormous braintrust when we spar with one another.

I'm not in a intellectual position to be Inquisitor to Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, nor was the Pope. Are we fully prepared and scientifically astute to ban what may be truth? Are we willing to burn the libraries of Alexandria and Pergamos for a zeal without full knowledge?

It is human nature to cheer for your horse. However, I ask for reconciliation in this matter. And I ask that the people on both sides of this issue continue the discourse however heated. It helps more than you all know. I hope the search for wisdom rules over the humors of the heart.

My2cents

Christians believe in evolution...Catholic priests have been intimately involved in research and have uncovered fossils...and many conservatives subscribe to evolution. They are not part of a vast conspiracy. They are not dupes used by libs to undermine values.

Ok... but...

Most Christians 'believe' Evolution because they do NOT know what their Bible says.

If, as they say, they 'believe' the words of Jesus and the New Testament writers,

they have to decide what the following verses mean:

Acts 17:26-27
26. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
27. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Romans 5:12-21
12. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
13. for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.
14. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16. Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
19. For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
21. so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If there were no one man, that means SIN did NOT enter the World thru him.

If Adam was NOT the one man, that means SPIRITUAL DEATH did not come thru him.

If SIN did NOT enter the World thru the one man, that means Jesus does not save from SIN.

Are we to believe that the one man is symbolic? Does that mean Jesus is symbolic as well?

The Theory of Evolution states that there WAS no one man, but a wide population that managed to inherit that last mutated gene that makes MEN different from APES.

Acts 17:24-26

24. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
25. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
26. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

Was LUKE wrong about this?

1 Corinthians 11:8-9
8. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;
9. neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

1 Timothy 2:13

For Adam was formed first, then Eve.

Was Paul WRONG about these???

If so, is GOD so puny that He allows this 'inaccuracy' in His Word??

And THIS verse is completely against E!!!

NIV Genesis 2:18
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."