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It continues to astound me that many religious conservatives perpetually relegate themselves to the lunatic fringe by being so strident about evolution. As Arnold was known to say in one of his movies "This does not help our mission".

If you're going to deny the facts - the paloentology, the genetics, the biochemistry, the comparitive anatomy, etc. - then you're going to get tagged as a kook, whether you like or not.

Being considered a kook thereby makes it easier for the mainstream to dismiss your other positions, on abortion, on sexual conduct, on individual vs. government responsibility, and many more.

And it gets you nothing! The battle is lost. Evolution, though just a theory and undoubtedly flawed in ways that will be refined in the future, is the current best understanding of how life on Earth developed. None of the creationist alternatives can get around that. The latest entry, "intelligent design" can be reduced to a single proposition - "I just don't see how something that complex could have evolved, therefore it must have been created."

That form of arrogance - "I don't understand it therefore it couldn't have happened" - is unbecoming of a Christian. Far better to practice the humility your religion expects of you. To look the facts squarely in the face and realize that if God chose evolution as the mechanism to produce man, then there's no conflict. Evolution and religion are perfectly compatible. Then you don't relegate yourselves to the kook gallery and get ignored on every other issue you press.

I have not posted to an evolution vs. creation thread in years, and I'm not going to be drawn into another debate with people who cannot distinguish between fact and opinion, and dismiss hard evidence with a wave of their hand when it conflicts with their "faith" that evolution is wrong. I'm just letting you creationist folks know that you are wasting your energy and marginalizing yourselves for no good reason.

Evolution, though just a theory,,,

I get your point and agree with much of it but please don't perpetuate the notion that a "Theory" is nothing more than a hypothesus. A scientific theory such as the atomic theory is a well worked out, tested and testable body of thought and observations. The atomic theory is testable in any number of ways from nuclear fission reactors to thermonuclear devices. Evolution, though not subject to exactly analogous tests (due to the long timeframes required) is testable from the genetic material comparisons and the cladistic comparisons one can make.

Evolution is a fact. Natural selection is a fact. They do not threaten anybody's religion because, to a believer, evolution can be viewed as simply the method of creation. It is certainly more elegant a method than simple creation ex nihilo.

Evolution and religion are perfectly compatible.
Hi. I agree completely with what you are trying to say in your posting.
Someone said and I agree that God is subtle but not maliscious. He created order and logic within the fabric of our universe.
There is truth waiting to be discovered or perhaps revealed to the seeker. There is so much we still don't understand about the universe and our origins that it's far too early to dismiss conclusively any explanations that are plausible and do not outrightly violate the laws of physics.
Truth is truth. Most people (including top notch scientists and well-respected christians) choose to compartmentalize their lives. To them, there are the scientific truths (the natural or physical only) and then there are religious truths (the supernatural only) or only one or the other can be true.
I am of the firm belief that there is only one grand TRUTH and it most likely is a perfect combination of the natural and the supernatural (spiritual/heavenly truths spoken of in the Bible). Those who are honest with themselves know deep down that there is more than just the natural or the physical world. I have yet to encounter an outright contradiction between science and what I've read from the Bible. Some things are seemingly a contradiction on the surface but really are not when read carefully in the context it was given.

Best Regards.