Posted on 11/17/2010 9:34:52 AM PST by ImProudToBeAnAmerican
Creation or Evolution? The very mention of the debate can make blood pressures rise, tempers flare, and strain the closest of relationships. Why is there such passion on both sides? When it comes right down to it, does it even matter what we believe on the subject? This may seem like just a point of differing perspectives on the origin of man; but if that were so, the battle wouldn’t rage as hotly as it does. It is about more than simple perspective. It is a life issue, for what a person believes about man’s origins forms the foundation of his entire worldview.
(Excerpt) Read more at inspiretomorrow.wordpress.com ...
First article of what will probably be a long series of articles and many comments..
Creation vs. Evolution: Why it Matters
Please read and comment at will!
Have a blessed day!
Why does a person’s worldview matter to anyone other than himself?
It obviously didn’t matter enough to you to even post it.
Exactly how I feel too.
Too trivial to post or worry about.
Many anti-Christians use a secular worldview as a lever to push the Christian worldview out of schools and out of the public arena. Many of these people love Evolution, not because they consider it a sensible biological paradigm, but because they feel it makes Genesis a myth.
It doesn't unless he or she votes on the basis of that worldview, or has a position in government and makes policy based on that worldview, or raises children based on that worldview, . . .
The worldview of hermits is entirely their own business, and I will make no effort whatsoever to change it, and suggest that in keeping with your question, that none of the rest of us make any effort in that regard either.
Although there are many people who hold views that combine differing portions of both perspectives, I would like to discuss the purists on each side. Only by looking at each perspective in this simple way can we truly see the foundations of each worldview.
The creationist accepts the Bible as truth, and to him, science and faith cannot be separated, for one supports the other. He believes that God created man (and the entire universe) exactly as described in Genesis. Because man was created by God, the creationist believes he is accountable to his Creator for his life on earth and accepts the Bible as his guide to living. He sees man the way God sees him – created with a purpose and a destiny which is found in serving Him according to Scripture.
The evolutionist, on the other hand, believes science and religion are separate disciplines. He may deny the Bible in total or accept only portions of it as literal truth, but he does not believe that God created the universe the way Genesis describes. Rather, the evolutionist believes that man came into being through macro-evolution – the process of species evolving into ever more complex species over millions of years. This differs from micro-evolution – the genetic changes WITHIN a species due to mutation, natural selection, or environmental isolation – which is accepted by both evolutionists and creationists. Because the evolutionist doesn’t believe God created man, he sees man free to live as he chooses, accountable to only himself and the society in which he lives.
This presents a problem. An evolutionist may be quite content to put science in one corner and religion in another, as his worldview is influenced by such separation; but a Christian cannot do the same without inner turmoil and deep questioning because God continually draws us to see things through His eyes.
Well, we may never change another person’s worldview, but as Christians we must be sure we have God’s worldview. Jesus said, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17b). If Genesis – the first book of the Bible and the very foundation of God’s word – is not true, then the rest of the Bible cannot be true. If it’s not true that God said, “Let there be light” and light was, then how can we believe that Jesus died on the cross, saying, “It is finished”?
Creation or Evolution? It matters!
Comments welcome!
(Entire article - just following FR post rules)
“Many anti-Christians use a secular worldview as a lever to push the Christian worldview out of schools and out of the public arena.” - ClearCase_guy
That’s true. bttt
Here’s one of the various Christian Worldviews that I think should be taught alongside of atheistic worldviews:
The Problem of Polygenism
Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 9:32 AM
Joe Carter http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2010/10/19/the-problem-of-polygenism/
[article snipped]
Excerpts from the comments section:
The Phantom Blogger October 22nd, 2010 | 6:35 pm
This is from a Catholic apologetics site, covering how Catholics can connect Church teachings on a literal Adam and Eve, with our knowedge of genetics. Here:
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p87.htm
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p102.htm
The bottom of this page deals with Adam and Eve specifically.
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p15.htm As far as I can tell, from looking at the articles, the only way to square the available molecular evidence with traditional Church teaching regarding a literal Adam and Eve is to suppose that the first human beings (or at least their children Cain, Seth and their brothers and sisters) sometimes inter-bred with non-rational hominids that lacked a human soul, and that this was not an uncommon occurrence in the early days of humanity. Quote from an article: “The following is a possible scenario how Adam/Eve could be reconciled with a population of early hominids/humans. <> So, how can we combine the evidence present in the world that God created with the given interpretation of God’s word? I start from the assumption that a “human” has a human soul, whereas a non-human does not. I also assume that a human soul is immaterial and its presence has no visible material effect, such as a change in DNA.
Here is one possibility. Start with a population of unsouled upright apes, call then “huma” because they are not quite human yet. God puts human souls into two of them, Adam and Eve (or puts a soul into one male, Adam, and clones a female, Eve, from him e.g. Genesis 2:21-23 “Eve from Adam”). Adding a soul does not change the original huma DNA at all. We now have a pair of humans, Adam and Eve, in a population of huma. Adam and Eve only mate with each other and have human children with souls. In order to avoid incest the children need to find mates outside their immediate family so they mate with some of the huma. This is possible because their DNA is compatible with huma DNA; the mating is open to the possibility of creating life. God gives a soul to all hybrid human/huma offspring so all the children with at least one human parent are also human, i.e. they have a soul. Because only the descendants of the initial pair mate with huma, all the children from such matings are descended from both Adam and Eve since they will have both as grandparents, great-grandparents etc. Over time the number of humans increases and the number of huma declines until the huma are extinct. In scientific terms we have a large interbreeding population, as shown by the current level of genetic diversity in humans. Theologically all humans are descended from that first ensouled pair, as required by the Council or Trent.
You may or may not accept this particular scenario, but it shows that there is a way to reconcile revelation and science. It also avoids the problem of incest among Adam and Eve’s children.”
Huh-oh. Let the beatings and the carping commence.
It's that attitude that got zer0 elected.
Hardly anything new.
??? What does that have to do with a person’s view on how the world was created? What about people’s worldview 100yr ago, or 100yrs in the future, or people in other countries? How does that have anything to do with Obama?
It wouldn’t, if they would stop trying to inflict it upon, as opposed to trying to persuad, others.
The liberal world-view requires force, as they know other people do not want to have their lives controlled and their wealth redistributed.
That doesn’t change what happened, does it?
The mods only keep you here for amusement. One of these days, they will feel differently.
The only thing that matters personally is eternal life or dieing, the other part is if we are going to let satan control the world, i think he will for a short time before he gets thrown into the fire.
Isn’t that just the way it is? Everyone does that. Things have been changing since the beginning, and people have been resisting that change since the beginning...so why does it matter?
If man was around thousands (millions?) of years prior to Adam, then death isn’t a consequence of sin and it removes the necessity of shedding blood for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus’ death on the cross becomes one not for forgiveness of sin but of being martyred for a feel good cause.
The entirety of the Bible rests on this concept being true.
Satan has been working very hard to create doubt by asking “Did God really say...”. He has been trying to discredit God’s word from the beginning - nothing new, just different techniques and avenues of communicating his message.
Perhaps, but why? What is it that I say, that would get me removed? Until then I’ll be here for another 10 yrs or so, unless I die first. Cheers
I would say that even further than that, they feel that makes all of the Bible a myth.
Evolution and evolutionists are just useful idiots for the socialist left.
If the evolutionists think that a secular atheistic society will be their friend, they only have to look at what happened to the educated and intellectuals when Cambodia fell. And look at life under Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Kim Jung Il....
They may be happy enough to use it to get rid of Christianity, but it will come back to bite them and won't they be surprised when they're next.
A person's worldview is more than just their opinion on evolution.
It matters because when one votes secular humanism, no moral absolutes,situational ethics, we get the mess this country is in now where we're looking at obamacare and essentially death panels.
People making judgments on rationing health care based on what? Cost effectiveness?
That's why worldview matters.
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