There are plenty of theistic evolutionists, and as you state in the same post, there is little conflict between Christians and Evolution. It makes no sense to reject Christianity if you held a non literal interpretation of Genesis.
I would hazard a guess that you already held a literal interpretation of Genesis, especially given your statement that you " studied in college with the intent of becoming a missionary."
You of all people know that Evolution and Christianity is not compatible, and that Theistic Evolution is an untenable position.
No, It is not this person you are angry with...it is God. You feel that he tricked you or lied to you, and betrayed your trust and loyalty. It is you who feel rejected.
I sympathize with you and wish I had some words of wisdom to offer, but all I can tell you is that someone is indeed lying to you, but it is not God.
Faith is not an easy thing sometimes, but as I said before, when I shake myself of all things influential, and I stop and look around, I know in my heart, and in my mind, and in my soul, that I was created above all else. It is just painfully obvious to me that we are profoundly different from every other creature on this planet, and whenever I get lost, I always come back to that one starting point, and the only thing that makes sense from there, is a literal interpretation of Genesis, regardless if it conflicts with what someone else may tell me....or what science would like to tell me.
Christ said blessed are those who believe without seeing. There's a reason he said that...and now, more than ever, should these words have meaning, and comfort us in our faith.
Until I became convinced that I must believe every word of the Bible, or none of it. Literalism is dangerous for Christianity.
I would hazard a guess that you already held a literal interpretation of Genesis, especially given your statement that you " studied in college with the intent of becoming a missionary."
Actually no. My studies were in the 70's, before the relatively recent "Creation Science" movement of the 80's. I was actually taught in a Southern Baptist Church retreat that there were no conflicts between science (evolution) and Genesis. I was taught that all you had to do was read Genesis correctly, and all was well. My Old Testament history class in college backed that up. After studying the questionable sources for Genesis and other parts of the Old Testament, it was no problem to ignore a litteral interpretation of it
That doctrine has since changed. The same Church that taught me that science and Genesis were compatible, now teaches literalism and fights science every way they can. That left me wondering, were they wrong in the 70's, or are they wrong now? And if church doctrine can be so utterly wrong depending on when you attend, then was it ever right? My conclusion was that it never was.
No, It is not this person you are angry with...it is God.
I know who I'm angry with. They post on this forum. God does not.
Christ said blessed are those who believe without seeing.
Jesus was a very bright man (yes, I believe he existed, just as Oral Roberts exists). Even he knew that he could offer no objective reason to believe in God. Only emotion. Emotion can lead humans to any number of things, both good and bad. Which only demonstrates that it cannot be relied upon to offer truth.