Evolution vs. Creationism: A Poorly Written AFP Article

[Aught Six]

Americans believe in both evolution, creationism: poll

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Mydispute with this article lies in the use oftheword "conflicting". By phrasing the sentence like that, itimplies thata quarter ofAmericans are confused or just plain stupid. That's probably true,but that's not the focus of this article and taints it with a possible hint of bias.

I seem to know a lot of people who believe in Genesis, but considerthe days as moremetaphorical representations of time before man could track it himself. To many of those who keep an open mind in theireducation and remain faithful, it just makes sense.

[hillbillyhunter1]

I seem to know a lot of people who believe in Genesis, but considerthe days as moremetaphorical representations of time before man could track it himself. To many of those who keep an open mind in theireducation and remain faithful, it just makes sense.

It does make sense and that's kind of the way I believe, but if you posted that in the religious section of this forum, I believe you would find that 99% of the regulars in there believe literally the King James version word for word. I don't see why it can't be both but many don't see it like that

[BenGarrett]

Actually, I'd tend to think that the 25% really are confused. I am willing to accept the possibility that Genesis was written with metaphorical representations of time, that God didn't literally create the world as we know it in six days, etc. I'm not saying I believe that, necessarily, but that I can accept that.

But this idea that the human race is a product of evolution? Genesis clearly states that God made man in his own image. Taken in the context of which it was written, I don't think there's anything metaphorical about that. If God made man by first making pond scum which became pond bug which became pond fish which became legged fish et cetera and so on all the way up to primates and then human beings, he might not have said it in so many words, but I'm not sure he would've said that he made man of dust and woman of man's rib.

Thus, I really would be interested in hearing someone who does believe both theories to describe how they derive that.

[Aught Six]

I see what you mean. These people I'd mentioned would say that evolution probably occured up to a point, but that the creation of man was a distinctly seperate event. Although I could see some looking at the genetic arrival of homo sapien as the act of God, as though he were the one who forced the evolution. I'm sure it can make sense looking at it a bunch of different ways. There are a lot of confused people, though, so who knows?

[BenGarrett]

ORIGINAL: Aught Six

Although I could see some looking at the genetic arrival of homo sapien as the act of God, as though he were the one who forced the evolution.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who believe that. I guess that could be described as believing both creationism and evolution, but I wouldn't tend to think of God forcing the evolution of animal life into human beings as creationism as much as I would think of it as simply God playing a role in nature. But then I guess different people view it differently and, thus, the 25%.

I believe very much that evolution played a role in bringing about animal life as we know it today. I think there's a strong chance that God didn't create every animal that we have record of, but allowed at least a few of them to evolve from other forms of animals. There's strong scientific evidence to suggest that to be true. But I don't believe evolution played a role in the coming about of man.

[hillbillyhunter1]

I guess I misread the poll. While I think that god is probably responsible for creating the system and probably responsible for creating man within the system, I also believe that the earth is billions of years old and that dinosaurs did not co-habitate the planet with man only a couple of thousand years ago (as some have argued in the other forum), etc. I believe that this planet has evolved over a long period of time and continues to evolve. I do not particularly believe the "theory of evolution" as it pertains to us however. Perhaps the 25% was (is) "confused" in that same way.

[Californiadoctor]

Most Americans have strong religious beliefs instilled in them at a very early age so they start out as creationists. However, as they become more aware of the overwhelming evidence for evolution and the scientific impossibility of many of the events described in the bible they become conflicted. Not wanting to give up the religious belief of creationismthat theylearnedearlyin life,and unable to reject the rationalexplanations of origins that science teaches, they decide to accept both in a manner that they are comfortable with.

Caldoc

[BenGarrett]

ORIGINAL: Californiadoctor

scientific impossibility of many of the events described in the bible

Hogwash.

[BigTiny]

I don't see the conflict, I believe Genesis and in evolution. Evolution within species has been observed and repeated under scientific conditions. There is no evidence, however, of inter-species evolution(i.e., humans evolved from monkeys). Even with genetic manipulation to "help", this has not been proven. Any study you see that says otherwise either has gaping holes in logic or abandons the scientific method. Otherwise, it would be called the law of evolution rather than the theory.

[Californiadoctor]

ORIGINAL: BenGarrett

Hogwash.

Where to begin? How about "creation week"
Light is created on day 1 but where does it come from? the Sun and stars are not created untill day 4.
Plants are created on day 3 but how can there be plants before there is a Sun created on day 4.
Birds and marine mammals are supposedly created on day 5 but we know that both birds and whales are descendents of non-flying and non-marine vertabrates that were not created until day 6.
All land animals, living and extinct, were supposedly created on day 6 implying they all lived at the same time which is directly contradicted by the fossil record.
There were talking animals such as the snake in the garden of eden.
A global flood that completely submerged the continents when it would require five times as much water present in all of the oceans to accomplish this.
After this flood, animals such as Koalas managed to find their way back to Australia and tree sloths returned to South America from the middle east.
TheSun stands still for a day implying that the Earth stopped rotating on its axis for 24 hours and then started again with no adverse inertial consequences.
A man survived for three days in the stomach of a whale or large fish.
Humans with life spans of over 900 years.

There plenty more scientifically impossible events described in the bible but we can start with the ones I have listed.

Caldoc