Evolution vs Creationism vs More V1.0

[natas]

This is version 1 of the debate "Evolution vs Creationism vs More". What this thread is not is a place to come and insult, mock, degrade or put down members for their views. Engage the debate in the spirit in which it is meant to be debated.

In this thread we will talk about the following:

* Should evolution be taught in class?
* Should creationism be taught in class?
* Other theories on how earth was created
* Other arguments about the creation of life, earth etc.


Special rules for this thread:
1) As always, please stay on topic. Off topic replies, will be removed.
2) Limit small replies like "that was awesome", or "Your wrong". Instead of replying like this, use rep or the "thank you" button.
3) Try your best to back your statement up with scientific fact, studies you have read or done.
4) DO NOT plagiarize. If you quote someones findings, please give credit by providing the name, or a direct link.
5) Before posting, please read the rules of this forum.

Quoting of verses is fine, quoting of scientific fact is fine. Telling another member they will burn in hades (or other word) is not allowed. Telling someone that believing in God is dumb is not allowed.

Enjoy, and have fun!

[pathfinder36]

There should be no argument in my opinion. BOTH could have been equally true. God creates universe with the appearance of time... is that "appearance" of time just an illusion, or did he actually provide a REAL and tangible history to the universe that pre-dates it's actual creation?

I think it's entirely feasible that the "appearance of time" is an ACTUAL timeline of it's own. If man-kind were to go back in time... to the exact moment that God created earth, would we witness him creating earth, or would we see pre-historic creatures? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't witness God creating earth, so I would have to assume that God created existence with a real, viable, logical history that pre-dates the actual creation. I would wager that going back in time, we would see Dinosaurs and pre-historic critters running around. I would bet money that we could leap back to current date and actually WITNESS evolution occurring.

This would cause the scientific community to point back at religion and say..."See... we were right." Does that mean that God didn't create everything as is in a single moment? No, it just means that God provided man with a logical mechanism for existence. This would mean that BOTH evolution AND creationism could be right... at the same time.

Why all the arguing? There is absolutely NO way we could ever know for certain how everything started. There are a few things we can know with reasonable certainty however:

Every living creature on Earth has and DOES currently make slow physical adaptations to better suit its environment. That in it's own is evolution. To look back through fossil records, we can see that an evolutionary process is very likely. If we could ever go back and PROVE that man evolved from monkeys, would that DISPROVE any religious belief? No. Not with the assumption that God's idea of the "appearance of time" isn't an illusion with no substance.

[X-Factor]

I personally don't think that religion should be brought into the classroom, but having said that I think that any scientific theory (and evolution IS still a theory, if a very well studied one) should be taught as such, NOT as fact. Religion should be learned from the parents and the chosen place of worship. I am far from a religious person, though I grew up in a VERY religious home.

[deadliestformula]

NEWSBRIEF: Chicago Tribune, Friday, 10/25/96, "POPE BOLSTERS CHURCH SUPPORT FOR EVOLUTION", by Stevenson Swanson, Tribune Staff Writer, Dateline: New York.

"In a major statement of the Roman Catholic Church's position on the theory of evolution, Pope John Paul II has proclaimed that the theory is 'more than just a hypothesis' and that evolution is compatible with Christian faith. In a written message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the pope said the theory of evolution has been buttressed by scientific studies and discoveries since Charles Darwin ... "It is indeed remarkable that this theory has progressively taken root in the minds of researchers following a series of discoveries made in different spheres of knowledge', the pope said in his message Wednesday. 'The convergence, neither sought nor provoked, of results of studies undertaken independently from each other constitutes, in itself, a significant argument in favor of this theory..."

[X-Factor]

Yet another in the Catholic Church's attempts to "main-stream."

[momakat]

This is an interesting and timeless question. I was raised in a religious environment - but learned evolution in school, leaving me personally confused as to the 'truth'. There has been much discovery of past and present evolution - so what happened to creation as the Bible teaches? I once asked a minister when young, and again when I was older and the answers were similar.

Religion does not teach how long a 'day' is, or was, during the 6 days of creation. So who is to say that a day could not have been millions of years, allowing evolution to take place naturally at the same time God was creating all things. This is the basis of discussion in the two churches I was in at the different times I posed this question about 20 years apart.

I love reading about each new discovery in our evolutionary history. And I smile at each new question some of these things pose when there is no real link from a discovery to a past/previous evolutionary trail - lending more credence to the creationist theory/faith. Although I still have questions about reconciling evolution and creation - I do believe they both played a part in our world.

Should creationism be taught in schools? No - I believe in the separation of church and state. If one faith were to be taught in public schools that would open up a huge box of worms and could cause more problems than we want to deal with. I taught my children my 'faith' at home and in church . . . just as I taught them that the teachers are human, books are written by men and to never blindly accept or follow one teaching. They ask questions, research, and discover answers for themselves - after all, each teacher relies upon their own upbringing and education to interpret what they, in turn, teach others.

[sarecho7280]

here's the simplest way to put it.

if one can't grasp the concept of a universe simply beginning, then it's also impossible to grasp the concept of a higher power always existing. to believe in a higher power or creationism, you have to just accept that that higher power has always existed but those same people just don't get "the big bang theory" or any of its counterparts. it's very hypocritical and simply a case of faith vs. science. one is based on evidence and one is based on anything but evidence.

the evolution of science is also cited as "proof of god" because theories change, when in actuality, it's usually science that debunks science. religion has never debunked science and never will (see the faith argument above).

the way i see it, we're animals and nothing more. we haven't always been here and we won't always be here. our way of thinking will be as ridiculed one day as is that of the native americans, egyptians, etc.

it's a cycle we are part of but won't admit it.